Boxster Engine Crisis: Metal in Oil & Warning Signs

I had some experience with cars, and went through something very similar with my 2006 Cayman (Porsche's sister model to the Boxster). The symptoms were identical, weird engine noises and that dreaded oil warning light. Turned out to be a failing oil pump. Took it to my trusted indie Porsche shop, and they confirmed low oil pressure due to a defective pump. Had it replaced along with a full oil system flush to get rid of any metal particles. Cost me around 755€, but it was worth every penny to prevent engine damage. What's your mileage, and have you noticed any performance changes? Also, please stop driving it until you get it checked, these symptoms on a Porsche flat-six can lead to serious engine damage if ignored.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I'm at 116118 KM and just had my service done last month. Haven't noticed any major performance drops yet, but I'm definitely taking your advice and not driving it until I get it checked out. Going to call my mechanic first thing tomorrow morning. Really hoping it's just the pump like in your case and not something more serious.

Hey again! Just wanted to follow up, how did the mechanic visit go? Your symptoms really hit close to home since my Cayman had nearly identical issues. In my case, after we replaced the oil pump, everything went back to normal, and I've put another 45,000 km on it without any issues. Just make sure they do a thorough flush of the system, those metal shavings can cause more damage if they're left floating around. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous reply, when my pump was failing, I also noticed the noise was particularly bad during cold starts and would somewhat improve after the engine warmed up. Did you experience anything similar? Keep us posted on what they find. These flat-six engines are generally bulletproof when maintained well, but when oil pressure issues pop up, it's definitely something to take seriously. Really hoping it's just the pump like mine was!

Hey! I really appreciate you following up! Just got back from the mechanic and you totally called it, failing oil pump. They found exactly what you described, and yeah, now that you mention it, the noise was definitely worse during cold starts. I just didn't connect the dots before. They're doing the full repair tomorrow, pump replacement and system flush, quoted me around 800€. Feeling pretty relieved it wasn't something more serious, and I'm really glad I didn't keep driving it. Your experience with the Cayman helped me feel a lot more confident about what to expect. Thanks again for all the advice, I'll definitely post an update once I get her back on the road. It's good to know you got another 45,000 km without issues after the fix. Really helps put my mind at ease!