Very unfortunate new owner experience

I searched religiously for over 6 months to find my next "perfect" porsche. When an 08 Cayman S Sport Limited Edition in white popped up at a Porshce dealer in CA, I jumped on it. The sales rep was absolutley wonderful to work with and we settled on a fair price. The dealer had just performed a major service (due to age not miles) which included serpentine belt, plugs, all filters, brake flush etc... The vehicle was inspected and all was 100%. The dealer also emailed my the over rev report, which was ok at Range 1- 1321, range 2-30, range 3-1 and zero for ranges 4-6. I received records from the previous 3 years which also included new brakes, tires and clutch within the past 12 months. Car had no warranty, but seemed perfect and only had 35K miles. Purchased and wired money to dealer and had the car transported (enclosed) to MN. When I saw the car in person I was amazed at its condition, inside and out. The entire front of car was clear bra as was the lower doors, mirrors, fog light spars, door handles etc. Zero peeling of buttons and the sport seats and alcantara all looked brand new. Signed the bill of lading and I took the car for a short drive. This is where the fun stopped. After driving into my garage, I heard a distinctive tick/knock coming from the drivers side of engine. I shrugged it off at first thinking it was a stuck or sticking valve. Next day drove it around town with my wife and sure enough when parking back in garage the tick...tick..was still present. Now I was worried. The next day I made an appointment at Minneapolis Porsche to have the sound diagnosed. The car was parked and not driven until my trip to Minneapolis. I had only put about 60 miles on the car. I also notified the dealer in CA. The CA dealer was suprised at the issue, but seemed concerned about the noise as well. After a 3 hr diagnose of the engine, I was told the worst news....scored bore on cylinder 3. I was taken back to the shop and shown the damage through their boroscope camera. Yep...it was scored. I immediately called the CA Porsche dealer and was told they would take care of the sisuation and would try their hardest to get a re-man engine and would pay 100% for the engine swap. I was ok with this, as the replacement motor would also receive a 2 yr warranty. This was 2.5 weeks ago. Got the call last night and was told Porcshe would not honor a new motor. Now the CA dealer is willing to have the car shipped back to them and I will receive my money back. Hearing this I was very dissapointed, but relieved the dealer was going to make things right. Then a 1/2 hr later I receive another call from the CA dealer saying they are trying one last time with Porsche to get a new engine. I should hear the final verdict today, tomorrow, or whenever Porsche decides. I'm not holding my breath, as I'm about 99% sure the car will be sent back to CA. I am just sick over all this. The Cayman S is by far one of my favorite Porsches and in the couple times I drove it, I could tell it was a very special car. Not my first Porsche (3rd), but was surely my favorite. If the Cayman gets sent back and my money refunded, I doubt another Porsche will be the replacment. The whole IMS issue never bothered me, and still doesnt, but the scored bores does. There seems to be little or nothing that can be done to prevent the issue, and if you end up with scored bores, the only fix is a new motor, or complete rebuild. I was told by Minneapolis Porsche that a replacment engine was 23K and another 6K to remove old and install new. I didnt pay a whole lot more than that for the car! Hopefully if I post again it will be about enjoying my Cayman S with a new motor...

Gosh. Sorry to hear of your troubles. You are to be commended for the calm businesslike way you are handling it. My 2010 CS is CPO and I insisted to myself that I find one that was. That was 20 months ago though and I will be out of CPO in June of 2016. I find myself driving my old Audi more and more because I want to preserve the Porsche and I guess that I am beginning to perceive these engines as kind of fragile because of reading of too many failures here. I may decide to sell mine while it is still not too high mileage. I really want a car that I feel fairly certain that I can drive 150,000 miles if I choose to. Best of luck with resolving your issue. If you can recover a full refund that is pretty good IMHO.

So the car only has 35K miles but had the clutch replaced? Is there a story around that? Seems odd.

Keep us posted - hope everything works out for you.

Thanks J. After being in business for many years, I've learned to stay calm in most situations. My feelings are mostly just dissapointment. I'll never forget receiving the car from an exotic car transporter delivered to my house and all the local kids gauking at what was coming out of the trailer. Truely pricelss. I have been told on numerous occasions that my money would be refunded fully. The dealer I purchased the car from is the oldest Porsche dealer in america (or so I was told). Everyone has been great to deal with...no problems there. Getting a replacement 987.2 CS (2009-2012) would be a consideration, but I have also read some online articles of the DFI engine getting score bores as well. The possability really scares me. After all is said and done, I might just buy another Audi S4 and call it a day...

^Ricky The car for the past 3 years was driven as a weekend car by a retired gentleman. The dealership I purchased it from has sold the previous owner 12 Porsches total and serviced them all. He apparently just loved Porsches. I have owned many cars in my day and have NEVER seen a used car as clean as this one. EVER... It literally looks brand new. It has been cared for like no other. Such a shame...

I took a car off my list because it had brakes at 27000 and a clutch at 31000. It had around 40k at the time. I think a car that needs a clutch at 31k have been used hard. I may have missed out on a nice car. Or, maybe not. I was also sort of afraid of cars located very near places like Road Atlanta or Mid America.

Yeah --- Understand. My dealer has a nice S4 that is tempting but it is a tiptronic. I keep looking at TTRS and TTS on Autotrader I think I could do the DSG in the TTS. Maybe

Sorry to hear of your troubles audimotion. After reading your post, all I could think was he is one lucky guy as all it's going to cost him is some time and a small amount (maybe) of money. There are many on this forum (and probably more not) that have had to replace engines (or sell a roller) to the tune of $25k due to IMS bearing or scored bore problem. Maybe the Cayman sweet spot you're looking for is a Cayman Base? 9A1 engine and no DFI and very, very solid car all around. Good luck and keep us posted. Eddie P.S. How is it a Porsche dealer sold you this and they did not (or maybe did not want to) hear what you heard? I applaud how they stood behind the sale, but man, what a hassle it will be for you.

Wow, but I would be very suspicious that if a major service and PPI was done, that their mechanic did not know about this. How is it possible that the engine damage occurred while being transported? Something fishy here?

Actually, you are quite lucky...what if you didn't notice (or ignored) until after your warrantee? A good example of the potential pitfalls of buying used. For such a major expense, makes great sense to go new or CPO. My philosophy is to buy new....yes - it is a higher cost of entry, but less chance of buying another persons issues. You will also recoup a bit more if and when you do sell. I have never had a major issue from a car that I owned from the start. My last used car = I spent $20k over 2.5 years on repairs (previous owner was an enthusiast, passed all inspections with flying colors) - lesson learned. There is no guarantee that you might not have issues with other brands...sometimes it is a crapshoot when buying used. Sounds like you will get thru this OK - yes it is frustrating and time consuming, but you will not be out thousands.

Honestly I think you've had a great experience so far. There is an issue with your car, your dealership stepped up huge and are trying to make things right. Even if it doesn't work out, you are getting a refund. Most people would consider a terrible experience if the dealer completely screwed them and they bought a lemon and they are stuck with it. But I am very impressed with your dealer in responding the way they have.

I think this could have been so much worse, I bought a 08 2 years ago, so far just oil changes, buy a different one if the repair does not happen, enjoy it, the most fun car I have ever owned.

^potsnu I am not the least bit upset at the dealer and only consider the overall sisuation terrible. I had the highest hopes and they were answered when I first saw the car. It was only after a short drive I knew something mechanical wasnt right. thankfully I had the car diagnosed and the selling dealer notified after only a couple days and 60 miles of driving. As ive mentioned before, the selling dealer has been great and hopefully they pull through with a new motor....cause I really love the car!

^monkeyboy i understand the potential problems of buying a used vehicle and have always been cautious before buying one. With this particular cayman I did all possible to feel comfortable with the purchase. inspection, records, rev report, and just serviced by the dealer. all was 100%. I Will admit the ticking was not too loud, but me being an enthusiasts and owning many cars, I knew something wasnt right. Heck, my wife or even a different buyer may have driven the car as is and not known there was a problem until it got way worse. Im just glad I caught it right away....

Good luck, hope it all works out, I will cross my fingers for a new motor for your car.

Will a new motor present the same potential problems as the old one? Eddie

You're being really level headed about it. Really hoping this works out well for you!

^Eddie That's the million dollar question. And from what I've read and researched, it can "just happen". I wonder if the car has oil consumption issues as well. I only drove it 60 mils, so have no idea....but it very well could have been using oil for some time. Who knows, maybe the issue was present from day 1, but didn't start to make noise til recently....it's anyone's guess. It's a shame as the car is soooo nice and we'll kept.

There was a recent thread from a guy in San Francisco who had his Cayman S hit. He has a nicely updated motor that he might be willing to sell. Send the car back to the dealer in CA (Sacramento?), have them buy & install the motor, and away you go.

"Getting a replacement 987.2 CS (2009-2012) would be a consideration, but I have also read some online articlesicon of the DFIicon engine getting score bores as well. The possability really scares me. " Statistics, Consumer Reports and The Cayman series are tangible evidence, these "Internet" reports are either false or misleading. The 9A1 engine is very robust, being used in the GT 4 and the soon to be track only, reported GT 4 RS. Cheers

I hope you are right. I do understand the herd mentality of the internet. That said , I still will be careful after a cold start untill oil is warmed up. Sometimes I miss the forgiving nature of an iron block.

^^I've read a few "real" experience threads from Hartech that states they are starting to see more and more 987.2 engines with scored bores. I'm not trying to be a scare monger, but the issue is real. From what I gather amongst the overall Porsche community, Hartech is one of the leading engine builders and sees and repairs lots of issues...including scored bores, both 1st and now 2nd generation 987's. I would hope Porsche rectified the issues with the 981....but there was a 981 in the shop with its engine out while I was being shown my scored bore a few weeks back at Carousel Porsche in Minneapolis. I should have asked why it was out, but my cars issue were more important at the time.

Bogus, they are trying to sell you engine parts, read it too, no scientific evidence only anecdotes, which I do not believe. They have an interst in selling "stuff " Cheers

^correct no scientific evidence, but they have rebuilt numerous 987.2's with the problem. I guess that is evidence enough in my book. I really wish there was some "scientific evidence" for why this happens. Seems it can be on a pampered garage queen or regularly used car....it just happens. No one including Porsche can give a definite reason for the issue.

Update: received a call today from dealer and was told Porsche finally authorized a 100% good will to rebuild the engine with a new block. Dealer also said the work/engine will receive a 2 yr warranty. I'm pleased with the outcome and can hardly wait to enjoy my Cayman. It currently sits at Carousel Porsche in Minneapolis and will hopefully be back on the road in 2 or so weeks (1 week to get parts & 1 week to build). Great to see Porsche come through!!

That is great news!!!!! Kudos to Porsche for doing this. Eddie

Hooray for you! Have to say, was reading this thread and was really hoping for a good outcome. :cheers: Sending good mojo your way that the repair process goes well!

Thanks guys. I'm pretty excited. Just hope all is 100% when I get it back...

I have been following along. That's really great news! I have new warranty windshield on the way. I am also very happy with Porsche NA

Great news, you will have so much fun after you get it back, all the bad stuff will soon be forgotten, post some picture when you get it on the road.

Congratulations and enjoy!