Tiptronic reliablity - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

I'm thinking about getting a 911 possibly but I want to make sure I do it with full thought rather than just diving in and buying one, which is what I usually do... How reliable are the tiptronic auto boxes compared to the standard manual boxes in the 996 3.6 porsches? I've seen a couple of facelift 2002 models of potential interest. Both are 3.6 ones, are they more likely to get the bore score issue or have more problems? It would be an everyday car but probably only doing 5-6k a year. Is there a good resource on expected running costs and bills for the usual issues? One of them has had a replacement engine in the last 10k so would that be the much better buy? Assuming it is genuine and from a decent specialist. What sort of running costs should I expect? I was assuming £1000 a time for service, mot, maintenance per year and another £1500 for random breakages. What are the best preventative things to do when first getting one? Is the 4wd system any good and is the combination of a tiptronic/4wd any more unreliable than the manual/4wd or the tiptronic/rwd? Or do they all just have different weak points so it doesn't really matter? I don't have a particular preference apart from probably preferring the lazy arse auto option so I want to make sure the car I get is the best long term prospect so if a particular combination is much less reliable then I'd want to avoid it really. As you can see I'm not sure what I want but I want to make the probability of getting completely the wrong combination reduced

Tiptronic is reliable. In over 10 years of ownership, I don't remember ever seeing a thread about tiptronic failures - there might have been the odd one I've forgotten, but if you really want tiptronic then there is no reason to avoid them. 4WD is also reliable. The engine problems you already seem to be aware of are the main factors with 996s. Obviously some other stuff will wear out / break, but generally that will be consumables like brakes, tyres etc. and maybe the odd radiator / condensor. I would say your planned maintenance budget is reasonable if you're including that £1500 breakage amount each year - in fact I'd expect your running costs to be less than that. I think my 996 turbo has averaged under £2k a year in the 5 years I've owned it, so a 996 should be less. Minor service at an indy is only £250-ish for my turbo I think and only the major is £1k-ish. Unexpected bills do happen, but a £1.5k per year slush fund should cover most (non-terminal) things. If you're unlucky, you can find you need 4 new tyres and a set of brakes and that will take you well over that amount, however things like that don't tend to be regular and it should even out with some cheaper minor service bills.

Tiptronic 'boxes are generally considered reliable. Do benefit from an oil change at higher mileage. Shift linkages can stiffen up but are serviceable. Be warned that it does take several miles to learn to get the best from a tiptronic 'box.

It's good to know my cost estimation isn't too far off. Considering the type of car it is the running costs seem quite reasonable... but I did used to have a skyline so I'm probably numbed to large bills I've never had an auto before so it should be interesting finding out how this one behaves.

teabelly said: It's good to know my cost estimation isn't too far off. Considering the type of car it is the running costs seem quite reasonable... but I did used to have a skyline so I'm probably numbed to large bills I've never had an auto before so it should be interesting finding out how this one behaves. I'm not sure "interesting" is the word I'd use. My Cayenne has tiptronic, and it suits the car. But I once had a Boxster with tiptronic as a courtesy car and thought it was absolutely horrible. I definitely wouldn't want it in a sports oriented car - but we're all different and if it's what you want, there should be plenty around. I'd recommend try before you buy though.

As said already tip boxes are pretty reliable. I believe they are Mercedes Benz units?

I know of two failures, One was Ray Luxury Yacht on here a few years ago & the box on our TIPEC chairmans 996 C4S quit last year. Sean's made orrible noises & wouldn't do anything. A company in Erith rebuilt it for around £2.5K fully warranted. He says it drives like a different car now. This was quite low miles, around 60K IIRC.

The Tip box on my old 996C4S developed a significant oil leak. The OPC answer was that this was an unfixable problem and it would have to go in the bin. Happily 9 Excellence know this is not the case as it's a Merc box, and sourced and fitted new seals which sorted it. Not a cheap exercise, but better than the cost of a new one. My current 997.1 Turbo has so far had no such issues, which is as you'd hope really.

They sound reasonably reliable at least.

Had a 996 C4S Tip.....top tip (excuse the pun!) never never never ever drive it in Auto!!! Use the buttons all the time and drop it into 1st when you stop (default is 2nd). As previous has said, you need to practice to get the best out of it. I actually liked it but obviously would have preferred a PDK but couldnt afford it. Moved on now to a Aston V8 Vantage but decided on the manual option, the Sportshift and its clutch doesnt work too well.

Not sure if there is any truth in this but I've heard you can sort of remap/reset the tip box to make it more lively, as they can become lazy??

Crimp said: Not sure if there is any truth in this but I've heard you can sort of remap/reset the tip box to make it more lively, as they can become lazy?? Correct normally combined with a fluid & filter change. It is called readaption & made quite a difference on the Boxster.

tr7v8 said: Crimp said: Not sure if there is any truth in this but I've heard you can sort of remap/reset the tip box to make it more lively, as they can become lazy?? Correct normally combined with a fluid & filter change. It is called readaption & made quite a difference on the Boxster. Whats involved?

Crimp said: tr7v8 said: Crimp said: Not sure if there is any truth in this but I've heard you can sort of remap/reset the tip box to make it more lively, as they can become lazy?? Correct normally combined with a fluid & filter change. It is called readaption & made quite a difference on the Boxster. Whats involved? It is done through the OBD2 port & involves resetting the gearbox through PWIS or similar. So needs a dealer or an indie with the tool. It took mine quite a few miles to relearn but that plus the fluid & filter change made a difference.

Another quickie... I've seen one that's the manual box but with a km/h speedo. These seems odd. Car is a 1998. Is it something to ignore or is it significant? Are the earlier 996 ie pre 2001 facelift the same reliability wise?

I don't like the tip Had a 996 tip and it broke. Twice. Leaving me stranded. Would never go near one again Dulls the driving experience in my experience Fixed under warranty but I traded it in sharpish for a manual 997

teabelly said: Another quickie... I've seen one that's the manual box but with a km/h speedo. These seems odd. Car is a 1998. Is it something to ignore or is it significant? Are the earlier 996 ie pre 2001 facelift the same reliability wise? Not sure about relative reliability, but the earlier 996s with 3.4 engine use a ZF tiptronic box, but the 3.6 996s use a Mercedes derived box ( I think that is the source of it). The later box is much stronger and is the same as used in 996 turbos and AMGs.

mine was a facelift 3.6 996

Just noticed sports and classic appear to do a monthly maintenance scheme and they're not too far away. Reasons not to buy are rapidly evaporating