Porshce 996 advice Engine Failures

Hello everyone: I am a fellow Porsche lover and a prior owner of a 2001 Boxster S and 1997 Boxster. I sold my 2001 Boxster S in hope of stepping up to my dream car a C2 or C4 996. I started looking in the auto trader and found a few, for a weird reason I did a search on the reliability of these beauties and discovered a ton of sites discussing engine failures and how there may be a flaw in the design of the motor. Please help a fellow Porsche lover, I am ready to purchase my dream car and discovered all these issues with them. Any advice or experience. I may have just been reading all of the negative on these vehicles and would like to hear if alot of Porsche owners experience the same. Thanks everyone in advance.

welcome to the forum. If you go to "search", you will find the info you are looking for. Also, Jake Raby and LN Engineering have interesting on going tests and solutions for some models.

Not every 996 owner has experienced engine problems or failures, but they do exist. That being said, there is hope for 'fixes' and preventive cures as mentioned above. In my opinion, much of the problems are blown out of proportion due to the internet, as the majority at least on this forum have not had major engine issues.(I hope I didn't jinx myself). Search is your friend, and there is lots of info about engine issues.GL

May need to be a member to read, but here is a good article. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6470 I also recommend this 996 book. http://www.amazon.com/Porsche-996-Es...6520680&sr=8-1

Labikes, welcome to Rennlist. If you did a survey of people that went to the doctor's office, what percentage do you think would say that they went there because they were sick or something was wrong. Probably about 85% to 90%. The other 10% to 15% went for a checkup. What percentage of car enthusiasts start a thread stating that there is nothing wrong with their car? Probably 1%. Most threads get started because someone has an "issue" and needs to get it resolved, which is why there seems to be a disproportionate amount is "issues" with the 996. How many engine failures did you have on your 2001 Boxster? How many RMS leaks did you have on it? The Boxster and 996 engines share a lot of the same parts and were built on the same basic design, good or bad. The point I am making here is that, as others have already stated, the issue has been blown out of proportion. Only Porsche knows what percent of all 996 engines have had a catastrophic failure, and they are not releasing that data. Most agree that it is a higher percent that it should be, but who knows for sure. Here is a link to a thread started by one of the guys as he was doing a search for another 996. There is some good info in it. Ultimate Pre-owned 996 Buying Guide In general, buy the newest 996 you can afford, and if you are worried about engine failure, get a CPO (Certified Pre Owned) car from a dealer, or get an aftermarket warranty to cover the drive train. A new engine will cost between $12K and $15K installed, so you have to evaluate the relative cost of the warranty versus the potential risk of an engine failure. We are here to help answer any specific questions you may have going forward. More general questions like "What is the meaning of life?" and "Will my engine fail?" will get you 16,543 different answers and a lot of debate.

+1 Tim, great way to put it.... we should pin this repsonse

Thanks Ed. Maybe that will help in the future.

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I hope not MY future

The flaws you speak of were far more prevalent in the 97 boxster that you owned, and have decreased over time as they continued to quietly (emphasis quietly) improve the process and design. While you may not have known the risks at the time, you saw fit to pick up another boxster, so don't sweat it. Same motor in the 996, just bigger, same basic issues. Best advice I can give you, buy a car with a warranty, CPO or otherwise. Sleep well at night

Very well put Tim.

Nicely stated, Tim. I hope your comments eliminate anyone's need to throw a grenade. Bob

Thanks guys!

Great job, Tim. Now, can you tell him what type of oil he should use?

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I believe Hondas' use 10w-40..... Nice post Tim...

Thanks Red! Actually, Honda recommends.... you aren't going to believe this.... 0W-20 oil for my car! I am not kidding!

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The non-turbo/GT3 996's all share the same basic engine that the Boxsters utilize (but the 996's get more displacement). If you were worried about your Boxster motors you'll probably worry about these.

If you're that worried about it get a warranty and drive it like you stole it. If it explodes, get a new engine and repeat. If it doesn't you've managed to enjoy your car properly without worrying over it.

Thank you very much everyone for the feedback and advice. Both previous Boxsters that I owned were both daily drivers and never ever had any reliability issues. 996 is the only option for me, I absolutely love them. I am gonna shoot for a 2003 C4S and purchase a strong warranty, I just have to make sure and read all the exclusions on the warranty so I am protected. Thanks again everyone.

Good luck to you!

I've had no problems what so ever. 1999 996 65K miles.

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There you go!! Good luck with your soon to be new 996.

I have a 99 996 w the MKII Aero Kit with 80k miles on it and it is a daily driver. replaced the trans and clutch at 60k (2nd gear synchro was wiped, another common issue) i do have a slight leak. Oil seeping into the coolant system and has been like that for about 15k miles. I had an INDY diagnos and they said was the oil cooler...NNNNNNT...guess again. i change the oil every 7k and havent seen any cooloant in the oil system....YET !!! Yes everyday i start her i think...IS THIS THE DAY, but none the less doesnt keep me from driving her. But with all the above being said...id buy another one in a minute. My next one will be an 02 or newer and possibly a C-4. Good luck and enjoy !!