RMS question

just bought 01 c4 2 weeks ago. drove it home a few hundred miles and noticed a few drops of oil on garage floor. nothing major, a few drops, causing spots of 3-4 in in diameter. as i bought a certified pre owned, i wasn't too concerned pre purchase... i'm buying from a friggin porsche dealer!!!! how bad can things be? anyway, along with the leak, there was a groaning noise from the front left tire area after driving for 15mins... not there on a cold start. took it in to a dealer to have warranty work done and was told.... yes, RMS(rear main seal) needs replacing. is this the dreaded condition that will never go away? control arm also needs replacing, both covered by warranty. based on your experieces or others that you're aware of, can i expect further problems down the road? how can i be certain the clutch hasn't been affected? what recourse would you seek from the selling dealer? doubt that dealer would take it back but i'm really pissed about the condition of the car. the servicing dealer was incredulous of the car's mechanical condition and wondered aloud if the car was even prepped. thoughts, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

My advise, have the car fixed and enjoy it when you get it back. Porsche has a new seal design out. According to a friend of mine who is a Porsche Service Manager, they have had very good results with the new seal and are not seeing repeat problems. Remember, these are just cars. They sometimes are not perfect but you are very fortunate that your car is under warranty. Good luck, I hope all goes well!!

RMS almost never effects clutch - extremely unlikely. Bummer that it's happened - get the new seal and keep close tabs on the RMS. RMS is not the end of the world as many believe - many owners drive tens of thousands of miles with RMS leaks, and just keep an eye on their oil levels, and an oil pan on the garage floor. Probably not posible to get anything pinned on the selling dealership - pre-certified is almost worthless in some cases - but you do have your warranty - so feel free to use it! Chris.

Buying a car from a Porsche dealer doesn't give you any implied guarantee or any kind. You should always be caution. RMS is common and not an indication of abuse. The control arm is not a common failure but it's not unheard of if the mileage is higher or if driven on bad roads. Pull the warranty history record, the dealer can do this. If there has been RMS history, you might need to be worried. Make sure the servicing dealer is reputable and gets the best tech to fix your RMS. If your clutch is worn, get it replaced while the RMS job is done.

thanks for the responses. i regret not having pulled the service history on the car pre purchase... i was thinking that if the car was a lemon, porsche na would not have certified the car. after all, pna is the one that bears the cost of warranty repairs as they took in the 2500 for certification in the first place. i suppose certification is not an absolute gurantee of a realitvely trouble free past. talked to and did ask the selling dealer to pull the records so that i can have it in my files and to be on a lookout for recuurence of a past problem. i will get that tomorrow. he seems like a genuinely nice guy - i dealt with the owner direct. i dont think he would have knowingly sold me a car with problems hoping that i wouldn't detect it... reputational risk is too great, i think. either way, it does seem like RMS, while potentially scary and costly, is an inconvenience while under warranty at worst as it will be repaired at no cost to me. it just didnt seem right that as soon as, or more accurately, immediately after i take delivery, the RMS problem appears along with the control arm and other minor issues.... just kinda spoils the fun and puts me in a very guarded mode. car has 35k miles. sat on a lot for almost a year.... maybe that had something to do with it. control arm at 35k miles sound right to you guys? thanks again for your responses and comments. i am truly comforted knowing that i can turn to this community and forum for guidance.

Both control arm and RMS could go at any time - you could have left the dealership with no obvious signs, and had a potential issue after you got the car home. Unlikely - but possible. Control arm is usually just someone hitting a bad hole in the road at some point - or as happened with my Boxster, one of the booted joints ran dry of grease, and I ended up with ball joint wear that needed replacement. RMS probably deformed as the car sat on the lot for an extended period, and now you're moving again, it can't spring back and re-seal perfectly. New one (which is PTFE material I believe) should fix that - just get the best dealer tech on the job, and make sure he uses the latest Porsche gadget for locating the seal. Check the service history when you get it - if there are multiple rear main seals then it's time to ask questions of Porsche under warranty. My understanding is they were giving a 2 Year warranty on each RMS replacement?

I'll take an RMS over a valve guide anyday.

That's what she said.

Would you mind sharing in what part of the country the car was located and what you paid for it? Also what options it has. I'm in the market for a C4S with CPO from a dealer and would appreciate a price check.