For what it's worth

After checking out a highly modified 996 that was used by a Porsche Racing School, I had the opportunity of talking to the dealer's factory trained Porsche mechanic. By the way the car with the aero kit and suspension upgrades, looked very much like a GT3. The performance exhaust system sounded absolutely awesome. Since the mechanic I talked to has been at this dealer for about eight years, I thought I would ask him about RMS leaks. Compared to other other guys I talked to at other dealers, this guy was very open. He showed me the tool that they use to determine if the engine needs to be replaced, and said that his estimate is that 2 out of ten 996s need to have the rear seal replaced. After the first seal replacement, he told me that less than 1 out of ten come back with another leak. One other point. He said that his experience is that the leaks occur far more often on the 2001 and earlier 996s than on the 2002 and later 996s. So if you buy a 2002 + 996 the odds of you having a RMS leak are substantially less than if you buy a pre 2002 model. Bottom line is that he didn't believe that the RMS leaks were a big deal and that they very rarely required an engine replacement. Furthermore, he told me that since RMS is a known problem, Porsche has picked up the tab for seal replacements even on cars out of warranty. Granted that this is only one dealer but they sell a lot of Porsches at this location, and I would have to believe that their experiences are probably indicative of what other dealers are experiencing. So to those of you who are considering a 996 but had concerns about RMS leaks, I hope this puts the problem in perspective.

That speaks small volumes for my '03 which needed it!!!

Not to rain on your parade but I will beleive the true nature of the RMS when I can see all the data broken down by model/year and analyze it in a SCIENTIFIC way. For every mechanic that tells you less than 20% then is one that will tell you "rarely". This can be anywhere from a rare occurance situation to OMG still is a huge percentage of owners. In all honestly though, I would predict that it is probably pretty close to that 20% number your mechanic told you with one caveat..........that there is no significant diffent between model/year since they are all based on the same motor and manaufactured as such. And we all know that the problem is on the manufacturing end b/c if it was a design flaw we would all see it.

At that level, are we a little surprised it's not the subject of a recall? AS

I second his comments. I spoke to a Porsche tech friend of mine as well. He said (almost verbatim) what your friend said. I am perfectly content with my decision to buy a 1999 996 that is out of warranty. Drive and enjoy is my motto. cheers, Chad

Recall? RMS is not a safety issue. More of a nuisance than anything. Easily replaced in 1/2 a day at zero cost if in warranty and some out of warranty. If you have to pony up for it expect to pay $600-800 for the repair. IMHO a drop in the bucket comapred to what we spend on mods. Granted there is an EXTREMELY low percentage that require engine replacement. That should be a legal issue for those outside of warranty......with one caveat, the legal route might be more effective in the US than elsewhere.