The RMS Club: Need your input

Some of you will have learned that I am putting together a site for all of us who have suffered RMS failures. The purpose of the RMS club is to bring to the attention of Porsche AG that its members and other 996 & 986 owners are greatly dissatisfied with this marques ongoing RMS problem and to formerly demand an official statement from them as to how they intend to compensate or provide warranty for past and present 996 and 986 owners, both now and in the future. Think of the site as a kind of worldwide online protest. The site should come on line within the next few weeks but first, I need your input. The site will home two databases. Both simple textual perl record management based. I am not going to get too elaborate with them as I simply don't have the time. Besides a proper RDBMS costs money and requires management! The two databases I have in mind: * car register (database of RMS plagued cars) * A forum to express opinions, complaints etc. This wont be a full blown forum. We certainly don't want yet another of those. But individuals wishing to express their opinions on the forum will be expected to register (no cost of course). The car register will be indexed on VIN number. This ensures no duplicates and allows individuals to have more than one car in the register. It will also allow both us and PAG to monitor it and possibly glean some statistical information from it should we or they need it. But I want to be able to stop spamming and/or idiots causing havoc with the register. One way to do this is to parse the car VIN number to check its validity. Like checking a credit card number. But Where do I get the information about the Porsche VIN number from? In regards to the car register: what fields in the database do you think will be useful? Finally, we are Porsche owners. So there must be some lawyers between us If you are a lawyer, your help in any legal issues would be most appreciated. Note that the site will be homed in the UK and so I guess will be applicable to UK laws but I am not certain on this. It's not my field of expertise. Any other suggestions welcome. Cheers, Berny

Here is some information on the way that the VIN numbers are structured.. It's under the "General" section. http://www.986faq.com/

wow, thats a great effort berny! as to the fields in the database:MY, miles at each RMS leak/s, if engine or tranny needed replacing, if out of warranty then if fixed on good will or not (this can be used as implied responsibility on their part), country...

VIN breakdown Porsche Model 99 6 (996) Example --- WP0AA2992XS621365 First and Second Position WP = Porsche Third Position 0 = Sports Car 1 = SUV Fourth Position � Model Type A = 911 coupe, 911 Carrera 2,4, 911 turbo coupe, 924S coupe, 928 S4 coupe (1991), 944 coupe, 944S coupe, 944 turbo coupe, Cayenne B = 911 Carrera 2,4 Targa C = 911 Carrera 2,4 cabriolet, Boxster D = 911 Targa (M.Y. 1996 on) E = 911 Targa + cabriolet, 911 turbo, Targa, cabriolet (prior to M.Y. 1989) J = 928 S4 coupe, 911 turbo coupe Fifth Position � Engine Type A = normally aspirated, V6 Cayenne B = Boxster �S�, V8 Cayenne C = Turbo Sixth Position � Restraint System 0 = Active 2 = Passive Ninth Position � Check Digit Per NHTSA code Tenth Position � Model Year B = 1981 L = 1990 Y = 2000 C = 1982 M = 1991 1 = 2001 D = 1983 N = 1992 2 = 2002 E = 1984 P = 1993 3 = 2003 F = 1985 R = 1994 4 = 2004 G = 1986 S = 1995 5 = 2005 H = 1987 T = 1996 6 = 2006 J = 1988 V = 1997 7 = 2007 K = 1989 W = 1998 8 = 2008 X = 1999 9 = 2009 Eleventh Position � Production Plant N = Neckarsulm S = Stuttgart U = Finland (Boxster) Thirteenth through Seventeenth Position series number Porsche Models 911 477 (924/924S) 928 (928/928S/S4) 930 (911 turbo) 944 (944,944S) 951 (944 turbo) 964 (911 C2, C4, M.Y. 1989 � 1994) 993 (911 M.Y. 1995 � 1998) 993 (911 turbo M.Y. 1996 � 1997) 996 (911 M.Y. 1999 � on ) 986 (Boxster) 9PA (Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo)

Thanks heaps guys. I will put up a test VIN decoder over the weekend. Would be great if you guys could test it for me. ANywone else feel free to test it. Watch this space. I need some more VIN numbers for testing purposes though. Specifically from variations of cars: turbo, targa, boxter, 3.4, 3.6 etc. But I don't suggest you display them here (someone might be able to order keys of your car using them Send them to me via email [email removed] or PM me. Cheers, Berny

I don't think the Cayenne should be included. It is an entirely different motor format (V8 vs Boxer). It could be used to statistically dilute the problem motor class. That said, if the Cayenne block begins to have problems, most certainly it should be included. 5 years is an extraordinary length of time for a auto manufacturer to have an issue open like this. Scouser, thanks for your persistance. I remember when rocks were being hurled at you in the beginning of your effort.

Hey Scouser...Good work. Thanks

Porsche must have all this information in their computers already. Maybe they will give it to you. Telling them something they already know......... It is the most profitable car company in the world - not the stupidist I think Porsche has a very nice legal department. I have said it before and I will say it again - they will not do anything until they are hit with a class action lawsuit. Ask GM and other car companies what gets their attention. A letter from an unhappy customer does not get their attention. A hundred and one letters do not get their attention - this was tried before about 4 years ago on a Boxster board over the seal issue. Good luck Benny. It is about time the sheep stand up. I have been Boxstering for 5 years and the seal issue was old news when I started out. I am on the UK and German Boxster boards and it is old news there as well. Jeff

PCNA took back a 2+ yrs Boxster (full refund) when faced with an aggressive attorney. The galvanizing of sheep on an issue like this can help individuals get some satisfaction. When faced with going into a court with a survey like this (when their company records would not be available to a US court), is helpful to owners. However, if they settle they have you sign a discretion agreement, to keep it secret. That precludes a gathering of the sheep for future settlements.

You sue the parent and subsidiary together. PCNA is a distributor - it does not make the cars. PAG in Germany makes the cars. Then you ask all affiliates to produce the records you want. Seen it happen in my day job, with VW, Honda. Where I am in California they have to produce the documents since they or via the subs do business in this state or send their cars here.

i would hope that lawsuits are not necessary pag should be able to make us whole without driving us into the arms of a more responsive manufacturer. in any case berny's efforts on our behalf are truly appreciated by me. rms leaks affect all of our resale values which already suck!

Should exclude the 996 Turbo/GT2/GT3 because they have the older (and stronger) dry sump motors. Including those would also skew the data.