World's Most Unreliable 996......?

Can anyone beat mine for never-ending problems? Failures are listed in my signature and all this in 4 months!!! Car is currently at the local Porsche Specialist having the hydraulic tappets on both banks replaced, the second replacement RMS fitted and the cam cover seals renewed. (Oh, and the front suspension strut tops replaced too). Another week without the car. Pi**ed at Porsche is a major understatement! Would like to get everyone that has had a number of issues with the cars to list them here as I intend to send the lot to Porsche AG. Anyone thought of a class lawsuit regarding the design faults in these cars that Porsche merrily allow their customers to pay for? Ian W

Some of the issues like resonance, MAF sensors, O2 error, and etc. may be related to the Fabspeed exhaust or the Fabspeed air intake. That sounds like a nightmare though. Did you have a PPI and did all of this happen at once.

Hi Doug, Thanks for the reply - yes the car was checked over by a local Porsche specialist and also thoroughly checked on his PST-II. All that was found to be wrong was wear in the sway bar drop links. Not serious but needed replacing 'sometime'. Problems started with an oil leak from the front passenger (driver's in the US) side of the engine. This was the oil return bellows. �5 part and a day to replace it. Ouch! Thne the tickover got worse and worse - both O2 (lambda) sensors had completely failed - no output whatsoever. �115 each (UK prices are HORRIBLE compared to US) plus time. Oh, and the oil-filler pipe was found to be split and had to be replaced too. Bitch to get at and lots more time. Then the oil leak returned. Same place. Bellows OK though. But the Oil/Water intercooler above it was split. About �100 plus time, time, time!! 2 days later the coolant was all over the road - guess what!! And now one of the tappets was clack, clack clacking at tickover. Third oil leak was the first RMS. �1000! And now the front suspension is squeaking and banging too - wonderful and oil is leaking from both cam covers. Hence the latest trip to the menders! The car has quite literally disintegrated, piece by piece, over a 4 month period. IFabspeed itake is superb as I've described before. The Fabspeed exhaust was a 1-week long exercise - horrible! Far too loud around town and utterly 'tuneless'. Back to standard and very pleased to be there too. Still have a horrible resonance at 5400rpm that nobody can pin down though. Latest problem is probably the MAF sensor. Change up from 3rd to 4th at 7000rpm at full acceleration and nothing happens. No acceleration. Engine coughs, clears itself then starts to pick up again. Dangerous! Etc. etc. etc. etc. Don't think I'll be buying another Porsche, ever. Ian W

wow, sorry to hear about those problems. seems like i am reading about more and more 996s that have a plethora of problems. i'm pretty certain i would not want to own a 996 (or any other german car for that matter) w/o the factory warranty. good luck!

Wow, what a run of bad luck!! What model & year is this car?

Anyone who buys a 997 without a warranty is taking a huge risk. I considered buying an '02 911 but the RMS isuue and other quality concerns have changed my mind. I'm presently driving an '02 Audi TT Roadster that has absolutely no problems, not even a rattle or squeak. So I'm not too interested in selling my car and spending an additional $35K for a 997 and risk having the problems experienced by many posters on this Board. No matter how great the car is, you can't enjoy it if it's plagued with a plethora of quality problems.

If you are looking for Japenese reliability, a Porsche might not be the car for you. If you buy a used Porsche out of warranty, you may be safe figuring in $ 1k to $ 1.5K a year for maintenance and upkeep. You may not spend that amount every year and on average will not spend that amount, but if you are too streched where that would be a hardship, a Porsche might not be the best option. I drive Porsches because I love the way the look and the way they drive. I am also willing to invest what ever money it takes to keep them maintained, serviced and I upgrade my cars regularly. I have probably spent $ 50k in mods and repairs on my 4 Porsches ($6k on my TT this month) in the past year and 3 of my cars are under warranty. I keep my 90 in absolute perfect condition and replace anything that seems questionable even before it really becomes a problem, but this is expensive and Porsches can be expensive. Overall, my Porsches have been very dependable except for minor, but annoying lights such as spoiler light on my TT and a tire sensor light on our Cayenne. A used 996 may be problematic if the prior owner ran it hard or did not properly maintain it. I have had 2 996 NAs and never had any problems or RMS issues. You got to pay to play and outlays for Porsches are generally much less than other exotics such as Ferrari, Lambo and etc. If you have only had the car for four months, I think I would be raising hell with the PPI dealer because it seems like some of this stuff should have been caught on the front end. You are at the 60k or perhaps reaching that point where stuff will start needing to be replaced.

I had an Audi TT and, for me, the TT v. 996 is a no brainer. The cars are completely different leagues. I would never go back to the Audi unless I could not afford the Porsche. If looking into an 02, you can get a certified car or an extended warranty for about $ 2,500 to cover you up to 7 years and 100,000 miles. My guess is we hear about the worst on boards like these. People who have problems may tend to be more vocal and seek boards out like these to get help or voice frusteration. Overall, I would say the 996 is a very good car and just as dependable as the Audi product overall.

Just another data point - I have a 2000 996 with 35,000 miles, and have had no issues of any signficance. With my previous two 911s (both late '80s 3.2l Carreras), I had some sorting out issues soon after purchase (despite PPIs). Once sorted, they were both very dependable for years. Ian, I hope your experience is similar.

I had an Audi TT and, for me, the TT v. 996 is a no brainer. The cars are completely different leagues. I would never go back to the Audi unless I could not afford the Porsche. If looking into an 02, you can get a certified car or an extended warranty for about $ 2,500 to cover you up to 7 years and 100,000 miles. If I bought a 996, I certainly would pay the extra for the extended warranty. My point is that if you have a car that's performing flawlessly, you get nervous about buying a car with persistent problems like RMS. Porsche had the reputation of building expensive but bulletproff cars, and if problems did occur they bent over backwards to resolve them. Apparently this RMS issue has been around for quite some time now and it seems as though Porsche still hasn't taken corrective action since we have an owner of an '04 996 who reported that his car had the problem. I expect this kind of inaction from American manufacturers but it's very disappointing when it's coming from Porsche.

There has always been problems with every series of Porsche cars. The 964s were especially known as problematic when new, but the fixes are available now to make them solid. The 993 had its share of teething problems also including a serious harness issue and carbon build-up issues. The RMS may be viewed by some or PCNA (certainly not those having the porblem though) as more minor and less costly in general than the harness issue or the issues that plaqued the 964 early on. You have head stud, chain tensioner and a litany of issues with the true 911s. Porsches are bullet proof maybe in relation to other very high performance cars and there are certainly very few true performance cars you can drive daily, but the term bulletproof maybe misconstrued or have different meaning to those that use that term.

Doug H: Thanks for your input. It's always good to get a perspective from someone who has lots of experience with the brand. Your remaks about Japenese quality are right on target. I've owned a GS 400 and a Q45, and these cars although boring to drive, were essentially problem free. Also, both the Infiniti and Lexus service departments treated me like royalty. I remember on one occassion where I had a problem with premature leather wear on the driver's seat of my Q45. The car was three years old and I thought that the service technician would give me a hard time about replacing the leather since it's so expensive. Not only did they replace the leather on the driver's side but also on the passenger's side because they wanted the leather on both seats to be identical. My experiences with Audi service have been satisfactory but not exceptional. If either Infiniti or Lexus ever make a serious sports car, I'll buy it. If the Infiniti Sports Coupe had about another 30 HP, I'd buy it without hesitation. Again, thanks for sharing your views.

Sly: I know it may be scarey making the jump, but if you do you will never look back. I had my Audi TT 225hp for about a year while I had my first 02 996 as I was so upside down in it I was better off keeping it. I figured I would split up the miles with Audi so as not to rag my 996. I, however, never drove it once I got the 996 and ended up taking it to the dealer and writing a check for the remainder of the lease payments just so I didn't have to pay insurance on it for the last 12 months of its lease. I would be real leary of any Porsche out of warranty because so many things can happen and nothing is cheap on these cars. A buddy of mine at work has a G35 tiptronic coupe and he agrees it is nothing like my 996 NA in acelleration or feel. The G35, however, is comfy, plush and a nice cruiser. Another thing to consider is an 01 twin turbo that is certified. The prices are coming down and you don't have to worry about RMS. I, however, would not sweat the RMS issue or let it keep me from buying a car I really liked as long as there was a warranty or an extended warranty on the car. Even if you have the RMS come up, it seems like it is a cheap and quick 1 or 2 day repair for the most part.

You are right on Doug. I think the problem here is that we have somebody that is using this forum to post in a manner not in the spirit of the forum. It would be much appreciated if the forum was used to gain insight or advice (which you have provided), not to rant and rave (like the thread starter) and discuss "class action lawsuits". Feel free to read my "in depth" response to this at Renntech (it was posted there as well). http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2255 Dell

Thanks for the responses. Some points to note 1) The car was sold privately and I know the previous owner's family (she is a woman in her late 50s who drove the car relatively gently) 2) I know the Porsche dealer where the car was maintained and they confirmed the service history 3) I had the car inspected by a very reputable local Porsche specialist (owned by a fully Porsche-trained technian who used to work for the dealer that serviced the car) The specialists also prepare and race 2 of their own GT3s and also offer technical support to Porsche motorsport in the UK. 4) The car was in reasonable condition when I bought it! There were a couple of small issues, yes, but it is a 60k miles car so these were expected. 5) I don't track the car but drive it reasonably hard on the road (where appropriate). So it's hardly heavily stressed! 6) Pay to play.....Umm. Yes I agree to a point. Had I bought the Ferrari F355 I was going to buy then i would have expected very large maintenance bills - fair enough. And with a 60k miles Porsche I would have expected some component wear and tear (new disk rotors, suspension bushes, clutch, wheel bearings, etc. etc.) and would have no problem whatsoever with this. High performance cars cost , I agree. But this brings me to the core of my argument... What I have experienced is not normal wear and tear!! I have been unlucky, sure, but that is life. My point and the reason for my 'pissy' first post is that all the problems I have had to deal with (and it's been the inability to use the car, not the cost, that has really annoyed me) have not been down to usage of the car. They are almost all design flaws!!! If a car has been used gently by a first owner and serviced religiously in-line with the manufacturer's guidelines then itt is not unreasonable to expect it to work correctly; perhaps other than items that one would expect to wear or have a tough time with the miles the car has done. RMS, header tank, cam cover seals, bellows, strut tops, oxygen sensors, windshield surrounds etc. have all been the suject of re-designs and Porsche are having you, me, third-party warranty companies, whoever, pay for their less-than-perfect engineering. My car is only this unreliable because it was designed that way!!! It wasn't the previous owner's fault or mine or the garage's or the person who inspected it - it was Porsche. Isn't it about time they took some responsibility for known issues and had a proper policy of assisting owners who experiece these failures? Ian W PS. Have also posted this at Renntech as the thread there was also mentioned earlier

You guys and it may be the same guy that goes around yelling product liability, why you you just file suit if you really think you have been taken. You don't need moral support and support of others for that. Product liability by definition is dangerous or defective property that causes damage to person or property. The car blows up and kills someome or the car blows up and damages your house, not that the car has a part that fails and it causes damage to the car or the product itself. It would seem that you are complaining about breach of warranty types of issues and your warranty is apparently gone. You apparently chose not to buy an extended warranty. The car is used and things go wrong with used cars. $2k in repairs for a 60k car doesn't sound that far out of line. I would take issue with the seller of the car, the individuals who installed the aftermarket exhuast and intake, and (if you paid for a PPI) the individuals that performed a PPI. Why don't you post a scan of the PPI, a scan of the invoices for all of the repair work and perhaps a pic of the car.

I bought my 996 new 14 months ago...my observations: 1)it now has 20k miles on it 2)i have changed the rear tires once 3)Oil change twice 4)rock hit and broke the condensor...covered by insuracne (minus my deductable) 5)sway bar bolt got a little loose (no charge for the repair....bare in mind it has been to 3 de's and 2 autox's) 6)Porsche service is the best I have ever had (better then acura, bmw, subaru or honds...all previous or current cars) 7)Once drove a friends TT...found it slow and lifeless...and was asked by a beautiful woman "why are you driving a girl car?"....ouch! 8)My cab was more than twice the price of a TT but honestly...I would take my 530i again. if money was really that tight....to each his own I recon... Porsche there is no substitute

sounds like ian's reliability problems are the exception rather than the rule with p-cars. fix it, take your lumps and buy something else... save for a gearbox which was replaced under warranty, i've been impressed with porsche quality. i'm approaching 75,000 miles and drive it within an inch of it's life everyday (daily driver). i track it as often as possible and still, it has required nothing more than oil changes, tires and brakes. i'm happy to report that everything on the car still works as new (rare for me) and i expect this car to serve me well till it reaches 100k miles or so (by next spring). re japanese quality, i think it's been way overstated. i've owned cars produced from all corners of the globe and me thinks japanese is no more reliable than any other.

re japanese quality, i think it's been way overstated. i've owned cars produced from all corners of the globe and me thinks japanese is no more reliable than any other. I can't agree with you there. I've read too many national quality reports over the past twenty years that indicate that Japanese cars are at the top of the quality list. It seems that Lexus, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, and Toyota are at the top of the quality lists year after year. Granted that the quality gap between Japanese cars and the rest of the world has shrunk in the past ten years, but Japanese cars are still at the top. This does not mean that Porsche makes a poor quality product. To the contrary Porsche has an excellent reputation for quality, especially when compared to other German car makers like MB and Audi.

You also have to take into consideration the buyer and the expectation. A 21 year old in a Honda Civic is not expecting "perfection". The car's little quirks are lived with. The dealer never sees them, and the warranty work is never done unless it impairs the vehicles ability to go from point a to b...A Porsche is usuallu bought by an older person, for far more money. "At this price I want everything to work perfectly"...My fiance has this with our Range Rover. She had a Lexus GS that had more issues, but with our Rover, it cost twice as much so I get, "Do the tires feel wierd? We should take it back."...Her Lexus didn't go back unless it was major. She didn't expect more from it. Also the technology used in the Porsche is usually more cutting edge. So little things may go wrong. I have owned many cars and European cars are my choice period.

Ok you want a list of problems to report hows this ! Purchased a 1999C2 with 34K miles: 1.) New muffler at 40K 2.) New coolant tank 42K 3.) Repaired valve cover seals 46K 4.)Now for the unknown noise coming from #4 cylinder had all the tappets and chain tensioner replaced on that side still same click click noise. So it looks like we are now throwing away the engine and ordering a replacement due to a broken intermideate Shaft at a cost of $10,000 US$. at 50K miles.

Photo 25 I take it thet your dealer will not pay for the engine he he he he