Porsche Credibility, RMS, Warranty and Depreciation

With so many 996 Porsches showing RMS problems, I wonder why Porsche has not come out and openly admit to a design or manufacturing flaw. I see posts of many individuals whose vehicles have already had their seals replaced twice and counting. Why are these seals failing more than once? Could it be that there is an inherent flaw and a RMS replacement is just a stop-gag measure to keep the vehicle going for another 5k or 10k miles until the next leak? Those who drive their vehicles the most are more likely to experience RMS failures while the vehicle is still under warranty. However, many of us do not drive our vehicles enough and are likely to face RMS problems AFTER the standard warranty expires. Most of us could have a latent RMS seal problem inside our vehicles! From what I have seen, these seals can fail after tens of thousands of miles, so no failure on a vehicle with low mileage is NOT an indicator that the RMS problem does not exist in that vehicle. By the time many of us find out that our vehicle has a RMS problem, our vehicle may be out of warranty and we may have to shell out big bucks (read engine replacement) to correct the problem. (I know that a RMS can be replaced for less than $1k, however, sometimes the problem persists and the vehicle would require an out-of-warranty engine replacement). Who loses here? Everyone. Porsche loses credibility and (eventually) big bucks, when potential Porsche owners shy away from a manufacturer that does not stand behind their products. Owners lose because our vehicles will depreciate sharply as people shy away from out-of-warranty hot potatoes that people are afraid to touch. It may sound like heresy to say it here, but I read that BMW extended the warranty on their M3 following engine problems. Isn't it about time for Porsche to extend the warranty of 996-series vehicles to cover RMS failures beyond the standard four-year/50k miles warranty? I think that Porsche should extend warranty coverage to cover RMS failures to say 7 years/100k miles.

bmw did extend the warranty on the m3 engine, after the engine failures. does anyone know what percentage of the 996's have rms failures? is it a function of year of production (300hp vs 320)? is it a problem with turbos?

nicoff, I take it you've been bitten by the RMS bug. Here's a badge for you. Where it well

Scouser, You are right! I would have no problem wearing the badge! More seriously though, this is a real issue that is affecting or is likely to affect thousands of 996 owners (I see that it affected you once so far). FWIW, VW after being brought to the press and bad pubilicity in major non-automobile publications (WSJ comes to mind), finally admitted that there was a flaw with some coils in their Jettas. It took some bad publicity and perhaps a lawsuit or two to get them to admit that there was a problem. As a result, many VW owners who had been given the runaround by VW were entitled to have their vehicles repaired after their vehicle warranty had expired and/or to have their repair bills reimbursed by VW. This is a real issue here that is affecting or is likely to affect thousands of 996 owners out there. It is high-time for Porsche to wake up and stop smelling the roses (profits) and own up to this problem.

I'm afraid Porsche has stars in their eyes over the sales of their SUV. I have a new C4S and had an odd problem. The dealership, which is useless, bumped it up to Porsche who ignored it until I contacted a lawyer, the BBB, and the dept. of motor vehicles. They really don't care. This is a sign of the GM syndrom. A few years down the road, Porsche will pay, heavily, for their lack of concern over current ptoblems. The baby-boomer gen is large, has money, and never forgets. The cars are wonderful, the suits who run Porsche, are ********!

You should see Porsche's little secret and what they did to the M96 motor on some 1998-1999 Boxsters. http://stau.jowood.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1416 No wonder they do not want the mechanics to take the motor apart to see what when wrong. Porsche has never acknowledged they did this. Back in 1997-1998 the warranty was just 2 years. Hate to say it, but if Porsche was to get hit with a class action lawsuit that might change their attitude. Jeff

The photo as presented suggests that liners were installed in some new engines as a "fix" for an undescribed problem, and then these liners failed. Is the implication that these sleeved engines were delivered in brand new cars, or were these engines offered as substitutes for "broken" cars? A friend with an earlier Boxster had his engine rattle and die, received an engine replacement, in the process had his top mechanism screwed up, and ultimately wound up with a BoxsterS, courtesy of Porsche. Would anyone who suffered a RMS failure in a 996 buy another, or consider a 997? AS

I think that it is only a matter of time before an attorney who frequents these boards decides to start gathering information and move forward with a class action lawsuit. I think that is the only way that Porsche is going to be made to step up to the plate and acknowledge that have manufactured a defective product and need to stand behind it for its useful life.

The liners were put in new motors that did not meet specifications, then put in new cars. The block should have been scrapped as the M96 motor does not use sleeves. But back then Porsche was selling all the Boxsters they could and they could not make motors fast enough. So they took non spec blocks and 'fixed' them. I have been told that Porsche has a list of all the fixed motors they put in Boxsters but I doubt anyone in Germany would admit it. I have heard no info on what motor is going to be used for the 997/987 but we are speculating it will be the same M96

Holy sh*t ,Jeff that's terrible.

You 996 guys should thank us early Boxster owners since we were the guinea pigs for the M96 motor. Now you have a 4 year warranty. The first 2 years of production it was only a 2 year warranty. Porsche was getting bad press back then and the fix was that as of model year 1999 the warranty was increased to 4 years. But this was not a retroactive increase. I say to myself 'what else is new' when I see a hit-or-miss seal complaint. The complaints were going on before I started out 5 years ago. It is a shame since the M96 motor is a beautiful design. Light, compact, and good power output.

There is a well publicized defect in the pinion bearing of many 968, apparently the preload was set incorrectly on many cars. This is about $2500 to fix. Porsche turned their back on owners who had this outside their warranty.

Porsche has just announced a recall. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/?http:/...y.php?id=44338