blown engine

My 99 cab engine's gone they want 15 k for rebuilt. Anyone know the PCA factory reps email for so cal.? Iam 2000 miles over warranty with perfect service record. Please send me to any postings that may be helpfull. Or if afraid to post, > contact me [email removed] Or has anyone been through this with Newport Auto Center ,Ca.? mo money mo money, mabe I should go electric car. sw

Do you have a silver cab? If so I saw it in the rear of the shop this weekend. I know where you can pick up a 3000 mile engine for $5K shoot me an email.

did you have a 3rd party warranty policy? na center replaced my gearbox under warranty, but i seriously doubt they'd replace your engine given that your factory warranty elapsed at least a yr ago. good luck!

I know the folks at Newport Beach Porsche, and will for sure NOT recommend them for anything: buying a car or getting service done It's rudicilous that they just want $15K for an engine after you are just over the warranty... The problem is that NB is a very expensive area, and they know they can afford to just charge whatever they want, people will buy there and just pay the bill, reasonable or expensive...some people got really too much $$$ Shop around, and you will find people who are more reasonable...

Climber, It is pretty much impossible to spend $15K on a 996 engine. If you have destroyed your engine than simply replace it with a factory rebuilt motor. They come complete from the factory and ready to bolt into your car. Very little prep work needs to be done by the installer. Retail is around $8k as I recall but any good Porsche shop will get you one for $6,800 plus your engine. They will likely charge you around $1,200 to install it. Jim

That sucks. Mine blew at 49k miles. Good luck.

Unbelievable! So many engines with so few miles on blowing up!!! I saw another 99 blowing up its engine on a DE... Sad sad sad... especially given the fact that the previous aircooled engines seem to be indestructible. I would have hoped Porsche doing something about it... Good luck guys, I wish you all the best...

You guys are scaring me..... Mine has 62k miles now.....

Yes... to much news on blown engines.... mines a 99 too . Im getting worried and definatly renewing the warranty.

Any specifics to the conditions that lead the engine to blow up??

I'm curious what the service rep says when engine blew up and how'd it happened. Was it just under normal driving or moneyshift kinda thing. What did service rep say what part of engine blew?. Regards and good luck. Mike

If Jim B is correct and you can get a factory rebuilt engine for $6,800 exchange, and you can get a rear main seal replaced for $800 which involves pulling the engine, then in theory the total engine replacement should be around $7,600. That is a remarkably low price for a new engine for a car in this price range. I'll this pricing is accurate and if it were generally known, I'll bet used 996 prices would be a lot higher than they are.

Good idea. Just sent an email to a local Porsche dealer to get a quote on a re-manufactured 996 engine from the factory. Will post the quote.

Blown engines in 996's are becoming more and more common, what is the problem, these cars are not Lada's, no matter how much better people think the 996 is , I think my next purchase will be a 993 tt!!! IMHO 993's are bullet-proof coMpared to the 996 series. I guess thats why you can find 996's everywhere for ridiculously low prices! I would be a very concerned owner if i had a 996!!! This is unacceptable, bordering on some states Lemon Laws !!!

I was told only that my rear main bearing failed which caused additional engine damage to the crank and rod. I was definitely driving it hard when it blew.

The 993 is not quite as bulletproof as people think ... rear main seals can go on those (my 95 Carrera 4 lost one @ 38k miles), and the air injection passages in the engine will eventually clog, triggering a CEL and requiring a $4-5k top end rebuild to fix ... and they will clog again, too. There was a bad wiring harness problem on the 95s which eventually neccesitated a recall. The metal around the front and rear glass is prone to rust bubbles, rear windows occasionally explode (!) on some of the widebody cars when the defroster is turned on ... steering racks leak ... climate control units go bad ... shocks wear out in 30k miles ... all Porsches have their issues. I can give you an equally long list on the earlier 911 models, too. If you can't sleep at night, you probably should just buy a Lexus ;-) Oh, and a moneyshift on a 993 ... forget about it! Vic 99 C2 cab (My eighth 911, zero Lexuses)

Vic One of my buddys had his RMS go at 600 miles!!! Also how many 993 motors have grenaded? The problems you mention pertaining to 993's are minor compared to a blown motor in a 4 year old high performance car! 996's with major engine problems are far too common and IMO unacceptable when considering the cost of a new 996.

Right back at you, how many 996 motors have grenaded? If you honestly believe a 8 year old 993 is going to be any more reliable, I have a bridge to sell you. Actually, the Lexii have their own set of issues, some rather common electrical problems and on the 400's a tendency to lose the power steering pump and eventually take the alternator with it. I love my beater LS400, but it does require some work and some acceptance of certain flaws ...

Any 911 motor can grenade if you miss a shift or otherwise overrev it. I haven't heard of a lot of 996 motors that blew up under normal driving, but I have heard of 944s that have broken their little nylon belt tensioner pads and had their pistons get intimate with the valves ... as well as a certain bearing in the 951 motor that's not particularly robust ;-) I don't think many 993 owners who have driven their car conservatively on the street and found that they needed a $4000 repair (to turn off the check engine light on a car that is otherwise running perfectly but can't pass OBD II emissions as a result of little clogged air passages that are used for 30 seconds on a cold start) are going to call that a minor repair. It's not a contest here, it's a fact that these are all expensive cars and expensive things can go wrong, especially when they are driven hard. There's a modification to the oiling system that's meant for 996's used for track use, I believe, I wonder if that would have prevented some of the problems with people who drive the car very aggressively. I expect Porsche would stand behind any 996 engine that self-destructs if the computer doesn't show abuse and the car has been maintained properly. Vic 99 C2 cab

[QUOTE] Originally posted by steve c [B]Right back at you, how many 996 motors have grenaded? If you honestly believe a 8 year old 993 is going to be any more reliable, I have a bridge to sell you. Right back at what? Steve if you do a little search of the archives you will find that 993's are actually a lot more reliable than the 996's! and I do believe a 8 year old 993 is more reliable than a 996 from a design standpoint. You must remember the 993 was the zenith of a 30 year run, where as the 996 is a brand new design, with alot of teething issue's. Believe what you want, your entitled to your own opinion, but as a newbie don't patronise me with your silly bridge comment! Have a great day!

Sorry to say Vic but the CEL issue is NO blown engine... The CEL issue on 993's does NOT affect engine performance nor harm the engine. Its just a matter of emissions control. In Europe they do not have this problem because of different emissions and MY95 993's dont either not because it does not happen but because the OBDI does not pick it up. While i understand your pain and your probable fear that you have a very expensive issue to deal with most likely in your future and everytime you rev the old gal or track the car you may count your blessings, this is no reason to mention inaccurate problems that "plague" the 993's for the shake of defending the 996!!! Blown windows??? Pls find a rennlister that had that, not to mention the other stuff... I have 2 993's one with 44K on the clock and the race car with 83K. On my last race my car was used by 2 drivers running back to back, the car literally had no brake between runs and it run for 5 Racing hours per day for 3 days, including a 1.1/2 hour enduro. We went through a set of tires, a set of brake pads and front disks, but the engine did not miss a beat, did not sweat at all. Yes sure all models have nagging problems but the common reports on the 993's is that they age gracefully with few problems and most importantly with engines that have gone without rebuilt constantly over 100K! There have been ZERO blown stock engines on 993's and that says alot about the quality as well. IMHO the issue with the 996 engine is unacceptable as much as it was the same issue with the wiring harness on the 993. My take on this is that you guys the 996 owners should pressure Porsche to take a stand on this issue by making a lot of noise as much as a stand on the RMS issue much like 993 owners did for the harness issue and finally Porsche came through. Don't get me wrong, the 996 is a wonderfull 911, Heck I'm planning for a GT3 in the next 2 years, it is just a big shame to have this kind of problem and I feel this should be corrected by Porsche. We the Porsche owners SHOULD expect bulletproof engines. Comparing a Porsche with a Lexus actually because of the amount of money for the admission price, quality wise should be the same if not better!

Please, Danny ... I've owned and daily driven 911s for 14 years, of every vintage from 1980 on. My point is the 996 is not perfect, nor are any of the other models. I am not worried about my 996's engine blowing up any more than I was worried about my three previous 993's wiring harnesses or CEL lights, or my two SC's chain tensioners, or my two 3.2 Carrera's valve guides, or detonation in my 87 930. But a search of the archives will find Steve Weiner's discussion of worn valve guides on the 993 engines, and there was a very recent complaint of an exploding rear window on a C4S, that is a known problem, and I've seen it in person, years ago. But it doesn't affect every car, it's a short in the wiring that causes it. My point is, these are marvelous performance cars that can be expensive to maintain, and if you're afraid to drive it, you shouldn't own it in the first place. I think it's even more ridiculous to have to spend all that money to turn off a little red light on a car that's running fine. I'd rather do a top end to address worn valve guides than that nonsense. Porsche should stand behind that issue as they did the wiring harness issue, and as they do, as far as I know, to the 996 engine problems. I don't feel the need to defend my choice to drive a 996; it's a superior cabriolet design than the 993, which is why I chose to buy it. As I said in the previous post, it's not a contest about whose car is better; I like them all equally. If I had the $$$ for a GT3, I'd buy one tomorrow. I will likely own a 993 TT someday. But they are all Porsches to me. Vic 99 C2 cab

Vic unfortunately there are way too many engine failures occuring on 996's, just look around this board and you will find an abnormal number of fragged motors! Regardless of whether someone can afford to fix these problems, total engine failure on a car costing upwards of $65,000 is unacceptable, period! 996's have weak motors compared to the 993 series,and thats a fact! I will never buy a 996 and am starting to dislike the path Porsche is headed down. 993 tt is my next and probably last P-car, until they get their quality control issue's sorted! Regards J

Yes, J, you're right, no doubt about it ... out of the, oh, say, 50,000 996s sold in the US alone since 1999, it's a miracle any of them are still out on the streets running on those weak engines ... when IS "60 Minutes" gonna get on this story! ;-) Enjoy your TT when you get it ... it's a fine car. Vic 99 C2 cab

The Lexus coupe is a boring car. I would rather take my chances with a 996. Talking expensive, I bet I have spent close to $ 20k on repairs on older Porsches this year (an 88 and a 90). Its all a matter of personal preference. If my 996 NA grenaded, I would get right back in another 996 because I like it much better than a 993.

Correct me if I'm wrong , but I would'nt include the 2002/03 996 engines in the 'grenade" mix. Perhaps they don't yet have the miles on them yet? They are like day & night IMHO. I ran my'02 as hard as I could, after proper brake-in, @ Tracks like Watkins Glen / little 'ol Lime Rock w/ no problems and that was w/ my other half 's 1st year of DE's at times back to back. Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Seasons Greetings Bill

Oh I see, my bad. I must wait a few months before I can make up things and sell them as facts like you do. Got it. The fact that I have owned a couple from each generation of the 911 means nothing, you with your vast and in depth 944 experience are of course much more capable of telling us all the various merits and reliability statistics for the 993 and 996 ... because of course you have been posting here longer.

Don't assume that I have only owned one P-car. As to me selling facts, i'm not selling anything, I'm only sharing information gathered on this forum without resorting to condesending comments like yourself. Regardless of how long you have been posting, there is no need to make personal jeer's towards someone you don't know.Anyways IMHO the 993's engines are more reliable than 996's, and you don't have to own either to know this! Have a great day!

Why feel the need to use this poor guys thread to express your feelings as to the merits of a 996. He comes here apparently asking for help (although he seemingly disappears after asking for help) and you respond effectively denouncing the 996 as a POS. That is not constructive to the original poster and makes it seem as if you have some personal agenda not even related to the poster's thread or even the 996. If you like the 993TT, go buy one. Its an awesome car, but no need to go on and on incessantly about a car you don't even want to buy.

Doug I never said the 996 was a POS! What personal agenda could I possibly have? I simply think that Porsche should rectify this major issue and that current 996 owners should be somewhat concerned over such a serious problem. As far as myself not wanting a 996, i just feel that with the market flooded with 996's and 996tt's these cars have taken a tremendous depreciation in value and along with these horror stories of engine failures at such low miles, I would be better off with a 993tt! Have a great day!

Here is the real problem with the 996: Rumor mongering, innuendo, all stated with such a passion that it just has to be true. These quotes were from one person in this single page of this thread alone. Not a single one of this claims can be backed up with numbers. 996's with major engine trouble?Abnormal number of fragged motors? 993 more relaible? Rubbish!!! jsonnen, I challenge you to show me and everyone on this board the numbers. Of the total production of 996's, from '99 to present, how many have grenaded? What is a fragged engine and how many 996's have "fragged"? Do you have a survey of 993 owners and how many problems over X years vs 996 owners and how many problems over X years? Without the above, jsonnen, I am sorry to say that people like YOU are the biggest problem of the 996. RMS failures, water leaks, wiring harnesses, CEL's on either the 996 or 993 are nothing compared to baseless rumor mongering. Fact is that surveys show the Porsche 996 to be in the top ranks of reliability. Give me numbers from a reputable source that support you, and I'll eat the RMS of my 996.

Palting, Thanks for putting it all in perspective. It is rather tiring to read all the "expert" opinions from those who have never put their money where their mouth is, and want to criticize without any of the facts. For some people to enjoy what they have, they have to tear down something somebody else choose. It's all under the labels of insecurity or jealousy.

Palting you need to calm down! Rumor mongering???? WTF are you talking about? All I said was that a significant number of 996's have had premature engine failures, here's a list of some rennlisters who have had it happen to them! Waz's - 996 six months after he sold it Cydog- 10,000 miles galinskie-11,000 miles Bob scott- 4400 miles climber-15,000 miles Micheal Elmore- one of his buddy's at 300 miles! If you think these are isolated problems then you can start eating your RMS! Why do you people take these issue's so personal? Who am i attacking? This is a public forum remember!!! Relax!!! I never claimed to be an expert, i just know too many people who have had major engine issue's with 996's!!! Colm thanks for the psychiatric profile!!!!! PULLLLEAASSSSEEEE!!!

"Colm thanks for the psychiatric profile!!!!! PULLLLEAASSSSEEEE!!!" jsonnen, There you go again, another premature opinion?..I don't practice medicine..but I have served the odd dessert!

I'm not sure what I have ever done to you personally, but I don't appreciate your comments directed towards me! "There I go again" what are you referring to? Why have you decided to take this thread so personal? All my comments were directed to a car!!!! Not any one individual, unlike yourself!

My initial comments were quite general (and supportive of Paltings general tone), you chose to personalize it Go back and re-read (carefully this time), I think you were the first to specifically mention a name (my name). I merely responded. I have nothing against you or anyone else..but when I see an uninformed, incorrect or premature conclusion that misrepresents the overall position I see this as a forum to counter those harmful and destructive comments. The examples you posted are an unscientific sample (heavily biased) and if you want respect...get the straight scoop with the appropriate support. E.g. Number of cars sold, number of RMS replacements, number of engine replacements,and compare to similiar stats for the 993. Then you have a legitimate soap box from which to make repeated comments, until then...

Hey, jsonnen. No one needs to to calm down except you. We are still talking about cars and unbiased opinions, not mud slinging or voicing baseless opinions. I am still waiting for the numbers to prove you right. 5 or 6 cars in a total of tens of thousands doesn't mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean I can now eat my RMS . OTOH, you can check JD Powers, or even our own little survey here in Rennlist to see just how far off base you are. I certainly sympathize with those that have problems, and support their efforts to have these problems resolved. But to mouth off patently wrong opinions does nothing to their cause except belittle it.

I too have read too many posts of blown engines. I had two 87 Carreras...sold both...one with over 73k miles (last year) and one with over 92 k miles (back in '96). I don't recall reading about so many blown engines for such young cars. Worries me as well...my warranty just expired last month and now I am thinking more and more that I need an extension. What do you guys think?

here is some food for thought... if it hasn't happened in x number of miles will it ever happen? the question is what is the value for x??

Funny enough I did a quick search on this board since I thought I was going crazy too and I found all the threads below containing people who had their engines replaced or reported engine failures etc. Unfortunately the search cannot show the old threads so these are from this past august till now. https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=blown+engine https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=blown+engine https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=blown+engine https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=blown+engine https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=blown+engine https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure Interestingly enough this is what Vic posted on this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...engine+failure I also did a quick search on the funcars board with the results below. http://www.funcarsonline.com/ubbthre...=5&o=7&fpart=1 http://www.funcarsonline.com/ubbthre...h=true#Post692 http://www.funcarsonline.com/ubbthre...true#Post39518 To top everything off... since when Porsche went to 2 years ONLY warranty??? Did anyone asked WHY? http://www3.us.porsche.com/english/u...ety/passiv.htm I bet if i spend enough time on the internet I will find more data. Like I said before I have seen a poor guy with a 996 on the track on the banked straight blowing his engine up, lots of white smoke etc so I have witnessed an engine failure first hand. Being in a state of denial that the reported problems are insignificant does not help new used 996 owners. It does not help Porsche either for that matter. While you guys are financially able to afford a new 996 therefore you do not need to worry covered by the cushion of the warranty, other guys who are waiting on the fence to get their hands on a used 996 may need to be taken to the cleaners by repairs that Porsche should have covered in the first place. I think that is the whole point and unless you the owners do something about it 5-6 years from now you are all going to be in new 997's and guys like me ( well not me for sure) who got your cars as their dream car will suffer the expensive concequences. Maybe that is all it takes really. People who their pockets hurt to make things happen. That's all I had to say in this matter, besides it is not my place to be here anyway since I will not be suffering anytime soon any engine or rms failures.

If there was a majority of 996's experiencing all these problems then Porsche would certainly be in trouble and there would be a lot more complaining. But there is seemingly only a minority that seem to be suffering like myself with RMSx2 and gearbox (I hope I never experience the blown engine problem). People like myself, climber and others who have to suffer these problems are naturally going to get very vocal about it. As time goes on, and others start to suffer, there will be more suffers being vocal. There are a some issues here that I personally think "we" all, collectively, should support each other on: 1) Late model 996s may see these same problems in good time as they too end their warranty period or clock up the mileage. 2) Early model 996s are now more and more starting to show their engineering flaws. 3) These flaws are not trivial or niggling. They are serious component failures: engines, gearboxes. They are all very expensive to repair. Every one of us loves our Pcars. They are a drop-dead, gorgeous, head turning marque with exquisite looks and phenomenal power. They are "the" ultimate driving experience and everyone's dream car. There are few to compare to a Porsche. But while we can all rant and rave about how good it looks and how well it drives, we also have every right to complain about it. You may not like what your reading but you have to take the bad with the good. It's a public Forum and each of us has a right to say what we like (so long as we stay within the board rules). IMHO, I think it would be better to come together as Pcar owners rather than bitch about it. We should be collaborating our experiences and we should support each other. In the long run this would help both us as Pcar owners and Porsche the manufacturer. They will get to understand where their engineering flaws are and will strive to fix the flaws and keep the customer happy. We will be happy with the car and stay loyal to them. Instead, this is what is happening: more and more 996s are failing with serious problems. If your out of warranty then it seems Porsche don't care. We (the ones that suffer) voice our annoyance and despair at this. But other Pcar owners (the ones that don't suffer...yet) get all protective and bitchy about it because they don't want to hear about its problems. So there is no support even from the Pcar owner group. The result is that in the end, the manufacturer will plod on getting away with it but will suffer in the end. The customer too will suffer as they pay out extraordinary bills to fix these problems. As more people become unhappy with the car, they lose their loyalty and go elsewhere. This happened to Aston Martin. They had a small but loyal customer base but the car's reliability and the support from the manufacturer and the AM owner group failed them in the end. Let us all try to club together and support one another instead of bitching. While you don't like to hear about its doom and gloom, it could be your turn next to suffer. Think about it.

The coolant/oil problems from the early 996 engines is a known problem, but that was an issue early in the 996 model life and affects the cars up to the point where Porsche realized there was a casting problem. It's unfair to characterize the entire 996 line as having a "weak" engine because of that. That's like saying the 993 engine is no good because some of the first cars had problems with their rings never seating properly. Several of the posts you linked to referred to RonC4's car, and two others mentioned a problem with a bolt on the 02 crankshaft. But it seems to me Porsche is standing behind the car and I wonder how much buzz these problems would generate if Porsche did not change its policy on the 996 and replace the entire engine instead of just rebuilding at the dealership. I think it gives the impression that Porsche views the assembly as disposable, which I'm sure is not the case, as I also have read that Porsche takes the engines it receives back and remanufactures them after diagnosing the problem. As I said earlier, I think the 993 is a marvelous car, and I've owned three examples. It's the best of the air-cooled 911's and it has the "soul" of the 911 which, to some degree, the 996 has made more subtle in terms of sound and aesthetics, although the 996 is noticeably faster and has numerous improvements over the 993. As I said earlier, I went to a 996 primarily because it's a better cabriolet design and I wanted to drive the car all year, so I like the hardtop and not having to fuss with the tonneau cover when I put the top down. Otherwise I might well have chosen another 993, as I was also flirting with a 96 Turbo at the time. But you shouldn't overlook the fact that every series has its issues. What about the chain tensioners on the 1965-83 motors which fail and cause the engine to destruct? Porsche finally fixed it in 1984 with a pressure-fed tensioner. What about the 2.7 911 motor with the magnesium case that pulled its headstuds because of heat and expansion? Or the 78 911SC engines that had sump problems early on and would self-destruct when driven hard. Or the 911SC's and 3.2 Carreras which routinely snapped their Dilavar headstuds? Or the 3.2 Carreras with anywhere from 8k to 50k miles which started drinking oil and needed new valve guides? Or the 89-92 964 3.6 motor which had problems with cylinder heads leaking at the case and required new pistons and cylinders to fix the problem until Porsche designed a seal in there? And it doesn't stop there ... Exploding rubber-centered clutches on the SC ... weak pinion bearing on the G-50 gearbox from 87-88 ... dual mass flywheel problems on the 89-91 964 ... distributor belts destructing, causing misfires on the 89-92 964 engines if the owners didn't notice the problem and holing pistons ... Yet none of these cars, with the exception of the 2.7 911 (thanks to Bruce Anderson advising potential buyers away from it for years, and rightly so), is characterized as having a weak engine. It's only the 996 that has this reputation, and it certainly has something to do with those who feel Porsche stopped making the 911 when they added water and a radiator. There was a very strong anti-996 backlash when that happened, and it lingers to this day. I thought I would never want a 996 until I started driving one. But it's a great car, and you know what? My gearbox is whining in first gear and might need to be replaced. But I don't say the 996 is a weak car because mine needs a possible repair. Anyone with lots of years driving lots of different vintage 911s knows the weak spots on the model line and deals with it because we love the cars. It's also interesting to note that for years and years (possibly including the 993, but I'm not sure) that Porsche's warranty was one year and unlimited mileage, because they knew the cars are driven hard. I'm certain the 993 didn't have more than a 2-year warranty originally; Porsche rolled out the 4-year warranty in 99, and as far as I know the new Porsches still have a 4-year 50k in the US, at least, despite what their website says. But Porsche has always been reasonable about goodwilling repairs; Charlie Kindel, one of the original Rennlist pioneers when it evolved from the older 911 mailing list, got assistance from Porsche on his 88 Carrera when the premature valve guide wear demon got him at 6800 miles .... in 1998. You can read about it here, it's nice because it has a happy ending: http://www.kindel.com/Porsche/Valves.htm And also noteworthy that Porsche will warranty any preowned 996 for 2 years and unlimited miles on top of remaining original warranty if certified by a dealer, and that's about a $1,300 option. I don't think they'd do that if they thought they'd be dropping $10k engines in lots of cars. So there's hope for all of us 996 drivers with our weak engines ... and Danny, I promise not to worry about my doomed RMS if you don't worry about your clogging air injection ports that your OBD1 isn't stressing over (yep, that's why the last 993 I bought was a 95), let's just enjoy our cars :-) Vic 99 C2 cab Former 80 SC, 83 SC, 87 930, 88 Carrera (2), 95 C2, 95 C4, 97 C2, 01 986 -- all of which could've bankrupted me at any time ;-)

Vic, I never said that the 996 engines are weak. The problem I see is the same that was experienced by relatively few 993's and their wiring harness issue. E.J's site If I'm not mistaken had about 50 or so cases. That alone is nothing to the total production of the 993. However because it was a flaw Porsche and i applaude them for this, recognized it and corrected the problem. It is in the same fashion that I'm theorizing. I too believe that the number of engine affected were most likely first productions and not a huge number. Never the less, there should be recognition of that and Porsche should stand up to the product! That is the whole issue here... NOT that ALL 996 engine are crap! Noone can ever say that!!!! So no I will not stress about your issues as they do not apply to me, for sure I will not stress about the air passage clogging either because it does not affect my engine's performance, not will damage the engine... Besides I do plenty of Italian tune ups so the passages should be squeeky clean! Like I said my 83K mile possibly carbon clogged engine run 5 racing hours per day for 3 days in a row without a sweat. Plus this old bone stock engine with the ac still on it ,run the best time in class! So why should I worry? Life is good in this side of the pond, worry free

Cheers, Danny ... and no, you never said the engines were weak, but someone else on this thread did. Best, Vic 99 C2 cab