porsche 996 maintenance costs vs. mercedes benz.

there are some 996 owners (and non owners) in this forum who have dogged the 996 because of the seemingly high cost of the IMS repair/maintenance of the 996 model. its my opinion the 996 cost of repairs/maintenance is fairly low compared to the exorbitant cost of owning a mercedes benz. in the past 20 years i have owned serveral mercedes models- shopped for my ML320 2 years ago and my 2004 E320 last year. in 2010 while searching for my E320 i looked at and thumbed thru the service records of at least 8-9 vehicles and almost every car i looked at including mine had at least $12-$15K in repair or service costs some as much as $18K for a car that was only 6 years old. the same costs were found with the ML320. these repair/service costs were not only high but for items such as the $1800 put into the radio transmitter in the trunk of my car...the part alone was $1500 from mercedes and the only place you can get it. benz's have a host of electrical issues which are incredibly expensive to repair. my friends are always bitching to me about the money they have spent on their benz repairs. for years mercedes has had brake failure issues with the SBC brake modules that control the entire brake system, crank pully issues,etc. i remember the 91-1992 300SD had a common issue with the #1 cylinder becoming"egg" shaped from a problem with the rods thus causing the car to burn a qt of oil every 100 miles. if people do their research they'll find numerous issues with most every expensive european car on the road.

Which is why warranties are key. BMW's new car warranty and free service is very nice. MB used to have this as well, but no longer. But you can buy the service up front with the car. In any event, cars in general (not just European) cost money to maintain. The more expensive the car, the more expensive the parts. Just goes with the territory. -td

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I would have to put BMW further in reliability than most other European brands over a cumalitive period(with the exception of the 7 series...). The inline 6's have been bullet proof through the generations for the most part and anything that can go wrong happens with consistency between cars and is well documented for the most part(water pump, cab, rsm, etc). My $.02 after owning half dozen bimmers with over 150k each.

loved my 528e

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Yeah I still love my 2002tii, e30 M3, and e46 touring. Waiting on the F30 touring diesel...

We've got two MB. 200k and 120k. Both have been dead on reliable. I'm hoping my 996 holds up as well.

I had an ,04 E320 from new - and it had to go to the shop a couple of times under warranty for teleaid module replacement and reflashing the electronics control unit - sold it at 80K miles - with no major maintenance costs - except for frequent brake pad/rotors. My indie was 1/2 the cost of the dealer for that. I,ve also got an ,06 S430 - with 85K miles on now- no major issues so far - sure if the air suspension fails, that can be expensive - but as with all German Brands you can get unlucky and have expensive bills - or things can run very well for a long time with no major issues. If you want NO issues - get a Lexus. If you want something fun to drive - get a 996 - and reserve some $$ for IMS upgrade - change oil regularly and chances are it will cost you very little to run relative to the fun you get out of it ...

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So far I have taken my 2007 IS350 Lexus back to the dealer for 5 mechanical recalls & I am not counting the "unintended acceleration" fiasco caused by a mischevious floormat, just the real issues: Variocam mechanism, valvesprings, fuel rail etc.

I have an ML with over 170k miles and have spent no where near the amount I have in non maintenance repairs as I have for my 996 which is a year younger. As far as regular maintenace the V8 ml oil change is $89 vs 996 $218-$300. Both use m1 synthetic oil.

i think if one was to compare 911 models vs service cost the 993 would have to be high on the list. 993 owners have spent thousands on the CEL light issues resulting from the SAI passages being clogged and not being able to pass emissions.

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And the percentage of cars that suffer from this is way higher than all 996 issues combined!

Are we starting a 996 better than 993 thread?

i've owned 2 993's. a'96 C4 and '95 C2. what i thought were telephone books given to me by the previous owners were actually service records.

Audi's are no fun to maintain, either. My 996 has been as reliable as my Hondas were.

My indy changes $75 for my 996 oil change (Mobil One). Paying over $200 is obscene.

Well, I assumed we were talking dealership maintenance costs not the cheapest guy in town price. :-) In that case it costs me $75 to change the pcar oil myself but the ML price is so low I just let the dealer do it.

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That's some Porsche tax there for sure. If we just compare the raw materials themselves, I image the 996 uses 3-4 more qts of oil but the filters probably cost the same. I can't imagine any car is easier to do an oil change on than the 996. There's *nothing* below the drain plug. This exact case-study might be why there's a perception that Porsche's are more expensive to maintain. It's not the parts, it's the outrageous labor costs.

Well, the parts are often more expensive, too. I think it's just perception- people see a rear engine car with a tiny hatch, hear about outrageous repair bills, and assume it's more difficult to service a 911 than a traditional front engine car. (Which it is, but only for a small subset.)

Never had Mercs but I'm surrounded by them. 2 next door north, 1 next to them, 1 next to them, 1 across the street, 3 next door south, skip, 1 next to them, skip, skip, 1 next, skip, skip, '10 Porsche C4S. Seems like all I see are Mercs and Subarus in the 'hood. I know I'm probably the only one who works on their own cars around here, I've never seen anyone even check their own oil or tire pressure.

My last 2 cars were AMG Mercedes...one was a nightmare and the other was awesome. My '01 CLK55 had multiple issues that rendered it undrivable. I traded it in a month before the warrenty expired while it was on the lift at the dealer. My '05 C55 had no problems. That said I have no regrets moving to the 996. I have loved every second of every drive. :-)

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Is this indy using bait and switch tactics or trying to sell other items/maintenance to you? I cannot change my own oil for that price. My cost: (All prices estimated) - 10 Qts. Mobil 1 ----------------- $60 (My car always requires over 9 qts. to refill) - Oil Filter Element --------------- $13 - New Drain Plug w/Washer ----- $5 Of course, he can get the parts a bit cheaper but still, he must be working for peanuts.

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Well, I bet he's buying oil in bulk (10L at walmart is only $48 for us measly home mechanics). I don't know for sure, but my guess is a 50% savings there. He's probably also not replacing the plug. $75 sounds good, but not absurd.

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My local Wal Mart doesn't carry Mobil 1 0w-40 so I have to buy my oil at the more expensive auto parts retailers. If I get lucky I can sometimes catch the oil on sale for $5.00 per qrt. but even then my cost is $56.00 including tax, otherwise full price is now close to $70.00 with tax.

Quote: As far as regular maintenace the V8 ml oil change is $89 vs 996 $218-$300 My indy changes $75 for my 996 oil change (Mobil One). Paying over $200 is obscene. DelRay996, Only $75? I can't see how that is possible unless your indy is in the business of losing money. The oil and filter alone would run over $75 even if buy in bulk. Sounds like they may be just topping off your oil and sending you on your way!

We have a '99 SLK, an 04 S55 AMG and a 2010 GL450. All over 100k miles each, but all have been extremely reliable. Can't say enough good about them. However, I never take them to the dealer for anything, and have been very resourceful when repairs are needed and there are parts to be bought. It hasn't been bad at all if you shop around. Thankfully, I have an excellent MBZ indie guy who also works on Porsches if needed.

Here in Vegas the Indy charges 100 dollars, I thought that was a great deal.

Ya, $75 for an oil change is outrageous. My buddies C series MB experienced transmissions issues, control arm issues, and engine balance shaft issues! All at low mileage. All well known widespread issues and VERY expensive to repair!!! German engineering eh... ya.

"I've never seen anyone even check their own oil or tire pressure." You wouldn't happen to live in a "gated community" would you? Don't be shocked, it's "The American Way" ! Oh yeah, when it "dies" throw it away and buy a new one

I've owned an ML for 5.5 years. Good car and has never left us stranded. Although buying extended warranty was the smartest thing I ever did. No big issues but still costly if I didn't have warranty. Rack & pinion, valve cover gastkets (both banks), spark plug wires, suspension joint, lift gate issues (this last time I finally gave up), AC duct cleaning due to constant moldy smell, AC compressor (gave me a serious scare), now the valve cover gasket appears to be leaking again. Total cost about $7000 under warranty and about $1000 outside of warranty. But at the end only 2 non-routine visits to the shop in the time I've owned. Soon however, it will find a new home when my Macan arrives. My 996 has had about $4000 in "preventive" work in a matter of 8 months. What can I say. Maintaing cars WELL costs money. Period. P.S. Oil change, tires, and brakes are excluded from all this.

I have a pair of 92 MBs.. A gray market 300GE Gelandewagen and a 500E. The cost of owing either of these is about the same as an Aircooled 911, and a bit more than a 996. I love them both, and neither of them give me any issues. The 500E has 200K and the G has 150k. That said, the newest MB I'd want is a 90s model. As I develop engines for the modern MBZ, cars I see the same accountants that work at Porsche must moonlight over at MBZ.

I had a 08 r350 which i traded in for my 996. Only had the 996 as month but it seems parts were more expensive on the merc. I do most of my own DIY and the thermostat was 120 bucks on its own. I think they are about 50 for the Porsche. It had a lot go wrong with it. The m272 engine, which sits in a lot of mercedes e350 ml350 r350 etc had its own imsb kinda issue as well. The balance shaft sprocket would wear on the pre 08 models which would mean an engine out repair to fix it it to the cost of around 7k.

almost every model porsche or mercedes i've owned has/had specific issue's for it's model run whether mechanical or cosmetic. porsche: 1953-1963 356's: rust, lowsy oil cooling 77 911s: head studs, cooling issues - head needs rebuilding at young age 78-83 911sc: head studs, transmission syncros, chain tensioners head studs replaced-tranny rebuild at young age 84-86 911 carrera: valve guide issues - head needs rebuilt at 30K miles 90-92 964: rust at windshield/rear windshield corners, dash christmas tree lights, severe oil leaks - engine reseal, metal work on body to repair rust 993's: CEL - air passage clogging - head needs rebuilt 996 - IMS mercedes: 81-83 380sl: chain guide breakage, timing chain failure - must be changed to dual row timing chain OR motor damaged beyond repair 92-93 300sd turbo diesel: problem with #2 cylinder"egg shaped" causing drastic oil consumption - complete engine rebuild 98-99 300 turbo diesel: glow plugs become welded to head - rebuild head 2000-2001 e320: transmission problems, pulley problems, electrical issues - $4000 transmission replacement at young age 2003 e320: brake module failures, tranny issues, radio faults $1500 repair tranny $4000

I had : 1984 MB 190D (No issues, diesel engines are like thanks, also besides the radio no other electronic gadgets, not even power doors or windows) 2003 Bimmer 328i (e46) (Just had it for 3 years; engine die suddenly, no explanation from the dealer, they just change it for a new one) 2006 Bimmer 335i (e90) (Just 3 years of ownership some problems with the electric windows and serpentine belt) The more electronics you have the more problems you can expect, this is the reason the 996 and 997 are going to be the most reliable water cooled Porsches, the 991 has plenty of electronic gadgets and the way volskwagen group are handling business, a 911, 4 cylinder bi-turbo is coming soon.

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Yep, I just bought all the parts for the 65k maintenance on my wife's audi Q7 and just the fuel pump filter is more than $200..

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My 2018 GLC is due it’s first service in a couple of weeks , main dealer is asking �363 for what amounts to an oil change . I have local specialist who can service and update the star system to record the service at half the cost . The question is has anyone used an independent for a service and was the record on the DSR . Also do independent service appear different on the mercedes me versus a main dealer. Any help would be great