911 / 996 Reliability

Guys when I bought the car I got the print out of everything that has ever been done to it at an OPC center, it's a 98 C2 with normal miles 39k when i took delivery. The list is fairly large as you can imagine, but I always had porsche and all other german cars as the most reliable things you could buy, quote "if only everthing in life was as reliable as a volkswagen" the wife left him but the golf remained, you remember the tv add ................. Anyway, what do you think about the list below ? normal ? ........ Front belt pulley and tensioners 1000 miles Both electric window motors 27000 miles Alternator belt and pulley 27000 miles Reversing light switch 28000 miles Complete new cluth and bearings 29000 miles New coil 32000 miles Air con compressor 34000 miles New discs all round 37000 miles Air condensor ??? 37000 miles Main seal 40000 miles Cam cover seal 41000 miles Variocam sender units x 2 41000 miles Would like to change for a 2001 model, but most of the car has been replaced by the looks of it, certainly most of the big items like clutch and disc's hence why I bought it in the first place, and the car appears to have been looked after and serviced correctly. What do we think .................. Regards Paul

...we think that the list of stuff is too long , but as you already own it does it matter? I have a Nov 97 C2 now with 65k miles, only had 1 coil and 1 set front discs replaced ( if we leave out the usual pads tyres filters fluids etc ). Air con has never missed a beat, never needed regassing unlike the wife's Merc C class of same vintage.

Not a 'pretty picture' for German engineering. It is the belief of many they have some way to go to get near the levels of reliability that Japanese products now provide. That said the there is nothing to match a Porsche for the 'experience'. Anything listed that is consumable - clutch, brake discs etc - is always subjective as the manner they are used will determine their life expectancy. That said clutch problems certainly seem to crop up more than you would expect. Perhaps this is another issue for 'surveying' once the RMS 'problem' is resolved.

For what it's worth - when I bought my first Porsche 8 years ago, I was advised by a 'Technician' at my local OPC, to get the last of the models rather than the first as all the early niggles had been sorted. I've had a late 944, a 88 3.2 Carrera and now a 98 993 4S. So far (reaching for a piece of 4 x 2) they all have been brilliant. Talking of VW, I had one of the first new style Passat's back in 97 - it was the most unreliable company car that I ever endured! The Cavaliers and Vectras prior were models of effeciency. More recent ownership of BMW have though confirmed German reliability. GPM

I have built (with a lot of help, I might add) a 914 and a 2.7 RS Replica from scratch, raced both, crashed both and rebuilt them again. I have owned SCs and 3.2s, Mercedes (3), VWs (3), Renaults (1), BMWs (1), Vauxhalls (1), FIATs (4!!!!), Jeeps (1), Minis (1) and MINIs (2). I have had ups and downs, good cars and bad cars. I even managed to persuade BMW to give me a replacement MINI Cooper, it was so bad. However, since owning a 996 and reading this forum I have become totally and utterly paranoid every time I put the key in the ignition. I know there are supposed to be about 10,000 996's in the UK (?), and so a few guys may, statistically, have wrong-uns. If there are any 996 forum readers out there WITHOUT tales of woe, please start posting them, before I, and a few others whose names keep cropping up, go totally insane and sell our cars and go and buy BMWs or Jags or something else equally bland and distasteful. HELP!!!

I have done 22.5K in mine (996 C4S). Driven in rain, sun, hail, fog, snow, etc. and I don't want to tempt fate, but there is not much wrong with it. Everything works, the brakes have not corroded and it uses minimal oil (1 litre per 6K miles). It was run in gently, it is driven everyday for 60 miles, and once warm gets driven fairly hard. I bought it to use it - I think that lack of use is more of an issue for cars. The negative points: The brake fluid reservoir could do with a spash more. The phone needs to be reset to get it to read the SIM phonebook after inserting the SIM. The rear wing makes a squeak when it is lowered, but you only hear this when doing it for cleaning (you can't hear it when the engine is running). After a trip to Tokyo, I cam back after 8 days and there is a mutsy smell that comes from the air con when first turned on, so I guess the drain may be blocked, or else it needs a quick squirt of some anti bacterial liquid. So thus far (and I know the car is quite new), no tales of woe (touch wood, but then the warranty should cover it). I can't really complain - indeed I like it so much I have traded up.

The more one spends on a car, the greater one's expectations. I've owned a succesion of Porsches over the last 2O years and currently have a Boxster, 996 and a couple of older 'real' 911s. In my experience reliability has been excellent. These are 'junior super cars', yet they can be used as everyday transport throughout the year. My advice is to buy carefully, new or used, look after them, maintain a regular service programme and expect to pay for proper servicing from a reputable OPC (or IPC) to keep the car in premium condition. Yes, it may cost more than a Golf to maintain, but it should be just as reliable and a lot more fun to use and own.

Well it is, at least, encouraging to know that if you maintain the car properly which, naturally, I do, I SHOULD be okay. Thank you for confirming that at least one person has a reliable car! Anyone else out there? Yes, I am being silly, and I am not a naturally pessimistic person, and have owned many Porsches in the past. It just strikes me that there does appear to be a list of endemic problems with the water cooled boxer engine (RMS, Variocam, expansion tank, miscellaneous oil leaks, tender clutches). The old cars had similar problems, of course. There were the head stud expansion (or lack of) problems, chain tensioners not tensioning, airboxes that burst into flames. Perhaps the difference then was the lack of a forum, to scare the s**t out of everyone else! This is why it would be useful to hear the 1000 voices of reason saying, "great car", to overwhelm the poor unfortunate 10 who are having nightmares. Perhaps the club, registers and or forum could promote a 'known faults' log, or a forum based questionnaire, to collate real statistics from active members, to give everyone the warm fuzzy feeling that the vast majority probably already have. Just a constructive thought.

Andrew, "Known faults log", that sounds like a good idea. Does one exist, on another site or forum ? Could save the cost of diagnosis and speed up corrective action/repair. Will

Had a long list of faults discovered at the pre purchase inspection (including NSF suspension bushes). All sorted out then. Had the beauty now since August 2002 and have since had the OSF bushes done. Used as an every day car and apart from servicing costs have spent nowt! Well pleased[ ]

OK... Only tale of woe is that eventually I get home and have to get out. But the car is still young so I may still be on honeymoon. Also, I seem to be developing wrinkles due to the grin that it induces.

Oh and add a new ECU to the list as well ....... Just fitted but not cured the problem.

Paul If I told you once...... THE CURE A Gallon of fuel and a box of Swan-Vestas. Your old mate Lee

Is fire covered under the Porsche warranty ?

No but it is under your insurance!![ ]

At 30K had the front shocks replaced, luckily under warranty. I have just had a letter (flyer) from the stealer advertising their services with reference to the air con smell. Air con flu.. Will do it on request at £40 inc . Pricey but if its not sorted you can always go back to them.. Garyw