Given Up with the 996

Just want to say thanks for the help I have had on here with my 996. I have to say with regret that both of the 996's I have owned have been the most unreliable PORSCHES I have ever owned. Both of these were 1998 cars, one being a C4 the other a C2; both of these cars had the RMS failures at 73K miles and 80K miles respectively amongst other issues. My 993 was doing 14K miles a year and no issues whatsoever, perhaps I was very lucky; but both of the 996's I have owned the reliability was an issue and sick to death of faults arising. The 996 ownership has been far too costly and I will not entertain it again. Have purchased a 964 C2 which was registered July 1994....... So thanks again, and wish you the best of luck with your 996's Mark

I am sorry to read of your troubles. It does seem the 996 and of course the 997 are very much plagued by the RMS issue. I so far have been lucky - possibly because I have chosen tiptronics in both cases but I fully understand your sentiments and congratulate you on sticking with Porsche by returning to the 964. I hope the 964 proves to be reliable. It is very sad the Porsche have allowed this situation to arise and we are all affected as I feel the RMS issue has done nothing to help residuals and gradually the word is filtering through the press as to the issues with this problem. I very much enjoy driving the 996 but I then I did enjoy my SC too. I sometimes wonder if the wise choice would be to return to the older Porsche and forget depreciation and as reliability is the same what is to lose - and then I see a newer Porsche and I start dreaming again.......

Shame that you've had a few problems. Of course the '98 models were early examples of the water-cooled generation, so perhaps you were just unfortunate. I have to say that I'm really pleased with my current 996 (a 3.6 facelift), which followed a 3.4, two 993s, 2 964s, a 3.2 and an SC. My OPC keep trying to entice me to order a 997, but I'm perfectly happy with the 996. Having an earlier air-cooled 911 is very nice though. I've got a couple and they are still thrilling little cars.

Wow dude, from 996's to a 94 964 (993 with classic 911 styling?). Hope the RMS etc didn't hurt you too much. I quite fancy a 996 (& keeping he 993 for 'fun') but some of these issues mentioned are getting concerning. Is it just the engine, or are there more gremlins waiting to pounce?[&:]

Hi Jhr, I really don't know if there are other gremlins. What really enticed me to move on up the 996 at the time was the reliability that I had enjoyed with my 964 C4 and the 2 993's that I had clocked many miles in; none of these cars ever missed a beat and it was basically normal wear and tear so to speak considering the miles I was racking up. I did love the 996 but not at the expense of reliability, anyway I hope the 964 is reliable as my previous encounters with the air cooled variety. Thank you to Grant and Oliver for being constructive in your comments, hope your cars continue to run fine. Mark

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) I really love the old 911's in particularly the 964 and 993, and maybe one day will venture out of the 996 arena for a classic reliable Porsche. I've had my low mileage 996 C4 for 18 months now and have driven 30,000 miles. All i've had go wrong in that time is; RMS weeping, which doesn't really bother me anymore, doesn't affect performance and certainly doesn't cause engine failure. (Most Porsches leak a bit of oil, so i'm told, don't think it would be normal if i found a 911 without some sort of leak), so i've left it and it's now gone away.Very Common on the 996 Expansion tank - Cracked and coolant leaked. Cost £200 to have repaired. Very common on 996. Baffles - Part of the exhaust system, squeeks occasionally, i'll get the baffle changed at next service.Quite common on 996. 36k service - Cost £245 at Porsche Reading So apart from that my 911 has actually cost less than my wifes Ford Galaxy over 18 months. You have to choose wisely when picking a 996. I spent a little extra and bought from OPC Guildford, the car had new tyres, brakes, major service. May have well been brand new. JHR, It really is worth buying a 996. They are very reliable (Apart from Scouser) for the pain and torture they endure. You would have far more problems on say a Mercedes. And by golly the 911 always look awesome on the road. Si

Always nice to hear Carrera 4 boy postive comments on the Forum. I have now owned my 98 996 for 1 year i have had a few wear and tear items needed to be replaced, discs pads, exhaust, etc i did have the RMS changed and feel it is somthing that needs to be resolved but can live with it if it was to go in another 5 years if i have the car that long, however there are postive comments that outside from Porsche other specialist are looking at resolving this. Mark, am i right in thinking that you have only had your 996 for 6 months if that, in which case if there is the odd problem then once ironed out you can only tell the reliability of a car over a period of time and miles, like Si 30,000 miles with the above cost i think is pretty good. Anyway enjoy the 964 looks good in red. Phil

Well i'm always delighted to hear such informative comments from our friends in the Fens[ ] Have a great Friday[ ] Si

This thread worries me (again). I threw everything I have into buying an early 996, eventually finding a 98 C2 with loads of extras and 30K on the clock. That was nearly 3 years ago, and I have hardly had any trouble from it at all. Other than a central locking/alarm fault replaced under warranty it has never let me down and hardly cost me anything. Servicing is cheaper than my last Jag was, I drive it every day including business miles and she now sits at 85K miles but looking just as good. She needs a bit of work at the next service, pads/disks due to normal wear, coolant expansion bottle replacement, noisy alternator refurb, and a squeaky front suspension bush. I love every moment I drive her and basically she is a little gem BUT shes a 98 996 3.4 Is she a ticking time bomb? RMS I might live with but the bearing failure and subsequent engine failure is to too scary to contemplate. I remember several years ago I had a catastrophic engine failure in a twin turbo Nissan which cost me a couple of grand to import a used engine from Japan. Small beer by Porsche standards! Should I cut my loses and try to upgrade to a 3.6 or am I being paranoid??

Neil, 55K in 3 years with no problems - keep the 996 (& get the OPC warranty). You might have lost a fair bit in depreciation, and trading to a 3.6 will attract a premium to change and eventually more depreciation. Mark

Neil, I really wouldn't worry. Porsche engines are very well built. Considering the pain i put mine through i've had very little go wrong. Bearing failure/blown engine is extremely rare. It's just them darn seals which can occasionally weep. I only know one person who has blown his engine, and that was hammering it around the Nurburgring. If you drive your Porsche everyday like you've just stolen it then i would anticipate something may eventually go wrong. Some warranty companies can cover the 996 engine for £500 over 2 years. You don't need me to tell you that's £250 per year for piece of mind. 68p per day. The reason it's so cheap is because it hardly happens.[ ] Source of information: mechanic at OPC Reading July 2005 Regards Simon 996 C4

Simon appreciate the response. Its what I wanted to hear after all!! I did have a warranty holdings policy which only cost £300 but alas they were closed down by Ford. I know there were all sorts of problems with them but I never had a problem, even when the administrators were running it they coughed £600 for a faulty alarm/central locking CPU. Problem is, after another 12 months my car will be into 6 figures on the mileometer and I dont think warranties are available for high milers. I'd be interested in any warranty companies recommended in here. I'm currently with WMS but that was £700 incl recovery. Maybe I'll retire her gracefully to a weekend car and get an old rep-tank for clocking up the miles.

Have it all I say , including a boxster , Si !!! I have had 996's ever since 98. Touch wood never ever had any problems. They are great cars especially round London. The older cars are great too, take them out on to a country road and I would rather drive a 964 or 993. prefer 964 , they feel more nimble. But good for Mark that he has found a great Porsche again in buying his 964. Si , when you are ready to buy an older 911 , I will come with you , and especially for you we will go in my boxsterS, Happy Days. The good thing is we are all Porsche drivers and enjoying our cars!! For me , today , is polish day, will be doing that for 3 days running. Johannes

Hi - I think it's interesting that someone would trade their 996 in for a 964 on the basis of perceived reliability issues with the 996(noise, character, driving fun etc maybe...) As I understand it the 964 is not exactly without perceived reliability issues of it's own....... Pete

Hi Mark, I am amazed that you went from a 996 to a 964, skipping over the 993 but I think I can understand as i too am considering getting a 964, just love their styling. Is it not ironic that you go from a modern car to the model that was notorious for having oil leaking problems for that very reasion.

Got a 98 996 C4 - had a new gearbox fitted at 51,000 miles (under extended warranty - a must). Everything else of perfect. My opinion of the RMS is that it is has been blown out of all proportion - it is an oil leak at the end of the day!!!! Big deal - you can still drive them with a weeping RMS, the only problem that I can see would be the small embarrassing puddle of oil in your garage. I wish people would stop banging on about a seal - yes, it is annoying, but not a major problem. My Impreza was far more costly to run than the 996. Those who shout the loudest get heard - is this the same for RMS?? I think 996's are excellent cars, if you don't like it, then sell it.

Well said! [ ]

Totally agree. I've had a succession of Porsches over the last 22 years - from 356 to 996 and I really can't fault my current '02 996. It's practical (2+2), beautifully built and engineered, fast with superbly balanced handling, economical (26 mpg + one service pa), totally reliable, comfortable, easy to live with, stylish yet subtle and, with PSE, sounds gorgeous. At current price levels (£25k > £50k+), a really good 996 is a bargain.

Hear, hear!

Sorry Simon, I disagree with you on the RMS on the fact that Porsche knows about this design fault and have not rectified it on the new 9*7 series... Surely we must have not banged on enough for it to have carried onto another generation? >> it is an oil leak at the end of the day!!!! but an oil leak that will cost you quite a bit to fix outside warranty unless you put up a fight, in which case it gets done as a gesture of goodwill; would you believe RMS was not covered under extended warranty until recently? IMHO

Simon, Some people are worried that a leaking RMS may be symptomatic of impending engine failure. There is no hard evidence for this, but it is a fear nonetheless.

Sorry, but you have mis understood what I said. I don't for one minute assume that the RMS is not a problem - it clearly is, due to the large amount of evidence. My point was that it is not a major mechanical failure - it is a seal. It doesn't affect every single car either, but it does affect more than you would consider "an acceptable amount", I will never dispute this - but my main point is people banging on about the reliability of the car. The seal does not affect the cars reliability - it doesn't make the engine blow up, it doesn't destroy the gearbox, or the brakes, or the windscreen (I'm sure your getting the picture now, so I'll stop there), but most of all why on Earth anyone would think it would drastically affect the value of the car is beyond me!!!! With Scouser excluded from this one - most RMS once changed don't need doing again. In relation to the 997 - I have no genuine first hand experience of this model yet, so I will not get into a discussion about it, but if the "RMS issue" has continued with this new model then Porsche need a kick up the ar*e - and I will gladly do it!!! Try running a Ferrari / Maserati / Aston / Lambo - then you will know what expensive and unreliable means. Once again - I think the 996 is absolutely brilliant (my opinion only) Simon

Hi all, I was not trying to start a 996 versus any debate......... to answer a few questions here, I had the first 996 for 10 months and the second one for 7 months in that time and mileage they had been terrible cars and i am glad that all of you that have 996's are happy....... I was not hence why I sold them. Given that I did high miles in both the 964 C4, 993 C2 and 993 Tip with no issues that all I have to compare against. I was racking up 17K miles a year in the 993's with no issues but general servicing, tyres, pads, etc. I tried hard with the 996's but they did not give me the same pleasure even though they are great cars to most. The reason not going back to the 993 was finacial due to the losses on both 996's. I hope to run the 964 for a year and then look for a good 993. Mark

10 months and 7 months respectively doesn't seem a particularly long time to own the cars, perhaps if you had stuck it out for longer with the first one, the second bit of "bad luck" wouldn't have occurred. I know that what I have just said is a complete assumption - but sometimes you buy a second hand car and after having driven a bit for a couple of months certain noises and tempramental things become apparent that you couldn't have possibly noticed on a 10 min test drive. It has happened to me before (only once and never again), and have found myself having to fork out more money to put right all the "little niggling problems". My feeling was that once I had sorted the car out - best keep it for a while, rather than shift it on and end up in the same situation again. I think you have been very unlucky to have 2 cars with the same problem in such a short period of time - and you have my sympathy. Sorry if I appeared a bit aggresive before, but I really must defend the 996 on the issue of RMS - once again, it is a seal, annoying and relatively expensive for what it is, but not a major problem.

Hi Hothatch, it was not just the RMS issue, but I take your point perhaps I should have hung out longer........ Perhaps I will come round again, but it will be a few a years yet to recover. As I said I before I wish everyone well with the 996's they own ..... Mark

Mark I think that's blo*dy good going then. Deleted xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Johannes Jeeeesh, thanks mate, i will. Can't wait....ahem actually can we go in the Turbo[8|][ ] Have a great weekend everyone Si

Scandalous comments Si! There have been many reports of RMS failures from cars that are nearly new with very low mileage, the 987 suffers from it and so does the 997. On what evidence do you base your assumption that if a car is thrashed it is more likely to have an RMS failure? I think you're not being fair to the many people who have had RMS failures and are seeking redress from Porsche, by blanketing them all as 'thrash it to within an inch of its life' drivers.

Hi mate, I know the RMS issue is a design fault, pretty much proven and admitted by Porsche, and CAN happen to any car that has been driven, pretty much a lottery said the mechanic last week. Its just that something always seems to go wrong after i've been racing and i just put 2 + 2 together. Don't lose sleep over my comments please, its IMHO. Si[ ]

After 11 Porsches I think I know how to drive them !! 6 of them have been 911's and the most unreliable has been the 2 996's, so whether I was lucky with the others or not....... that fact is that have been unreliable and not just with RMS issues. Both 993's were driven hard and never missed a beat. Mark

point taken... where's that humble pie[ ] must be lunchtime

My first was 912 Targa......only the rain let in. Apart from that it was a great car. My second a 964......had some problems with the wiring loom and heater but that's all. My 996 has had 7 RMS', 1 Gearbox and a Clutch.......Without any doubt it has been the most unreliable car I have ever owned. But I still think it's the most beautiful car and the best driving experience. Would I buy another Porsche? I doubt it. It's not so much the car or its reliability. It's the blatently poor and disgusting service and/or support you get from Porsche GB and Porsche AG when everything goes wrong with your Porsche. They are a rip-off bunch of ......well I better cut off here or I will get banned..........Suffice to say, they know that their customers are suffering but are happy to just brush you off with an attitude of "well we are making gazillions of dollars and we know we have a design fault in our cars, but we don;t care". If they would just pore some of that profit back out to their loyal customers.......EVERYONE would be happy.

Pardon my ignorance, but does the tiptronic 996 not suffer from the RMS problem? Have been planning a purchase for some time and had virtually settled on a 1998/9 996 tiptronic, mainly for political reasons-probably a more efficient heater, quieter, ie more acceptable to my passenger. Not though at the cost of frequent inconvenience and expense. Paul Previous Porsches 944 auto 944 S2

It's not as common, but the tiptronic does suffer from the problem...it's also more costly to replace.

My C4 996 Tip cost close to £1K to rectify Mark