Annual maintenance on 996

Alright guys, time to fess up! How much does the 'mistress' cost each year to keep up? Does she need a mink coat, the Hope Diamond in her tiara and a weekly spa day? Or, can she put on jeans, let her hair down and race the wind? But, maybe more importantly, will [B]I[B] need a spa day to recover from this thread? I will discuss sexy wheels and rumbles at a later time!!!!

Since I'm a new owner, I'm hoping she would require minimal maintenance like my 'mistress' from Munich. Hopefully just regular yearly check with minor-major combo every two years or 20,000kms. Will be interested to hear from other forum members.

Had it for one year....besides changing wheels 2 times... Put 4k on car this year... 1-Coolant reservior -$200 plus G12- $40 2-1 oil change - $110 3-Sparkplugs-$60 4-Front pads -$60 Mintex Reds 5-Air Filter-$50 6-Exhuast Backet- $34 7-Alignment- $160 =$724 Excluding gas ...and tires and wheel changes, suspension updates. These cars are very affordable if you can perform your own maintnance.

cheaper than an upscale escort for an overnight stay

Depends on the miles you drive, the age/mileage of the car and if you can DIY.

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+1 However if you don't do your own maintenance and you do do DE's or autocrosses, its a little pricey. Especially, when you compare it to owning a "car".

Less than my 968 did... And that is all I know. I am a strict adherent to the "never total your Porsche receipts" rule.

Based on my two previous 993s and current 996, my annual maintenance trips to the dealer average $500-1000, with an occasional "surprise", and I don't mean that in a good way. I follow the recommended annual mtnce. schedules with a bias toward over maintaining, and drive about 5K miles/year on dry roads. relinuca

Just for context, I have a 2004 C2 Cab that I bought in October 2008. I use it as a daily driver (it is my only car). Total service cost, in my opinion, has been pretty reasonable, even if the individual items have sometimes been unreasonable. It came with a CPO warranty, so I've had all work done at a dealership. Service costs so far: August 2009: 30,000 mile 'major' service; ~$950 December 2009: Clutch, flywheel, RMS replacement: ~$3,000 (which I believe the dealer charged waaaay more than he should have for) Spring 2010: New tires; ~800 (cheap sumitomos - could definitely have spend $2,000+) September 2010: 45,000 mile 'minor/annual' service: ~650 Total costs (so far): $5,400; had I paid 'market' for the clutch/flywheel, it would be more like ~$4,500. For the performance profile of the car, I think that's all pretty reasonable. And if you went to an independent shop instead of the dealer, you'd probably spend about half as much.

Another data point: bought my 2003 targa in Oct 08 with ~36k miles, previous owner did the 30K "major service" at his dealer. Its a weekend driver, about 4-5k miles per year. My costs to date, all at local Indy porsche shop: - summer 09:brake light switch (cheap part, $$ labor): ~$400 (there was something else in there I forget, maybe the coolant expansion tank recall...) - March '10: oil/filter service, new brake pads and calipers, 4 wheel alignment, new tire install, ~$2000 - March '10: new summer tires (tire rack), ~$750 (could have spent much more, great value on Hankooks) I've also spent a few hundred for DIY clear sidemarks, non-smoker kit (excellent add-on), and all manner of wash, wax, and leather care. Plus I pay my indy $75 to swap my winter to summer wheels twice a year (he stores them for me which I need). Another great upgrade, ~$300 to replace the front dash speakers with Focal's. Much better sound despite having the Bose upgrade system stock. All in all, very manageable given the car. As an attractive, well made up redhead said to me at a party last night, "if you want low maintenance, get a Honda." And we weren't talking about cars. Go figure.... -LB

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Pics, or it didn't happen.

I've only had mine for 2 months, so I can't give you a total annual cost, but here's the costs so far: Balance summer tires - $65 New Battery - $145 Snow tires and wheels - $950 (including $150 in shipping) 30K miles service - $860 including oil change, replace all filters, new plugs, brake fluid, etc etc. Program new key - Under 60 day warranty Replace blower motor - under 60 day warranty I am expecting to put 20K miles on the car annually - I drive it year round. That means 4 oil changes, which I expect to do 2 myself (the winter ones, I'll pay the indy for) and 3 service calls every 2 years. You know, I don't think that it's likely that this car will cost more than my 4 year old Lexus did. The dealer wanted to see the Lexus every 5K miles, and costs generally ran to $300 - $400 per visit. That's upwards of $1,600 per year. In comparison, the costs to maintain the 996 don't seem to be outlandish so far. And, how do you calculate the FUN FACTOR!! Yes, you can go to the state fair, and ride the amusement park rides for 4 bucks each. I get my jollies kicking my car in the *** and getting pushed back in my seat as it takes control of the road. I don't know what the price of admission is for that kind of amusement, but it's not expensive - not to me. larry

maintenace costs -vs- mod/upgrade cost is inconsequential

For 2010 my 2002 996 has had the following expenses: -Bank 1 (L) Catalytic Converter making rattling noise. $00.00 Converter replaced under emissions warranty. -Oil changed at 15K miles @ $70.00 -Original brake pads replaced with EBC Red Stuff Ceramic Pads @$210.00 2010 Costs $280.00 In 2009 The following maintenance was done: - Front tires rebalanced @ $50.00 - Coolant Expansion tank replaced @ $135.00 2009 Costs $185.00 In 2008 the following Maintenance was done: - Replaced L/R city lights with xenon filled bulbs @ $20.00 - 4 wheel alignment @ $150 - L/R rear tires replaced @$712.00 - R/R rim out of round & straightened @ $65.00 - Throttle Body Cleaned @ $4.00 - Front L/R Radiator/Condenser Coils Cleaned @ $2.00 - Battery Replaced @ $160.00 - Brake fluid replaced @ $12.00 - Ipod Adapter replaced @$95.00 2008 Costs $1200.00 Total 3 year Maintenance costs: $1685.00 Except for tires, these costs are on par with most automobiles with 72K miles. I would imagine if I had not DIY'd this, that the cost would have been double with the addition of paid labor.

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Any particular reason to go with a 5K oil change interval vs. the 'official' 15K interval?

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I like that rule

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The 65k mile service on my Lexus is $900. Don't have room for DIY right now, but hope to in the future. Am looking forward to doing some testing driving when the weather warms a bit.

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I really don't think that very many people use the 15K recommended by Porsche as a baseline, at least the enthusiasts you see on this website. But, in actuality, the problems that these cars have had with engines self-destructing due to IMS failures seems to be alleviated by increasing the frequency of oil changes. Anecdotal evidence seems to be that with less frequent oil changes, the buildup in acid in the oil causes the grease in the IMS bearing to be attacked, leading to greater potential failure of the IMS bearing. There are plenty of threads on this website relating to IMS failures and our collective fears relating to it. If I can minimize or eliminate the potential for IMS failure by increasing the frequency of my oil changes, it's cheap insurance. Certainly, with all the other cars I have ever had, I have never gone more than 5,000 miles between changes, no matter what the MFG recommendations were, and usually did a 3,000 mile change. So, changing the oil on my Porsche every 5,000 miles doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary for typical maintenance. larry

3000 miles this year = Nothing.

I live in Texas where it is hot and dusty. The oil guys brag that their oil does not "break down" and they are right. It can probably go 50,000 miles or more (even 100,000) with the performance characteristics of the oil not changing. I change mine becasue oil gets dirty as it removes contaminants. Changing it is cheap and easy maintanance. My shop recommends 7500 but I do it after 5,000 because by keeping the odomoter on the "5"'s makes it easy for me to remember when to do it. When I change it it looks pretty black so I'm sticking with my plan. I change the oil on my Yukon frequently and have 200,000 miles on the original engine.

My car will be rolling over 100,000 miles tomorrow I've put about 35000 miles on it in the last 1.7 years. On maintenance I've spent: oil changes - 7 at $100 each DIY. coolant reservoir and cap - $200 DIY replaced a rattling muffler with a used part - $200 DIY changed brake pads all four corners - $500 DIY a set of front rotors - $200 DIY (these were new but sold as used) sparking plugs - $80 DIY air filter - $0 *(got it free with a car I bought previously) pollen filter - $11 lightbulbs - $30 (damn little marker lights burnout frequently) tires - 1 set so far $900 (not counting my snow or track wheels and tires) brake fluid flush - 2 times at $100 DIY (took a while to get it right). ignition switch $80 DIY battery - $120 inner tie rod end - $600 not DIY So what is all that...$3840. Is that a lot? I thought it would be less actually. I usually avoid adding these things up but I figured since you asked I'd rack my brain. Looks like the oil changes, the tires and the brakes ate up most of that. I'm not complaining though. I daily drive mine and most days I end up telling myself how much I like this car. It's a keeper. Upgrades added a bit by the way: lightly used PSS9 coilovers - $1100 DIY used H&R sway bars - $500 DIY alignment and corner balance - $500 console delete - $150 DIY track wheels and tires - $2000 snow wheels and tires - $1500 roof rack used $200 Geez - I don't want to add that all up again in a big hurry. I could have bought a nice used Honda with what I spent!! I sure would not have wanted to pay somebody to all of that work...figure on nearly doubling it!

If you live in a area that has a lot of leaves in the fall - you should remove the front bumper and clean out the radiators. The good news is there is no cost for parts, but you do have to spend time on your knees and back. If you are not up for it yourself, it could get pretty expensive.

I do my own work, and for the average of the last 3 years, it's probably been $1k/yr. In addition to oil changes, that includes brakes and tires on a "pro-rated" basis, since those don't need to be done very year. It also includes a new battery, a radiator fan resistor and an oil pressure sensor.

Bought my 2003 C4Cab in the spring of 2010. No expenses up to the unpleasant surprise of the oil change. When they were about to do the oil change, there was oil visible just starting to come out. There was never any dripping on the ground. Inspected the RMS, it was good but the IMS was leaking.... Changed the RMS seal anyways, upgraded the IMS to LN IMS, inspected the clutch and flywheel and decided preventive, clutch and flywheel replaced would be best since everything was apart ....and finally the oil change... end result $4,625 Car now in storage, but when spring comes around, will need an alignment and likely replace the tires as one has abnormal wear and they are all four about 5 years old. Think about it in the spring.

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What was his name???

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hope the next oil change is a little less $$$ Best of luck and many happy (S)miles

I just looked at my totals over last 4 years ... (excluding insurance, gas), About 5K miles per year. Some DIY, complex stuff at indie. 2011 - $1571 - including $750 stereo upgrade, PPI, minor service 2012 - $2712 - 60K serivce (DIY/Indie), front brakes (DIY), 4 tires (Sumitomo) 2013 - $3337 - RMS, IMS, AOS + misc (Indie) 2014 - $1411 - Rear tires, AGM battery, water pump (DIY), Brake Flush, Engine Mounts (DIY), Oil change (DIY) 2015 - $833 - to-date - Alternator (DIY), Rear Rotors (DIY), Oil (DIY), Water Hose (Indie) Hope that gives some of the folks that are looking at running costs some idea - I think fairly typical

It costs more to maintain, feed and house a race horse than a plow horse that lives in a field. If you can't afford a race horse, don't buy one. That being said, I don't mind the cost of the Porsche because of what it delivers. It's a damn super car for crying out loud. The running costs goes with the territory.

Nice Selfie So far my car after 9 months of ownership has been a pleasant "get to know each other" experience. Had to bring some things up to standards from the previous owner. couple loose water hoses, the drive cables for power seat were missing, replaced shocks with M030 ROW kit, 997 SSK. and LN oil filter, all fluid changes, Engine, both diffs, water, and air filter. All DIY so not to bad.

First rule about maintenance; you don't talk about it.

Compared to some other European sports cars the 996 is cheap! And easy to diy and parts are plentiful.

My annual repair budget: Give or take. I think I've spent about $300 so far this year. Note that "maintenance" in my household excludes ALL unnecessary impulse buys - like Fister mufflers, intakes, etc...that stuff is all accounted for under "rounding decisions I hope the wife doesn't find out about."

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Except, when you need an engine.

Ever priced a F car engine, or rebuild? The belt service alone kept me from a 348.

I've put about $6000 into my first year of maintenance costs. But nearly all of those are items that I'll never have to touch again, or at least not for a long time. I sleep at night by saying that. Spark plug tubes, spark plugs, Kenwood head unit, cam plugs, AOS, fuel filter, oil cooler, LN IMS, clutch kit, tires, transmission fluid, clutch/brake flush, coolant flush, 997 shifter, wheel alignment, cowl drain TSB, serpentine belt, cabin filter, air filter, engine mounts, alternator, starter/alternator y-cable, and battery. To do list: transmission mount, water pump, low temp t-stat, and maybe the chain tensioners. Someone is gonna get a pretty nice ride someday if I ever decide to sell her.

The question is so difficult to answer, luck and driving style will have largest impact. I used. My 996 for about a dozen days a year, and the consumables increased with speed.. Twice as much from green to black.. It's way cheaper than a GT3

3 years and 33,000 miles. New alternator, AOS, misc water hoses,plugs, belt,oil changes. Total about $3,500. About $100 per month.

Using Mobil 1, I was changing the oil annually when the 996 was a weekend toy. Now that the Jeep Overland has gone to the scrap heap in the sky and the 996 is my DD, I'm planning on changing it every 5-6,000 miles. The GT3 won't (hopefully) see that many miles in year, so it will be getting an oil change annually or after a DE event. Total $$ per year? No freaking clue, as I try not to look too closely. Again, now that the 996 is the DD that may change.

maybe because I several vehicles...I just don't spend money on this car...which has never seen more that 3k miles on the oil. new ignition switch, radio/nav, various hoses, breaks, rotors, all liguids changed, oil all the time, water pump, T-stat...alignment. drive it-

well, I mean not a lot of money-

Funny, but I replied to this thread five years ago. Since then I've certainly spent money on the car, but mostly in maintenance items like tires, motor mounts, plugs, and oil changes. The only real "repairs" the car has needed was a small oil leak, a water pump and thermostat, and both window regulators. In the end, much less than I ever anticipated. Once you get past RMS/IMS and a few other potentially catastrophic things, these cars are darned reliable. It's a Porsche, so nothing's cheap, but it is very reliable for what was originally an $82,000 sports car.

"but it is very reliable for what was originally an $82,000 sports car." What exactly is that quote supposed to mean? The implication to me is that an $82,000 sports car is not supposed to be reliable? Please elaborate...

The amount of money you spend on proactive maintenance is proportional to how frequently you read this forum.

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^This^ is true!... By the same token, if you're at all handy/mechanically inclined, you can save an awful lot of $$ by diy'ing with info gleaned from these pages...

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Agreed. I've spent about $6k this year on maintenance and tires and such, but I've also probably around $3k by doing a lot of work myself.

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Fairly simple actually... in general cars that are manufactured to a low to medium price point and designed for a mass audience tend to favor reliability over performance and design, i.e. Toyota Camry. Owners of these cars expect a basic transportation experience for a minimum of trouble and cost. Imagine the outcry if an IMS-like problem had struck Toyota or Honda. It would have effected literally hundreds of thousands of cars, with potentially catastrophic impact on sales. In the wake of the IMS problem Porsche sales have skyrocketed. As cars get more expensive the market generally segments into 'luxury' and 'sport.' Manufacturers can prioritize design and performance at a higher level, and while not necessarily sacrifice reliability, they can place less focus on it than in a Camry. To gain higher levels of performance requires closer tolerances, higher levels of stress and heat, and lighter materials. All of this contributes to higher maintenance costs and greater potential for failure. Cars of these types are purchased by people with a greater ability to afford maintenance and repair - and who usually only keep the car during the initial warranty period. Therefore initial repair costs cause less damage to the brand/model than they would to a less expensive, mass-market car. And original owners rarely shoulder those costs. Additionally, owners of sports car usually have several other cars in the garage - and are supported by dealers with equivalent loaner cars during repairs - so time out of service for repairs does not significantly impact owner loyalty and satisfaction. Bottom line: Expensive sports cars are generally less reliable and require higher maintenance than your average family sedan. Owners tend to accept that trade off for the pleasure of the driving experience. With that in mind, I've found my 996 to be a fairly reliable, well-built car... after I replaced the IMS bearing and had an RMS leak repaired.

Interesting thread, comparisons often benefit from a calculation that involves "rate" such as dollars per mile or dollars per month, so I've put all my car's repairs on an Excel spreadsheet and included miles and dates, then I can look at the rate of spend on repairs over time, even slice it up by years or by 10k miles groups, and it's helpful to give to the next owner as well as doing the calculation of when to sell- if dollars per mile are increasing significantly it may be time. So my car works out to be $113/month or $0.53/mi, that does not include the original purchase price (which would be easy to do) nor gasoline but includes everything else. Ive done the IMS and RMS, light switch, a few batteries, fluid changes, tire changes, a cam selonoid, water pump and getting ready to replace the x-pipe and cats.

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If I had followed this rule, then I might still own a 996!

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This might have been 'accepted' in decades past but it is really an outdated concept. If I am paying $100,000+ for a brand new luxury/GT today they had better deliver to me a car every bit as reliable as a Camry. The bar these days is simply set higher (by the luxury car brands themselves), their marketing and advertising wants us to believe that that's the way it is. Taking time out of my day and going to the dealer to return a defective car and pick up a loaner would be a pain in the a$$ whether you make $50K or $250K.

$50 a yr, in oil changes...I only change the oil once a yr

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The current 6.3 V12 engine has a MSRP of $130,000. Wow.

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No 100K sports car is as reliable as a mid-size sedan or full size pick up. None. Zero. And they literally can't be to do what they need to do. And while it's no sports car, my 2012 Cayenne just needed a water pump at 42K. A water pump. Tech told me they see it all the time.

Routine maintenance is so important for a DD Air filter after 6 months of DD