New High Mileage 996 c4 Auto : What Breaks ? Preventative ?

""" what preventative mainteance does a 1999 c4 with 130k miles need ? Just bought a 996 C4 Auto for £11,800 with 130k miles here in Switzerland. The cheapest 911 I've ever seen ! Its not like the UK with specialists support pre-inspection etc ... so I had to bite the bullet. Labour costs are a heart attack too. Picked up today. Car is fantastic I think. Even has the original tan floor mats. The Swiss are fanatatical about cleaniness. Took it on a 300km blast into the Swiss alps and it was awesome ! Lazy in auto ; switch to manual Triptronic buzz above 4k revs. Only a clunking noise at the front - especially slow speed on rough road ... probably lower control arms. Anyway I intend to give it a big service - all fluids. Check everything, fix anything broken, sensible preventative maintennce. Unfortunately I'm not in the UK so iI'll put on a truck to Poland. I have a Polish colleague and we have sent several BMWs there already. We spoke to the specialist and he recommends replacing the timing chain which is an engine out etc ... effectively a rebuild - cost about 3000 euro. I'm not keen on that ...no funny noises atm ! Opinion ? Is there anything else I should sensibly get replaced while its there ? Sorry for the long post - but I'm just starting my Porsche journey! I know manual is better for the UK but Auto Trip is better living here - generally motoring fun is considered the devils work.

Forget the 'timing chain' comment - there's 5 in total and don't need any attention. Might want to get all suspension parts (including shock absorbers) checked out at that age and mileage. Other than that, routine services and a bit of TLC will be fine.

IMS bearing. Definitely the IMS bearing. :grin: Only joking. Rads, condensers, water pump, power steering hose crimps, all suspension components, etc, etc. Oh and I just mean check them, I'm not saying it'll need them all. Enjoy it! :thumb: Oh and yeah the timing chain comment isn't relevant at all. As long as the tensioners are working properly that's all that could affect the chains.

Is triptronic Swiss for tiptronic. :?: :welcome: to 911uk :thumb:

No :hand: It's for cars with an LSD! :grin:

A fellow European here! I bought mine at 13700 miles and have since done a boat ton of work to it: - Full short block from Porsche due to damaged crank bearings and bore scoring - Top end rebuild on both heads and all engine wear parts replaced, ie. clutch, water pump, tappets, chains, etc. - Motor mounts - a few suspension parts though mine had been refurbished with M030 about 60 000km ago so nothing major there - front brakes - AC condensers and dryer - Alternator rebuild and new engine power wire harness - Tyres - Misc interior parts fixed / refurbished - Misc paint work I would not worry about the timing chains and besides they are an engine out and split the case type of job if done properly. IMS / RMS are worth a look at and I would definitely flush and change the transmission oil! I would look at replacing the water pump, belt tensioners and idlers, potentially the alternator and low temp thermostat.

Thanks for the TIP I'm expecting age related items typical of any car. So fluids, filters, rubber, pads, water pumps etc already 1k. Discs, shocks, control arms ... £££ lets see what they find. A lot of info on Youtube - Friends Green Porsche - shows the prep on cars before selling. I'd be delighted if the bill was less than 4k euro. Hopefully I can reclaim 23% tax as it's a foreign car / customer in Poland. I'll update the post with the final invoice details . Let the dice roll

I would check timing chaing pads too. They tend to wear on higher miles. Best to check by removing oil pan and look if there (and in oil filter) is non magnetic brown/black small particles. Job can do while engine in place, and cost is about 1500 euros, in the same time replace hydraulic lifters too.

i'd put a sprint booster on it too

I bought my 3.4 C2 11 years ago, and in that time it has needed almost nothing done to it. It is now sitting at 134,000 miles, starts on the key every time, and is still a true pleasure to drive. If I was going to spend money it would probably be on the suspension, but it is perfectly adequate, just not perfect. They are ridiculous value for money, enjoy!

Small update on the 996 i bought .... I'm in Switzerland .... took car to alps, alpine passes, Germany to New Forest and Austria voralp ... so exciting / suicidal roads Car is behaving 100% no problems. Took it for a vehicle control yesterday ... they only found leaking cam cover gasket and a weep from a coolant hose. Tester was shocked himself. Nothing wrong with suspension etc .... however, I do hear a clunk when driving slowly. Car going to Poland soon for a big service.

clunk when driving is what I'm currently experiencing. I've been told it's a either drop link or lower control arm. Nice car and good result! MAc

I bought mine at 125k it's now at 131k Needed suspension arms etc but I did most of the arms underneath anyway I got new coil packs and did a full service Recently replaced failing cps (headache job), and a window regulator. That's it At this mileage I wasn't that concerned about the IMS stuff Enjoy

Out of interest.....how much is a 3.4 short block?..

I paid exactly 6000€ for mine, which came with an oil and water pump, but I'm told Porsche have bumped the price up to 9500€ as of 2021!