Hello - I just had a PPI report completed on a 987 Spyder that I’m interested in purchasing. The report came back noting that “counter readings are invalid per Porsche guidelines.” See screenshot below (clicking on the pic makes it more clear). What could this indicate? Could an aftermarket chip alter the rev range & cause the error? I’m not sure if this is a cause for concern or not.

Also, aftermarket coil over shocks (KW) have been installed with new tie rod ends. Is that an appealing modification that wouldn’t turn most people away? It seems as though these cars retain the most value when left stock (or OEM parts are retained & can be reinstalled).

Finally, would a seemingly lack of service history be cause for concern? I’ve seen some reports, but they’re not complete for the full life. Mainly curious about scheduled maintenance. Car has ~25k miles.

Thanks all!

 

I personally am very hesitant to buy a car with aftermarket equipment. I would probably be more comfortable if I could talk to the owner who had it done. When I was in the market a few years ago there were enough cars to choose from that I could get the totally OEM car I desired.

Ugh, yeah, those look invalid to me also, although what I've usually seen is 1's all the way up the ranges (my car has that). The reason they are likely invalid is that you can't hit upper ranges without higher values in the lower ranges. So, for example, how could an engine jump past range 3 and produce more at range 5. There are a couple threads on various forums discussing this issue.

My car has no service history because I do it all myself. With only 25k miles and a clean PPI you should be in good shape.

 

The mods themselves wouldn't bother me as long as the test drive was ok. I would check the alignment as the car is probably lowered with the coilovers. You'll probably need to go down the route of adding GT3 LCAs up front to compensate for the loss of camber.

 

Unfortunately I can’t see the car in person before the purchase. However, the PPI included a test drive. The report did note that aftermarket LCA’s were added.

I’m still curious what could cause a DME report to come back invalid...

 

I agree with this. ^ I know I'm generalizing here but cars with performance mods often just strike me as having been beat on hard and I'm always looking for the creampuff in a used vehicle.

Those readings are screwy for the reasons stated above. You can't get to range 5 without doing time in ranges 2-4 so the numbers don't add up. Call me crazy but that alone would make me walk.

 

I was able to speak with the shop that did the PPI. They said those readings would be viewed as “non-plausible” by Porsche as the rev counts in ranges 4-6 are higher than range 3. He said a range of things could’ve caused this error including some short electrical glitch.

 

In any event the high range ignitions were over 350 operating hours ago and thus not significant.

 

Exactly my thoughts. Any problem would’ve presented itself by now.

The shop (which appears to be well respected) said the car appears to be been driven aggressively & possibly tracked, but not abused in any manner which makes me feel better.

 

Unless the price reflects this (and then some) I would pass on a car with Range 6 ignitions regardless of how long ago they have occurred especially if there are indications of extensive track usage. Along the same lines, I would not be buying such a car without driving it and seeing it with my own eyes. Cosmetics and wear standards vary between people, and things acceptable or no biggie for some are often problematic to others. The after-market changes are a negative in a car that's widely accepted as done "just perfect" from the factory.

 

Did you miss the part that those readings, including the range 6 readings, were invalid?

 

Does track history on a vehicle generally turn off most buyers even if the car doesn’t appear to have been abused? I haven’t purchased a vehicle with track history before and I’m not sure if that’s something that should be avoided in general? Or would a clean PPI provide comfort?

Given the market for Spyders is a lot smaller, I don’t feel like I can be as selective.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

 

Personally I’d walk, too many cars out there without track time. Did he do enough track time to set the stage for the noted 3rd gear failure ?
did he hit a larger berm, hole, etc. leading to an inevitable strut tower failure ? ( that sounds like fun).
i will never assume a prior owner cared for something the way I’d like to believe I would .

 

Fully agree. I know tracking the car can be lots of fun, I just don't want to buy that car. Of course you won't know for sure what the history was, but for me, how much the car was tracked is THE most important question for the all the reasons quoted above.

 

I would walk away even faster from a car that won't give valid DME readings.

 

I spoke with the shop that did the inspection along with a shop local to me and they both noted they wouldn’t worry about the DME if it’s coming back as invalid. Sounds like it can happen with this year model range. That being said, I’m leaning away at this point given I don’t know the extent of the vehicles track history.

One could argue however that these cars are built for that...