Porsche 911 (2014-2020) reliability
#31
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I had several (at least 7) Porsche 911's of the same vintage as your Boxster from 2001-2008 and have to say they were amazing cars with none of the issues you have stated.
I have also owned several of the vintage your asking about and have a 991.1 TTS now and again have been extremely satisfied and have not had any major maintenance issues. I find the 991 cars to be very reliable.
I have also owned several of the vintage your asking about and have a 991.1 TTS now and again have been extremely satisfied and have not had any major maintenance issues. I find the 991 cars to be very reliable.
#32
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I currently have a 997.2 C2S cab and have been contemplating moving into a 991, but I have to admit I get spooked a bit reading about all of these issues. Headlight lenses that get moisture or cracking, water pumps failing, door panels warping, etc. Is there anything else I should factor into my decision?
#34
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Ok, since OP asked for typical maintenance costs, below is derived from my '17 MY poverty spec C2 991.2 service manual, with estimates (guesses) for costs. Your costs may be higher, or lower; depending on if you are in areas with higher costs/taxes, so YMMV applies. These are only my thoughts, others can chime in with their figures where I'm out of whack. The intent is just to help with some idea of what to expect with a 991.2. I defer to the guys with .1 non-turbo NA engines for data on the '12-'16 MY.
Porsche has an annualized/mileage approach to scheduled maintenance. Generally, it involves "small" and "large" service concept. Time dependant maintenance is based on either a 1, 3, 5, 7 year ("Oil Maintenance", the smaller service) or a 2, 4, 6, 8 year ("Maintenance", the larger service.) These are similar to the MBZ A and B service rotation.
Oil Maintenance includes: drain and fill engine oil, replace oil filter, plus various inspections. This is at the latest, every 10,000 miles or one year. The 30,000 mile interval also specifies a plug change. The 60,000 mile interval specifies replacement of the drive belt.
Maintenance includes: All tasks in Oil Maintenance, plus replacement of the air intake pre-filter and particle filter, replacement of brake fluid, plus various inspections. The 40,000 mile interval also specifies an engine Air Filter change, and a wheel off brake inspection.
As far as actual tasks/costs go:
Oil and Filter change - Costs here vary widely. My last OC was $92. I DIY'd it. At my indy, I paid around $275 for my Cayman. At the dealer, gotta be at least that, if not a bit more.
Engine Air Filter - On a 991.2, the rear bumper needs to come off. I am very ham-handed, so am unlikely to get it back on properly. So I'll leave this one to the dealer. Guess of $400-$500, but I could be off.
Spark Plugs - This is a PITA. I'll likely have mine done at the dealer. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I don't fancy twirling wobbly bits on a ratchet extension these days, so no DIY for me. I'd guess at the dealer, a plug change might be $600-$800, but that's just a WAG. I'll find out soon.
Air intake and particle filter - This is incredibly easy to do. There are two filters, one in the cabin and one in the frunk. I did my Cayman's and it took all of maybe 15 minutes. The two parts are pretty inexpensive, maybe $100 (I'd have to go look what I paid.) At the dealer, I am sure they jack the price up on this. Maybe $300 dealer cost? It's outrageous for the effort and parts involved.
Brake fluid - This can be done at home, but I prefer to let the dealer handle the mess. I've done it on my BMWs. I don't have a good handle on this for Porsches as it hasn't come up on mine. Total guess since this is mostly a labor type job, maybe $300-$400 at the dealer, all in.
As far as tires go, obviously wear is subject to driver care and style. I replaced the original Pzeros with a set of 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on my 991.2 last December at the dealer for an all in cost of $1,962, which included my PCA discount. A four wheel alignment was $220. This was one service job I specifically wanted done at the dealer; I did not want my car at Costco (nothing against Costco, but it ain't a Hyndai) or my local tire fitter. Plus, I wanted the alignment done, not because it wasn't tracking correctly, but the car was new to me and I didn't want to throw on $2K of tires if there was a problem. Turns out they did make a small adjustment to bring it into line with factory specifications. Plus I wanted to continue to build my relationship with my local service department; my car is under factory/CPO warranty for the next four years. (I do bring the service guys boxes of Krispy Kreme now and again.
)
These cars go through batteries at the normal rate, maybe every 4-6 years, again, depending on useage as well as environment. There's nothing magic about the OEM Porsche AGM battery. You can walk out with a direct fit replacement from Batteries Plus for around $225. I did a self-install on my Cayman; it is fairly straightforward. I've seen price quotes installed from folks at dealers who paid $500-$600 for an OEM battery replacment.
Wiper blades are replaced on my cars annually; a set for my 991 was $53. At the dealer this is probably list at $100; but I dunno I buy simple parts like this online, like at Sunset Porsche.
Brakes are another wear item. Prices at the dealer are incredible, for such a straight forward job. My fronts need replacing soon, so I bought a set of parts (OEM rotors and and pads from Suncoast Porsche, plus sundries from Pelican) recently for $742, total. I have the tools and space to DIY. You can probably double that for a dealer price for one axle on a 911.
Hope this helps.
Porsche has an annualized/mileage approach to scheduled maintenance. Generally, it involves "small" and "large" service concept. Time dependant maintenance is based on either a 1, 3, 5, 7 year ("Oil Maintenance", the smaller service) or a 2, 4, 6, 8 year ("Maintenance", the larger service.) These are similar to the MBZ A and B service rotation.
Oil Maintenance includes: drain and fill engine oil, replace oil filter, plus various inspections. This is at the latest, every 10,000 miles or one year. The 30,000 mile interval also specifies a plug change. The 60,000 mile interval specifies replacement of the drive belt.
Maintenance includes: All tasks in Oil Maintenance, plus replacement of the air intake pre-filter and particle filter, replacement of brake fluid, plus various inspections. The 40,000 mile interval also specifies an engine Air Filter change, and a wheel off brake inspection.
As far as actual tasks/costs go:
Oil and Filter change - Costs here vary widely. My last OC was $92. I DIY'd it. At my indy, I paid around $275 for my Cayman. At the dealer, gotta be at least that, if not a bit more.
Engine Air Filter - On a 991.2, the rear bumper needs to come off. I am very ham-handed, so am unlikely to get it back on properly. So I'll leave this one to the dealer. Guess of $400-$500, but I could be off.
Spark Plugs - This is a PITA. I'll likely have mine done at the dealer. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I don't fancy twirling wobbly bits on a ratchet extension these days, so no DIY for me. I'd guess at the dealer, a plug change might be $600-$800, but that's just a WAG. I'll find out soon.
Air intake and particle filter - This is incredibly easy to do. There are two filters, one in the cabin and one in the frunk. I did my Cayman's and it took all of maybe 15 minutes. The two parts are pretty inexpensive, maybe $100 (I'd have to go look what I paid.) At the dealer, I am sure they jack the price up on this. Maybe $300 dealer cost? It's outrageous for the effort and parts involved.
Brake fluid - This can be done at home, but I prefer to let the dealer handle the mess. I've done it on my BMWs. I don't have a good handle on this for Porsches as it hasn't come up on mine. Total guess since this is mostly a labor type job, maybe $300-$400 at the dealer, all in.
As far as tires go, obviously wear is subject to driver care and style. I replaced the original Pzeros with a set of 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on my 991.2 last December at the dealer for an all in cost of $1,962, which included my PCA discount. A four wheel alignment was $220. This was one service job I specifically wanted done at the dealer; I did not want my car at Costco (nothing against Costco, but it ain't a Hyndai) or my local tire fitter. Plus, I wanted the alignment done, not because it wasn't tracking correctly, but the car was new to me and I didn't want to throw on $2K of tires if there was a problem. Turns out they did make a small adjustment to bring it into line with factory specifications. Plus I wanted to continue to build my relationship with my local service department; my car is under factory/CPO warranty for the next four years. (I do bring the service guys boxes of Krispy Kreme now and again.
![Smilie](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
These cars go through batteries at the normal rate, maybe every 4-6 years, again, depending on useage as well as environment. There's nothing magic about the OEM Porsche AGM battery. You can walk out with a direct fit replacement from Batteries Plus for around $225. I did a self-install on my Cayman; it is fairly straightforward. I've seen price quotes installed from folks at dealers who paid $500-$600 for an OEM battery replacment.
Wiper blades are replaced on my cars annually; a set for my 991 was $53. At the dealer this is probably list at $100; but I dunno I buy simple parts like this online, like at Sunset Porsche.
Brakes are another wear item. Prices at the dealer are incredible, for such a straight forward job. My fronts need replacing soon, so I bought a set of parts (OEM rotors and and pads from Suncoast Porsche, plus sundries from Pelican) recently for $742, total. I have the tools and space to DIY. You can probably double that for a dealer price for one axle on a 911.
Hope this helps.
Thanks so much for your reply and getting involved in the conversation!
This helps a lot. All of these costs are totally reasonable compared to what I have paid for repair costs. I really don't mind if the car has minor issues 3-5 times a year and needs to be brought in for regular maintenance. What I really hate is paying for major issues such as engine failure, transmission failure, a new IMS bearing so that the engine wouldn't fail (which it still did). Spending between 2-3k a year on repairs is no problem. It seems like I just got unlucky...
#35
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As I stated, before the previous owner traded my car in, the dealer performed the full 60K service, brake flush and all new PZeros and I believe his bill was approx. $3500. Nice present and piece of mind for me for sure. I have all the paperwork and it was done correctly. Looking at all that was done, I would probably tackle it all with exception of the brake flush. Had a bad experience on a BMW with ABS and ending up taking it to the dealer anyway. Since it's only recommended every two years, I'll leave that up to the pros.
All in all, I'm expecting a year full of driving before I see the dealer again..........
Tom in Reno
All in all, I'm expecting a year full of driving before I see the dealer again..........
Tom in Reno
Thanks so much for your reply!
That's great to know that your car has been reliable. I have no problem paying for regular maintenance but I just really hate paying for major problems so often...
#36
#37
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That's great to hear your Porsches have lasted so long! I have heard the stat before that 1/2 of all Porsches ever built are still running which is INSANE.
I just wish mine would have been that reliable. Hopefully my problems are behind me tho...