H2NO

Even if the answer is "no", he worked on the PO's 993 for years. Therefore, he knows that the CEL comes on during startup. He should have noticed the lack of a bulb immediately. I'd go with an attorney letter to both the mechanic and the PO. Chance are, the mechanic will put pressure on the PO to do the right thing before it gets out of control.

I'm not the most aggressive guy out there, but if someone intentionally defrauds me I will pursue them.

race911

Going forward, isn't the most important thing that the car is cosmetically decent and has never been hit? Anything mechanical can be repaired/replaced. Might have a few bucks more than you planned into the car overall, but maybe you're just spending money now that you would have in a year or two. Hopefully, you didn't overpay given the mileage on the car.

Bull

If you are referring to my post, my intent was NOT to place an "I told you so post" (never communicated with this man before that I recall). Nor is it "ungodly knowledge hindsight". I simply want to remind others who may be also looking a cars long distances from them that you should never convince yourself that a full PPI is not required. If you think that reminder isn't necessary, then why do we read of cases like this every few months?

As I also said, good luck with these issues and getting the car right. Then go out and enjoy it!

Rinty

Good luck with this Bernie; the first period of used car ownership can be stressful.

Keep in mind that any components you replace will be brand new, and these cars can go hundreds of thousands of miles. And, as mentioned above, your car is cosmetically decent.

You may want to consider upgrading to alloy covers, while the valve cover gaskets are being done. I haven't searched here as to whether these are worthwhile, but your Porsche tech may have an opinion.

Bob Rouleau

The missing CEL suggests the common SAI problem which can be an inexpensive fix _ use the search funtion here _ or a costly top end rebuild. The gasket is no big deal. Find out us your car was one of the ones that was recalled for a new main wiring harness. Dunno abot '97s, my 96 had the problem.
Best.

swmic

Bernie,

Sorry to hear about your problems. Hope things are not too bad off and hopefully the purchase price considered a top end rebuild, given the car has over 100K on it.

I just purchased a C4S from another Rennlister. I spoke with his mechanic that had taken care of the car since 03. Nothing but praise from him. I asked to have the car inspected by another mechanic who discovered the check engine light had been pulled. Since there was no emissions requirement in the area, the PO never realize there was a problem with the car. Sure enough, the light came on soon after installation with a O2 error. The PO was completely shocked. In the end, we negotiated a lower price which considered the very likely possibility that the SAI ports were clogged. The car has over 100K and I knew the top end would probably have to be redone anyhow so this helped me pay for it in the long run.

PA has a waver for cars that can't pass emissions. You have to spend $150 toward the problem and they will wave the car for one year. You can only do this for one year only. Also, if you drive the car less than 5000 per year, the car is exempt from emissions inspection in PA.

I'm in the Philly area. If I can help you out in any way, contact me anytime.

Shawn

bv shady

Bernie-That sucks hope it works out for you- I am on the outskirts of town anything I can do send me a PM. Who are you using as your wrench?-Paul

ppashley

Bernie
When I purchased my 993 a few years back, I had Oil Pressure problems, and it quickly turned from the realisation of a dream into a living nightmare.
However, after the work of a trusted mechanic (In PA actually), the car got sorted, and what I thought was a serious issue, turned out just to be a bad sensor.
This forum was lots of help diagnosing the issue.
Sorry for your experience with the PO.

Good Luck

Phil

ps. if you need a good trustworthy mechanic, I can reccomend, Bill Boys at Possum Hollow Motorsports in Phoenixville, PA. The guy is an absolute gentleman.

Geets

Bob, it was not a referral to you. I'm just feeling for the guy as you and everyone else is. I'm just trying to lift the guys spirits up and get past this unfortunate beginning. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Bull

Got it.

jimq

Only a few counties do emission inspections in Florida.

briefescape

Did I missed it ? What did you pay for this car ? I want to reserve my sympathy till I know the facts . If you paid $20 K your way ahead still but if you paid $40 K well
tears will be pouring .

I bought a 106 k miles 993 for $25 K 4 yrs ago and spend $$ and now has 118 k miles and is better shape then a lot 20 k miles garage queen .

My point spend zero time or dollars on the bad seller and enjoy spending your time n money making this your toy . Just my .02 pennies

Cheers Guy

KMASS993

I had the exact same thing happen to me, CEL light bulb was "burnt out" but it was strange because you could see screw driver marks on the bulb that no others gauge bulbs had. To be honest, I was pissed and contacted the seller with no luck. But I sucked it up and did a flush with my dad after about 2 months of ownership in my garage (flush worked). It's a PIA but it's a good experience and if you plan on wrenching on the 993, it will be a positive experience and you will get to know the engine compartment quite well. I may be unplanned but you might be able to get in there and do some other regular maintenance while you are at it make sure nothing else was hidden up. Probably will help you in the long run. Good luck.

Regards,

Kevin

Boston911fan

Wish I had time to read in more detail, but I am actually about to leave for a PCA Northeast Region 50th Anniversary dinner. Had to check the 'list before I left. Sorry, but I, too, am not the most mechanically inclined person either, but I bought my car in Philly at Holt Motorsports, and had the PPI done at Dougherty Automotive in Westchester. Maybe they can help with your more complex problems that can't be done at home. They are excellent, and did a thorough PPI, which included a leakdown and compression test and spark plug change. I wish you the best and I hope they can help. Here is the link to their site:

http://www.doughertyautomotive.com/index.html

If you do end up going to them, tell them that Evan from Boston with the red cabriolet said hello. You may even just want to swing by to meet them even if you do end up fixing your car by yourself. You'll get a nice tour of their huge garage. Good luck!

NP993

Bernie -- I'd just relax until you can have a competent specialist take a look at the car. For one, no 100K car is going to be "pristine" -- it's impossible. So it might be a good starting place to allow for the reality that any car with 100K is going to need new sunroof gaskets and things like that. That's what you get with a 100K-mile car, even one that's in really nice condition. This is truly no big deal.

However, what might be a big deal is the CEL. Do not have it reset. Get the codes read and figure out what's causing it. If it's clogged SAI ports, then you will need to take action against the seller. Don't spend a penny on anything on the car until your determine this. The CEL is priority #1.