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Has your 993 ever stranded you?

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Old 04-27-2010, 01:56 AM
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porschemikeandnancy
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Default Has your 993 ever stranded you?

From reading this forum, it appears that the 993 is a very reliable car. I am asking if your 993 has evern stranded you? That is, has it just stopped running while you are in route?

My own, owned now over 3 years, has been ultra reliable. I have done all required maintenance - especially the 60k service - in which every possible key part was replaced. All belts, ditributor caps & belt, all fluids, 12 plugs. Plus a new battery, four new tires.

The brakes are still at 40% front, 70% rear after I've put over 30k miles on it. I'm assuming that the previous owner had done brakes just before selling it. But still excellent mileage on both front and rears.
Old 04-27-2010, 02:04 AM
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Leander
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Last month, when my clutch pedal broke.
Also three years ago when my alternator died on the 5 freeway in Buttonwillow.
Old 04-27-2010, 02:18 AM
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truegrit
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Mine just stranded me for the first time ever. Alarm key battery died and guess what...the 4 digit immobiliser code to override it was not in the car (besides you pretty much have to have a phd in math to figure out how to insert the codes). Needless to say after setting off the car alarm in front of a full patio of restaurant patrons on a friday evening and trying frantically to get the battery to work, I had to get a ride from my wife and get the extra set of keys. Now I have a spare battery in the glove box.

PS - not one patron tried to stop me. I could have been attempting to steal it!
Old 04-27-2010, 07:17 AM
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bart1
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My immobilizer has tried to strand me twice; but other than that, no probs.
Old 04-27-2010, 09:20 AM
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goldcountryboy
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Not once.I drive my car on weekends and she always runs great. Oh, battery in the immobilizer died, but I was right at a Walgreens and it was a simple fix.
Old 04-27-2010, 09:27 AM
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David in LA
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My 993s have stranded or quasi-stranded me on 3 occasions:
- MY94 cab fan belt broke after having it replaced two weeks prior...had to limp home and barely made it before batter died.
- Turbo's shift linkage rendered useless when the plastic ball broke....car was in 1st gear so was able to slowly limp home. Garage had to come by and pick it up....PIA parking it as I lived in an apartment building on top of a hill and had no reverse gear.
-MY98 cab would not restart after I stopped at a gas station to fill air in tires. No alarm or horn but immobilizer was immobilizing. Remote worked, etc...called home to get spare key b/c didn't know what to do and of course the car started up immediately as soon as help arrived. Only happened once and have not been able to replicate the incident, which is the scary part
Old 04-27-2010, 11:00 AM
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davesnothere
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I've been delayed once with a bum DME relay, and a few times recently due to a stuck/overheated starter motor (getting replaced Thurs!), but only once did I actually require a tow:

A couple years back, I took a weekend and ran the car up to Cooperstown NY. It was early October, the weather was great, took all back roads, even stopped at the Ommegang brewery to adjust the car's weight distribution with a few cases of beer It was perfect and I was really enjoying the car and the whole experience.

About 50mi from home I get the "disco dashboard", and stuff like the radio and V1 stop working. I pulled the car into an office park and discovered that your alternator belts work best when they are in one continuous loop. Thanks to AAA Plus and a very careful tow truck driver, I got the car flat-bedded the rest of the way to my shop and all was soon made right.

I'd say that's a pretty good record for over 5 years of ownership!

- Dave
Old 04-27-2010, 11:09 AM
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tropheus
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My CAB stranded me twice
1st DME relay
2nd master clutch cylinder

--> still love it.

Jack
Old 04-27-2010, 11:09 AM
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ljugete
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I also had the Alternator go on me on the freeway 48 or so miles from home. Very reliable otherwise!
Old 04-27-2010, 11:17 AM
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tom97c4s
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I have never been stranded. Based on these responses the moral of the story is have a spare belt and key battery.
Old 04-27-2010, 11:24 AM
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95C4VanIsle
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Alternator, but I made it home and got it into the garage before the battery died.
Old 04-27-2010, 11:41 AM
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NC TRACKRAT
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Unreliable starting on the C2S was a really scary symptom until I bypassed the clutch microswitch from the starting circuit. It hasn't failed me since.
Old 04-27-2010, 12:43 PM
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Stealth 993
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Neither one has ever let me down. That being said, I keep an extra alt belt, remote battery & DME relay in both cars.

My biggest issue was last summer when we went to Eastern WA, it was over 100deg out side, & I found out my AC didn't work. It just needed a recharge, $75 later, & it's good to go.
Old 04-27-2010, 12:45 PM
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FisterD
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Pulled into a parking lot, 10 feet away from a parking space and the car dies. Turns over, but won't fire. Lightbulb goes off over my head, pop in the new DME relay that I keep in the front pocket and viola! Good to go.
993s are cars and things will go wrong, or break, but all-in-all, I think the 993 is a very reliable car.
Old 04-27-2010, 01:16 PM
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Belts are the only thing that has left me stranded, I always keep a spare, one day at the track I broke 2 belts, Of course I fixed the first one and then was stuck..... That has been it, 5 years 30-40 track days a year, runs like a charm (touch wood.....)


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