I created a separate post for the question because I wanted clear answers for both the cars value (see previous post) and the maintenance, this post.

I just sold a 98 C4S, so I am familiar with Porsche maintenance. I simply want to know about added maintenance on a 97 TT with 35K miles. The 30K has been done as well as a PPI, clean bill of health.

If any owners want to talk about some of their experience, pleas efeel free to call me at 650-430-1137.

Anthony

 

My 1996 993TT, 49K miles, is at BH Porsche now getting a valve job. Symptoms were check engine light went on twice in a couple of hundred miles. Dealer said each time computer said misfire. First time they couldn't find anything, reset light, and said go on your way. Second time they said better do more comprehensive diagnosis, so did compression and leak down test. Compression was good, but leak down was bad on 3 cylinders. So they've had car for 5 weeks, now waiting for valves to arrive from Germany. Car ran very strong at DE in July at Willow Springs, and continued to run stong. No other overt symptoms or problems. Hope I'm not being bent over. When I get the car back I'll give a report on exactly what they did.

 

I had a 95 993 C2 that I put 37,000 miles on. I now have a 96 993 TT with 73,500 miles. The 30K maintenance on the 993TT was about the same as the C2. The 993TT only has 6 spark plugs vs. the 12 on the C2. They are also easier to get to than the C2.

Areas of higher expense include gas and oil. The 993 TT gets less mileage than the C2 but who cares! I would change the oil more frequently than the owners manual outlines for the TT over the C2. Some repairs require the intercooler to be removed but that doesn't add too much compared to the fun it offers.

The major expense on any car is depreciation. The 993 C2 had very low depreciation. It is hard to tell what the depreciation is like on a 993TT. The insurance costs were almost the same which was nice.

 

Thanks Kurt....I am very happy to hear that a 993tt with 73K miles is still driving strong. I was fortunate enough to have had the 30K service completed just prior to my purchasing the car. I will heed your advice on the oil changes, cheap insurance!

Anthony

 

My experience with a 61k tt suggests that you need to watch:

- Hydraulic tappets
- Valve lifter failures (esp. exhaust side)
- Increased brake repair costs
- Longevity of basic pipes (i.e. intercooler oil)
- New Steering bushes @ 55k
- Other steering geometry
- Need for regular 4wd alignment
- Higher tyre costs

It's a supercar at the end of the day, so additional expense is inevitable. Don't convince yourself that it will be as cheap as a C4S to run.

Cheers,
Rob

 

Lee - that CEL leading to a valve job is not unusual. I warned of this earlier, as I saw the symptoms in a 14k mile car. A very respected independent Porsche mechanic has had to fix 5 of them in cars with as low as 10k miles. He said Porsche is in denial about it, and that's the party line of all the dealers. But it unfortunatley is a big deal. The codes are something like 501, 502 engine misfiring.

 

While doing research on the 993T purchase, I also came across a few people who had the transfer case leaking and also power steering racks leaking. I am unsure why you don't hear about it more on here, perhaps people are ashamed that people will think they abuse their car???

I asked my local dealer some of the common things they see. This is what the service manager had to say:

1. CEL leading to a valve job.
2. CEL for blocked air injection (I think this was only for the NA 993, not the Turbo)
3. Transfer case leaks or breakage
4. Steering rack leaks (there was one in for this when I was talking to him)

And of course, really early clutch replacements, but that is the nature of a high hp AWD car, something has to give.

Has anyone else had #3 or #4 happen to them or did this dealer just get a bad batch of cars in for repair?

 

My 1996TT has 58,000 miles, and the previous owner had a leaky steering rack replaced. He also has the aux cooling fan resistors replaced as well as the leaky clutch slave cylinder replaced. All of these problems, plus the blocked air injection ports (which my car hasn't experienced) are GENERIC issues with all of the 993s. The only real extra maintenance on the TT is the turbo units themselves will be ready for a rebuild at around the 75,000 mile marker, sooner if the turbos are not properly cooled down after a boost session. The rebuild can be done for about $700/pr plus installation labor.

Brake and clutch wear are at the user's disgression... my clutch is still original, according to the service records. Bottom line... there is really very little extra maintenance on the TT over a NA 993.

 

Wow, my post above was 11 months ago. So here's the rest of the story.

After 11 weeks at Beverly Hills Porsche, I got the car back. They replaced exhaust valves, valve guides, lifters, and lots of little stuff. Total cost around $9000. Car has run great since, but it ran great before. The CEL (Cash Evaporation Light) came on about two months after I got the car back, they checked it and said they couldn't find anything and reset it.

The CEL came on again about 2 months ago. No loss of power or other symptoms, no change in gas mileage. Since the CEL came on I've driven it round trip from LA to Blythe, CA, about 500 miles, most at high highway speeds in 100 degree outside temperature, without incident. I've driven it hard on a Malibu 993 drive (the last time I saw you Steve). And the light stays on. I'm waiting to take it to an independent and have some stuff installed that I ordered from Gert. When that stuff comes, I'll have the independent shop check the CEL again. Independent seems to think its the CEL sending unit, which they said lasts about 50K miles. Anyone heard of that?
Also, when I bought the car at 47K miles, it had a leaking steering rack, which was replaced, so I second the steering rack problem.

My advice is don't spend your last nickel on the purchase cost of the car. Either maintenance, upgrades, or both, will continue to drain your wallet. Right Steve? But it's worth it, so no complaints from me.

 

$9,000!!!!!! I hope they threw in a lot of hookers and blow for that kind of money. Lets see, that would be about 15 hours of labor for which they charged you 45-50 @$100+ per hour. Add to that about $4000 in parts that you could have bought for under $2k (with the other little stuff being teflon valve stem seals, gaskets, etc) and then the outside machine work to replace the guides. So yeah I could see where they could screw you for that much. I wonder if their diagnosis was even correct or how bad the leak down was.

I've got to open me up one of these dealerships. They have better profit margins than selling drugs, prostitution, and most other forms of illegal activity.. And it is legal. Capitalism at its finest.

 

Viperbob, I guess I forgot to ask for that. If I had only known. However, to give credit where credit is due, they did give me a free cup of coffee and a ride to my office!

The lesson: Warranty work, go to the dealer. Out of warranty, find an independent.