Bash Hat

Dennis C

It seems like every Porsche that I've owned has some kind of flaw or issue that can result in catastrophic engine failure or other bad things. The Cayenne had plastic coolant tubes that could rupture inside the engine, causing hydro-lock and destroying the engine. The 996 had the IMSB issue that we all know. The 997.1 turbo had plastic coolant lines that could come loose and leak, resulting in a full engine-out rebuild. It also was reportedly known to fail during track days, spraying coolant all over the rear wheels and causing a crash. My current 991.1 turbo has the 9A1 motor, and I must admit that I haven't heard of a major failure mechanism yet. I'm sure it will come.

You'll drive yourself crazy if you worry too much about this stuff. Drive your car and enjoy it! If it fails, it fails.

MattBurns

It's every make of car, just reading enthusiast forums makes it worse. I worked for a Toyota dealership for a number of years, Toyota makes a fine vehicle, but I did my fair share of engine work on them. If you look at any manufacturer close enough under the microscope, you are going to think none of them make a good vehicle.

DBJoe996

We want perfection but all engines will fail eventually. Every car maker has problems. Mass production of cars multiplies the carnage over time. Best to do due diligence on maintenance (oil/filter changes) and drive.

turbogrill

Agree, Corvette engines also explodes. They might be half the price but still expensive. (https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...the-track.html)

Not sure about the hype for these engines, maybe we like our cars to much. My minivan costs more than my 996, but wouldn't care if that blew up. It would just suck but I wouldn't cry my self to sleep...

(to be fair a honda odyssey engine is $1200 from the junkyard, a 996 is $7000 from the junkyard)

Nickshu

Can't...find...my...pointing and laughing meme...fast enough.

TexSquirrel

Honda Odyssey engines don't normally blow, but their transmissions sure do.
I've replace two transmissions in Honda Odysseys, but I also know a couple of guys who have done even more.
The early Odyssey's are well known for hoving transmissions that often go out around 60K miles.
They run about $3K to have a rebult transmission installed.
They may have horrible trannys, but the van overall is a LOT easier to work on than a Toyota Sienna.
I hate working on Siennas!

turbogrill

It gives me great pleasure to discuss minivan engines on a porsche forum!

can't imagine do anything engine/tranny related on a minivan, gotta suck!

$3k for a tranny? Jikes! Sounds like a 996 tranny replacement is cheaper?

wildbilly32

That is an interesting thread. Regardless of the vehicle it sux when something major fails. Even more so if it was just a few years old and costs large $$ to purchase then the engine goes south. As mentioned above manufacturers can have issues due to a myriad of problems from design to suppliers and everything in between...but it still sux! A few years back the youngest kid went out to start his less than two year old WRX and noticed a slight knocking noise. Took it in and they found a falling rod bearing. This is not a kid, 40 yo, that beats his cars. They replaced short block and other stuff that might have eaten swarf(turbo, intercooler, all oil hoses, etc... It cost the kid nothing. I asked what the bill would have been and it was less than $4k if my memory is correct. $20k+ for a properly remanufactured/upgraded 996/997 engine seems close on ratio price wise...unfortunately! $30k WRX vs. $90k+ Porsche. Are there design problems with the flat six...yes. Are there people who can take care of those issues...yes. Are our cars just cars...yes! Nice cars, but just cars. This being shared by a guy who just discovered his 05 C4S with 54k miles was found to be scored! I'm going to have it fixed because, well I like the car. It was not a shock as I had suspicions for some time. From reading the forums I educated myself to the possibilities by listening to those who know and discounting the opinions of the "sky is falling" folks. I plan to follow the 997.2 thread to gain any knowledge that might be shared. I must say I was surprised at some of the snarkiness.

gumanow

I was looking at a 997 vehicle listing yesterday and I asked about the IMS and the guy responded that his 2007 didn't suffer from that issue. Told him he was wrong but he wanted to dispute it with me and I didn't feel right raining on his sale thread about IMS. Good luck with the sale.

dporto

Dennis C

That may be part of it. I think another consideration is that most people associate price with quality. There's an assumption and an expectation that a very expensive car will be very well made, and will therefore not be as likely to suffer from failure modes that can affect less expensive cars. We all know that this isn't always the case. The engine in a Porsche is a machine, just like the engine in any other car. Machines break. Machines wear out. I think the problem is more with people's expectations than it is with the actual car.

4Driver4

I would argue that he isn't totally wrong. Sure, he still has a sealed IMS bearing, but the larger size in the later engines makes this far less of an issue.

wildbilly32

I agree. I also think people don't understand exactly how much maintenance/repairs it takes to keep a race car going, particularly with a car that really isn't a race car.
Expensive to buy. Expensive to maintain. To me these are high performance cars and that means things do wear/break. They are quality for what they are and price, unfortunately, does not make necessarily higher quality. If you paid this much for a Camry you would not expect the engine to go away. Then, again you wouldn't get this performance level. I agree with your perception/expectations comment.

Nickshu

Is there a reason that Porsche abandoned the bulletproof Mezger engine design? Other than cost? Seems like everything since has had issues.