Zed.

I'm looking at a 99 996 for a daily driver but its out of warranty.
With the RMS issue hanging over it like a sword of Damocles, it would be nice to know what the repair would cost me out of warranty. Thanks.

UberXY

I have a 99 996 with 10k miles. I asked the local independent Porsche shop how much it would cost to do an RMS replacement, and they said four hours work, less than $600. They told me that although they are a Porsche only shop, they have never done one on a 996 and had never heard of RMS's being an issue with 996s.

About an hour ago the sales manager at the local P-dealer told me he has had some Boxter RMS's replaced under warranty, but to his knowledge never a 996. Didn't ask him the cost.

I am daily driving my 996 and it's a great, useable car. Previously I drove my 930 less than 50 miles a month and it's nice to be back in a Pcar everyday, especially with awesome amenities like traction, heat, AC, and a good radio.

Steve

CLL ACAB

The cost of the RMS repair actually runs closer to $800. I have seen the invoices that Porsche was billed for my RMS repairs - 2 on my Boxster and 2 on my 996. The $800 is assuming that the leak can be fixed. A number of individuals have actually had the entire engine replaced as the engine casing is too far out of spec for the seal replacement to fix the problem. This is only a small number for replacements, but it does happen. It has been estimated that up to 20% of the 986/996 engines have had an RMS repairs. But the only one who knows is Porsche - and their not talking.

I suspect that the reason that the local shop has not seen a lot of RMS repairs is that most of them are happening under warranty. It is only recently that we are starting to see cars have the leak and they are out of warranty. There is a thread on Porsche Pete's Boxster Board now about someone whose car is out of warranty and just discovered that his RMS is leaking.

With regard to the Sales Manager's comments - This is someone trying to sell cars, not tell you about the repair issues. If a Sales Manager told me that he had never heard of a 996 with an RMS leak, just send him to any of the Porsche boards and have him do a search. He'll get a very quick education.

Sorry to be so "wordy," but this is a major issue on these cars and Porsche has dropped the ball. Don't get me wrong, I love my car - as long as it is under warranty.......

Ucube

Luckily for me, the RMS was replaced under warranty on my 1999 996 back in 2000. As a matter of fact, the entire engine was replaced shortly after, although it was due to an unrelated cause. Everything has been just fine since then. Still, I dread the possibility of another RMS leak now that my car is well out of warranty. I had been considering an independent extended warranty, but the general concensus seems to be "buyer beware." I guess I'll have to take my chances.