Hello there, folks. Just looking for any advice surrounding the fact that my bi-annual oil change today revealed a leaking rear main seal in my 2002 Carrera coupé. I have about ~13,300 miles on the car, and have maintained it meticulously (e.g., did not exceeed 4,000 rpm for first 3,000 miles, have Mobil-1 replacements twice yearly by same dealer, garage-kept, never driven in rain/snow/salt, etc.).

Luckily I am still under warranty with this, but I am looking for any advice either now during the repair or afterwards. The mechanic and service manager both said that if I were to have needed a new clutch at this time, the labor would have been saved, but as an implied compliment to my shifting abilities (and maybe my B&M?), they said my clutch looks like new and does not need to be replaced. Is there any other work that can benefit from being performed now at this low mileage?

I guess what I'm asking my fellow RennListers for is any advice surrounding this RMS problem I'm now faced with. My sympathies go out to those who had this happen after their warranties expired. I am definitely going to buy an extended warranty from this dealership to start when my Porsche warranty ends. I also tried to work the angle that my oil change should be covered by warranty since they'd have to drain and refill to address the RMS anyway, correct?

I'm also having them re-shoe my big rear 18"s with Pirelli P-Zero Rossos as the front treads look good for another ~15K, they said. Next gen I'll replace all four with PS-2's, Corsas, or whatever is best in about a year or so.

Any info / feedback / comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

No, just let them do the RMS repair and go on, it's a MINOR thing. Go out and drive/enjoy your car, treating it like a crystal vase won't prevent any issues, in fact disuse will cause problems. The only thing I might consider is going ahead with the clutch as it is a wear/tear item that will eventually need attention anyway.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the quick and comforting response, Dr. C4S! Why has this been made such a big deal of on this and other boards, then? Is it strictly due to Porsche not covering this work after warranty? My dealer's mechanic said that this work is almost all labor, about 8-10 hours, and can run a total cost of $1,800.00 - $2,000.00. Are you saying that I won't have any follow-up issues?

Interestingly, as the mechanic said that he was starting to get bored of doing this repair, he said that recently both a new tool and a new seal seems to be more promising at correcting this issue; he said that had this happened to me two years ago (not sure if he also meant on a correspondingly older car), that it would be more likely to recur, but now he feels more confident that these repairs are "permanent" (I hope!).

Thanks again,
Andrew

 

2 grand seems like a bit much. i thought most rms repairs were around 800-1000$ (unless of course you replace the clutch as well, then it could be 2 grand). as long as its under warenty an you don't have to shell out for it, let em do it and like C4S said, keep on driving it.

 

I second the last response. Most repairs generally run under a grand for RMS.

 

Most dealers will still cover this under goodwill after warranty, esp if you had it repaired under warranty already. 800$ is the price a dealer on the island quoted me as well.

 

In addition to the new seal, there are also new bolts that should be used. Check over at Renntech.org for more info. And $800-$1,000 is about right for these repairs - if you had to pay for them yourself.

 

Just had my RMS done this spring at 29,000 miles. Cleaned my garage floor to make sure any small droplets get easily seen as I have a couple of DE's lined up in the next several weeks. Anyone know if they are still replacing engines after a second leak?