Well I was due for my 45K mile scheduled service on my 99 C2 and the service advisor called me this morning to tell me that I appear to have a RMS leak. I have had NO drops on the garage floor but had to top off oil at about 40K miles and noticed that it was going back down again right before service. Regualr 45K mile maintenance was quoted at $650 and maintenance with RMS repair would be $2700. I told him just to leave it for now and I would decide what I wanted to do later. I did a search on the topic and it seems the consensus is to leave it until maybe the clutch needs replaced. I thought I might escape my ownership without this problem but I guess not. Makes that new Z06 look even more tempting. I guess I enjoy driving it for now until it's obvious I have to do something like fix it or trade it. Thanks for reading. Any comments welcome.

 

It's almost impossible that you haven't noticed oil on the garage floor but you have lost enough oil from your 996 to notice a decrease in oil level. That is probably not due to RMS....for the RMS to leak enough oil for you to notice a drop in oil level you would have oil all over the place. I would get a second opinion, my dealer told me I had RMS and I took it to an independent shop where they said it was just residue from something else....they cleaned it off, put dye in the oil and checked a month later- nothing......Also $2100 seems high to me, I think I was quoted $1300 or so at the independent shop I went to before they checked it.

 

Also $2100 seems high to me, I think I was quoted $1300 or so at the independent shop I went to before they checked it.

$1300 is a bit high; $2100 is robbery. I think most dealers look at cars coming in for routine maintenance as great opportunities for up-selling services, and the prices that they ask for these services is astronomical. A couple of months ago, my wife had the tires on her A4 replaced. Naturally, the tire dealer tried to convince her that she needed her rear brake pads replaced, and wanted $275 for that replacement. A couple of months later, I had our local independent dealer do the rear brakes for under $100.

 

I have really had reservations about getting a 996 given all of the problems I have read about on this forum and the expense for maintaining a $70,000+ dollar car.

Fortunatley, I found an independent shop with a Master Premier Porsche Technician nearby, so at least I feel like I can get good service without getting reamed.

The new Z06 does sound great and I will have an opportunity to hopefully drive one by the fall. Unfortunatley, I really want a convertible so this isn't an option. GM is going to make around 5,000-6,000 Z06 per year and I think they will be hard to come by the first year, but after that, I can't see GM getting $70,000+/car for that level of production (despite it still being a great value for the performance) and I would guess there will be significant discounts in about 1-2 years on the Z.

 

Get a 2nd opinion.

Unless the RMS is flooding, which is highly unlikely, and even more unlikely given that you do not have any oil on the floor of your garage, the oil consumption you have noticed is not related to a RMS leak. Now that doesn't mean you don't have a RMS leak it just means the oil consumption is not related.

If you have noticed a dramatic increase in oil consumption all of a sudden at 40k+ miles you should take the car to another shop for some more investigative work.

 

RMS was covered under warrantee.....would have cost about 1000, says dealer in Nashville.

 

Since the RMS replacement is such a common procedure these days, every dealer service bay worth its salt can do the entire process end to end in less than 4 hours, regardless of what the book time is. I would not pay more than $600 for an RMS replacement with parts. Ask your service advisor how many of these they replace in a month, and how long they take for each one.

Also it is helpful not do drive in on a Turnip truck

 

Would extended warrantees cover the RMS issue? I bought my C4S three months ago and added an extended warranty (non-Porsche from the Porsche dealership) to cover things like RMS (didn't know anything about it before purchase).

 

I think 800$ is the going rate on the east coast at least, 600 is dirt cheap.

 

Yeah, I'd expect $800-1200 depending on the amount of investigation needed. Many times, other seals can be leaking and a thorough investigation may require engine removal which is a few more hours.

Often, RMS starts as a very slow leak, often doesn't even drip. The best thing is to get a second opinion and when the car is up on lift, have the tech show you where the leak is coming from. If it's dead center where engine and tranny meets, it's most likely RMS or intermediate seal which is at the same spot. Cam seal often leak from sides of the engine. Spark plug can also cause some leakage I heard. Also, this is a good time to change the clutch since you have 45k mi.

I agree shops try to up sell. Sometimes it's not warranted. Often, it's because additional work is needed before the next service which is often 1yr later. They assume you don't want to bring it in when it's really needed.

Warning about brake job - don't go to any joe shop. Brake pads, rotors vary in qualiity. Inferior shop will often use cheap stuff or tell you to change rotors when it's not needed, which end up costing you hundreds more than needed. I had a shop that did this in my face w caliper measurement that is clearly within the min rotor thickness stamped on rotors. Ask what brand of pads / rotors they use.

 

It is a fact that the oil leaking from the left cam solenoid cover (above #3 cylinder) can travel down the side of the engine and gather and drip right where the RMS would leak. DO NOT trust a Porsche Tech at the dealer. Verify, verify verify. Most techs have to look at the picture in the technical manual to find out where the RMS is located.

 

Don't ever go back to that shop...... Take it elsewhere..... ! NOW.....

 

Interesting, my turnip truck now has an RMS leak.

 

Someone please tell me if this should be covered by an extended warranty.

 

Depends on the warranty company. Some do some don't. You will have to read your warranty paperwork and/or contact the company.