Originally Posted by 1999Porsche911

Here's a better poll: How many 996's that had internal engine problems were running Mobil Water?

Originally Posted by murphyslaw1978

The only thing that bothers me is the way Porsche's reputation is changing and how Porsche is responding to that change. I don't want Porsche to end up where Jaguar is.

Originally Posted by blk on blk

Honestly this is what bothered me more than the 5k mile sblown engine. It was their attitude and the manner in which they went about dealing with me that pissed me off more than the engine itself. Hell most companies are going to more component replacement than repair. I know BMW is doing more and more engine replacement than engien repairs, Porsche, and others as well. I think the issues festers and pisses people off because Porsche treats them as though they do not matter. It is more a customer care issue than the actual defective engine issue. At least it was for me. Certainly I was concerned about the long term affect of m car going forward, but really I have warranty until 2011 so I am not that concerned. I would not have thought much of it at all had Porsche simply given me some answers, and had some sense of urgency in dealing with me and my issue.

Originally Posted by 1999Porsche911

Rather than raising their standards to stay near the top, Porsche will stay there because industry standards will continue to be lowered.

i.e: If you are the top student in a class of morons.....you're still a moron.

Originally Posted by cdodkin

For the record, I have personal experience with 2 engine failures

Originally Posted by LVDell

Spot on!

The one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind.

Originally Posted by Fly911

I have a 2000 996, and have just replaced the engine. At 54000 miles the engine fluids intermixed, coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant. This is a problem well known to Porsche and PCNA. When Porsche changed from air cooled to water cooled engines, they outsourced the casting of the engine blocks and heads. At the same time they mixed different alloys, aluminum and magnesium. The most common failures are either bad block castings or corroded magnesium, where the metal is eaten up. This happens in the coolant paths, where eventually the fluids intermix. Every pre 2002 Boxter and 996 is a potential engine trap. Thousands of unlucky Porsche owners have over the years had to change their engines. Some are covered by the warrenty, but for those unfortunate that the warrenty is expired, PCNA admitts nothing. They even deny that the problem exist. However, due to the fact that the problem absolutely do exist, Porsche (Germany) offers the 996 3.4L engine to a subsidised price of approximately $8,000. THe whole cooling system and radiators have to be completely flushed and cleaned, and maybe even changed out. I paid $12,000 for the whole job at Pro Technik in Houston, and I'm very happy with the job. The engine is a 2006 3.4L with all the upgrades done over the years, new caastings, new alloy material in the cylinder heads, other cam shaft duration, new AC compressor and all other equipment on the engine. The only things that are not new are the fly-wheel and the cats and mufflers. Basically, the car is like new!
The 3.6L engine does not fit unless you change the ECU and wiring harness. This is very expencive, plus the fact that the 3.6L engine is wice the price ot the 3.4L. For the extra 25HP it's not worth it.
The fact that PCNA denies any knowledge of the above described problem, and throws all the cost on unfortunate Porsche owners, is extremely disappointing. Also the fact the PCA does not put pressure on PCNA, so that enthusiastic Porsche owners still will be loyal to Porsche, is incomprehensible. PCA should not only be an organisation that glorify Porsche, but also give aid and assistance members that are victims for a Porsche design failure. Are the links too close between PCA and PCNA, both located in Atlanta, GA?

Originally Posted by rleeq

The same happen to my engine. Coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant. The Porsche service manager said it was likely the oil/water heat exchanger when I first report it but it turns out to be either the head or head gasket. Maybe it was something else. I don’t think I will ever find out for sure and that’s a pity. Part of the $13,200 was to remove the radiators to flush them and to flush all the coolant lines.
I’m trying to remain positive that either way I will be getting a new (remanufactured) engine with all the upgrades but as I said earlier “I don’t feel the love form Porsche.”

Originally Posted by Steven C.

One last thing. I love Pcars. I love washing them, driving them, waxing them looking at them....... I do not consider them cheap to maintain but neither is a Ferrari, Maserati, Lambo..... So every car I want to own is not as reliable or cheap to maintain as my daughters Honda or my wifes Lexus. That is OK with me because....I love these cars.......

The Honda may be a better car for you, not me and I am willing to pay the difference. PCNA has always been this way with customers, always from my experiences of 25 years and many friends in the business. Somehow they have managed to become one of the most profitable car companies in the business with this long term attitude. I still love their cars.

So just like everything in life you make a choice. Bitching about it will only wear you out. Meaning, decide what you want and live with the consequences. They are what they are

Originally Posted by MJBird993

As statistics and odds go (and I will be glad to pull some statistics out of my *** if you need me too ) it seems to me that it is incredibly unlikely that one person would go through two engine failures on the same car due to a fault in the engine.

So, my question is, at what point does a rational person start to wonder, hey, maybe it ain't the car? Oh sure, you can say "I never tracked it and I don't abuse it" but the term "abuse" means many different things to many people. Heck, maybe it was that one time you ran it up to 5600 RPM when the engine wasn't warm yet. Or that fifty-seven times you bounced it off of the rev-limiter? Or the 602 times you floored the accelerator but short-shifted it to "save the engine"? Or maybe you just didn't break the engine in properly? Or, you used the wrong oil. Or you let your wife drive it that one Sunday...

So that's just a thought that I'm sharing.

Personally, I think that any engine failure in a car of this price and presumed quality before 100,000 miles is unacceptable. However, in the real world, I know that **** happens. I was one of the lucky many who had the nakasil engine block replaced by BMW. BMW did step up to the plate and admit fault and replace the blocks affected and extended the warranties, but for the first several thousand people who experienced the problems, I'm sure they went through hell to get there. And those series of cars still have the worst resale values.

I'm not trying to make any point here - I'm just trying to make an observation that there are a lot of unknowns and unanswered questions. No one here knows for sure about anything. And I'm sure of that statistic.

Michael