Has anyone ever done a yes/no M96 failure poll?
#48
Originally Posted by BrockPorsche
joes c4 cab, thanks...good post
Glad to see someone actually acknowledges they understand what I'm trying to ask (even though I know a lot of you do, you just choose to belabour) rather than nitpick statistics and whether a mechanics estimate of for every 100 cars he sees 8 have catastrophic failures of the engine is valid or not, or whether a forum poll is meaningful (so why have polls in the forum then?).
Of course such a small biased sample makes it completely useless on its OWN...IT IS USELESS ALONE...but my G35 mechanic has NEVER seen a G35 engine die. So as a comparison tool it's rather useful to me
Such fun :>
Glad to see someone actually acknowledges they understand what I'm trying to ask (even though I know a lot of you do, you just choose to belabour) rather than nitpick statistics and whether a mechanics estimate of for every 100 cars he sees 8 have catastrophic failures of the engine is valid or not, or whether a forum poll is meaningful (so why have polls in the forum then?).
Of course such a small biased sample makes it completely useless on its OWN...IT IS USELESS ALONE...but my G35 mechanic has NEVER seen a G35 engine die. So as a comparison tool it's rather useful to me
Such fun :>
So that leaves us with anecdotal information, and this isn't unuusual when making car buying decisions. So if I were you I'd check with friends who have owned 996s and check with your local Porsche mechanics who have extensive experience working on them.
I have owned three 911s, the last being a 993, and I have owned two Infinitis. The first one that I bought was a '95 G20 which I got for around $15K. The car is now owned by one of my sons and the engine is running perfectly with well over 200K miles on the odometer. So based on my experience Infiniti engines are extremely durable. Of course Infinitis are no where near as much fun to drive as Porsches.
If you have your mind set on a Porsche, you can minimize your risks by buying one that is Certified Pre Owned. That way you will have at least two years of worry free driiving pleasure. On the other hand if you are still undecided, why not postpone your decision for a few months until the '08 G35 coupe is released. The engine in the '08 coupe will be the same one as in the Skyline, and the early speculation is that it will produce about 330 HP.
Good luck.
#51
Drifting
Join Date: May 2006
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Originally Posted by LVDell
I just spit diet coke through my nose
My biology teacher said that you should always dilute 50/50 with either Vodka or Rum to be safe...
He's dead now of course, but really well preserved!
#53
Drifting
Originally Posted by BrockPorsche
Of course such a small biased sample makes it completely useless on its OWN...IT IS USELESS ALONE...but my G35 mechanic has NEVER seen a G35 engine die. So as a comparison tool it's rather useful to me
Such fun :>
Such fun :>
I'm reminded of my engine replacement in my E34 BMW. When I had that done, I remember having to wait a few weeks. According to my service advisor, they had only one mechanic who specialized in the short block replacements, and he was busy.
So, if you asked that mechanic how many V8 engines failed, he may answer "every one that I've seen". You ask another mechanic in the same shop, and he'd say, "I've never had to repair one".
See?
Dell's not the only statistic Jedi here, it's just that we all defer to master Yoda to handle all of these when they come up, because he is able to eloquently explain how stupid the whole thing is.
Until he gets pissed off, of course.
Michael
#55
Originally Posted by LVDell
At least it is not as easy any more. I kinda like the new Dell
#57
Instructor
I think I'm going to start a thread Survey titled "How many of the porsche owners have started a survey about the reliability of the 996 engines?".
Porsche owners saying "engine reliability of 996" reminds me of ..... the knights who say "ni".... LOL !
Porsche owners saying "engine reliability of 996" reminds me of ..... the knights who say "ni".... LOL !
#59
Originally Posted by joes c4 cab
I think that we can all agree that Porsche has never replaced engines in any other model like they have in the 996/Boxter. Correct? Can we at least agree on that? I think that is indisputable.
In the end, it's whether or not your enjoyment of the prospective vehicle would be negated by the worrying or inability to afford the possible maintenance/expense of driving it. I, for example, know people that own Boxsters (aka 'Chicksters' for some) who are disappointed that their M96 engine has NOT failed because they want an excuse for their SO's to transplant a 911 motor
#60
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Here is my take on this subject. My 03 996 engine had to be replaced due to excessive knocking in the intermediate shaft area (it is an early 03 996). This prompted me to do an internet search on this problem and I found and joined this forum as a result. I would guess that many other 996 owners with engine failures found this forum the same way. This, to me, means that this forum shows a heavy bias towards engine failures because if I never had a problem I would not be on this site.
Another example (forgive me for getting into this but the example applies perfectly):
I had two artificial discs put in my lower back last year (I flew from the U.S. to Germany to get it done) . I belong to a forum of people that are considering getting an ADR (Artificial Disc Replacement) and those that have had it done (kind of like those that are considering a 996 and those that have one....a stretch but it works). If you used this ADR forum to determine if you want to get one done you would get scared away because most people on the site are those that are unhappy with their surgery and are still looking for answers. Everyone else (who by far make up the majority) has had a good outcome and have returned to their life and no longer hang out and post.
The mechanic story can also be applied to this experience. There are doctors who have seen terrible results from botched ADR jobs. These doctors will tell their patients to never get an ADR because of their limited experience with poor outcomes, when in fact a very high percentage of patients are very happy with the results. So by listening to one doctor (mechanic) your are not getting the full story.
So, IMHO, you should not and cannot make any conclusions based on a poll from this site as it is absolutely biased to one direction-just by its nature.
What's great is if you are one of those that have had an engine failure you can use this forum to learn about the process of getting it replaced, learn about how best to break it in and learn about a whole bunch of other great stuff for and about your car. But DON'T use it to make a call on how reliable 996 engines are because this is where those that have engine failures may (and should) reside.
P.S. My remanufactured German bionic back is 100% pain free along with my German remanufactured 996 engine. The only regret I have is that I could not afford a GT3 because the cost of the surgery was about the difference between the cost of a Targa and a GT3. But, I will take no back pain and a 996 targa any day!
Another example (forgive me for getting into this but the example applies perfectly):
I had two artificial discs put in my lower back last year (I flew from the U.S. to Germany to get it done) . I belong to a forum of people that are considering getting an ADR (Artificial Disc Replacement) and those that have had it done (kind of like those that are considering a 996 and those that have one....a stretch but it works). If you used this ADR forum to determine if you want to get one done you would get scared away because most people on the site are those that are unhappy with their surgery and are still looking for answers. Everyone else (who by far make up the majority) has had a good outcome and have returned to their life and no longer hang out and post.
The mechanic story can also be applied to this experience. There are doctors who have seen terrible results from botched ADR jobs. These doctors will tell their patients to never get an ADR because of their limited experience with poor outcomes, when in fact a very high percentage of patients are very happy with the results. So by listening to one doctor (mechanic) your are not getting the full story.
So, IMHO, you should not and cannot make any conclusions based on a poll from this site as it is absolutely biased to one direction-just by its nature.
What's great is if you are one of those that have had an engine failure you can use this forum to learn about the process of getting it replaced, learn about how best to break it in and learn about a whole bunch of other great stuff for and about your car. But DON'T use it to make a call on how reliable 996 engines are because this is where those that have engine failures may (and should) reside.
P.S. My remanufactured German bionic back is 100% pain free along with my German remanufactured 996 engine. The only regret I have is that I could not afford a GT3 because the cost of the surgery was about the difference between the cost of a Targa and a GT3. But, I will take no back pain and a 996 targa any day!