Macster

I got pretty much the same info from a Porsche service manager not too long ago. He said that Porsche varies in how much money for tear down it wants guaranteed by car owner before any teardown to determine if Porsche will even offer any goodwill.

He said many owners balk -- and I can't blame them -- when there is no assurance any goodwill will be granted. Many owners see this as a case of throwing good money after bad.

And how much help is then granted is not consistent either.

He said to me he sees no pattern, rhyme or reason and in the conversations with other service managers they tell him pretty much the same story.

Shark Attack

Ya gotta wonder, is it whoever you get on the phone? Is it how you handle the call? Does it take going in with gun blazing or a suttle, humble appraoch asking for SOME help?

Again, I agree a guy like me they owe 0 if my engine fails. I bought it used for a song and I know about the issue. But how many have gotten a speeding ticket becasue they WERE speeding and then tried to fight it?

And I am not one lottery ticket away from buying a new one. Fools and their money will soon be parted. As was the PO-ners of my car..... One thing I buy new is toilet paper. Now their is something worth buying new since sears stopped the catalog.

Jake Raby

.and they generally charge 13-1800.00 to tear the engine down for an inspection, just to tell you that its scattered beyond repair (generally).
Funny story:
This past Friday I received a phone call from an individual, he didn't give his name or his place of work (or even that he worked for Porsche, but the caller ID didn't lie) but he asked lots of questions about failure modes and symptoms and even asked me how to use a certain tool. Out of the blue yesterday morning we received an email from an individual that has his car at that same dealership with a failed engine with the same exact symptoms as those that we talked to the mysterious "tech" about. ......

BruceP

... and this is why I think we should be encouraging a dedicated, innovative aftermarket. 996s are actually insanely good cars, with one really awful Achilles heel. They're worth keeping on the road, and so far the price of doing so isn't crazy for the car you get.

Want to know how bad it can get with high end vehicles that get leased and dumped? I bought a used '04 Range Rover a couple of years ago. In 18 months, it cost me $15,000.00 to keep on the road. When I finally cried uncle (where our country place is, reliability can be a matter of life and death), the black book value had fallen an additional $20,000 versus the purchase price. And why? Part of the answer is that the Land Rover community lost interest in these things as they got more complicated. It was very hard to find an indy who would touch one, which forced you into the dealership for service, and even they weren't always happy to see these trucks. No matter how much you loved your Rangie (and there was lots to love), it was simply prohibitively expensive to keep it on the road unless you're fearless with a wrench. The pre-Ford 3rd gen Range Rover was orphaned.

As consumers of used cars, we don't have a lot of leverage over the company that made them. But we can do our best to encourage a strong aftermarket, just as with previous 911s. I think that's a good use of our energy.

Jake Raby

I agree. It takes open minds from players with "No rules" to solve the problems. The Porsche aftermarket has solved lots of issues with previous engine models and we've already seen this with the M96.

oneyedjack

My dealership quoted $2,000 to tear down engine to "failed component" AND another $2,000 to reassemble (with bad parts) so that engine would be a valid core.

For those faced with this dilema, I was able to convince the dealership and my warranty company that the following pic was "visible evidence" of the failed component.

Torontoworker

Looks like a bad exit wound from a CSI show...

Topaz330ci

Hello All,

I am highly debating on selling my current car in the spring, and buying a 4s from the states...

Would it be fair to say that I would be looking at roughly $2,000 from my local Porsche dealership to do the LN Engineering IMS upgrade?

I guess this is the only way to go about it...

Jake Raby

Most Porsche Dealerships refuse to do the retrofit, the majority of service writers and etc still are under the impression that no retrofit exists or that the bearing can even be extracted.

Their have been instances where Employees at Dealerships used their own credit card to place an order for a bearing.

DCP

Jake: Are you working on having indy's who offer the retrofit? I think that I would prefer my car not to be the first attempt by someone. Do you know of a mechanic in Houston who has done your retrofit?

Jake Raby

I am providing support for Indys all over the country to offer this service and do the job correctly. With the process being somewhat new not many Indys have done it, so you may have to go to a first timer.

Thats no worry- Techs pay close attention and I offer LIVE support during bearing extraction for all first time installers.

ClickClickBoom

A dealer offering or suggesting a retrofit as preventative may be caught in a catch 22. PCNA I'm sure does not want to admit the problem and does not want to endorse a product that is superior to theirs.

BruceP

Here in Ontario, that would be the ballpark, yes. Between $2000 and $2500.

I agree that a dealership is likely not your best option. A really good indy is ideal. The guys who did mine learned on my car, with active coaching from Charles Navarro. They invested a lot in the learning curve, and have done several since. I can't see most dealers bothering, given the economics of a dealership shop.

Jake Raby

PCNA has no product for a replacement IMS bearing. They offer a complete IMS with bearing, BUT not one with the early IMS drive chain found in the 99 and early 2000 996s-

Shark Attack

Its guys like you that keep us all sane.

The 928 engine had a simular fate for a long time. From what I understand it took a INDY to figure out why the units were failing. Dude, you guys rock. The only thing that scares me about your fix it that fact you cant tell me why some fail and some don't. Your solution is to just put in a way over engineered bearing and hope it holds.

But its a step in the right direction. We didnt get to Mars on the first try either.
I just wish we knew more of why.

I was also told that the issue seems wayyyyy less common in a tip . Is this true?