grantf

I've had my car for just about a week (also posted about a warranty) and today getting lunch i had a Failure on the dash with the oil symbol. The oil was at year, but nothing seemed wrong. it went away quickly and things were back to normal, but this is really stressing me out.

I probably spent too much on a car, and now I'm totally freaked that its going to have problems and the cost will kill me.

Sneaky Pete

What do you mean by 'oil was at year'? I would check the oil level with the dip stick. Also make sure you put the oil fill cap back good and tight. Maybe even wipe some oil on the o-ring inside the cap. These cars will show a CEL with a loose cap.

But you need to settle down....maybe have a few drinks.

Janusz

Get a warranty and you'll save your life...

911SLOW

If you mean the "Oil Indicator Failure" message 99.9% its not something to worry about much, just the oil pressure sender died or is about to or its terminals need some cleaning.

John

function12

+1 This can be a very simple problem.
Remember most people dont post my car was running great today. I just wanted let everyone know. This is true with any product or service. People talk about the problem and are looking for answers.
Take a few deep breaths and let us know what you fine out.

johnnyreb2010

grantf you will have to have someone thats alot more knowledgeable than me to help you, i've had mine for 2 years now & it seems like i've had one or another on for a year. I've actually got two on now thats been on for probably 2 months that i can't get to go off, the ABS & Brake light & i think i've tried everything, even the indy couldn't get them off & thats after spending $2k on 60,000 mile tune-up. It will save you a whole lot of money if you can work on your own car, if not the cost to work on it could definitely kill you.

grantf

Sorry, I meant to say that the oil indicator on the right was at zero (usually at 5).

I tried looking at warranties, but i'm in California and apparently its a lot harder to get it here. I couldn't even find a real company to sell one. The last guy I talked to was really helpful and explained that the policy for a similar car that is newer is usually $8,000.

"oil failure indicator" is what it was saying, yes. Where is the oil pressure sensor located? Is that something I can clean myself or do i take it to a mechanic?

I've had an e36 M3 (new kept it to 100K miles) and then a VW touareg (new to 75K, still have it) and then this car. After reading all the posts about this problem and that, and then seeing this warning light a week after having it, I didn't know what else to think except being a bit freaked.

Ahmet

Yeah, it sounds like the oil pressure sender, very easy, common and inexpensive fix.

I've owned/tracked/raced literally dozens of cars, including almost 50k miles with m96 based motors now (that's the engine in your car obviously). I've even worked on these cars personally and professionally, keep in touch with dealer mechanics, independents, and instruct for the Porsche club, etc. From where I'm standing, the 996 has been one of the most reliable cars I've been around. It's amazing how much what I read online doesn't correlate to my personal experience in that regard.

Good luck with the car.

sparks259

warranty, try AAA.
works for me in nj.

johnnyreb2010

Janusz it sounds like he doesn't want to spend any more money unless he has to, and if you do get a warranty you still don't have a guarantee whatever breaks will be covered under that warranty. I have heard the best one to get is the Exclusionary one (lists items it doesn't cover) I asked the rep for one of these companies & he didn't know what i was talking about, he told me whatever's not on there then it doesn't cover it. So what is the difference if it does or doesn't list what it covers isn't it the same thing, you still know if it does or doesn't cover what your looking for. I guess the main things you want covered are the IMS, RMS, AOS. I think you should only get a Warranty if you cannot afford the worst case scenario. Because these Warranty Companies are definitely gonna make their money.

Jon996

By the way, I had the same warning twice a couple years ago, then never again.

PS: If you are like me, your next surprise will be yellow froth on the oil cap. (Just oil-moisture mix which collects in cool weather when you take shrt drives)

LVDell

Same thing happened to me. Oil pressured dropped to 0 (the needle just dropped like a dead weight) and the OBC stated oil level warning, etc..

Did a little research here and figure it was the oil sending unit just like everybody said. Regardless, get it replaced so your heart failure goes away

Pac996

Like everyone says.....or it could be a rumored test bed porsche that sensed alcohol on your breath and set off the "you are lubed up" warning light.

Janusz

I respectfully but most definitely do not agree with both of these statements.

First: - I do not know why would you say that. If you have a legitimate contract you know EXACTLY what you have covered. I have had my contract since Jan. 2009 and here is a quick list what parts and labour my insurer already paid for:
- RMS leak twice
- IMS leak once
- Both front sway bar end links
- Coolant expansion tank
- clotch pedal helper spring
And finally THE COMPLETE NEW TRANSMISSION flown in from Germany (ho,ho)

And so, to address you second statement, my warranty company made no money on me but I profited handsomly. The best part of the deal is I still have 4 more years of use of my car with absolutely no worries about any expense.

I strongly believe that on P996 specifically Warranty Companies (the legitimate, good ones) make no profit and most probably even lose money. 996 is a fantastic car but the failures are more frequent and MORE EXPENSIVE then any others.

roadsession

Warranty threads, IMS threads, Oil Threads, are all designed to do two things:

1. Massive increase in page views of Rennlist.org

2. Generate enormous sales for :