norcal911

I just wanted to share my findings with the community in case anyone was looking at this car.

I went to see about the Black GT3 at Livermore yesterday. The very helpful tech (Anthony) showed me the DME readout on the computer which showed 405 hours of operation and 0 Type2 revs. He also put the car on the lift and helped me examine the bits and pieces. Everything looked good except an RMS leak that was visible after only a 10 minute drive. He assured me that it is normal and occurs if the car isn't driven much. The car has 14k miles and listed for 57K. I also managed to read through the service history and noticed that the RMS was replaced in 08 but somehow its still leaking. The carfax showed no history of the car being serviced at a Porsche dealer in Tennessee with the engine and transmission out even though the paperwork was legit. I wouldn't be surprised if the service paperwork disappears for the next customer. I brought this to the dealers attention who had no idea this was the case. Their response was "so what, take it or leave". The car was originally listed for 63K two months ago and it seems the dealer is not willing to budge on the price even with the leak.

My question is if the dealer is obligated to repair the leak since its a re-occurring issue through PCNA?

switchcars

Carfax doesn't report everything. If the paperwork is legit, the repair was done. Some cars have recurring RMS problems, others don't.

996FLT6

Car hasn't been driven a LONGTIME. Probable cause for it leaking. Mike

norcal911

I know the validity of Carfax is questionable but surprising that a big event of an RMS replacement at a Porsche dealer was not captured; curious to know how Carfax builds its database.

norcal911

Maybe I am being overly paranoid, but would you pay top dollar for a car with an RMS leak? Will the leak go away if you drive it often and will not become a bigger issue later?

I offered the dealer a fair price with the leak info at hand, but the dealer will wait for the uninformed buyer who will pay 57K.

996FLT6

If car checks out on everything other then rms- it wouldn't be a deal killer for me but that dealerships attitude "take it or leave it" mentality I would walk. Mike

FFaust

RMS is not a big event.

Absolutely.

There's a nicely set up, low mileage, white one for sale here by Seth Thomas.

jmla

It's good that you did your homework; however, you're being overly cautious.

switchcars

Carfax gets its info from those that are willing to supply the info. And half the time it's inaccurate anyway.

Seriously, this sounds like a fine car, and *quite possibly* their attitude was because of your distrust of their information. I will confess as a human that I may have taken the same stance if you picked apart my car that I knew was good

That being said....I have a nice '05 black GT3 for sale....

eab3@bellsouth.net

It seems that this RMS issue is well known and therefore not unexpected. I had it on mine, but it was more of an annoyance than a problem. It's been fixed and not re-occurred. I would not expect this type of repair to be reported on Carfax. What I look for on Carfax is accidents, mileage consistency and owner trail. I find paintwork is harder to get right than mechanical issues. Accidents only get reported if there is either a police report or an insurance claim. I wonder whether a driving event accident would be reported.

switchcars

Not all insurance claims are reported - I bought a car once with a perfect Carfax but found out later there was an $8k claim through State Farm. Joy. I also had a personal claim on a car through Progressive back in '08....carfax on that car is still clean.

And, not all states/counties/police departments report to Carfax.

ltcjmramos

DE accidents are not reportable, at least in CA. I had one at Laguna Seca back in '05, $18K for bumper, radiator, fender, and wheel. I checked with the DMV, and CA SR1 not required since it was not on a public road. However, whenever I go through my periods of madness and try to sell my car, I note the damage.

KOAN

And, it is true that RMS leaks can appear when the car is not driven, and disappear when driven regularly, due to pressure pushing the gasket to make a better seal.

norcal911

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I will try again with the dealer this weekend. Hopefully a win-win can be had for everyone.

Cheers!

pranqster

I thought the car fax for that car also showed 4 owners. The 4 owners and lack of service records and them wanting 63k caused me to move on.

Seth's car with those mods and few miles is a good deal. I am sure that his GT3 has been driven correctly and taken care of very well.