jcf7

As mentioned below in "Fluid leaked out", I had a problem with the 997 last night. Today the dealer told me that they need to replace the engine. A few questions for the board:

Do I have to take the new engine or can I make a case for a new car?

Can an engine just be "popped" in and all will be as before?

The car is less than three months old with 8300 miles. Oil was changed last week. ( I may ask for a refund of the $240 spent on the oil change!)

Will appreciate your thoughts.

DrDrilZ

so what was the problem exactly. i have heard that its really not a tough job replacing the entire engine. however, i would definitely ask for more coverage on the new engine than whats left of your factory warranty.

jboyko

It took 20 days for them to put in a new engine at 4100 miles. The new engine had a RMS at 6100 miles. With all of that bull, electrical gremlins and over 50 days out of service, they did not see it warranted, to replace or buy back the vehicle. It doesn't seem to be the Porsche way. My court case is May 18th.

Good luck to you.

Cheers,

Jb

jcf7

Well, your response jboyko, isn't the best news I've had today. By the way, what is RMS?

I don't seem to have any other choice, other than to let the process take its course and hope for the best.

jboyko

Rear Main Seal leak. But if I see Tom Drabers today when I pick up my car, I'll tell him that I heard of an unhappy customer in Conneticut, with another intermediate shaft failure.

jb

jcf7

jboyko, thanks for the info. I appreciate any tips. Do you expect to win in court? What are you suing for?

roberga

I had my engine swapped out in one day( dropped off car Monday picked it up Tuesday).. It was a 2002 with repeat RMS. The cars are designed to drop and replace engines with ease. I would expect it to take longer for the engine to ship. The better your relationship is with the techs the better and faster the work will be.

SrfCity

Yea, I think you'll just have to let things take their course. Ask for an extended warranty, get them to throw in another oil change(or get reimbursed for the one you just had) and make sure you get a good loaner for the time you're without a car. Good luck. Jeez, you put some miles on that thing in 3 months.

jboyko

I do expect to win the NJ Lemon Law Buyback case. Unfortunately, I just found out that my car has an open airbag service action during their inspection. So, I won't be able to get my car back today, or to give Tom some Sh** about your car. On another note, after they replaced the engine, Porsche did offer to give me a free months credit, for the 20 days that it was out.

jb

Dilinger

jboyko what do you mean they decided to give you a free months credit, for the 20 days your car was out??

I really stand by you, its really daring that you decided to take the bast**** to court. It needs some courage and its the way to go. I do believe that you will win.Its been discisting that these big companies try to shut our mouths up with some ridiculus engine replacement in a totally new car, that costs a fortune.

Keep your head up, you ll win

djantlive

Engine change can be done easily and as long as a new engine is in the shop, you can expect the car to be done in about two days. Go to a very reputable shop for such procedure as the engine must line up with tranny very precisely or else RMS leak. This is very important as you don't want to do this again. You should check around dealer's reputation on this board and make sure they use a porsche tool to align the engine and tranny.

Don't need a new car unless your car has other issues more serious than a new engine. Your oil change reimbursement is unlikely if that's not the cause of engine change.

I've found Porsche's warranty to be most generous. A new car shouldn't be required.

steve775

A new engine after 3 months? Hope it never happens to me. That is a lot of miles for 3 months. Maybe it was a 'Monday' car.

jboyko

Hi Dilinger, I have a 30 month lease, with the payment being $ 1859 per month. After I was verbally denied the request for a replacement car or my money back, I e-mailed Peter Schwarzenbauer (had nothing to loose). Three days later I received a letter from Porsche, dated the day after my e-mail offering their apologies, and $ 1859 as a consolation. I decided that I would think about it, while washing my car at work. That's when I noticed that tail pipe had melted the plastic and the paint. After the sign from the heavens I faxed their letter back. The Fax told them to keep their money and reconsider my request. That's kind of why they offered me the money.

Cheers,

jb

Brian E

jcf7, was your car one of the 250 or so vehicles that were affected by the recall for the incorrect machining of the engine block?

jcf7

Brian, no recall that I know of. In any case, below are my thoughts for Porsche:

I made a $45K+ commitment to Porsche Financial to drive a 997 for 39 months. I would not have signed the contract had I known that a new engine would be needed after 3 months. In short, if the problem is an exception, the remedy should also be exceptional.

That said, I will request:

1. That all existing miles on the car be added to my “miles allowed” on the lease. In effect, starting off at zero miles for contract purposes. (We should also consider the new engine’s break-in period…..all in all, 4,000 miles and a lot of time will have been devoted to break-in and not driving pleasure.)
2. Refund of the $240 oil change performed three days before the engine gave out.
3. A new set of tires.

What do you guys think? Do I have a chance with any of this? Your thoughts are appreciated.