Mikli

I'm the opposite of you. My factory warranty on my MY07 is due next week. I brought my car in yesterday to have a final check and the dealer found the RMS problem and other small items. They told me that this is a big job, dropping the tranny and etc??? I didn't see any oil on my garage but ok, since its being fixed under warranty.

Palmbeacher

I had my 05 in to the dealer for a couple things plus an oil service just before the CPO ran out and I asked specifically if there were any leaks, and was told "none". One month later when I was having the clutch and IMS bearing done at an independent, the mechanic told me he found some seepage from the RMS, which he changed at no charge since I was having the other major stuff done.

sjfehr

While not RMS, there was an extremely informative article on IMS bearings recently posted in the 987 forum:

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-foru...che-email.html

Surprisingly, the incidence rate of failures seemed less related to the age or model year of the afflicted cars, but the driving style. Those that regularly saw high RPMs (track cars, lead-pedal drivers, etc.) had a very low rate of IMS failures, while garage queens and babied cars that never saw the rack or any true spirited driving had the highest failure rates. Karma for the ultimate abuse of a Porsche: not driving it! The high RPMs, it seems, are critical to lubricating these bearings.

The clear and easy solution here is to make sure to drive frequently, and drive in a very spirited fashion with lots of high RPMs when you do.

red carrera

Another data point.....MY06 'S', 24k miles. I travel a lot so don't have a DD, but regular road trips and always driven "con brio". Dealer showed me the RMS leak after my fall oil change. It's being repaired now. Service Manager suggested we split the charges. Good enough for me.

Para82

My 2005 997S LE has 27,000 miles and has not had any of these issues. This car does not see track duty, all highway miles or smooth back roads. It also spends 4-6 months a year in a garage not driven while I am overseas.

I did have to replace the front end electrical system at 18,000 miles at a cost of about $900 after the car had not been driven for about 5 months. Other than that no issues whatsoever. Purchased the car in 2009 with 10,038 miles. So far maintenence has been minimal and the car has been an extremely practical, reliable daily driver, I couldn't imagine commuting with anything else.

Para82

That is good to hear, I always like to hear that exhaust note shifting through the high rpm's.

dw.metro

When I bought my 06 C2 last year, the PPI pointed out that the RMS was "sweating". Dealership told me that this was normal so I bought the car. So far no problems and no oil on the garage floor. The car now has 28,000 miles.

Da Hapa

My 2008 997s was a third car that was only driven about 5,000 miles per year and spent the rest of the year hooked up to the battery tender.

When I did drive my Porsche (usually once a week and often more during the summer), the car was driven in a very spirited manner once all the fluids were up to temp. Keep in mind, I was almost always doing street driving, but I used that car.

My RMS began "seeping" at 3 years, 15,000 miles. It was discovered by the dealer while they were doing other warranty work (very minor seepage when discovered and no oil on the garage floor).

997_rich

If you look at RMS or output shaft seals in general, they do better when they get consistent usage over time... they don't take a set and they don't dry out and stick to the output shaft. So when the car sits for a long time, any oil that was inside the seal keeping the seal lubricated from wearing directly on the shaft evaporates or drips down to somehere else. So you start up and the seal wears slightly directly on the output shaft until it gets a thin film of oil. Over time this can wear out the seal.

Just generally speaking though- there are other failure modes.

Generally, I think that most will agree that almost all cars will last longer if driven consistently without sitting throughout the rev range. That's why you'll find that many auto museums will actually drive many of the cars once a month.

Vjgtrybno1

I am the second owner of my '07 C4S. The car was not driven much for its 1st year and the RMS leaked soon after I bought it. It was replaced under warranty and the dealer replaced the IMS seal as a precaution. But it wasn't properly aligned so guess what - the IMS began to leak. All's well now as both seals are seated properly. Knock on wood. RMS is not an issue compared to a failed IMS bearing.

boolala

69K miles on mine and no signs of a leak in the '05 tiptronic.

Edgy01

61,000 miles (nearly) today with no problems--dry as can be.

akirasan

Mine started weeping at ~45K miles, both IMS and RMS replaced under warranty by Porsche. Can't speak to the first 13K of it's life (thinking garage queen - 3 yrs/13k miles), been driven the way it was designed for since.

PasPar2

data point: just looked at a 2008 S with 40k miles and the seller had the RMS done just a few weeks back due to a "weeping" seal

Jim R1949

My '07 Carerra S has 36k miles and is at the dealer now with leakage. $2,500.00 to fix the leak, parts and labor, and while you're at they recco putting in the LN Engineering fix for another $800 or so. So yes, it is still a potential problem until you reach the '09 my after which there is no shaft or bearing. Take the time to carefully read the excellent PCA Oregon Region article on the internet on this subject. Read it slowly. Then you will now the true state of affairs.