LastMezger

So my search for a 997 has evolved to include 997.1 GT3 and GT3RS.

Looked at a .1 GT3 today. Rear tires are worn down to the point the metal ply is poking out everywhere...tires are easy to replace but I think it might tell me something about the degree of care the previous owner took.

No paintwork but some OIL SEEPAGE between gearbox/block. RMS I assume.

Plugs replaced and engine flushed under warranty for fuel contamination of plugs. Something to be worried about?

It's been sitting on consignment for 6 months and started with a decent puff of blue smoke that cleared up immediately.

Given the condition of the tires I wasn't about to drive it.

Opinion?

Edgy01

Tires are an indication of an ignorant 911 driver. These things will burn down to the cords on the inside of the rear tires in no time if you are not an aggressive driver. (Negative camber does that with gentle driving). The previous owner probably looked at the tires from the outside, saw some tread, and called it good. You have to actually crawl under the back to see the cords showing or use a lift. You would be amazed at the number of 911 drivers who are clueless as to the status of their rear tires.

You were correct not to test drive it with cords showing.

I don't get the fuel "contamination" of the spark plugs. Only thing that can happen there is if the engine was shut down while driving and fuel was continued to be pumped in but without ignition to burn it off?

LastMezger

Hmmm...just reading the report as opposed to what the salesman said. This is the report from the dealer for the work they did under warranty:

"Check engine light is on and engine is running rough. Verify customer concern. Found vehicle has HEAVY MISSFIRE. Vehicle stalled drive it to the shop. Scan for codes. P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306, P0307. Remove all 6 spark plugs. Blow out cylinders. Reinstall plugs. Vehicle starts and runs. Road test vehicle. All OK at this time."

This was from April 20, 2011. Opinions?

Macster

On a related note I was amazed at the tire life my then new Boxster was giving me. I had read 15K miles, 20K miles, but I had over 40K miles and still the tread looked good.

But finally I looked closer and the rear tires were worn down to the belts on their inner edge.

Now the car started out with even tire wear cause I had it in at 25K miles for an RMS and I'm sure had the tires needed replacement or the tire wear off I would have been told.

What I suspect happened is that the alignment was affected by the RMS. Some suspension members have to be removed and this is ok as long as the car is not lowered to the ground. But what can happen is the car gets lowered to the ground and moved (pushed) away from the lift to make room for another car. This can happen if parts are slow to arrive for the job the car is for. But what this does it it affects the alignment. I trusted the car's alignment to be unaffected by the work or had it been to have been informed of this so I would have had the alignment redone afterwards.

I'm embarrased to admit that this inner wear condition caught me not paying attention 2 times since, once with the Boxster and another time with the Turbo.

In case the of the Boxster I don't know what happened but again (more than a few sets of tires after the 1st set) I noted the inner edges of the rear tires were worn way down. After I had new tires installed and the alignment redone -- it was out -- tire wear once more became even and the tire life returned to what it had before with proper alignment.

In the case of the Turbo I had the car aligned at a dealer and about 8K miles later before heading out on a trip had the car in at another dealer for a road worthiness check and the tech noticed the rear tires were worn down on their inner edges. This was contrary to my experience with a properly aligned Turbo.

The tires were replaced and the alignment checked and found to be out. Apparently the Turbo received a sub-par aligment at the other dealer. (As a result I no longer use this dealer for anything.)

Anyhow, that the rear tires were worn in the case of the car you are considering is not conclusive proof of anything other than the driver may have not paid that close of attention.

But before I bought the car as a pre-condition -- I'd insist on new (N-rated natch) tires and a proper alignment and I would want before and after numbers.

My concern is that that the car's alignment is out not because it is just out (alignment goes out as the car's spring settle and other normal things occur over time as the car is driven) and not because the alignment settings are compromised because the car has been in an accident an improperly repaired and the alignment adjustments were used to bring the car's alignment into some degree of reasonable. If the tech indicated to me the car's alignment adjustment was too far used up one way or the other I'd walk away from the car.

The engine 'flush' I don't like. Under anything approaching normal operation there is no way the plugs could foul with fuel.

Now perhaps the tank was filled with E-85 or perhaps even diesel... Still, I'd like to see that noted on the work order, as it would have been had that what had happened.

The oil leak sounds like it is RMS. One might be tempted to have this done as a pre-purchase repair or adjust his offer for the car downward and plan on having the RMS done after purchase, but my concern is the RMS is *not* the source of the leak but it is the IMS.

However, this is very hard, if not impossible, to tell which is leaking.

The SOP is to replace the RMS and the IMS end plate and the 3 bolts (micro-sealed) in case the oil leak is coming from the IMS and its end plate or bolts. However, if the IMS is on the verge of going bad the oil leak, or seepage can return at the IMS area. The problem is that by the time one notes the oil leaking out and decides to do something about it -- assuming he doesn't assume it is just the RMS and decides to live with it a while -- the IMS bearing may fail and the engine ruined.

Now one might have the oil filter housing removed and check the oil filter housing oil's condition (for metal/plastic bits) and cut apart the filter and if nothing scary was found to then go ahead and have the RMS done (along with a new IMS end plate/bolts (or to even fit an aftermarket IMS bearing upgrade)) as pre-condition repair before buying the car.

But based on the engine flush and the leaking RMS (or IMS...) I'd give this car a miss.

Sincerely,

Macster.