Hi folks,
Starting my 05 997s on Monday, I had a huge cloud of white smoke out of the pipes. Took it in and had a bad oil separator. I was told it is so common that they stock the parts.

While they were there, they also fixed the wire harness which runs from the front to the back which I have been putting off fixing. They also found a part of the starter completely melted so I also had a new starter put in. Last year this time, I also had to have the entire transmission replaced.

Now I know the previous owner heavily abused the car and learned my lesson about making better buying decisions. But my car has 71k on it and I worry about what next? I spent $2k on all these repairs yesterday and I don't want to be in this death by a thousand cuts.

Is the 997 reliable at this mileage?

I am very torn and am considering getting rid of it and getting something else. If there is one thing I hate it is having to take a car for repairs. It's not just the none but the whole inconvenience. On the other hand, there is a lot of joy in driving that damned thing. I got in it pretty pissed off and as soon as I drove off I had a smile on my face again because for a guy who enjoys driving, this car is unbeatable.

Thoughts on reliability above 70k?

Thanks,

-T

 

Well, these cars do follow the Law of Entropy where everything goes to its highest state of randomity. So we're all fighting this in the end and with your milage you'll be fighting it even more. Even my car with just 32k miles on it last night didn't want to rasie the drivers window on closing the door. I had to hit the 'lock' button in the central dash to do it. Goofy! I ended up laughing because the car is just so darn fun to drive and well, I just put up with it.

So you have a couple of choices: 1) keep the car and rat hole a bit of repair money away for the expected repairs and have fun driving it or 2) pay more up front for a new, less milage, one with a warrenty and have fun driving it. One thing to consider is to start doing your own repairs which will save money and give great satisfaction. You'll need some gear etc... Either way, you'll have to pay.

 

Wow - tranny replacement does sound like it may have been abused by the prior owner. Just got my 51K mile '08 C2S back from the p-dealer yesterday. TPMS replaced under warranty but so for another clean bill of health. Outside of standard maintenance there was an RMS did leak before I purchased it... common issue when they sit on the p-dealer lot for several months. I've only owned it for a 1yr+ and 6K miles but it has been the least expensive car to maintain as compared to some of my former BMW's... I DIY so that helps as well to keep ownership cost down especially with preventative and scheduled items like replacing plugs and coils, oil, brake fuild, battery, s-belt, air filter, cabin filter, wiprers, etc. I plan on replacing the water pump(as a preventative measure) when I flush the radiator this weekend.

As you've mentioned... these cars are just a pleasure to drive. But having to deal with unplanned maintenance cost is a detractor... we dealt with numerous service issues(almost every other month at times) with our former BMW 540i and x5. Bearable at 1st while under warranty but gets old real quick when it becomes thousands out of pocket per year. So we were happy to move on when that happened for peace of mind. BTW, both these cars were 1st year models. Fun to drive but a PITA to maintain due to all the associated 1st year teething issues. You may want to check Renntech.org and review the TSB's for you car... will give you an ideal of some of the services items which may need to be addressed. Get an extended warranty if possible for peace of mind. If this issue continues to be a detractor from the pleasure of driving a Porsche then sell it and get a well TLC'd car. Afterall that defeats the reason you got it in the 1st place. GL.

 

Your car is pushing 7-years old and 70k miles so you can expect a few repairs in any car. Porsche is a bit more expensive but I think you got off pretty good with $2k. You probably could have saved $1k if you did the work yourself. Next you'll probably be looking at IMS and at least shocks and brakes for the car.

My car is almost 4-years old and still has a few months warranty left. I'm amazed at how wonderful the car still is after 4-years and it still purrs like a kitten. The quality and fit/finish is still like new after 33k miles. It has a few small details like my rear wheel are bit rusty so that will cost me $400 to have re-chromed. I also have a crack in the rear boot lid that needs to be replaced and repainted $800. I'll put new floor mats in soon for $100. Other than that the car is perfect. I figure next summer I'll put new plugs and coils in and this winter have the rear wheels re-chromed. Yesterday I changed the oil/filter and put a new air filter in for $150 doing the work myself. Repairs add up but if you can do most of the repairs yourself you'll be better off in your pocket book.

Maybe you should sell the car and buy a newer Porsche. That might be the best option at this point. I hate to see you give up on the wonderful driving experience Porsche provides.

 

Perhaps a Honda Accord would give you the peace of mind that you're looking for?

But seriously, cars need maintenance and repairs, and Porsches are no exception. A $2,000 service for such purposes is not extreme, in my mind. Seems to me that a thousand here and thousand there is much more economical than buying a new(er) car and suffering the ravages of major depreciation.

 

Being an '05 you should have spent a bit more and fixed the IMS with the LN Eng kit.

 

Hopefully at 70,000 miles , he is out of the woods for an IMS failure . Or have there been many failures after this many miles?

 

The IMS will continue to wear out, there's no magic mileage beyond which it will be stable. Those who own an M96/M97 engine where the LZ Eng kit can be applied, should do it ASAP.

 

+1...

Ok, since you got an '05, you got the old version of IMS, and that MAY FAIL. This is pretty much the achilles heel of 997 and unfortunately you got the model year with the problem (this was fixed in 06+).

Good news? It's a *relatively easy fix* with LN Engineering bearings.

So, here's what I recommend:

- If you wanna keep the car, 100% upgrade to LN Engineering IMS, and while they're at it, get RMS replaced, and do your clutch (saves you $2-3K from future maintenance)
- Ensure you do NOT USE 0W40 oil, use Porsche approved 5W40, Motul is a good one.
- DRIVE the car regularly, and do not let it sit for a long time.
- Change the oil AT LEAST twice a year

If you did the above, I think your car will be very reliable in the long-run. Now, if you are not comfortable with above, can try to maybe sell it? but know that '05 cars are not very desirable and you may take a big hit!

Good luck.

 

If the car puts a smile on your face then keep it. I have an 05 M97 and think it is a great car that i know was well maintained before i bought it. I bought mine with an aftermarket warranty . I will do the the IMS bearing when i do the clutch, but so far after almost one year , only oil and filter. Great car.

 

I would keep it....

 

Yeah, it's true. But what to do on '06+ cars where it is impossible?
It indeed continues to wear and as smart people say every 35-40k miles should be replaced. Go figure.

 

73 K miles and 7 years on mine which I purchased new. Only out of pocket expense, outside of scheduled maintanence, is a recently replaced water pump. Not bad. Even if the car is worth nothing the cost to drive this buggy is minimal when amortized over 7 years. Expect to get 100 K miles out of it. Hope to be the first to be able to report that here.

 

No, I hope to be the first one to report I have a new water pump too, but I'm only at 54K miles.

 

I have an 06 Carrera S just replaced the water pump at 27k miles. I just bought mine a few weeks ago. I worry that something may happen also but it could happen with any car. It's a thrill to drive. I've had 40+ cars this is by far not only my favorite but a dream.


This is what it was like for me when I was a kid. Check this porsche promotional video out.