whats the truth about 996's

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Not having much joy finding a good 944 cab. I actually think the 996 cab is the best looking 911 softop, but everything I hear about the 996's engine issues just scare me. What is the best way to get one the will not go pear shaped or is it just a lottery?

[Sean Smallman]

A 996 is a great car for the money and the values reflect the much publicised issues.

I bought a 996 cab over 5 years ago with my eyes wide open. As long as you have the budget to sort it out should it fail then go for it.

[Greggers]

Sean .... Is it a question of waiting for the inevitable or is there something you can do to to prevent it?

G

[FarQue]

Assuming you can find a sound one, my advice would be:
Ensure that servicing is adhered to
ALWAYS warm the oil and water before giving the engine any stick: my 997 barely goes above 2000rpm until all the gauges are up
If stuck in stop start traffic, use the engine gently once the road clears to allow the coolant to circulate
Read all the information on the Hartech website and consider one of their low temp thermostats.

Other than that, use it, and use it hard, and enjoy the 911 bargain of the moment. Oh, and do yourself a favour and get a coupe haha!

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

A 996 is a great car for the money and the values reflect the much publicised issues.

I bought a 996 cab over 5 years ago with my eyes wide open. As long as you have the budget to sort it out should it fail then go for it.

Could do it that way, but whats the average cost of a replacement engine?

[Martin & Kim 6853]

I bought my 996 18 months ago and knew nothing of the orid rumours about this or that potential failures. For a start if you are a worrier then think about the cars produced versus the amount of failures.
My story, when I looked at the car I applied all the normal buying a used car observations, all the panel gaps, is it all the same colour, rust, does it smoke, does it piss oil or water, does everything work , history etc etc etc. then test drive, noises, smells and a bit of common sense, do you like it? Does it put a smile on yer face?
I bought mine privately, but if you want a bit of a safety net then pay a bit extra and go through a reseller / garage.
What I'm saying is whether your buying a used porkie, Ferrari, Audi, BM, or any other performance car they all have potential expensive Internet inflated faults.
Remember you buying a used car, apply some common sense, but ultimately buy it, drive it & above all
Else love it

[Paul Mabley]

The real truth is that this is a massively underrated car.

[FarQue]

A cracking looking Carrera 4 has just popped up for sale on the facebook Porsche Seek and Sell page. Reminds me how good the earlier ones look before they changed the headlights.

[tr7v8]

If you read the internet you'd never buy one, or 'owt else for that matter. I read the subject to death & do the following:

Don't lug the engine, especially when cold, PITA on Tip as they start off in second.
Use a heavier weight oil mine is now running 5W/50 Comma motorsport which I supply to my OPC when they service it.
As & when the gearbox is out get the IMS bearing changed for a better quality one.Once it is hot drive it like you stole it
because track day & race cars suffer few failures

Don't worry about it.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

What's the general consensus. Are 996's at the cheapest they are ever going to be?

[tr7v8]

What's the general consensus. Are 996's at the cheapest they are ever going to be?

Probably & Boxsters are the same. The thing being they'll break & sell as parts for around the same money they are selling for now.

[WazzerM]

Buy one from Ray Northway (Reading) - simples!!

[kingroon]

Just been sent this link by a mate.. It's getting a bit heated over on PH..

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topi ... you.&mid=0

[jmgarage]

Of the 996 and Boxster engines in question, yes they can be a problem. 997 and 987 Boxster engines have their own issues.

it is not nearly as bad as the internet would have you believe, but there are problems, which to an extent can be avoided.

The IMS bearing on the 996 and Boxster can fail.. But if it is replaced with an uprated bearing, I am yet to hear of one fail.. More and more of these engines are improved this way every day, so it is possible that some on the market may already have been upgraded, so you should be able to rule this out as something to worry about, by either buying one with an improved bearing or buying one without and paying to have it upgraded yourself, which if done at the same time as a clutch change can be cost effective. Not seen a 2.5 Boxster or 3.4 996 with an ims bearing failure, which is probably because they are dual row bearings.. Don't ask why Porsche swapped to a single row bearing around 2002.

D-Chunk issues. Where a big part of the block can crack around a cylinder. This is not nearly as common as people will have you imagine. I know of a few which have done that, but nearly every one of them was when the cars were very young and we have not had to deal with one for several years.. There will be exceptions, but I seriously think these are probably a one in a thousand chance. All the ones we have seen have been 2.5 Boxsters and 3.4 996 models, the 3.6 996 engines do not seem to suffer with this as much and I think it was a problem with the original casting method of the crankcases in the early cars. Having said this, I have heard of a couple which have D-chunked.

Rear main seals.. This used to be a big issue, but the design of seal has changed several times and the more recent ones do not seem to have any more problem than any rear crank seal on any other car.. The kind of thing which should be changed whenever the clutch is changed, or on a tiptronic car maybe every 100k miles or 10 years.

I have two cars in the workshop at the moment for IMS upgrade, one because it has failed, luckily caught early and will be no more expensive than a preventative replacement, the other needed a new cover due to a leak, and the bearing was noisey so it is being changed as a preventative measure along with the a new clutch and flywheel.

Changing the thermostat for a cooler one also helps on many fronts, including RMS, IMS and bore issues.

Scored bores on 996 models do not seem to be a problem, although they do seem to be on the 997 and 987 Boxster/Cayman engines. Well, when I say not a problem, not any more of a problem than any car with aluminium bores that can be scored easily if the pistons expand too rapidly or debris is introduced between the bore and piston (such as bearing failure)

I would not let it put you off buying a 996 though, nearly all my customers with a 996 or Boxster, which has essentially the same generation of engine, never has a problem as the internet would have you think... Nearly every car that does come to me with the above problems isnt a regular customer, but often someone who has had the car maintained by god knows who, using god knows what parts and oil, and comes here once everyone goes up the shoot.. So even our experience of the number of failures versus the number of customers we have is skewed

[FarQue]

Probably the most interesting post I have read on this forum. Thanks John.