John Harman

Just acquired a 2003 996 (with full awareness of related IMSB issues). I know that the engine was replaced by Porsche as part of their settlement by the engine number M96/03AT66566575. What I am not able to discover is the date this service was performed due to the lack of records (I'm 3rd owner and 2nd owner didn't receive them). I contacted Porsche directly and they told me the service records would only be with the dealer who performed the service since they do not have a global service database. I called all the dealers who I knew performed some service on this car over its life and nobody can locate this record. The most likely candidate didn't keep electronic records for more than 10 years.

I would like to solve the mystery to get a closer idea of how many actual miles are on the engine. It would also help me determine if this engine is able to have the simple IMS procedure done (proactively) rather than splitting the engine. Does anyone have an idea to help with my questions?

5CHN3LL

All: Is the hour count reset when a new engine is installed?

If so, OP could tell with a Durametric how many hours the engine has been in service since it was replaced.

DBJoe996

It is an interesting question. The Settlement Suit settled in March 2013 and the deadline for filing a claim was October 2013. So if the engine was replaced by Porsche due to a claim under the Settlement somewhere around those times, then one could contrast the mileage of the car with the engine hours read by Durametric. That would solve the question "Is the hour count reset when a new engine is installed?" and also an approximate how many miles are on the engine. Guess we are going to have to start a engine hour/mileage table for reference.

So out of curiosity I just went out and pulled my numbers:
1999 C2
134,687 miles
Number of Ignitions Range 1 5485/2973.4 h
Operating Hours 4446.1

So, mileage/operating hours is 30.293 or 30.293 miles per operating hour
Or the other way around Hours/Mileage is 0.033 hours per mile

John Harman

Will the Durametric pull the lifetime average miles per hour? Would be curious how close it is to 30.3.

DBJoe996

No. It will tell you total engine operating hours. Then take the odometer mileage and divide. Let us know what you find. And I was hoping someone else would do the same for contrast. Since mine is a DD I spend more time idling at stoplights than actually getting anywhere. Ten seconds of excitement, 2 minutes of waiting.... repeat I have some good highway mileage though.

silotwo

Interesting answer from Porsche and different than what my Porsche dealer states. I had a replacement engine installed in April of 2013 and only received a receipt for the labor. When I asked about paperwork for my records I was told it would not be issued because it was recorded in the warranty database which is global to all authorized Porsche dealers.

The warranty info is global because when the C4S was delivered from CA my local dealer was able to retrieve the records for warranty work.

John Harman

Hmmm. The mystery deepens. I spoke with 3 dealerships who were unable to look up anything for my car, 2 of which had performed other maintenance on it which they were able to see details on (and which were available on CarFax). I also called 1-800-PORSCHE and they are the ones who told me I could only get this information from the actual dealer who performed the replacement. My local Porsche dealer told me that he wishes Porsche's computer system worked the same as Audi's which has a global records database he can access.

silotwo

Just to be clear, it was only warranty work that was available. I could only get the service history from the servicing dealer in CA.

John Harman

Just hung-up with 1-800-Porsche (thought I'd try again). This time I was told that all service records (warranty or otherwise) are considered private and they cannot disclose anything to me other than what is publicly available on CarFax.

Chiamac

So, just thinking out loud, how long did the first owner have the car?

John Harman

The first owner had the car just short of 10 years (52K miles). They had the 15K service done November 2005 and the 60K service done April 2012 (10K early). Lots of clues but nothing to really work with.

KrazyK

Maybe run your VIN (not engine serial) through carfax and see what you get.

John Harman

I have the complete CarFax (based on VIN) and a nice collection of matching service records. The only thing missing is a record of when the engine was changed. That is the mystery I'm trying to solve. Evidently the shop who changed the engine didn't enter the service record into CarFax. Perhaps something Porsche didn't want to happen.

Curious if anyone else who knows their engine was replaced by Porsche has looked to see if that record exists on CarFax.

KrazyK

By looking at the time-line you should be able to get close. You know the engine was replaced after settlement and before you owned it. Why not just ask the first owner? The replacement engine should be the least of your worries. You have plenty of other 996 issues to stress about now.

5CHN3LL

Sorry, I meant "bruh."