bobporsche996

I've just about had it with porsche....

In my life thus-far, I've owned over 20 vehicles, including many semi-exotics,
with the exception of a porsche, and have never, ever encountered the
problems I've had than with this vehicle.

When I purchased my fully loaded 99 a few months ago at 48,300 miles, it
passed the carfax check with flying colors, brought it in to an authorized
porsche maintenance dealer for a checkup and they said it was in excellent
condition, with no problems, so I fell in love and bought it.. I've owned many
european cars with 150,000+ miles and have never had any real problems, so I
didn't think it being out of warranty at 48,300 miles to be a major issue... boy
was I wrong...

300 miles later - clutch, flywheel, pressureplate explodes on me into pieces
without knowledge - $3,200 for repair, parts, and labor. (Also had an oil
change, at the same time to make sure car was in the best running condition..
possible)

350 miles later - temperature gauge starts getting higher and higher on me..
get it towed to repair shop... radiator and misc parts around it needs to be replaced...
$700 in labor and parts..

400 miles later - starter goes bad on me - $600 in labor and repair

650 miles later - while driving on the freeway in 4th gear at 70mph with all the
other traffic, all of a sudden, the check engine light comes on, and before I
have a chance to pull over to the side, a huge plume of smoke comes out of
the rear of my vehicle... I pull over to the side, and notice fire coming out my
exhaust... I notice my entire engine compartment on fire from coolant and oil
completely inside and outside the my rear of the vehicle... someone called the
fire department and had to put out the fire on the side of the freeway... -
$13,000 for repair, labor, used engine with 9k miles, since porsche wouldn't
take back the core, because it threw a rod and cracked, (tried to save $6,000)
electrical housings, etc.. and everything else that blew up in the engine
compartment...

900 miles later - while backing up into a parking place, I notice smoke coming
out of the rear yet again... my car is on fire AGAIN... the police drive by and
call the fire department, and they put out my vehicle again... apparently one of
the coolant hoses had a leak, which eventually caused the fire... - $1300 for
replacement and repair

Add another $2,000 for misc parts, service problems, oil changes, etc.. in my
first 1,000 miles of driving..

1150 miles later - while driving, my temperature gauge starts flashing red..
everytime I drive after 15 minutes or so... first they told me it was only the
temperature gauge that had gone bad... only $200... so they fix it....

..then yesterday I hear the news... the essentially brand new rebuilt engine
from porsche with only 9,000 miles on it (from a previous 99 carerra owner
that had to have his engine replaced at 19k miles that got in a front end wreck
at 28k miles).. would have to be replaced, as coolant was leaking out of the
exhaust pipe when they started it up.. which as we all know, is just a matter of
miles before the engine explodes AGAIN.. having the fire department have to
put my car out again, for the 3rd time in under 1,000 miles... this will be
another $13,000 in parts and labor for another engine with only 9,000 miles on
it...

I actually am considering driving this car off a ledge, if I can get to the damn
ledge without it either breaking down on me or blowing up on me first..

I am sick and tired of this, and porsche of north america is unwilling to do
anything or compensate me for their piece of sh*t, unreliable 1999 carerras...
which they will not admit to having any flaws in their mechanical design...

This should not happen with a 5 year old vehicle with 50,000 miles, regardless
of how it was treated by it's previous owner...

Right now I'm disgusted, as I've put $10,000 in exterior modifications (body kit,
wheels, suspension, etc..) and $25,000+ in maintenance in the vehicle already
and will have to put another $13,000 in it now... and i've only driven the car for
a total of maybe 2-3 weeks and 900 miles... the rest of the time it's been in the
shop... and the rest of the miles are miles by the porsche dealer..

many more minor things have happened, that I don't feel like listing or
remember right now, due to my mind being clouded with anger at the
thought of a new engine after only a few hundred miles on my already
new engine...

I strongly recommend anyone that even considers purchasing a 996 carerra out
of warranty to get an extended warranty.. or not even buy one at all...

right now, i'm about to go burn the car myself as I'm so fed up with it and the
way that porsche of north america tells me to "write a letter" and they'll see
how they can help me response, instead of offering to pay for their faulty
craftsmanship in this horrible example of german machinery...

I went into the dealer the other day to pull up a history report, only to find out
that this car had been in the shop, not 5, not 15, BUT 47 TIMES within the
warranty period to fix problems with the vehicle before I purchased it... until it
was finally gotten rid of by the previous owners at auction as soon as the
warranty expired after 4 years... after then, it which it fell into my hands..
which would also explain, why it appeared that every single mechanical part
appeared to be brand new when I bought it.. because it most likely was,
after having to be replaced...

Is there anything anyone recommends I can do, before I have to shell out
another $13,000 for another engine for this horrible excuse for a car?

porsche... never again...

- Bob
- Future Ex-Porsche Owner Forever

Dale Gribble

I don't know what to tell you, except that I would probably be just as pissed if that had happened to me. Porsche NA sucks ***** with their customer service...I just consider myself lucky i've never had to go them for anything.

I'm not really sure what you can do, except to complaine to Porsche or start a big online bruhaha like that guy who got ripped off by Savage BMW did.

If you plan on dumping the car, what interior/exterior mods have you done to it and would u sell them separatly?

carbon_00

Not to belittle your problem, but why wouldn't you have pulled the service history on the car at the Porsche Dealership that looked it over. In the 20 cars you've bought have you not done this?

I've also never heard of a coolant leak causing a fire...strange.

bpu699

Any car that was in the shop 40+ times is by definition a lemon. Porsche should have labeled it as such. Get a lawyer.

If porsche replaced your engine with a remanufactured one, it should have a warranty. Get a lawyer.

mrpc12

You have 1 post on here - flaming Porsche.

If you did your homework and searched this website you would have found many threads about used 996's out of warranty. Almost all the threads recommend getting an extended warranty.

LVDell

kinda with MRPC12 on this one. Not diggin the fact that your first post just happnes to be a bitch session (although I do feel for you) and advice to rest of us--remember we did all the background work before we bought like using this board, etc. You first posts should be quesitons about a 996, what to look for, warranty, PPI, certified, history, etc. etc. etc.

This is a web forum not a place for a single posting to express how pissed you are.

Palting

This whole post is just too weird to be credible.

bobporsche996

Yes this is my first post to this board, as I have known about it for some time, but just recently signed up after finding out about my second engine going bad... and for advice... and more or less to vent at how upset I am about this situation...

Don't get me wrong, I love driving the vehicle when it runs... for those rare few days it does... it's the best feeling in the world to have the top down, driving this vehicle on an open highway... but at $37,000 for every 1,000 miles of driving, wouldn't anyone else in my shoes be quite upset at this situation?

When I purchased it, I brought it to an independant porsche shop, as it wasn't local to an authorized porsche dealership.. I only recently pulled up the service history... which you're correct, is a bit negligent and I should have done earlier as soon as the problems started arising...

In terms of an extended warranty, I thought Porsche does not allow purchasers of used vehicles to purchase an extended warranty due to the fact that I am not the original owner? Am I able to do this?

When I purchased the vehicle, I did expect to have potential problems.. I did my research and history on the 99s... so I knew the problems with them... but I found a great deal on a 99 cab fully loaded with an MSRP of $96k originally.. got it for $39k earlier this year... so I decided.. why not.. just to have as a toy, as it wouldn't be my primary driver...

I didn't expect to have all the problems i've had, considering I would only be driving it 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year.. i'd be lucky if I get 1200 miles in this year.. it's been a total nightmare...

In terms of understanding why I haven't made any posts to this board, feel free to visit the roadfly board, and you will see many posts by myself about porsche... I knew this board existed, but never signed up until I found out about my second engine problem... to alert others and more or less to vent on the mechanical failure, and for others to continue to advise that a 996 without a warranty is a timebomb waiting to explode...

in terms of the coolant leak causing the fire... the coolant mixed with the oil both times, which ended up causing the fire...

If anybody doesn't believe me, I'd be glad to scan in copies of all of the receipts i've paid for all this work to be done.... the only upside to this, is I now have a free flight anywhere in the usa with all the miles on my credit card i've accumulated in the repair shop.. sigh...

LVDell

The first give away was getting a 996CAB with 48K for only $39K.

By the way, what are you "alerting" us to?
" ...to alert others...."

carbon_00

I can certainly understand your frustration, I must have misunderstood when you said you took it to a "authorized porsche maintenance dealer ".

You can get a warranty from any number of providers I think.

Did you buy it from a dealer, private or auction?

I would wholeheartedly disagree with you on the generalization that a 996 w/o warranty is a timebomb..some have serious issues, but it sounds like you bot a butchered car , very sorry.

redcab

Bad luck.
Where are you located?
Did you buy from a private party or a dealer? Do you have any recourse due to lack of full disclosure when you purchased the vehicle?
Do you have any recourse with the authorized Porsche service center that told you the car was in excellent condition. They should have pulled the history and that would have been a clue.
I think "lemon laws" generally apply to new cars, but is there a possibility that the previous owner went down this path, and that should have been disclosed?
Just trying to help.

bobporsche996

I purchased the vehicle from a used ford dealership... they bought it from an auction 2000 miles away in as-is condition... unfortunately, I fell in love with the vehicle and the $25k in options it had, that none of the others had, along with the price... and the fact that it checked out perfectly with carfax and the maintenance shop... I figured driving it as a 4th vehicle 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year, what problems could I possibly have?

Now that I've invested so much money in it... it's a catch 22, as if I should just get rid of it and take the $35,000 loss, or keep it, since it's essentially a brand new car after all that's been replaced...

In terms of alerting others... basically, that if anyone can't afford the potential problems of a 996, to consider something more reliable and cheaper to fix... If I had a job paying $50k or even $100k a year, I would pretty much be out of luck and bankrupt by now... a used 996 can be a maintenance nightmare, as one can clearly see, and while my problems have been much more extreme than i'm sure most of you, it's fair warning, that this can and has happened to other potential 996 owners out there who do not have a warranty with their vehicle, or are considering purchasing a used 996...

fahren affair

unbelievable story. you should have let the car burn to the ground in the frst go 'round

your 996 must have had a very stroried past. $39k for for a '99 cab would have been a red flag to me.
good luck to you!

carbon_00

Got any pictures of the fire damage? If you had "fire out your exhaust" , that would be unburnt fuel, not a coolant leak..

bobporsche996

Well both times that i've had fire out of my exhaust, it's been a coolant and oil related issue from what the service shop has told me..

I don't have any pictures of the fire damage, but will take some when I go visit my porsche today if you want me to post them... luckily the fire was put out before it got to the electrical wires the second time, but the fire damage is clearly visible from under the car... and the fireguard around the muffler area protected most of the area that could have been burned.... even though it, itself appeared to be quite burned...

I have been running a fabspeed muffler bypass, so I don't have any mufflers on my vehicle... could this be responsible for any of this does anyone think?