Was at the dealer for service yesterday and the service tech reported that the RMS is leaking. Went out to take a look, and yes it looks like a leak. Oil has never hit my garage floor, so I don't know if I'd call it a leak or a seep. Anyway, the car is an '08 997 C2S with 3800 miles on it. As you can guess it's not a daily driver. I do drive the car, but usually only around 50 miles a week. I've made it a point to drive it at least once a week, as I've heard that RMS are more likely to leak in cars that aren't driven...but more than once a week isn't practical for me. The car has one year left on the warranty...so the dealer wants to pull the tranny and do it before it's up; good advice?

However, my question is...if the car isn't driven any more than I drive it, won't it just leak again? Don't want to go through pulling the car apart and the potential collateral problems that can occur as a result of that....shifter, clutch, or whatever to fix a "problem" that will only come back.

This bring me to another thought. I've heard of RMS leaks for just about every car I've ever had a conversation about. Engines leak at the RMS...even Porsches. Why does everyone consider it such a huge deal?

The service manager did say that while the RMS is out they check mechanical tolerances of different parts, etc. to check to make sure that it wasn't something else more serious that caused the seal to go out. IOW, it is possible that the seal went out due to some wobbling, etc. that may lead to engine failure later on down the line....so I should have this done. Any truth to this?

Anyway, sorry for the wall of text, but wanted to get some honest opinions on my thoughts here.

Thanks,
J

 

I don't have your answers; but you are asking the exact same questions I would be asking. I'm really sorry you are going thru this but appreciate you starting this thread as I would want the answers you are seeking as well.

Craig

 

get it fixed STAT.!!!

 

I have to agree, unless its leaking a ton and coating the clutch I dont see much reason to get so up in arms about the RMS.

RMS, IMS.......blah blah blah. they are cars, they are mechanical, things will go wrong.

Im curioius to hear the opinions of others on this subject too.

 

Thanks...stay tuned . I guess it's a bummer...I mean, I'd rather not have to think about it. But, as I said, I've had other cars/trucks that had RMS leaks and it's no big deal...that's just what a rear main seal does. Same thing with friends cars/trucks, and relatives cars/trucks. But I always come across stuff on the various Porsche forums, etc. and the feeling is that it is something major, rather than something minor. Is it because a car this expensive should keep it's oil inside? Is it the demographic of typical Porsche owners that get worked up by a little oil, a little smell, a little rattle, etc., etc.? If it is serious, I'd like to hear the why(s). I'd like to hear what could be worse than a bunch of hands and tools all over a new car pulling it apart to fix something that could happen again and may not even cause any issue other than a bit of oil where I can't see it.

J

 

Ya, very helpful. Nice rep.

J

 

If it's under warranty why wouldn't you do it? Warranty repairs are factored into the price of the car so in a way you've already paid for the repair. I would do it and then try driving the car more. 50 miles isn't enough to get moisture boiled out of the oil.

 

Why? As I said, I don't like the idea of the tranny coming out of a new car to fix something that may not really be a problem and may happen again anyway. I can't be the only one who has had one thing fixed only to have something else go wrong. I've been bitten by this merry-go-round before and it's not pleasant. I know I've read threads discussing this very phenomenon. As for 50 miles...it's more than enough to get the water and oil up to operating temps. But once a week may not be often enough to keep pressure in the engine and help a RMS not leak.

J

 

Based on everything I've read (and I'm not an engineer..in fact far from it as I'm a Ph.D. in food safety), I agree with you. Still, I'm curious what we will see.

 

I had RMS in my 02 996 . It was repaired under warranty at that time and never posed another issue for the 18 months ( and 12K miles) i kept the car after the job was done.

I think the big problem with RMS was that it was so common at that time . another issue was that cars which faced RMS out of warranty ended up being an expensive repair . Most used shoppers are trying to save money so the high cost (on the used car ) led to many emotiionally charged posts on varous forums on this topic.

If you have warranty and the techcians caught the problem it sounds like they have it covered . Hang in there . It's going to be ok.

 

I think the reason why many of us believe the RMS is big deal is because we can see our engines when we look underneath our cars and see the oil drip. Our engines are not covered by anything while most other cars do have under-floor casing and an oil drip will never hit the garage floor but will be held by the casing.

 

I'd have it fixed for two primary reasons...

1) Once it is on record that the RMS was replaced you have a better chance of getting extended warranty support if you have any further issues with the engine .

2) The other checks the tech will do should bring any other potential issues to light before they start the repair on the RMS which can be taken care of at the same time.

 

Thanks. Good insight on the history. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Makes sense...two thoughts I've had in the "for" category .

J

 

Best answer yet, I would do the same and be sure to keep all the paperwork. So many times I've heard things like "Ah well if this would of been fixed then maybe this other problem...."

So get it fixed, stay vigilent!

 

Ya, they would definitely have leverage over me if I didn't get it fixed and something else where to happen.

I also don't plan on extending the warranty. So, I probably should get everything "fixed" while I can...despite my reservations .

J