I realize that this has been talked about a number of times but I really need some help. I have been looking for a 997 4S for a long time at the right price. I found one last week and had it sent to the Porsche dealer for inspection today. The car is a 2006 997 4S, Manual with 12,000 miles. It is in great shape according to the inspector except for the RMS that has a slight seepage, not a drip. He said it was common for this car as it has not been driven a great deal. He pointed out that the tires are original and not raced according to the rev report. I asked him how much he would charge to replace the RMS and he said $1500. I called my local Porsche dealer that my friends use and he stated that he would charge $2600 which would include replacing the IMS and cleaning the clutch. The PPI also showed that the car was well maintained with all service work done on schedule.

Here is the question. My friend freaked me out by saying that the engine might need to be replaced if the RMS is out of tolerance. What are the chances of this being the case? Should I pass on the car or take the chance? Also, what should I expect to pay for the RMS to be replaced?

Thank you in advance!!

 

My car also had a RMS leak when I was considering it but the seller agreed to pay to have it repaired, as well as some other minor issues discovered in the PPI. Have you tried negotiating the cost of the repair with the seller?

Also, depending on how "spirited" you intend to drive, most will advise not to rely on tires that are more than 5 years old. However, I think the true condition of the tires could be dependent on the climate, whether it was garaged or not, etc. Sounds like your car was pretty pampered.

 

I would go for the $2,600 RMS/IMS job and negotiate half of the cost with the seller.
That way you have peace of mind...

 

+1 on this. This kills off a lot of common problems with all of this handled and you will have it documented in case you choose to sell down the road.

 

Re "rms out of tolerance". There were some reports in early production of some motors developing repeated main seal leaks, this being caused by lack of concentricity of the crank in the block, ie too much "wobble" for a proper seal. These out of spec motors were replaced under warranty. Since then I have never heard of anyone having to do other than have their main seal replaced in the case of a leak. I would negotiate the best price for this car and not get crazy about it. It is an all too common nuisance but no more than that. Porsche did mine at the 4 year/24K mile mark just before the warranty expired. About the dealer "cleaning the clutch" and charging an extra 1100$? Thats kind of funny in the way that turns most people off. They will make enough money on the repair at 1500$. Shop it.

 

The IMS changed sometime in the 2005 model year, so 2006 model years came with a redesigned and beefier IMS bearing that is no longer easily swapped out. In fact to replace the new IMS bearings is a major engine job. The good thing is that the new bearings seem to have dramatically reduced the incidence of IMS bearing failures.

 

What a great forum!!!

OK, so if I understand everyone, the leak is common and I should stop freaking out. I would hate for this problem to bite me in the not so distant future.

As for the price of the service, I'm still not sure what to do. I was thinking that the seller should have it fixed just in case another issue comes up. I'm not attempting to extort the seller but if I don't take the car he will need to have it fixed.

As for the tires, I was told they were new...they are not. I made the offer based on new tires.

Please let me know if I have everything correct.

Thanks

 

I would agree, I would try and get the seller to replace the RMS. The dealer can also tell you based on the VIN or engine code, if you have the engine with the updated IMS bearing.

 

RMS is very common on these cars, I have the same year and model with low miles. I knew about the RMS seepage with the PPI but I brought my CPO and knew CPO would fix it, if not, it isn't too bad, around $2K most places. IMS is what you should worry about as mentioned, the 2006 and new are less prone to IMS issues. Good luck, I would have the dealer fix it myself if it's not CPO. Your only regret is not getting one sooner. Good luck.

 

Seriously,

Is there a definition page for all these abbreviations?

RMS = Rear Main Seal
IMS = Intermediate Shaft
CPO = ?
PPI = ?

 

PPI = Pre Purchase Inspection
CPO = Certified Pre-Owned

 

I have a 2005 S and had the IMS and RMS changed out at a Porsche dealer for $2000. This was covered by my 3rd party extended warranty. I also had a complete clutch job ( new pressure plate, new clutch disc, new throw out bearing, and new pilot bearing, etc...) done since the trani was out of the car anyway. This cost an additional $950. So your $2600 quote seems high.

 

Thanks to everyone who commented on this post. The seller will not discount the price of the car due to the RMS leak or the tires. He still has it advertised as a perfect car that is as new. I offered to meet him half way but nothing. He believes that the car doesn't have an issue and that I was just attempting to get a deal. I wonder if the PPI done by Porsche will now show up on Carfax and Auto Check? I would hate for someone to buy the car based on the word of the owner.

 

Walk away. Lots of great cars out there. I would really try and focus on getting a good CPO car from a respectable dealer (if pre-2009), you may pay a little more, but typically there are fewer headaches in the end.

It is unlikely the PPI will show up in the Carfax and even if it did, it will take months for it to be posted.

 

I'm very frustrated by this entire process! I'm starting to agree with you on the CPO. My dealer in town would have tried to sell this exact same 4S for $12k more. When I asked the dealer what he thought this car was worth he said retail was $55k. I wanted to ask him when the last time he had a 997 4S on the floor for $55k. This is the same guy that wanted to repair the car for $2600 which included a 10% discount.