I like that the tech locked that shifter linkage in properly even though its just an inspection. I couldn't in good conscious let a car drive away with something like that waiting to put the occupants at risk. That's a good tech right there.
Joe Joe Hopefully you're not referring to Porsche dealers - they are by far the worst place to get an old Porsche serviced. Find an independent Porsche mechanic who races their personal 911's on the weekends (not hard to find) and you'll get the work done for half the price + the empathy that no Porsche dealer mechanic will ever have. The dealer-serviced value boost, if it even exists, is more than made up for by the money you save on repairs. The dealer will flat-out lie and RAPE you on parts and labor. Source: owned two Porsches and wifey runs a Porsche shop. She gets dealer victims every. single. day. Horror stories - as in $3k estimates that turn out to be $100.
knows what?? have a lot of money , to have a big shop and expensive equipment doesnt give the right to say ,this dude is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT better than others... diagnostics is 1 thing and have money to buy everything its other
I nearly dropped my ipad at the price. Wow. Also, this guy can check my cars anytime he wants. I have never, ever, seen a "mechanic" so clear, thorough and professional.
$5000 is a huge exaggeration. Replaced the shocks on both the hood and the trunk recently on ours and replacing an o2 sensor and some sway bar links is easy enough. All parts can be found online dirty cheap. And a rear main seal leak is usually caused by the car sitting for a while and some driving around stops it. Did with ours anyway. For the year, that car was in really good condition.
FreeSpirits hes going by prices he would charge avreage dummy...yea parts zims..parts haven...racers net would be chump change not what he is quoting everything else is standard maintenxe
This vehicle not being a turbo is subject to IMS bearing failure. The oil leak is indicative of this possibility. More investigation into any metal debris in the oil should be tested. Dissecting the oil filter for metal debris is imperative. Since this vehicle was born, there has been two upgrades for the IMS replacement. To repair an IMS requires removing the engine. Not cheap. to do this work, consideration to which model of 911, miles, desirability for the vehicle has to be considered. For sure, an IMS bearing that goes bad will destroy the entire engine. Do not roll the dice that this will not happen. It will. Bottom line is to have a trusted tech provide answers.
@@scdevon Leaking seal is the clue that the IMS bearing has not been replaced. The leak itself isn't s big deal. The IMS bearing is. When it fails, it takes out the engine.
@@philderrderr616 Yes you are right about that IMS bearing it is the weakest link in that Porsche range. The other flaws except for those shock bearings are not that expensive. If I was going to buy one I would have to factor in replacing the IMS bearing in my budget first of all. Or I wouldn't even consider even looking at one.
Love the video, I don't think most people understand the fact that a lot of mechanics wouldn't let you film them while they work, let alone explain everything they're doing and looking for. I would love to see a more detailed breakdown of that $5k repair bill (I know it lists the specific problem areas in the description, but there's no cost next to each item), as well as the cost of the inspection itself. Keep up the great content!
That's a great car. I had the 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera and it was a great car. It sat for several years and a random engine problem occured with no Engine Warning Light coming on which was a weird fault Porsche said. Totaled at 39,000 miles...
It's good to see an automotive technician at the top of his game. This dude has the knowledge experience and equipment to get the job done. I'm a form of diesel tech with 30 years experience. If I found a shop like this I would still be turning wrenches. Sad to say this is the exception rather than the rule. Either way mad props to the tech, you did a good job buddy.
The IMS was the only thing that scared me away, everything else on that car was a piece of cake. The IMS scared me so bad that I went Turbo to avoid it ;)
That’s valid. So there are ways to know if the car has the IMS problem. For the 996s is simply to ask if the IMS bearing was done. If not, then any prospective buyer should account in the purchase price the $2.5k cost of replacement. Then you have a real sport car to drive. I can tell you that for me there is nothing (in this price range) that give you this driver’s experience.
@@nelran2009 I have a higher mileage 01 996 at 80,000miles without IMS done. Ims literally affects like 8% of the vehicles and usually shows up on garage queen low mileage cars that aren't driven much. My car has been driven every year since 01 and I'm not worried about ims at all. I'll probably have it inspected when it needs a clutch but not worrying about it till then.
actually thank you for this Video , i am currently in training to be a mechanic in germany, after watching quite some car Videos daily, from lots of american shops, and so on, after seeing this, this is the first out of id almost say hundreds of Videos , i saw that a shop actually does their inspection very detailed, i have Seen shops where they just look for oil leaks and thats it, they say everything else wont break :( , Good to See there are still professionals working in garages across the US
The only really big showstopper might be the leaking oilseal, all the other stuff is a bit of bushings, some bumpstops and getting rid of a few non major error codes which is perfectly normal for a 16 year old car...
+Rick te Kronnie Except that leaking seal will probably lead to a bad clutch, and as I recall that intermediate shaft problem can lead to catastrophic engine failure (as in time to buy a new engine). A seal you might let go for a while and plan on replacing the clutch at the same time but that bearing is bad news and needs to be taken care of right away.
+Jeff DeWitt you're probably right that all that could happen. And they could smash it into a tree driving it home, which would cost a lot more than $5k to fix.
@@JeffDeWitt About 4% of 996`s were affected by IMS failure as it turned out, so its certainly not universal by any measure. Bore scoring would probably be more of a possible issue.
5000 is way over exaggerated. I know for a fact an o2 sensor $30.00x2, Poly bushing for the sway bar = $79.99. Some rear main seals leak from just sitting so it's not like it was banged on. The clip I know is a mere $10.00. Im going to add shocks and struts for all four sides including bumpstops. These were the honda civics of Porsche. It's not a GT3. I have worked on several of these in my time
Guy is a joke, car was in amazing condition. All those little things are normal for used car and not expensive to fix. I would be pisses If I was a seller.
Those $100 shocks will feel like shit as budget shocks are $25 each. and Whom ever would put cheap and nasty in a sports car deserves to have their hands cut off so they dont ever drive said sports car or any other car Never cheap out on suspension, brakes or tires, use mineral oil in the engine, transmission
Well done. This is why using an expert that services these cars every day and has seen the things that are not obvious but can be expensive. Pay the man. He saved you much more than he charged.
Todd Sadler That is the unvarnished truth. On the other hand, the Mercedes I have owned have been relatively inexpensive to own. True parts were not cheap, but they rarely needed anything.
Cajun9000 I had three 996's. Two had rear main seal issues multiple times which eventually resulted in engine replacements in order to resolve the problem. That's why it isn't a minor issue, it's a sign of a screwed up block. It was redesigned and fixed for the 997. (This doesn't apply to the GT3 or turbo cars which still used the block from the 993.)
Anyone looking to buy a 1997 Porsche 911 Red with Black interior, about 52,000 original miles, garage kept. Has been off the road for two years. Faster than hell.
You wasted your money on that PPI. Any '99 Porsche that did not have it's IMS/RMS done needs to have it done. You should have known that from the start. Otherwise, it looks like it was in good shape and priced right. If you are afraid of a 5K repair bill, then you shouldn't be looking at Porsches.
+cheepGeek Not exactly true. 99 til early 01's had a dual row IMS bearing that very very rarely fail. It's the late 01' and up that have more issues (which really are not all that common... under 10%) and even more so it's typically the REALLY low mileage cars that suffer from the IMSB problems.
+Kmagnuss most of the low mileage cars have old oil sitting in the Ims bearing area and after a while it goes acidic. This is from not driving your car and getting the oil hot and burning off all the acids and introducing new oil into the its areas. Drive your cars people!
Thanks for this video. Have just started to look at 996/997s maybe next summer and wondered where I could get an inspection like this done. Turns out, they are only 30 minutes away! Thanks!
The 996 does not log overrevs in more than 2 ranges. Only the from the 997 on they increased the number of ranges. On the 996 overrevs in range 2 are considered bad. Back in the day this would have disqualified the car from being eligible for Porsche's used car warranty.
+jamessmithe Is this car manual? Does that mean that the driver accidentally downshifted way to low a gear and forced the engine speed past it's rev limit, like say you are in 5th gear doing 60 mph and you accidentally select 1st gear and dropped the clutch?
+SI0AX Exactly, this is basically the only way to get overrevs in range 2 on a 996. Automatics are virtually immune from that as the ecu would not let the car downshift at revs that are too high. Just running into the limiter will produce overrevs in range 1 and is considered no issue
Good to know about IMA Autoworke! I'm in in the DMV area and I'll keep them in mind for a PPI, once I track down a 997.2! Can't imagine that mechanic is still there, but he seemed quite knowledgeable!
Very impressed with this technician. For those who think his repair estimate is out of range: 1. He is pricing it at the Dealership 2. Has everyone forgotten the Rear Main Seal and the IMS?? Those are price repairs, clearly!
My apologies in advance if I did not get the content of the video properly but I own 911's and $5k in repairs for a 15+ year old 911? It's absolutely nothing. I read also your post on rightfootdown site. On a Porsche when you replace the clutch you don't replace just the clutch alone but you need to replace the entire set. $20k in total for a good 911 is really a great price in my experience but running costs are just high, like for any 911 out of warranty.
+turbophileas My thoughts were similar. Yes, we all want the 15K enthusiast owned car, but in reality unless you buy from a friend of a desperate seller it isn't very likely.
Both front wheels had some MAJOR play. Def seems it needs a bushing refresh or a new ball joint on the LCA. You can HEAR it knocking after he rotates the tire 4:48 and again at 5:41.
Frank this is very true. A competent Porsche mechanic is about $120 an hour (I'm sure some charge more). Someone who can turn their own wrenches to some degree will save themselves tons of money.
This is super true. I recently got a really nice loaded X5 for 10k. Needed some work, the biggest job was $12 in parts and about 5 hours of my time. I would have been charged $1000 in a shop.
What a tremendously useful video. Miles better than the vast majority of internet 911 advice, largely because its based on facts and a great deal of experience.
This buyer clearly had only a business interest in this purchase, and therefore should go ahead and shop forever until they stumble upon perfection. A typical person looking for the used sports car of their dreams is not going to walk away because of the insignificant issues that were found on this SEVEN YEAR OLD example.
Not only that but the 996 and 997 are some of the best 911s ever built they only have bad resale value because of their "not so desirable" headlights But those can easily be converted if one desires.
The IMS bearing issue is unfortunately something that every 996 or Boxster owner from the late 90's to early aughts has to have done if they want to be absolutely clear of an IMS issue. That is simply cost of ownership for those models. The rear main seal is also, again, a cost of ownership aspect of these cars. I would not, however, say that either of those are a reason to walk away. A 996 or Boxster that hasn't had proper maintenance is a reason to walk away. There is no free lunch with Porsches. However, the 996 with an IMS bearing change with at least adequate maintenance is about the best bargain you will ever find in a Porsche.
I would like to thank you for posting this video. Very informative and the best is that you documented the whole process unlike other youtubers that only give their comments
I was really surprised for a 996 PPI that he didn't change the oil filter and cut it open for inspection. You don't have to change the oil, just the filter. Debris in the filter tells me way more about the engine condition than a visual inspection of the outside. To me this is just standard practice for a PPI on a 996 engine.
I have a 150 mile round trip commute on the twisties of central KY. I wanted something that got pretty good mileage and would be fun to drive. The car I chose back in summer of 2013 now has 140k miles on it. The only thing I've done to it is change the oil, and replace the spark plugs at 134k miles (and it made no difference in gas mileage nor performance). It gets about 31 mpg and has a six speed manual. Because I corner pretty hard it's been through 7 sets of tires, my favorite being the Michelin PSS's. The only maintenance issue has been having to come up with my own rock solid water seal for the tail lights. I absolutely love this car and it has been a blast these 5 years. It's a Scion FR-S.
Fascinating clip. Walnut Creek Porsche rep said she knew my prospective purchase well and it was perfect. $45,000 to Pittsburg Chevy dealor and it was mine. $5,000. to Reno Porsche dealer and it was finally perfect.
In addition to worrying about the IMS bearing, you want those coolant pipe fittings pinned so you don't get a pop-out. If you don't have that done, here is a video on how to do it. ;) ua-cam.com/video/1UGLVJdHM28/v-deo.html
Great info! I am looking at buying a 2008 997 TT from a small out of state dealer. I had an independent shop do a ppi and they passed it with a clean bill of health. It has 67k on it and a few owners. It is also heavily modded to over 700 hp including meth injection. The shop also performed a DME and showed the following: Range 1: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 50165 @ 2338.6 hours Range 2: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 18703 @ 2338.6 hours Range 3: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 5084 @ 2338.6 hours Range 4: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 1362 @ 2338.6 hours Range 5: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 90 @ 2338.6 hours Range 6: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 0@ 0 hours I'm a little concerned that all 5 ranges were hit at the same time. How would you interpret this data?
Roland Anderson I bought a boroscope for construction but now I use it for cars and everything,them diagnostic scan tool,paint depth guage etc etc but I think if you get them one at a time you'd be suprised how little you can get some for,not all but some
Tech didn't check under the oil cap for moisture which could indicate intermix trouble which the 3.4 is known for. Should have also checked oil filter for metal sparkles which could indicate impending IMS (or other) failure. Can tell by the low hanging tailpipes the engine mounts need to be replaced.
The type of negotiation that usually goes down with specialty vehicles, especially when they're in the exact color combination and with the exact options you desire, begs a slightly different approach in most cases... For example, seller asking $20k, PPI uncovers $5k worth of potential repairs (good PPIs nitpick, which can be a great bargaining tool, but there are things that might not be critical to a car's longevity), seller only willing to go down a couple of grand... At this point, you need to ask yourself.. How much do you really want the car AND can you afford the overage and its continued ownership...? Cars like this aren't purchased to haul the family around... They're usually emotional purchases. And, if you're a true enthusiast, there is always opportunity to nurse the right car (for you) back into health and its former glory. This playing field isn't for everyone.
For these types of cars unless the owner can do some work on them, they are a complete moneypit. I have saved a ton of money doing maintenance both preventative and repairs myself.
Awesome, short, informative video! We just picked up a 996 which we KNOW has IMS failure, but we couldn't beat the price, and the wheels on the car have already ended up being worth more than we paid, so it looks like a good buy right now!
honeynut_ichiro you bought a 996 because it's ugly and no one wants one since most people lease cars. thats why the price was low enough for a middle class person like you to get one.
Frank Assnot whats wrong with that? it's a good deal on the car for how it drives and it's still easily worth $15-17k in my region on craigslist alone. No need to be an elitist about it.
That mechanic knew his stuff! I'm sure you can still drive it as is for a while not big issues. Nothing major was wrong but you never mentioned miles. How many miles on this 99? I can't believe my e36 m3 is the same year is that! 996 is timeless design
+ihsnshaik I agree. The 996 is really coming into its own as a classic design. I loved them from new, so I'm not too surprised they are getting a following.
Good old IMA. Used to be motor sports I used to work diagonally across from them at Autothority Pitstop. No clue who is there now but if Ivan is still there I hope everything is going well with them and glad they survived the recession.
Good subject / info, please keep-up the good work. You guys/gals selected IMA Motorwerke as a shop, I would like to know why IMA vs other Porsche shops in the DMV area? Thank you in advance.
For all of us concerned about the Porsche IMS Bearing issue - I found a very informative article from Autohaus Hamilton in Australia about the IMS. The article also lists all the models and engines (with engine numbers) that are affected. To read the article just type in “Autohaus Hamilton IMS” into google. The Porsche models that are prone to IMS failure and should be replaced are: - All 986 Boxster models. - 987 Cayman & Boxster models up to engine number 61504715 - All 996 models (not including: GT and Turbo models) - 997 3.6ltr with M96/05 up to engine number 6950745
Im still waiting to see what the fail point in the inspection was.. I mean shocks go bad, that small oil leak on the rear main might have been an issue if it was a major leak, but I drive cars that leak a bit of oil from time to time and just make sure to keep up on oil level checks..
For the prices charged, Porsches are very delicate and trouble-prone cars. I've watched the UA-cam videos of Porsches being assembled. The technicians look very patient and thorough. Yet, somehow, even the cheapest Honda or Toyota is more durable.
I won’t disagree when looking at 1998 and newer Carreras but the turbos that still used the cooled cases and the air cooled cars I have to disagree. I worked on many an air cooled car with over 350k miles and never had a rebuild and the guys still took them to the track. If that is delicate then I have to ask by what measure do you consider a car reliable.
@@pprotory : It's the little things that break on Porsches(rear hatch latches, visor mirrors, carpet comes up, plastic cracks, power window switches, etc.) the things that last forever in a Honda or Toyota.
@@pprotory : Drivetrain reliability is SOP these days. Even KIA/Hyundai make a durable drivetrain. It's the accessory systems-HVAC, power windows/mirrors/seats, trim, that many German marques can't get right and when they break, the repairs are astounding. Car critics may fault Lexus/Acura for their lack of driver engagement, but they run forever. I had a '97 LS400 that, even with 160,000 miles, would put any 10-year newer GM or Ford product to shame.
@@Alexi7666 Honestly the Honda's and Toyota's all have those problems en mass too. It's just when it only costs 15 bucks for the part to diy it yourself you hear way less complaints about them. Just about every car has problems. The only thing that separates them is the cost to fix. That said the clips in the old air cooled porsches that held the visors up were junk and the fact that they pretty much used the same clip for 30 years was pretty dumb. Then again given the car was meant for racing first and foremost I guess they only cared where it mattered.
I may have missed it but always check camshaft deviation on 996s. No point in tackling the IMS until deviation is within spec. I also wouldn't buy a 996 or 986 unless you can do the work yourself. Unless it was maintained immaculately, basic maintenance items add up quick even paying independent labor rates.
Great inspection but why not a wheels off brake inspection? Come to think of it how do you know you can get a wheel off when you are on the side of the road? Looking through the wheel can tell you a bit but you really ought to pull all the wheels, perhaps someone mucked up a lug when changing a tire/wheel assembly, more than one reason to pull the wheels when doing a used car check out.
I was asked to do a brake inspection on a 2003 BMW X5. If I had never pulled the wheel I would not have found the inner pad worn into the rotor. The outer pad was in such good condition I will say it was only following my procedure to always pull wheels when asked specifically to do a brake inspection. It is possible that lugs are too tight or the wheel is seized to the rotor hub (I am sure others have seen this). Can you imagine trying to get the wheel/tire assembly off when the vehicle is on the side of the road? I did like the idea of using the camera to check the air filter element, this is really using your head and your wallet. Sure it will take quite a few jobs to pay for that tool but the time saved is money in the bank. Oh about animals. Old VW Bug was towed in. I found a kitten (this is no B.S.) sitting on top of the starter. You can imagine how far I jumped when I found something furry on top of the starter. The kitten made the tow ride and I found the wire to the solenoid hanging free.
Hello bov, what is your feeling about using that same anti-seize on the lug threads? I used it for many years in that way but from time to time other techs would object. The objection was that the anti-sieze would affect the torque applied. My feeling was I did not want a lug I could not remove. We brought the issue up to our BMW district rep and he did not object or promote the practice.
+Dan R: The lubrication used on caliper pins isn't the same stuff as the grey anti seize you see used on bolts. I know that some people do use regular anti seize on their brake pins and I have in the past. It is however not considered a proper brake pin lubricant and I know that certain brake pad manufacturers will void your warranty if you didn't buy one of them small packets of brake pin lube when purchasing the pads. I don't doubt that the pin lube is better though, it slides easier and from my experience appears to work better especially on rusty pins, than regular anti seize. As far as using actual anti-seize on lug nuts (not brake pin lube) I always have. Living in the rust belt, anti-seize on lug nuts isn't even an option, especially with aluminum wheels. If you don't apply anti-seize to aluminum wheels, they can fuse to the studs and nuts in as little as 2 years. Lug nuts will sometimes twist the stud clean off because of the corrosion locking them together so tightly. I've seen aluminum wheels where we had to break every stud off and even after that the wheel itself was fused directly to the brake rotor or brake drum. Just a nightmare to deal with. As far as torquing the lug nut to the proper spec with anti seize their are conversion charts available online for making the proper torque adjustment. Which will always be less torque is necessary than would be required on a dry bolt down. You should never use actual grease on wheel studs I've been told, but I've seen old timer shade tree mechanics do it and never heard of someone actually losing a wheel. I would never do it though, anti seize is not that expensive and is a 100% accepted practice at least in my area.
Hello Carl, I bet you are from GM. I am mainly BMW with a heavy dose of GM. BMW does not use caliper pins in any model, we use silver anti seize on any contact or sliding point. GM just loves caliper pins and we did use a different product. Very important the caliper slides freely. Another place to use anti seize is that small machine screw used to locate the rotor to hub. Such a pain to waste time with a seized rotor screw.
Dan R Ok I've never worked on a BMW brake system, but yes the vast majority of vehicles I've worked on were US domestics, Ford, Dodge, GM which all use brake pins. I actually almost bought a 2014, 3 series a few months ago but it was just a little more than I wanted to spend. Love the look though.
Thanks for a very informative video. I want to get a P car and this has convinced me to get a PPI from a Porsche expert as opposed to doing it myself with most cars I buy.
I can save you a bit of time in watching this video. If you want an old 911, have enough money to buy TWO. That's about where most people wind up when they sell. If this bothers you, or you think that car is a "good deal" and you can flip it and make a buck, do not buy an old 911. Know that for most repairs to the drive train, the entire engine and transaxle must come out. Then you will find more repairs to be made, those "while you're in there" type of things..and you'll want to do them all before you put the car back together. Also, unless you live in California, there are very few experienced techs left servicing the aircooled cars. The faults found with this one are MINOR compared to what you might find on most of these cars. Low mileage cars can actually be among the WORST of them. Service records tell you almost NOTHING.
unless there was a lot done on that PPI we didn't see that was a terrible PPi and was not thorough at all. I would have been livid if I had paid for that PPI that could have been done at home .. how about using that fancy camera to check for cylinder scoring as it is quickly becoming the biggest 996/7 issue. how about checking for intermix in the coolant, or even a compression check or leakdown. There is no way that was 5K work of work in what he pointed out. did he even pull out the dipstick to look for frothing or emulsion ?
My neighbor has a 2007 911 GT3. Only around 35Kmi. He's replaced at least 2 clutches and a starter motor. And there was a issue with the anti lock brake system. My Vette took 58K and over 5 years before something went wrong. The HVAC module needs replacing. So far, all else works. I just replaced the battery. $130 inc tax. So far, so good...And the Vette I have has almost as many German parts in as the Porsche. LOL!
I absolutely hate my 996 headlights.... However I love my car and wouldn't drive anything else under $40k.... The driving experience is something no hot hatch or muscle car can compete with. I love my 6 speed Porsche with a motor in the "wrong placement"
This was the best You Tube video I have ever see. Nice photo work, nice editing and great subject matter even if I never want to own a Porsche. Thank You
Reminds me of a typical BMW dealer's used car inspection, they can always find $5K worth of work. I didn't expect much looking at the shop doing the job. If you can afford high end cars then you don't care getting ripped off on prices.
William Kelley For black people yea, but any smart used car shopper would check a car for abuse and poor maintenance before buying. After all buying used is the way to go under the right conditions.
That is insane. I would never have thought a computer in a car holds historical info. And the leaves. Well, thanks man, I have a 2013 BOSS and I am going to give it a good look tomorrow even though I rarely drive it
The IMS issue is really the largest concern, and should be addressed. I had my 911 for 9 years and it was very reliable. The only issues I had was the A/C would not work. Which was enough to sell it, as my iphone kept shutting down due to temp!
+minimalistinlife He likes you a lot too. Or would be customers.. I mean come on, these cars are used. Who would pay 996 money for a car then keep it in 100% perfect condition? No car is perfect and if it is, it wouldn't be in his budget anyway.
+Scott Barnes PPI without a compression test you should not pay more that $300. $250 is nominal. If you run a compression test max you should pay is $600 depending on how in depth their report is.
+FallSoftly Have you done a compression on test on a 996/997? You need to take the cats off to do it which means the car is in the air which means it takes up a bay at the shop.. not something you can do out on the lot. PLUS it also includes a scope to check for bore scoring. It's about a three hour job minimum including the write up. Your comment leads me to believe you haven't conducted this on a 996/997 before.
+FallSoftly I'll add that special tools aren't required besides the compression gauge and a scope. Nothing specific to Porsche. A home mechanic can do it. In my experience, though, someone selling their car normally prefers a bonded and insured mechanic conducting these PPI tests rather than a stranger interested in buying the car. Not to mention the mechanic is usually an unbiased party.
Those hood struts are a terrible design... The angle of the support is very poor. I have always found porsche to be a brand where the manufacturer does not give a f*** about cars that are 4yrs old. Their core audience for new cars will never buy or own one longer than three years and these buyers pay little heed to long term reliability reports and running/service costs. New porsche buyers typically just assume and expect that they are going to see the value of their car tank after the warranty is up, so residuals are an afterthought If you are going to buy a used porsche (newer models) Buy one from dealer with full service or just buy a concourse classic 911 that has had years of love and $$$ pored into it by someone else
allcot Ironically it is less or a problem with mass market car makers, nevertheless among the prestige marques Porsche fairs pretty badly. when compared to other German Brands and smaller volume high-end producers such as Aston Martin or Maserati
I NEVER buy NEW hood struts. They are $40 - $60 at a Parts Supplier. I go to junk yards and get used hood, deck lid struts for $5 - $10 .. Save your money. Also, look for GOOD USED Dunlops, Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli, Continental and Generals. Save $ on buying good used tires. Make a good visual inspection before you buy. Much cheaper than new.
i love this kind of repair shop... this is extremely hard to find i have so much respect for honest people... don't care who you are and where you from salute sir!
I like to buy cars that are good deals, but might need a few things.Put the $ in myself. This way i know whatever problems fixed are w new oemparts, that it was done right, and then you even have some good service record receipts now lol. Any car you look at it will have its common issues, like certain gaskets that like to leak, the IMS bearing issue is another example. But its the buyers responsibility to do their research and find out these common problem areas for the car you're interested in and check if its been corrected already or if it will need to be done. This can save you thousands in repairs and is overlooked too much. Go on the forums and make a post. Say you're in the market for this car with this spec. What should i look out for? Whats a fair price in the mileage/condition bracket im shopping in. What will eventually probably break and how much is that to fix. Also you might gain some knowledge on some options or packages you didnt know about and want or some overhyped.
Wonderful to watch a truly knowledgeable man work. The only sports car to drive is a 911with out the anti rear end skid. There may be no other thrill than to have every dime you have in your 911 and while driving, feel the rear end about to come around. That is living ??
@@ModMINI eh...yeah but a compression test is the only way to truely test the cylinder seal. A computer read out is not going to tell you that, well at least not on that car . I'm betting the inspection has to be noninvasive though so I do understand why that test is not feasible in a PPI.
@@themadmachinist8637 -- Also checking for scoring on the cylinder walls. Can happen with engines that have sat for a long time. First start, there's no oil in the chamber, the pistons grind against the cylinder walls. That roughness, in turn, causes the piston rings to wear faster.
@@sethjohnson4513 no need to check for scoring if it passes a compression test. You're building proper seal. If you're preparing to start an engine that's been sitting for years you're supposed to pull the plugs and squirt a little oil in each cylinder and rotate the engine gently by hand to break up any possible oxidation. If you encounter a grat deal of resistance then you have to rebuild.
The IMS/RMS was really the only thing that would worry me about that car in particular from what was shown in this vid. but then again its a car likely built in 1998. Shit wears out eventually. I sway bar endlink, O2 sensor ignition coil/spark plugs is stuff you can easily replace over a weekend, a few cuss words and a beer.
Go to 2:47 I would shy away from this car because there is no engine under the hood. Just a spare tire and a bottle of wiper fluid.
+hyzercreek Yup, one of the many reasons to avoid 911s altogether.
chuckle
Elon Musk drive.. quite advanced..
I guess you didn't see that pesky flat six motor tucked in the back behind the rear wheels.
parteibonza
Yeah, just a glorified VW bug engine
I like that the tech locked that shifter linkage in properly even though its just an inspection. I couldn't in good conscious let a car drive away with something like that waiting to put the occupants at risk. That's a good tech right there.
The mechanic in this video patiently and clearly gives so much information and advice.
That's one good mechanic.
That mechanic was great. Learned a bunch of things I didn’t usually look for when analyzing a car
Good advice, and a pleasure to watch a technician who knows what he is doing.
+Hopelessand Forlorn where was his German accent??? LOL I didn't expect ole Bubba to be doing the work.
knows about what he reads online and as a mechanic. But he's no Porsche mechanic for sure
Joe Joe
Hopefully you're not referring to Porsche dealers - they are by far the worst place to get an old Porsche serviced. Find an independent Porsche mechanic who races their personal 911's on the weekends (not hard to find) and you'll get the work done for half the price + the empathy that no Porsche dealer mechanic will ever have. The dealer-serviced value boost, if it even exists, is more than made up for by the money you save on repairs. The dealer will flat-out lie and RAPE you on parts and labor.
Source: owned two Porsches and wifey runs a Porsche shop. She gets dealer victims every. single. day. Horror stories - as in $3k estimates that turn out to be $100.
knows what?? have a lot of money , to have a big shop and expensive equipment doesnt give the right to say ,this dude is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT better than others... diagnostics is 1 thing and have money to buy everything its other
John Davis - Dang that is sad as hell to hear.
This is the best guide I've ever seen to buy an old Porsche........mechanic knows he's stuff👍
I nearly dropped my ipad at the price. Wow. Also, this guy can check my cars anytime he wants. I have never, ever, seen a "mechanic" so clear, thorough and professional.
$5000 is a huge exaggeration. Replaced the shocks on both the hood and the trunk recently on ours and replacing an o2 sensor and some sway bar links is easy enough. All parts can be found online dirty cheap. And a rear main seal leak is usually caused by the car sitting for a while and some driving around stops it. Did with ours anyway. For the year, that car was in really good condition.
FreeSpirits hes going by prices he would charge avreage dummy...yea parts zims..parts haven...racers net would be chump change not what he is quoting everything else is standard maintenxe
This vehicle not being a turbo is subject to IMS bearing failure. The oil leak is indicative of this possibility. More investigation into any metal debris in the oil should be tested. Dissecting the oil filter for metal debris is imperative. Since this vehicle was born, there has been two upgrades for the IMS replacement. To repair an IMS requires removing the engine. Not cheap. to do this work, consideration to which model of 911, miles, desirability for the vehicle has to be considered. For sure, an IMS bearing that goes bad will destroy the entire engine. Do not roll the dice that this will not happen. It will. Bottom line is to have a trusted tech provide answers.
@@scdevon Leaking seal is the clue that the IMS bearing has not been replaced. The leak itself isn't s big deal. The IMS bearing is. When it fails, it takes out the engine.
FreeSpirits more like 12008
@@philderrderr616 Yes you are right about that IMS bearing it is the weakest link in that Porsche range. The other flaws except for those shock bearings are not that expensive.
If I was going to buy one I would have to factor in replacing the IMS bearing in my budget first of all. Or I wouldn't even consider even looking at one.
Straight forward presentation. No cheesy music, intros or predictable cringe-worthy humor.
diablo3724 exactly. I'm starting to hate these youtube TV car shows.
Love the video, I don't think most people understand the fact that a lot of mechanics wouldn't let you film them while they work, let alone explain everything they're doing and looking for. I would love to see a more detailed breakdown of that $5k repair bill (I know it lists the specific problem areas in the description, but there's no cost next to each item), as well as the cost of the inspection itself. Keep up the great content!
Not even just for a Porsche, but this is a great tool and reference to any car when buying. Thanks for the upload, very informative.
That's a great car. I had the 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera and it was a great car. It sat for several years and a random engine problem occured with no Engine Warning Light coming on which was a weird fault Porsche said. Totaled at 39,000 miles...
It's good to see an automotive technician at the top of his game. This dude has the knowledge experience and equipment to get the job done. I'm a form of diesel tech with 30 years experience. If I found a shop like this I would still be turning wrenches. Sad to say this is the exception rather than the rule. Either way mad props to the tech, you did a good job buddy.
The IMS was the only thing that scared me away, everything else on that car was a piece of cake. The IMS scared me so bad that I went Turbo to avoid it ;)
That’s valid. So there are ways to know if the car has the IMS problem. For the 996s is simply to ask if the IMS bearing was done. If not, then any prospective buyer should account in the purchase price the $2.5k cost of replacement. Then you have a real sport car to drive. I can tell you that for me there is nothing (in this price range) that give you this driver’s experience.
@@nelran2009 I have a higher mileage 01 996 at 80,000miles without IMS done. Ims literally affects like 8% of the vehicles and usually shows up on garage queen low mileage cars that aren't driven much. My car has been driven every year since 01 and I'm not worried about ims at all. I'll probably have it inspected when it needs a clutch but not worrying about it till then.
actually thank you for this Video , i am currently in training to be a mechanic in germany, after watching quite some car Videos daily, from lots of american shops, and so on, after seeing this, this is the first out of id almost say hundreds of Videos , i saw that a shop actually does their inspection very detailed, i have Seen shops where they just look for oil leaks and thats it, they say everything else wont break :( , Good to See there are still professionals working in garages across the US
The only really big showstopper might be the leaking oilseal, all the other stuff is a bit of bushings, some bumpstops and getting rid of a few non major error codes which is perfectly normal for a 16 year old car...
+Rick te Kronnie Except that leaking seal will probably lead to a bad clutch, and as I recall that intermediate shaft problem can lead to catastrophic engine failure (as in time to buy a new engine). A seal you might let go for a while and plan on replacing the clutch at the same time but that bearing is bad news and needs to be taken care of right away.
+Jeff DeWitt you're probably right that all that could happen.
And they could smash it into a tree driving it home, which would cost a lot more than $5k to fix.
touristguy87 Yes... but a catastrophic engine failure from a failed intermediate shaft bearing is a lot more likely.
Jeff DeWitt ....sure, it's probably going to happen tomorrow.
@@JeffDeWitt About 4% of 996`s were affected by IMS failure as it turned out, so its certainly not universal by any measure. Bore scoring would probably be more of a possible issue.
That Brake Fluid Moisture tool is super cool and useful! I've never seen one before.
And kudos to the tech, he really knows his stuff!
5000 is way over exaggerated. I know for a fact an o2 sensor $30.00x2, Poly bushing for the sway bar = $79.99. Some rear main seals leak from just sitting so it's not like it was banged on. The clip I know is a mere $10.00. Im going to add shocks and struts for all four sides including bumpstops. These were the honda civics of Porsche. It's not a GT3. I have worked on several of these in my time
Guy is a joke, car was in amazing condition. All those little things are normal for used car and not expensive to fix. I would be pisses If I was a seller.
Oh ok, I wasn't talking amack or anything I was just like "WTF" lol
He did say the IMS seal or the rear main seal were leaking. That's not a cheap or easy job.
WHAT i JUST SPENT $300 FOR FOUR SHOCKS AND INSTALLED THEM MY SELF
Those $100 shocks will feel like shit as budget shocks are $25 each.
and Whom ever would put cheap and nasty in a sports car deserves to have their hands cut off so they dont ever drive said sports car or any other car
Never cheap out on suspension, brakes or tires, use mineral oil in the engine, transmission
You’ll want to go see this mechanic. He's a good man, and thorough.
Being an air-cooled bug fan for many years... this was quite a change of scenery :Oo Wow, worlds collide.. GR8T information. Thanks for posting.
This mechanic's awesome. Knows his stuff, patient, explains stuff properly.
Well done. This is why using an expert that services these cars every day and has seen the things that are not obvious but can be expensive. Pay the man. He saved you much more than he charged.
Todd Sadler That is the unvarnished truth. On the other hand, the Mercedes I have owned have been relatively inexpensive to own. True parts were not cheap, but they rarely needed anything.
Forget the Porsche but keep the mechanic!
FreedomForce100 was thinking the same.
FreedomForce100 was thinking the same.
no homo
Im sure on camera and off camera is a whole different ball game.
@Mike Elmezian don't you mean "too much money"
5 grand? Was that for something not shown? Looked like it was in great condition.
IMS is 2k+ alone
Car Geeks Anonymous Yeah this seems like basic maintenance
RMS Leak is big labour... and ims is another 1100 if it needs it.
Brilliant video! Well shot, good audio and followed the mechanic as he showed everything. Well done!
I'm sure someone got a good deal buying that. Repairs were minor.
Yep. 5000$?? Wat?
The gearbox/tranny has to be dropped out to replace the seal that's why it was quoted $5000. The rest of the repairs were minor
Cajun9000 I had three 996's. Two had rear main seal issues multiple times which eventually resulted in engine replacements in order to resolve the problem. That's why it isn't a minor issue, it's a sign of a screwed up block. It was redesigned and fixed for the 997. (This doesn't apply to the GT3 or turbo cars which still used the block from the 993.)
Anyone looking to buy a 1997 Porsche 911 Red with Black interior, about 52,000 original miles, garage kept. Has been off the road for two years. Faster than hell.
Too bad seller wouldn’t budge on price. Any 996 without the IMS repair already done needs to be cheap or walk away.
The ims repair isn't required if the car is taken care of and driven then the ins will be fine.
Pre-purchase inspections are vital with high-end cars. The mechanic doubling the inspection seemed very thorough. Great video.
Every word spoken in this video glitters with gold that is the value of such information. Thank you for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
You wasted your money on that PPI. Any '99 Porsche that did not have it's IMS/RMS done needs to have it done. You should have known that from the start. Otherwise, it looks like it was in good shape and priced right. If you are afraid of a 5K repair bill, then you shouldn't be looking at Porsches.
agreed if you looking at a Porsche or M3 and cant hack ponying up 3-5 grand you shouldn't be looking at them to begin with.
+cheepGeek Not exactly true. 99 til early 01's had a dual row IMS bearing that very very rarely fail. It's the late 01' and up that have more issues (which really are not all that common... under 10%) and even more so it's typically the REALLY low mileage cars that suffer from the IMSB problems.
+Kmagnuss most of the low mileage cars have old oil sitting in the Ims bearing area and after a while it goes acidic. This is from not driving your car and getting the oil hot and burning off all the acids and introducing new oil into the its areas. Drive your cars people!
+Martin Duprey
Piece Of Rusty Scrap, Cost Highly Expensive
Big Money Wasters
+Tom O'Connor How 'bout this?!
Please Overlook Really Shitty Cardboard Horrible Engine
Thanks for this video. Have just started to look at 996/997s maybe next summer and wondered where I could get an inspection like this done. Turns out, they are only 30 minutes away! Thanks!
Good luck!
The 996 does not log overrevs in more than 2 ranges. Only the from the 997 on they increased the number of ranges. On the 996 overrevs in range 2 are considered bad. Back in the day this would have disqualified the car from being eligible for Porsche's used car warranty.
+jamessmithe Is this car manual? Does that mean that the driver accidentally downshifted way to low a gear and forced the engine speed past it's rev limit, like say you are in 5th gear doing 60 mph and you accidentally select 1st gear and dropped the clutch?
+SI0AX Exactly, this is basically the only way to get overrevs in range 2 on a 996. Automatics are virtually immune from that as the ecu would not let the car downshift at revs that are too high. Just running into the limiter will produce overrevs in range 1 and is considered no issue
@@jamessmithe You would have thought that Porsche could have fitted a rev limiter to that car, but maybe that tech had not arrived yet ???
Good to know about IMA Autoworke! I'm in in the DMV area and I'll keep them in mind for a PPI, once I track down a 997.2! Can't imagine that mechanic is still there, but he seemed quite knowledgeable!
That was very interesting and informative. That gentleman with the handy flashlight knows his stuff! Thanks for the video.
Very impressed with this technician. For those who think his repair estimate is out of range:
1. He is pricing it at the Dealership
2. Has everyone forgotten the Rear Main Seal and the IMS?? Those are price repairs, clearly!
My apologies in advance if I did not get the content of the video properly but I own 911's and $5k in repairs for a 15+ year old 911? It's absolutely nothing. I read also your post on rightfootdown site. On a Porsche when you replace the clutch you don't replace just the clutch alone but you need to replace the entire set. $20k in total for a good 911 is really a great price in my experience but running costs are just high, like for any 911 out of warranty.
+turbophileas My thoughts were similar. Yes, we all want the 15K enthusiast owned car, but in reality unless you buy from a friend of a desperate seller it isn't very likely.
Both front wheels had some MAJOR play. Def seems it needs a bushing refresh or a new ball joint on the LCA. You can HEAR it knocking after he rotates the tire 4:48 and again at 5:41.
labor rates are the main problem with used luxury cars
Exactly, and if you can't do it yourself, it's not an exaggeration of condition.
Frank this is very true. A competent Porsche mechanic is about $120 an hour (I'm sure some charge more). Someone who can turn their own wrenches to some degree will save themselves tons of money.
This is super true. I recently got a really nice loaded X5 for 10k. Needed some work, the biggest job was $12 in parts and about 5 hours of my time. I would have been charged $1000 in a shop.
Canuck yes, if you can turn your own wrenches it's a huge advantage.
Never an issue. Do it yourself and if you know what you are doing, you know it is done right.
I use IMA to work on my car. The shop and its owner (Ivan) are great to deal with. They are located in Chantilly VA, suburbs of DC.
Guy is not a joke, this is IMA Motorsports or IMA Motorwerke. They did my 911 Turbo and know what they're doing. Talk to Ivan.
The technician is good and obviously knows what he is doing. Very professional. The shop owner should be proud this man is working for them.
nice video, basically this inspection works out for most cars
What a tremendously useful video. Miles better than the vast majority of internet 911 advice, largely because its based on facts and a great deal of experience.
This buyer clearly had only a business interest in this purchase, and therefore should go ahead and shop forever until they stumble upon perfection. A typical person looking for the used sports car of their dreams is not going to walk away because of the insignificant issues that were found on this SEVEN YEAR OLD example.
beloog99 rear main seal or ims bearing are not insignificant. the rest of the issues are minor.
beloog99 yes, seems they rejected a decent car.
Not only that but the 996 and 997 are some of the best 911s ever built they only have bad resale value because of their "not so desirable" headlights
But those can easily be converted if one desires.
The IMS bearing issue is unfortunately something that every 996 or Boxster owner from the late 90's to early aughts has to have done if they want to be absolutely clear of an IMS issue. That is simply cost of ownership for those models. The rear main seal is also, again, a cost of ownership aspect of these cars. I would not, however, say that either of those are a reason to walk away. A 996 or Boxster that hasn't had proper maintenance is a reason to walk away.
There is no free lunch with Porsches. However, the 996 with an IMS bearing change with at least adequate maintenance is about the best bargain you will ever find in a Porsche.
Rear main seal in ANY car is an expensive proposition.
I would like to thank you for posting this video. Very informative and the best is that you documented the whole process unlike other youtubers that only give their comments
I was really surprised for a 996 PPI that he didn't change the oil filter and cut it open for inspection. You don't have to change the oil, just the filter. Debris in the filter tells me way more about the engine condition than a visual inspection of the outside. To me this is just standard practice for a PPI on a 996 engine.
+Mark H good tip!
I have a 150 mile round trip commute on the twisties of central KY. I wanted something that got pretty good mileage and would be fun to drive. The car I chose back in summer of 2013 now has 140k miles on it. The only thing I've done to it is change the oil, and replace the spark plugs at 134k miles (and it made no difference in gas mileage nor performance). It gets about 31 mpg and has a six speed manual. Because I corner pretty hard it's been through 7 sets of tires, my favorite being the Michelin PSS's.
The only maintenance issue has been having to come up with my own rock solid water seal for the tail lights.
I absolutely love this car and it has been a blast these 5 years. It's a Scion FR-S.
Probably worth going to a specialist who knows you can only read the data from Range 1 and 2 on 996s......
Amen. Was going to say the same.
Fascinating clip. Walnut Creek Porsche rep said she knew my prospective purchase well and it was perfect. $45,000 to Pittsburg Chevy dealor and it was mine. $5,000. to Reno Porsche dealer and it was finally perfect.
In addition to worrying about the IMS bearing, you want those coolant pipe fittings pinned so you don't get a pop-out. If you don't have that done, here is a video on how to do it. ;) ua-cam.com/video/1UGLVJdHM28/v-deo.html
Great info! I am looking at buying a 2008 997 TT from a small out of state dealer. I had an independent shop do a ppi and they passed it with a clean bill of health. It has 67k on it and a few owners. It is also heavily modded to over 700 hp including meth injection. The shop also performed a DME and showed the following:
Range 1: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 50165 @ 2338.6 hours
Range 2: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 18703 @ 2338.6 hours
Range 3: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 5084 @ 2338.6 hours
Range 4: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 1362 @ 2338.6 hours
Range 5: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 90 @ 2338.6 hours
Range 6: Number of ignitions at speed>max speed: 0@ 0 hours
I'm a little concerned that all 5 ranges were hit at the same time. How would you interpret this data?
I think the scope he used to look at the air filter was worth more than my entire car
Roland Anderson bore scopes aren't that bad. worth having in the tool box. u might be surprised what u can get one for
Fair enough - just never seen that many gadgets in one garage, guess it makes sense though considering the cost of every car he had in there.
Roland Anderson I bought a boroscope for construction but now I use it for cars and everything,them diagnostic scan tool,paint depth guage etc etc but I think if you get them one at a time you'd be suprised how little you can get some for,not all but some
Roland Anderson it
They have very basic ones now that you can connect to your smartphone for REALLY cheap.
Just bought my Porsche in the Chesterfield area of Va! Been a good car to me sorta so far but have another vehicle just in case. Great video.
very proof. inspection- how much does a PPI LIKE THAT COST?
Tech didn't check under the oil cap for moisture which could indicate intermix trouble which the 3.4 is known for. Should have also checked oil filter for metal sparkles which could indicate impending IMS (or other) failure. Can tell by the low hanging tailpipes the engine mounts need to be replaced.
The type of negotiation that usually goes down with specialty vehicles, especially when they're in the exact color combination and with the exact options you desire, begs a slightly different approach in most cases... For example, seller asking $20k, PPI uncovers $5k worth of potential repairs (good PPIs nitpick, which can be a great bargaining tool, but there are things that might not be critical to a car's longevity), seller only willing to go down a couple of grand... At this point, you need to ask yourself.. How much do you really want the car AND can you afford the overage and its continued ownership...? Cars like this aren't purchased to haul the family around... They're usually emotional purchases. And, if you're a true enthusiast, there is always opportunity to nurse the right car (for you) back into health and its former glory.
This playing field isn't for everyone.
For these types of cars unless the owner can do some work on them, they are a complete moneypit. I have saved a ton of money doing maintenance both preventative and repairs myself.
Awesome, short, informative video! We just picked up a 996 which we KNOW has IMS failure, but we couldn't beat the price, and the wheels on the car have already ended up being worth more than we paid, so it looks like a good buy right now!
honeynut_ichiro you bought a 996 because it's ugly and no one wants one since most people lease cars. thats why the price was low enough for a middle class person like you to get one.
Frank Assnot whats wrong with that? it's a good deal on the car for how it drives and it's still easily worth $15-17k in my region on craigslist alone. No need to be an elitist about it.
That mechanic knew his stuff! I'm sure you can still drive it as is for a while not big issues. Nothing major was wrong but you never mentioned miles. How many miles on this 99? I can't believe my e36 m3 is the same year is that! 996 is timeless design
+ihsnshaik I agree. The 996 is really coming into its own as a classic design. I loved them from new, so I'm not too surprised they are getting a following.
great informative video on 911; i wish i had a mechanic like that local to me in Australia; he really knows his stuff
Just walk away from any car that you can not afford to run and maintain.
Eamon Os I remember hearing “if you can’t afford it New you can’t afford to keep it running Used”
@@ducknorris233 good advice
Good old IMA. Used to be motor sports I used to work diagonally across from them at Autothority Pitstop. No clue who is there now but if Ivan is still there I hope everything is going well with them and glad they survived the recession.
Good subject / info, please keep-up the good work. You guys/gals selected IMA Motorwerke as a shop, I would like to know why IMA vs other Porsche shops in the DMV area? Thank you in advance.
+BrainDesmo Thanks. We chose IMA dude to location and recommendation from other local Porsche owners.
+Right Foot Down Thanks for the reply. Noted. They seem to be a detailed shop.
For all of us concerned about the Porsche IMS Bearing issue - I found a very informative article from Autohaus Hamilton in Australia about the IMS. The article also lists all the models and engines (with engine numbers) that are affected. To read the article just type in “Autohaus Hamilton IMS” into google. The Porsche models that are prone to IMS failure and should be replaced are: - All 986 Boxster models. - 987 Cayman & Boxster models up to engine number 61504715 - All 996 models (not including: GT and Turbo models) - 997 3.6ltr with M96/05 up to engine number 6950745
Im still waiting to see what the fail point in the inspection was.. I mean shocks go bad, that small oil leak on the rear main might have been an issue if it was a major leak, but I drive cars that leak a bit of oil from time to time and just make sure to keep up on oil level checks..
I have worked on a few of these and my advice is 98' or older. If you want a water-cooled 996 or 997 make sure it is a turbo or GT3
For the prices charged, Porsches are very delicate and trouble-prone cars. I've watched the UA-cam videos of Porsches being assembled. The technicians look very patient and thorough. Yet, somehow, even the cheapest Honda or Toyota is more durable.
I won’t disagree when looking at 1998 and newer Carreras but the turbos that still used the cooled cases and the air cooled cars I have to disagree. I worked on many an air cooled car with over 350k miles and never had a rebuild and the guys still took them to the track. If that is delicate then I have to ask by what measure do you consider a car reliable.
One more thing it isn’t that the average Honda or Toyota has less problems. They just happen to cost 1/32nd to fix
@@pprotory : It's the little things that break on Porsches(rear hatch latches, visor mirrors, carpet comes up, plastic cracks, power window switches, etc.) the things that last forever in a Honda or Toyota.
@@pprotory : Drivetrain reliability is SOP these days. Even KIA/Hyundai make a durable drivetrain. It's the accessory systems-HVAC, power windows/mirrors/seats, trim, that many German marques can't get right and when they break, the repairs are astounding. Car critics may fault Lexus/Acura for their lack of driver engagement, but they run forever. I had a '97 LS400 that, even with 160,000 miles, would put any 10-year newer GM or Ford product to shame.
@@Alexi7666 Honestly the Honda's and Toyota's all have those problems en mass too. It's just when it only costs 15 bucks for the part to diy it yourself you hear way less complaints about them. Just about every car has problems. The only thing that separates them is the cost to fix.
That said the clips in the old air cooled porsches that held the visors up were junk and the fact that they pretty much used the same clip for 30 years was pretty dumb. Then again given the car was meant for racing first and foremost I guess they only cared where it mattered.
I may have missed it but always check camshaft deviation on 996s. No point in tackling the IMS until deviation is within spec. I also wouldn't buy a 996 or 986 unless you can do the work yourself. Unless it was maintained immaculately, basic maintenance items add up quick even paying independent labor rates.
Great inspection but why not a wheels off brake inspection? Come to think of it how do you know you can get a wheel off when you are on the side of the road? Looking through the wheel can tell you a bit but you really ought to pull all the wheels, perhaps someone mucked up a lug when changing a tire/wheel assembly, more than one reason to pull the wheels when doing a used car check out.
I was asked to do a brake inspection on a 2003 BMW X5. If I had never pulled the wheel I would not have found the inner pad worn into the rotor. The outer pad was in such good condition I will say it was only following my procedure to always pull wheels when asked specifically to do a brake inspection. It is possible that lugs are too tight or the wheel is seized to the rotor hub (I am sure others have seen this). Can you imagine trying to get the wheel/tire assembly off when the vehicle is on the side of the road? I did like the idea of using the camera to check the air filter element, this is really using your head and your wallet. Sure it will take quite a few jobs to pay for that tool but the time saved is money in the bank.
Oh about animals. Old VW Bug was towed in. I found a kitten (this is no B.S.) sitting on top of the starter. You can imagine how far I jumped when I found something furry on top of the starter. The kitten made the tow ride and I found the wire to the solenoid hanging free.
Hello bov, what is your feeling about using that same anti-seize on the lug threads? I used it for many years in that way but from time to time other techs would object. The objection was that the anti-sieze would affect the torque applied. My feeling was I did not want a lug I could not remove. We brought the issue up to our BMW district rep and he did not object or promote the practice.
+Dan R: The lubrication used on caliper pins isn't the same stuff as the grey anti seize you see used on bolts. I know that some people do use regular anti seize on their brake pins and I have in the past. It is however not considered a proper brake pin lubricant and I know that certain brake pad manufacturers will void your warranty if you didn't buy one of them small packets of brake pin lube when purchasing the pads. I don't doubt that the pin lube is better though, it slides easier and from my experience appears to work better especially on rusty pins, than regular anti seize.
As far as using actual anti-seize on lug nuts (not brake pin lube) I always have. Living in the rust belt, anti-seize on lug nuts isn't even an option, especially with aluminum wheels. If you don't apply anti-seize to aluminum wheels, they can fuse to the studs and nuts in as little as 2 years. Lug nuts will sometimes twist the stud clean off because of the corrosion locking them together so tightly. I've seen aluminum wheels where we had to break every stud off and even after that the wheel itself was fused directly to the brake rotor or brake drum. Just a nightmare to deal with.
As far as torquing the lug nut to the proper spec with anti seize their are conversion charts available online for making the proper torque adjustment. Which will always be less torque is necessary than would be required on a dry bolt down. You should never use actual grease on wheel studs I've been told, but I've seen old timer shade tree mechanics do it and never heard of someone actually losing a wheel. I would never do it though, anti seize is not that expensive and is a 100% accepted practice at least in my area.
Hello Carl, I bet you are from GM. I am mainly BMW with a heavy dose of GM. BMW does not use caliper pins in any model, we use silver anti seize on any contact or sliding point. GM just loves caliper pins and we did use a different product. Very important the caliper slides freely. Another place to use anti seize is that small machine screw used to locate the rotor to hub. Such a pain to waste time with a seized rotor screw.
Dan R Ok I've never worked on a BMW brake system, but yes the vast majority of vehicles I've worked on were US domestics, Ford, Dodge, GM which all use brake pins. I actually almost bought a 2014, 3 series a few months ago but it was just a little more than I wanted to spend. Love the look though.
Thanks for a very informative video. I want to get a P car and this has convinced me to get a PPI from a Porsche expert as opposed to doing it myself with most cars I buy.
I walk away from ALL Porsches
Can't afford them.
Yooooou're welcome.
you're welcome.
zhis iz not wery funny try again.
there is no spoon i bet you dnt even have a drivers license or car
Gaz Girl.. What a stupid thing to say.
Impressively thorough & knowlegable technician.
I can save you a bit of time in watching this video. If you want an old 911, have enough money to buy TWO. That's about where most people wind up when they sell. If this bothers you, or you think that car is a "good deal" and you can flip it and make a buck, do not buy an old 911.
Know that for most repairs to the drive train, the entire engine and transaxle must come out. Then you will find more repairs to be made, those "while you're in there" type of things..and you'll want to do them all before you put the car back together.
Also, unless you live in California, there are very few experienced techs left servicing the aircooled cars. The faults found with this one are MINOR compared to what you might find on most of these cars. Low mileage cars can actually be among the WORST of them. Service records tell you almost NOTHING.
These 996's are great value for money. If you wanted an air cooled classic you'd pay 3-4 times more. And these are better driving cars.
unless there was a lot done on that PPI we didn't see that was a terrible PPi and was not thorough at all. I would have been livid if I had paid for that PPI that could have been done at home .. how about using that fancy camera to check for cylinder scoring as it is quickly becoming the biggest 996/7 issue. how about checking for intermix in the coolant, or even a compression check or leakdown. There is no way that was 5K work of work in what he pointed out. did he even pull out the dipstick to look for frothing or emulsion ?
My neighbor has a 2007 911 GT3. Only around 35Kmi. He's replaced at least 2 clutches and a starter motor. And there was a issue with the anti lock brake system. My Vette took 58K and over 5 years before something went wrong. The HVAC module needs replacing. So far, all else works. I just replaced the battery. $130 inc tax. So far, so good...And the Vette I have has almost as many German parts in as the Porsche. LOL!
I absolutely hate my 996 headlights.... However I love my car and wouldn't drive anything else under $40k.... The driving experience is something no hot hatch or muscle car can compete with. I love my 6 speed Porsche with a motor in the "wrong placement"
The facelifted 996 isnt that bad
Neat video! I've heard a few things about the 996 and what to watch for. Glad to see a video that covers it.
That guy really knows his stuff.
This was the best You Tube video I have ever see. Nice photo work, nice editing and great subject matter even if I never want to own a Porsche. Thank You
Opt for a turbo and you don't have to worry about the IMS.
+Michael Graham And double the price
Yeah, just the cams spinning
Thank you SO very much for doing this. These are not the type of cars that many of us know well but want so this is really valuable info!
Reminds me of a typical BMW dealer's used car inspection, they can always find $5K worth of work. I didn't expect much looking at the shop doing the job. If you can afford high end cars then you don't care getting ripped off on prices.
"If you can afford high end cars then you don't care getting ripped off on prices."
That's something a poser would say.
William Kelley For black people yea, but any smart used car shopper would check a car for abuse and poor maintenance before buying. After all buying used is the way to go under the right conditions.
your comment is beyond absolutely useless and unessesary
what a racist !
Felix , your laughable , where is the Racism ... reverse racism from you joker
That is insane. I would never have thought a computer in a car holds historical info. And the leaves. Well, thanks man, I have a 2013 BOSS and I am going to give it a good look tomorrow even though I rarely drive it
This tech is thorough. Master at work
The IMS issue is really the largest concern, and should be addressed. I had my 911 for 9 years and it was very reliable. The only issues I had was the A/C would not work. Which was enough to sell it, as my iphone kept shutting down due to temp!
Good mechanic explains well. I liked this a lot.
+minimalistinlife He likes you a lot too. Or would be customers.. I mean come on, these cars are used. Who would pay 996 money for a car then keep it in 100% perfect condition? No car is perfect and if it is, it wouldn't be in his budget anyway.
+MagicAyrtonforever I do
Andy Dickens Good, so you're going to sell your 996 for peanuts then?
He knows a Porsche inside and out that's for sure you did a great inspection as far as I can tell.
How much was the inspection?
+Scott Barnes PPI without a compression test you should not pay more that $300. $250 is nominal. If you run a compression test max you should pay is $600 depending on how in depth their report is.
+FallSoftly Have you done a compression on test on a 996/997? You need to take the cats off to do it which means the car is in the air which means it takes up a bay at the shop.. not something you can do out on the lot. PLUS it also includes a scope to check for bore scoring. It's about a three hour job minimum including the write up. Your comment leads me to believe you haven't conducted this on a 996/997 before.
+FallSoftly So the answer is no you haven't done one then.
+FallSoftly I'll be clearer. I have. Have you?
+FallSoftly I'll add that special tools aren't required besides the compression gauge and a scope. Nothing specific to Porsche. A home mechanic can do it. In my experience, though, someone selling their car normally prefers a bonded and insured mechanic conducting these PPI tests rather than a stranger interested in buying the car. Not to mention the mechanic is usually an unbiased party.
Those hood struts are a terrible design... The angle of the support is very poor. I have always found porsche to be a brand where the manufacturer does not give a f*** about cars that are 4yrs old. Their core audience for new cars will never buy or own one longer than three years and these buyers pay little heed to long term reliability reports and running/service costs. New porsche buyers typically just assume and expect that they are going to see the value of their car tank after the warranty is up, so residuals are an afterthought
If you are going to buy a used porsche (newer models) Buy one from dealer with full service or just buy a concourse classic 911 that has had years of love and $$$ pored into it by someone else
TheComputec the supports are $20 each at pep boys. It takes 10 minutes to pop them off and on.
Could say that about almost any car.
allcot Ironically it is less or a problem with mass market car makers, nevertheless among the prestige marques Porsche fairs pretty badly. when compared to other German Brands and smaller volume high-end producers such as Aston Martin or Maserati
I NEVER buy NEW hood struts. They are $40 - $60 at a Parts Supplier. I go to junk yards and get used hood, deck lid struts for $5 - $10 .. Save your money. Also, look for GOOD USED Dunlops, Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli, Continental and Generals. Save $ on buying good used tires. Make a good visual inspection before you buy. Much cheaper than new.
The dude's thorough. I'd take his advice on automotive matters.
You would be the guy I go to next time Im selling the Brooklyn Bridge.
i love this kind of repair shop... this is extremely hard to find
i have so much respect for honest people... don't care who you are and where you from
salute sir!
I like to buy cars that are good deals, but might need a few things.Put the $ in myself. This way i know whatever problems fixed are w new oemparts, that it was done right, and then you even have some good service record receipts now lol.
Any car you look at it will have its common issues, like certain gaskets that like to leak, the IMS bearing issue is another example. But its the buyers responsibility to do their research and find out these common problem areas for the car you're interested in and check if its been corrected already or if it will need to be done. This can save you thousands in repairs and is overlooked too much. Go on the forums and make a post. Say you're in the market for this car with this spec. What should i look out for? Whats a fair price in the mileage/condition bracket im shopping in. What will eventually probably break and how much is that to fix. Also you might gain some knowledge on some options or packages you didnt know about and want or some overhyped.
So true!
+Anthony G you talk too much
+Panerai Ferrari Then you clearly didnt get the concept. Good luck getting stuck with a POS money pit! LOL
Wonderful to watch a truly knowledgeable man work.
The only sports car to drive is a 911with out the anti rear end skid. There may be no other thrill than to have every dime you have in your 911 and while driving, feel the rear end about to come around. That is living ??
No compression test? How many miles on it? What was the asking price?
lol, yea. but they checked the air filter, gud enuf! lmao
He hooked it up to the computer. He would have been able to get data stream from the engine while running and verify engine health that way.
@@ModMINI eh...yeah but a compression test is the only way to truely test the cylinder seal. A computer read out is not going to tell you that, well at least not on that car . I'm betting the inspection has to be noninvasive though so I do understand why that test is not feasible in a PPI.
@@themadmachinist8637 -- Also checking for scoring on the cylinder walls. Can happen with engines that have sat for a long time. First start, there's no oil in the chamber, the pistons grind against the cylinder walls. That roughness, in turn, causes the piston rings to wear faster.
@@sethjohnson4513 no need to check for scoring if it passes a compression test. You're building proper seal. If you're preparing to start an engine that's been sitting for years you're supposed to pull the plugs and squirt a little oil in each cylinder and rotate the engine gently by hand to break up any possible oxidation. If you encounter a grat deal of resistance then you have to rebuild.
Those drain holes are important! I would know. Ive owned a jeep ... and have done some reading.
Thank you for taking the time. Great insight! What does a PPI cost?
couple hundred bucks
Thank you!
Wow thanks! Very comprehensive consumer advice for these under-rated cars.
ALWAYS have an inspection done. On any vehicle.
This is why I love UA-cam...Very informative $$$ saving advice. I'm going to buy a 2008 Cayenne S so I'll be looking for info on it.
Tyler Hoovie should've watched this video.
The IMS/RMS was really the only thing that would worry me about that car in particular from what was shown in this vid. but then again its a car likely built in 1998. Shit wears out eventually. I sway bar endlink, O2 sensor ignition coil/spark plugs is stuff you can easily replace over a weekend, a few cuss words and a beer.