Rennteam 2.0 - EN - Forum - Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak. - Page1

Sep 27, 2005 5:44:28 PM

eggy23: Newbie; Loc: Western Australia; Posts: 3, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 27, 2005

Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

I am thinking of buying a second hand boxster S.
I asked for the vehicle to be inspected and the buyer agreed to do so.
It is a 2001 MY00, with 32000 kms.
The porsche mechanic has said that there is a "slight leak from the rear main seal" which does not require urgent attention.
Is this the dreaded RMS problem?
Or is this normal for a car of this age to have a bit of leak?
Given that desciption, when would it be neccessary to replace that seal?
Would I need to eventually replace the engine?
Should I look for another second hand porsche?

Thanks in advance for any useful advice.

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Sep 27, 2005 7:40:49 PM

964C2: Expert; Loc: Dallas, TX , United States; Posts: 1825, Gallery; Registered on: May 11, 2004; Reply to: eggy23

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

It is most probably the RMS....if the seller will not repair it, then use it to negotiate a lower price. It's not a reason necessarily to avoid the car, just factor it into the cost.

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Sep 27, 2005 7:43:38 PM

Dr. Phil: Rennteam Master; Loc: Denmark , Denmark; Posts: 5884, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 30, 2004; Reply to: eggy23

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

eggy23 said:
I am thinking of buying a second hand boxster S.
I asked for the vehicle to be inspected and the buyer agreed to do so.
It is a 2001 MY00, with 32000 kms.
The porsche mechanic has said that there is a "slight leak from the rear main seal" which does not require urgent attention.
Is this the dreaded RMS problem?

Sounds like it!

Or is this normal for a car of this age to have a bit of leak?

I dont think so. Mine has appr. 87000 kms on the clock and I have never had a leak

Given that desciption, when would it be neccessary to replace that seal?

Hard to say. A week, a year... but eventually it will need replacement.

Would I need to eventually replace the engine?

Not from an RMS leak alone. RMS leaks are dreaded mostly because the mech work is extensive and thus costly. The engine can easily survive an RMS leak provided you take care of it in time.

Should I look for another second hand porsche?

Depends on its general condition. Has it be driven hard? (check brakes, listen to the engine, ask the mech), does it look well-cared for?, does the (neutral) Porsche mechanic find it in great condition? These are questions you need to be asking yourself IMO.
With 32000 kms on the clock the car should be like new. Mine has run thrice that and still runs perfectly, so be critical! check www.mobile.de . There are plenty of nice Boxsters out there, so if you don't feel 100% comfortable - and I mean ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, Don't buy it! Hope this helps

Thanks in advance for any useful advice.

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Sep 27, 2005 7:44:49 PM

Dr. Phil: Rennteam Master; Loc: Denmark , Denmark; Posts: 5884, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 30, 2004; Reply to: 964C2

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

Quote:
964C2 said:
It is most probably the RMS....if the seller will not repair it, then use it to negotiate a lower price. It's not a reason necessarily to avoid the car, just factor it into the cost.

I totally agree!

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Sep 28, 2005 7:02:19 AM

eggy23: Newbie; Loc: Western Australia; Posts: 3, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 27, 2005; Reply to: Dr. Phil

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

Many thanks for your advice.

Dr Phil - regarding your porsche boxster S. When you say that your has done 87000 kms and never had a leak,
does that mean that there is no oil on the garage floor?

or does that mean that there is no oil leaking from around the seal?

I am guessing that there are diffrent levels of leak, from just a little bit around the engine block, to larger ones which actually leak onto the floor.

The porsche mechanic was very reassuring.
He said that seals always leak after 4 yrs (the rubber gets old) and with a car that has done very little kms, and long periods where the car is NOT in use, that the rubber seals often develop minor leaks cos they aint lubricated.

Is this true?

The mechanic also said that the dreaded RMS problem was made up by a overly concerned american who have overstated how big the problem actually is.
Is this true also?

Otherwise, the car is in "very good" condition according to the mechanic. A few problems with the ash tray lid, a "bit heavy on the clutch" but otherwise "nothing needing urgent attention".

Anything else I should look out for?

Thanks.

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Sep 28, 2005 7:11:33 AM

Dr. Phil: Rennteam Master; Loc: Denmark , Denmark; Posts: 5884, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 30, 2004; Reply to: eggy23

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

Eggy, you're welcome.

* I have NEVER had as much as a single drop of oil anywhere.
Mind you, I have only had the car for a year, so I dunno what happened before then.

I drive my car everyday like I would any other, so it never sits still for very long.

* RMS-issue is no biggie. It can just be expensive.

* Ask him in detail about the "heavy clutch". What does he think it's caused by? Listen for squeeks when you floor the clutch - it might be worn.
Again, nothing serious at all - but it all costs money.
RMS + clutch replacement = $$ ouch!

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Sep 28, 2005 7:35:55 AM

eggy23: Newbie; Loc: Western Australia; Posts: 3, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 27, 2005; Reply to: Dr. Phil

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

Thanks for the quick reply.

You have been most informative.

I think I will go ahead with the purchase.

I seek your opinion regarding one last comment on RMS failure.
I found a worrying post by MNBoxster (May 04)
I quote:
"Actually, the number of engines replaced is not at all small something like 5%-7%. That's a HUGE number. Depending upon the degree of defect, the RMS is either replaced with a two year warranty or the engine is replaced with either a New engine or a 'Rebuilt' one. An acquaintance just had a New motor installed in his '04 Boxster S due to RMS failure.

The problem is inherent in the casting procedure which Porsche does. They use a method which supposedly requires no final Machining (Line-Boring) the Crank opening. If the Block is defective, the RMS will not seal properly around the two halves of the block. The degree of defect(s) will determine the degree of RMS failure.

The RMS is usually a Progressive Failure, that is, it starts out slowly leaking and gets worse in time. But a number of them (like my friend's) have been sudden. With these sudden failures, internal engine damages usually occurs, so the engine has to be replaced. Porsche and the Dealer look at each on a case-by-case basis and determine whether the engine is Kapoot or can simply be repaired.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99 "

This post doesn't sound right. What do you think?

The RMS, to replace = australia $500 so not too expensive.(parts and labour)

Not sure how much the clutch is.

Thanks.

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Sep 28, 2005 8:04:24 AM

Dr. Phil: Rennteam Master; Loc: Denmark , Denmark; Posts: 5884, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 30, 2004; Reply to: eggy23

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

You're welcome

If I were you, I'd get in touch with your local Porsche dealer and ask them about warranty, free replacement etc should this become necessary.
Get it IN WRITING, and do yourself a BIG favor, and look at this 100% objectively.
DO NOT dismiss a potential expensive RMS (or other) problem just because you are anxious to get a car. It's a classic mistake. I know - I made it once a few years back (not a Porsche)

There are plenty of Boxsters out there. Better wait a few weeks or even months than getting a bad car.

I really have no knowledge about the way the Boxster engine is produced, so the post your wuote might be right on the money or totally off.
I have personally only herad of ONE Boxster engine getting replaced - it was a Rennteam member who had the bad fortune, and I even think he got a new car because of it. Other than that I don't have any personal knowledge to confirm or dismiss that claim.
To me, it sounds like an extremely high percentage that get replaced. Too high to be true when you know that the Boxster is tested by German TÛV to be the most reliable car, bar none.

The car you are looking at sounds ok, but get a detailed report/assessment from the mech on both clutch and RS before taking the plunge.

Take care and good luck

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Sep 28, 2005 9:09:14 AM

tonysss13: Newbie; Loc: uk; Posts: 4, Gallery; Registered on: Sep 21, 2005; Reply to: Dr. Phil

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS leak.

hi

regarding the RMS leak. i have the same problem according to my last 2 services and now they say it needs fixing

however i have never had a drip of oil on my path or had to top it up.

according to the dealer it collects in the clutch housing so you wont see a drip on floor

hope this helps

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Sep 28, 2005 11:03:54 AM

Amfibius: Newbie; Loc: Australia; Posts: 20, Gallery; Registered on: Feb 14, 2005; Reply to: tonysss13

Re: Buying 986 boxster S second hand - need advice on RMS le

Oh, so you ARE going to go ahead with it! That's nice to know. So I won't be the only guy at work to have one then

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