Poll: Who has had a Real Main Seal problem

Mike Butler · Feb 20, 2003

Mine has just started playing up on my MY01 S (is being fixed under warranty). This seems to be a major problem on Boxsters. Who else has had this problem and how was it dealt with by your OPC?

Mike

Guest · Feb 20, 2003

It' s a really common problem.

Porsche do recognise it as a problem, but what happens if it fails, when the car is out of warantee?

In my humble opinion, a company that is second to none when it comes to recalls and repair work is BMW, after a common problem has been identified. I remember owning a 1986 325i back in the 97. They recalled an 11 year old car and replaced parts free. Talk about honouring the marque!

I haven' t yet heard of the same level of commitment from Porsche.
Do they do this?

e.g:
The addition of a plastic gasket behind the door catches on early Boxsters/996' s -Rust is known to develop here. A problem caused the slight movement of the catch when doors shut. This effects the paintwork .

Also, the dreaded rear main seal problems etc etc.

<edited!>

Mike Butler · Feb 20, 2003

I was lucky.. It' s happened now and my warranty runs out in two weeks so no arguments!

Guest · Feb 20, 2003

But isn' t the Rear Main Seal problem recognised as a manafacturer' s defect?

daro911 · Feb 20, 2003

ORIGINAL: Mike Butler

Mine has just started playing up on my MY01 S (is being fixed under warranty). This seems to be a major problem on Boxsters. Who else has had this problem and how was it dealt with by your OPC?

Mike

Hi Mike ...How many miles have you done? This has been an incurable fault from day one and obviously not one Porsche have a permanent answer for yet!

Can you imagine Honda or Toyo allowing this to go on in one of there hot selling models [

] me neither

JCB.. · Feb 21, 2003

Replaced under warranty

Mike Butler · Feb 21, 2003

How many miles have you done?

9,100....

JCB.. · Feb 21, 2003

Mine was at around 34k now on 45k

Guest · Feb 21, 2003

Just out of interest, what are the symptoms of the RMS problem?

Thanks.

Mike Butler · Feb 22, 2003

Oil dropping and the smell of burning oil are typical. This is what I have....

Guest · Feb 22, 2003

Thanks Mike - now I know what to look out for.

Guest · Feb 27, 2003

Mine was replaced on 2nd year service, just in warranty at 24k miles

Brian Halling · Feb 27, 2003

Mine was replaced twice!! After the first replacement the oil drip turned to a flood within ten minutes of the car being returned, making a mess of my paved drive.

I asked the question about what if it happens again after the warranty has expired, and was assured that ' Porsche would take care of it' .

mikecolquhoun · Mar 1, 2003

So how much does this wretched seal cost to replace, gather it a meaty sum???

Mike Butler · Mar 1, 2003

I have heard £1K quoted but mine is being replaced under warranty....

Mike

Brian Halling · Mar 2, 2003

My second replacement took two days, so if it had not been a warranty job no doubt it would have had a price to match. I gather that the seal has now been redesigned, although no one at my dealership will admit to there being a generic problem.

IainCameron · Mar 3, 2003

I wrote this in the Yahoo club pages:
I have a Boxster (MY2002 S) built in Finland. My car started to leak engine oil at only 3,500 miles. I was told it is an engine AND gearbox removal job to replace the oil seal (tiptronic cars only). In fact, they replaced two oil seals while the unit was out. My OPC wase very good and I could not tell that the engine or gearbox had been removed. All done under warranty, of course!

I am also told that all engines and gearboxes are manufactured in the same factory so it can happen to any Boxster.

Iain Cameron

Guest · Mar 10, 2003

Mine was replaced recently by OPC Leeds, not under warranty but as a goodwill gesture by Porsche which I would say confirms they know it is a design fault and just deal with it as it arises rather than recall the cars. The fault was discovered during the 2nd year service at 22K miles, no further problems at the moment but I have to say the idea of the gearbox out to sort it made me a little uneasy! Once the gearbox was out, they found a worn bearing on the sub shaft but that is another story!!

Peter