# Exploding Boxster!!....She's back - grinning again



## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Unbelievable!

It seems the engine in my Boxster S has self destructed 

Following a Sunday afternoon run around the hills and heading from home I overtook a couple of cars, 80 ish in third, when there was a thud and the the biggest cloud of white smoke I've ever seen behind me...loss of power, rough running and a rapidly climbing temp gauge.

Found somewhere safe to stop and called Porsche Assist who took the car and myself home. Water in the oil, no coolant and still clouds of sweet smelling smoke 

Anyway Porsche arranged for the car to be transported 70 miles to the nearest OPC.on Monday morning...re-assuring phone call from the service manager midday telling me not to worry (difficult not to) and he would update me in the evening - at 5pm the engine was out and they would investigate the extent of the problem today.

Phone call this evening telling me that all 3 liners on one bank of the engine have cracked; not little cracks, but great big ones apparently.

There's no messing around it seems with Porsche and warranty repairs...Porsche are sending over a new engine from Germany tonight and if all goes well the car will be returned to me on Friday.

It's a little disapointing to have the engine fail on a 14k miles car like this, there were no indications that anything was amiss before the failure...in the 5k miles I've covered since owning it, it hasn't needed either the oil or the coolant topping up.

If there is a "Silver Lining" to this black cloud, I'll look on the bright side and tell myself I'm unlikely to be struck by lightning twice! Hopefully the new engine will be staying in it's new home permanently.

The service from the Porsche dealer has, IMO, been staggeringly good.
I really expected the car to sit around for a couple of days before they could even look at.
However, contrary to my expectations, they seem to have got "stuck in" immediately. I've been kept fully informed of the progress by friendly and courteous staff...and I didn't even buy the car from this OPC!
The best part of all, I will not be paying a single penny of the estimated Â£12k repair bill   (thank goodness).

For those in "the know" with Porsche engines any thoughts why this should have happened?

Jackie x


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Jackie,
Sorry to hear this. Hope its gets fixed soon and free, hope they've given you a Carrera GT as a courtesy car !


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## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

> Phone call this evening telling me that all 3 liners on one bank of the engine have cracked; not little cracks, but great big ones apparently.


 Thats a real shame Jackie, in a year on the Boxster forum I never heard of an engine fail like that. Thats very unusual, I wonder what caused it?

Anyway, it's good to hear that Porsche appear to be sorting it out so quickly, without question [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Keep us updated 
:wink:


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

> Thats a real shame Jackie, in a year on the Boxster forum I never heard of an engine fail like that. Thats very unusual, I wonder what caused it?


There is a guy in Edinburgh from one of the forums who's lost his engine at 17k miles though that appears to be valve related - he's also having a new engine fitted this week.

Certainly worrying at the time if only from the point of veiw that some OPC's seem to protect Porsche rather than look after their customers when it comes to warranty claims.
Happily that's not the case here...had to do nothing other than leave a contact tel No with them and they've done everything. It's certainly a re-assuring, efficient and refreshing attitude...I can't fault their performance at all 

As to what's caused it...well that's a mystery for now. They did think that overheating may have caused it but I think they've scanned the car for fault codes but nothing relating to overheating was found :?

So long as I get it back fit and healthy again I'll start grinning again 

Jackie x


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

A brand new engine FOC sounds like quite a silver, silver lining to me. 

Brings home the value of the warranty on a car like this


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Blimey Jackie that is bad news - still you'll have a nice new engine to run in so not all bad. 

Hope everything gets sorted for you soon.


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## Antwerpman (Nov 4, 2002)

I have heard that there is a problem with the Rear Main Seal on the Boxster and 3.4 996's that can lead to needing a new engine....although I am not sure if this has anything to do with your engine failure. Check out pistonheads porshe forum as they have been talking about it on there

Good luck with the new engine


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Jackie

Sorry to hear of your problems, but at least it looks like it is being sorted efficiently without cost to you. I wonder if you would have got the same service from AUDI?


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## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Jackie
Not great news, but at least excellent service and a new engine under warranty.

I've heard of engine issues with Boxsters, but I thought it was mostly higher mileages. 
I think OPC's labour rates (not that your paying :wink: ) tend to be steep, add in access issues with the 'box and pricey parts and you've a large bill.

Still, as you say a new, hopefully more reliable engine and limited inconvenience can't be too bad.
Good luck!


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

I put it down to the ZORST resonating   :wink:


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## jgoodman00 (May 6, 2002)

Amazing!

But at least they are sorting it out, & rapidly.

I also cannot fault the service I have received from Porsche. Infact, everytime I deal with them I am left surprised at how good they are. A huge different to my Audi experience which was somewhat underwhelming...


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

> I have heard that there is a problem with the Rear Main Seal on the Boxster and 3.4 996's that can lead to needing a new engine....


Yes, there is a long standing (amazingly) problem with this seal. Not sure that it has ever resulted in an engine failure, the worst that happens is a few oil stains on the drive or garage floor.

It seems that the crankshaft main bearing housings are not always concentric with the RMS oil seal housing (hard to believe, but true!) As a consequence the seal wears and fails.
Though Porsche have introduced several variants of this seal, the engine appears to be fundamentally flawed.

In the US owners invariably get a new engine, while us poor Brits seem to have to put up with seal replacement and the prospect of a failure sooner or later again.
IIRC some owners have had this seal replaced three times, not acceptable at all.

Hopefully she'll be reunited with her car soon, getting fed up with her long face - and she's pinched my car :roll:

As for comparing the service from Porsche with that of Audi - well, there is no comparison. Had experience of all the main German manufacturers, sad to say none have approached the level we have experinced. Then again I've heard plenty of horror stories regarding OPC's throughout UK; they're not all good.

Dave


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## gcp (Aug 8, 2002)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> estimated Â£12k repair bill


Ouch, thank goodness it was a warranty job.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

If you enjoy the car then keep it.

But if not, now it may be the time to sell it with a profit. :wink:


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## DXN (May 18, 2002)

I think a porsche with a engine blown up would be difficult to sell Vlastan :roll:

Hope it gets sorted for you matey.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

DXN said:


> I think a porsche with a engine blown up would be difficult to sell Vlastan :roll:
> 
> Hope it gets sorted for you matey.


Noooo, you silly boy!! You don't follow me!!

I mean the Boxster with the NEW engine in. This can now be sold and Dave and Jackie make a profit over the price they paid for the car before.


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## coupe-sport (May 7, 2002)

> make a profit over the price they paid for the car before.


How ?


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Andy and James...have you been drinking tonight chaps? :roll:

How? Well the old engine had done 15k miles (or something like that). Now the same car will have a new engine so the price for selling it will be higher now than the price Dave paid to buy it. My understanding is that the car was not new when they bought it but it was second hand with something like 10k miles on the clock.


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

vlastan said:


> DXN said:
> 
> 
> > I think a porsche with a engine blown up would be difficult to sell Vlastan :roll:
> ...


Its not just the engine that wares and the millage will stays the same whether its got a new engine or not , so how can you make a proffit :?


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## coupe-sport (May 7, 2002)

Ok V - sort of see what you mean. Personally i'd be put off with a car with a new engine - always makes me think of a thrashed car ( and i dont mean that Dave & Jackie were doing this before someone corrects me - just very bad luck :? )

But no it won't add value V 

James.


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Sorry to hear hear your tale of woe, Jackie and Dave. Hope it's all sorted for you soon. Sounds a wee bit worst than a coil pack failure!!! 

Regards

ALI


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

ALI said:


> Sorry to hear hear your tale of woe, Jackie and Dave. Hope it's all sorted for you soon. Sounds a wee bit worst than a coil pack failure!!!
> 
> Regards
> 
> ALI


Hi Jackie and Dave,

Sounds like you had a bit of a trauma, but all is getting sorted. See what happens when you move up to more vaulted German marques..... 

Almost as importantly, hi Ali! Good to see you still pop in now and again to say hello! Hope the leg is well mended by now and you're still enjoying your Beemer.

Brett


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

ALI said:


> Sorry to hear hear your tale of woe, Jackie and Dave. Hope it's all sorted for you soon. Sounds a wee bit worst than a coil pack failure!!!


...and correctly diagnosed, plus a committment to resolve from Porsche, in timely fashion - in less time than Audi can diagnose and fix a coil pack on an A4.

Things do go wrong with cars - it is in their resolution that the marques true customer focus and commitment to quality service shows.

Having a new lump FOC is great news. I wonder if they could fit the latest spec engine?

Sorry to hear it went wrong. Glad to hear it's going to be OK.


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Vlastan, you do make me smile and I love your logic...yet even I twigged that I wouldn't get too much for a car with a duff engine 

One for all the engine experts out there.
My replacement engine is a re-manufactured (by Porsche) unit. Apparently it's the policy of Porsche to fit remanufactured units in all cars undergoing warranty repairs - regardless of age!
Tho' slightly concerned by this info' I do admire the OPC's openess in passing this snippet - could have just left it as "you'll be getting a new engine" and I'd be no wiser.

Would you be concerned if it was your car having a rebuilt engine fited?

Read a story of one guy in the US who is on his 4th re-mannufactured engine in as many months...vibration and balancer shaft problems (whatever they are)

Finally, warranty on new parts...I always thought that if you had a part fitted by a dealer you would get at least a 12 month warranty.
I understand that the warranty on my replacement engine will last as long as the car is under warranty - not a problem in my case as I will renew the warranty next year.
But, hypothetically, if I had 3 days warranty left on the car and decided not to renew, and my new engine failed on the 4th day I am stuffed!

Doesn't sound right to me, especially on a high value part...any thoughts please?

Jackie x


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

> Finally, warranty on new parts...I always thought that if you had a part fitted by a dealer you would get at least a 12 month warranty.
> I understand that the warranty on my replacement engine will last as long as the car is under warranty - not a problem in my case as I will renew the warranty next year.
> But, hypothetically, if I had 3 days warranty left on the car and decided not to renew, and my new engine failed on the 4th day I am stuffed!
> 
> Doesn't sound right to me, especially on a high value part...any thoughts please?


That sounds correct unfortunately!

I wouldn't worry that a remanufactured engine will be any less reliable than any other. It is just a more cost effective and quicker way of repairing an engine with substantial damage whilst at the same time controlling the quality of the repair. Image if some young apprentice was just told to fit three new liners to your block. They could do that and you would be none the wiser as to the poor state the engine would actually be in.


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

BreTT said:


> Almost as importantly, hi Ali! Good to see you still pop in now and again to say hello! Hope the leg is well mended by now and you're still enjoying your Beemer.
> 
> Brett


Hi Brett, yes, for some strange reason, even though I don't have a TT anymore, I still frequent this forum on a regular basis and still find it an interesting read. (I know, I know, it sounds a bit sad, but that's what the TT does to you!  )

My ankle is 'ok', not quite the same as it used to be though. 

You still driving the S class or did you go for the 5 series?

ALI


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## gazandjan (Sep 8, 2003)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> Vlastan, you do make me smile and I love your logic...yet even I twigged that I wouldn't get too much for a car with a duff engine
> 
> One for all the engine experts out there.
> My replacement engine is a re-manufactured (by Porsche) unit. Apparently it's the policy of Porsche to fit remanufactured units in all cars undergoing warranty repairs - regardless of age!
> ...


Jackie

If the car was under full manufatures warranty the the engine should have 2 years from the date of fitting.
Have a look in your service manual. I had trouble over a wheel with 3 days left and they (OPC) confirm thet the wheel was covered for two years.

Hope its all sorted now


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## 18me (Sep 25, 2003)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> Vlastan, you do make me smile and I love your logic...yet even I twigged that I wouldn't get too much for a car with a duff engine
> 
> One for all the engine experts out there.
> My replacement engine is a re-manufactured (by Porsche) unit. Apparently it's the policy of Porsche to fit remanufactured units in all cars undergoing warranty repairs - regardless of age!
> ...


I bet you were a bit worried Jac, but not as much as my dad a couple of weeks ago when he had his Boxster S engine blow outside of warranty.  
Its a 2001 51 plate and didn't extend the std 2 year warranty because he though that nothing would go wrong as he doesn't do many miles, I think it had done about 7k miles when it happened. Fortunately though the OPC that he bought it from had the engine out the day that they got it and told him that it needs a new engine but not to worry as Porsche should honour the replacement. You can imagine the egg on Porsche's face though if they refused to pay for it or towards it after only 7k miles.
I'd not be put off by a car thats had a new engine, after all these are trained technicians using all the correct new parts and not a back street garage. I just sold an M3 cab that was recalled for big end shells which apparently is a very big job on the engine and it also had a new engine at 9k miles. I believe most E46 M3's have gone through the same.

BTW, I took a 997 out today  Very tempting but I like my goodies and it would have to be the S which would make it well over Â£70k, so I think I might order another Boxster, as long as they've sorted out their dodgy engines. :wink:


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## Monique (Jun 11, 2002)

Hello Jackie,

I wish to add my 2 bits to this thread.

The RMS (rear motor seal) failure is frequent on 996 and 986(Boxsters). The reason is both cars share the same engine design with variations of displacement and camming to suit the model. The engine is meant for large scale production and shares little with the "tough as nails" predecessors. To this date, Porsche does not have a real solution to the problem. For what it is worth, P covers all RMS until the full 3 years then halvers to the end of the fourth. Normally, RMS failure occurs before 40000kms.

However, not all 996/986 owners should be alarmed: if you own a Turbo, a GT3 or a GT2, you are immune to the problem. This is because the engine of those cars is based on the 993... the last and greatest air/oil cooled Porker.

I am the lucky owner of a 993RS   ...and the TTRQ also. But 2 totally different vehicles.


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Black Beauty is back, my grins back and Dave has got his car back  (it was actually quite nice scooting around in a 7 ser BM...the 14mpg wasn't tho'  )

Delivered on a trailer from the dealer, absolutely spotless it arrived in time for me returning from work.

I cannot fault the service from the dealer in any way...I've been given daily updates on the progress of the repair, a brief on how to treat the new engine and even a bottle of anti-freeze to top up the coolant if needed - superb in every respect.
That's one dealer who has well and truly got the grasp of customer service 

Just need to take the next 2,000 miles a little easy...no more than 5k rpm - 130mph....what a bummer 

Thanks for all the replies and the words of encouragement....needless to say I will be forking out my Â£725 to Porsche for renewing the warranty; seems a relatively small price to pay for a comforting blanket of security.

Jackie x


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Monique said:


> Hello Jackie,
> 
> I wish to add my 2 bits to this thread.
> 
> ...


I had heard this too about the Boxster/996 units. 997 unit RMS is modified to reduce Porsche's warranty claim costs.

Glad it' sorted for you anyway.


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## Monique (Jun 11, 2002)

Regarding the warranty: good move!

A new 986/996 engine sells for Euros 19,000!!!!

Enjoy your car maam.


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

ALI said:


> You still driving the S class or did you go for the 5 series?
> 
> ALI


Hi Ali,

Still driving the S Class - decided to renew the warranty instead.

Jackie,

Great to hear you are smiling again! Didn't think it would keep you down for long!


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