Porsche Boxster reliability -- let's get better info

[cvhs18472]

Originally Posted by mkaresh

A few owners have contacted me, asking to include the Boxster in the reliability survey conducted at TrueDelta.com. The key question: how common are IMS failures? In response, I've made getting the Boxster into the survey a top priority.

Here's how the research works: an email goes out once a month. If you have a repair, report it. If there have been no repairs, just report an approximate odometer reading at the end of the quarter--takes about 20-30 seconds four times a year.

We promptly update results quarterly, to closely track cars as they age.

Models are included in the survey once 25 owners sign up. Currently the 2000, 2005, and 2007 are each about halfway, and other years aren't far behind.

To encourage participation, free access to all results, not just those for the Boxster, is provided to everyone who signs up to participate.

Details:

Car reliability research

Can you please explain to me who your are and of what value to you is this information. Is for a reliability study which is to be sold for a price or is it for your own information and the good of the Boxster community? Is anyone funding this research and what is their reason for funding. If these questions are answered I bet a lot more people , like myself , will be willing to participate. If it is a financial investment don't you think that offering some incentive of true value is appropo as we have what you want. Information has a value. Just my oponion. Ed

[mkaresh]

Originally Posted by cvhs18472

Can you please explain to me who your are and of what value to you is this information. Is for a reliability study which is to be sold for a price or is it for your own information and the good of the Boxster community? Is anyone funding this research and what is their reason for funding. If these questions are answered I bet a lot more people , like myself , will be willing to participate. If it is a financial investment don't you think that offering some incentive of true value is appropo as we have what you want. Information has a value. Just my oponion. Ed

Sorry for the late response--the notification must have gone into my spam folder.

I conduct this research primarily for those who participate in it. Participants receive access to the results for all cars, not just the Boxster, for free--something that other reliability surveys do not offer. I do hope to benefit the Boxster community in general, so any reliability stats for the Boxseter will also be posted here.

I have been funding this research out of my own pocket. I justify it to my wife by saying there will eventually be some financial return, but we're not nearly there yet. My primary motivation has always been that I felt a need for more frequently updated, numeric reliability stats, and no one else was willing to provide such information to the general public. Sometimes if you want something done you need to do it yourself.

There are now 220 Boxster owners signed up to help. It looks like we'll have the first partial results in November. We will need larger sample sizes to provide stats for specific failure, like the IMS.

Car reliability research

[mptoledo]

Maybe it could be used in a class action lawsuit( that is if my engine ever implodes)

[mkaresh]

To be honest, I'd rather avoid this application, if only because it provides an incentive to distort the results.

[mkaresh]

244 Boxster and Cayman owners now signed up. Four model years are now in the survey, and another four are close to the minimum sample size. A good start, but more are needed to provide precise results for all model years.

Car reliability research

[schnellman]

I signed up. Went to "Car Reliability Comparisons" and found no entry for Porsche in the drop down menu. What's up?

[ridetheworld]

I had the same issue, couldn't find Porsche anywhere. I guess I am tarded.

[mkaresh]

Updated stats in about two weeks. 417 owners now signed up. Very good, but more remain needed to fully cover all years.

To help provide better information on your year:

truedelta.com/reliability.php

[mkaresh]

We have updated reliability stats for the Boxster and Cayman that include owner experiences through June 30, 2010. Other sources of car reliability information won't cover the more recent months until the summer or even fall of next year.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008: 36, better than average

2006: 47, better than average

2005: 49, better than average

2004: 67, about average, small sample size

2003: 94, about average, small sample size

2002: 118, about average

2001: 115, about average

2000: 92, better than average

1999: 117, about average

Important note: these cars are only driven an average of 5,500 miles a year, about half as much as the average car. No adjustment has been made for this.

Very consistent results from year to year. The result for the 2000 might be a bit lower than it should be, judging from the results for other model years.

I'd like to report specifically on the IMS failure rate, but we will need more participants to do this. So far, with 180 986s participating for an average of about six months, only four IMS failures have been reported, two of them over a year ago.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates, possibly including additional model years depending on the number of participants, in November and February.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

truedelta.com/car-reliability.php?stage=pt&bd=Porsche&mc=239

[mkaresh]

We have updated reliability stats for the Boxster and Cayman that include owner experiences through September 30, 2010. Other sources of car reliability information won't cover the months since April until the summer or even fall of next year.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008: 59, about average

2007: 61, about average, small sample size

2006: 53, better than average

2005: 45, better than average

2004: 71, about average, small sample size

2003: 55, better than average

2002: 92, about average

2001: 98, better than average

2000: 69, better than average

1999: 156, worse than average, small sample size

Important note: these cars are only driven an average of 5,500 miles a year, about half as much as the average car. No adjustment has been made for this.

I'd like to report specifically on the IMS failure rate, but we will need more participants to do this. A few more failures have been reported recently, but still about two to three per 100 cars in the past year.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates, possibly including additional model years depending on the number of participants, in February and May.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:

truedelta.com/car-reliability.php?stage=pt&bd=Porsche&mc=239

[mkaresh]

We have updated reliability stats for the Boxster and Cayman that include owner experiences through March 31, 2010. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008: 31, better than average

2006: 14, better than average, small sample size

2005: 71, about average

2003: 95, about average, small sample size

2002: 120, about average

2001: 129, about average

2000: 101, about average

1999: 129, about average

Note that these cars are driven an average of 5,000 miles a year, much less than the average car.

Fairly consistent results from year to year, with a clear improvement from 2005 to 2006. The results for the 2000 and 2006 might be a bit lower than they should be, judging from the results for other model years.

I'd like to report specifically on the IMS failure rate, but we will need more participants to do this. So far, with 180 986s participating for an average of about six months, only two IMS failures have been reported, and none since last August.

A big thank you, once again, to everyone who has been helping. We'll have further updates, possibly including additional model years depending on the number of participants, in August and November.

truedelta.com/car-reliability.php?stage=pt&bd=Porsche&mc=239

[dennis]

I have only owned the car for 8 mos, but I can say when youre driving a boxster, there is a noticeable difference vs a S2000 or Miata. Reliability is another story, but in my opinion it is just not comparable to put the other two in the same grouping

[mkaresh]

Originally Posted by dennis

I have only owned the car for 8 mos, but I can say when youre driving a boxster, there is a noticeable difference vs a S2000 or Miata. Reliability is another story, but in my opinion it is just not comparable to put the other two in the same grouping

Are there cars compared here, earlier in the thread?

On the site comparisons are driven by which cars users compare when running price comparisons.

In a couple of weeks we'll start previewing the next set of results to participants. The preview results are actually updated as responses come in--for me it's like watching the results of a presidential election, only four times a year.

My focus: how many model years will we be able to cover this time around? It depends entirely on the number of owners that participate.

To help provide the best possible information on your year:

truedelta.com/reliability.php