I blocked him a long time ago, still he's been trolling my posts for months. Forum appears unmoderated since flagging his posts has not helped

It got hot, I brought it in Monday for repairs. Got hot Tuesday, I called, told ok. Went to max temp Wednesday morning, I pulled off road and called. Told gauge broke, keep driving. I kept driving, engine blew 15 miles later

I completely understand, I too have lots of pictures of mine. As far as how other Boxsters drive, I saw/felt the same thing. When I first drove the car that I bought, I could tell right away the difference between it and all the others. There simply was no comparison. You sound like you are going to have a Boxster for awhile. With that said, I would not think about the cost vs resale because lets face it, you won't get your money back. But you are going to get many miles of driving pleasure:D If you truly like the car that you now have, I would invest in a rebuilt engine. That way you have some sort of warranty and you are driving it from square one. You still have an older frame but if it is in excellent shape, it will last. For the cost of the engine, you have an almost new car for a lot less than new. Even if you only keep it 5 years, the cost of the engine spread over those 5 years is not a bad deal IMHO for what should be dependable ride.

As far as the warning signs go, you trusted a "professional" and got burned. I can easily see how that happened. I am certainly not going to criticize you. Find a good indie Porsche mechanic but keep after your former mechanic for damages. He should share in the cost. I would also seriously consider MConte05's generous offer. There are probably others in your area that would also be willing to help you out. You will save some cash but more importantly, you will learn some valuable skills and confidence to do some of your own repairs in the future. You can go to Harbor Freight and pick up some reasonably priced tools as they are always having a sale. Use can use MConte's tools for the swap as he has generously offered. Again, just my .02. I feel for you, but in the long run, I think you are going to end up with an even better car!

$7k with a fresh IMS sounds like a fair price if you are unable to do the work yourself.

The main lesson here applies to every car: Rapidly rising temp gauge, pull the car over and shut down the motor. Gauge pinned at 250F, motor is now dead and life just got more expensive. :(

IMS was not listed as a part, I do not know I that is being replaced, I would assume not but you are correct I would have that replaced before install so add that to the 7k

Surely they would include IMS in that price though, right? As often as those fail, no shop would quote a engine install without it, right?

I'm sure if you green light the project at the very least they would wave the labor on an IMS, if not they may be just a tad greedy. Just so you know my failure was not IMS so as others have said thinking each one is going to explode is far from truthful, I'd barter for one anyhow though if it were me.

I am sure they will only include it if they list it in the estimate as "included". A motor replacement certainly would not automatically include any possible upgrades. That would be a motor "refresh and replacement". Read the fine print and make sure you know what is/is not included. Now is a great time to have the IMS done because the motor will be out and save $1000 in labor costs.

Test drove the 2003 on ebay. Didn't like it, it was slower, at highway speeds. Seems Porsche
Changed the shift points because 4th now comes in at ~100 instead of ~92mph like my 98. 3rd just isn't as fast on the 03 as it was on my 98

So now I'm really in a jam. Can't get a newer Base boxster because even though it's faster on paper it's slower in real life

986, been away from the forum for a week. Been reading this entire thread to get caught up
on your situation. It bummed me out to read what happened to your car. I can tell reading your
posts you're a good dude and this situation just sucks. You also sound like a genuine lover of
the Boxster. I hope you either get your engine replaced or pick up a new Box soon. You
deserve alot better than the hand you've been dealt. I know this is absolutely no consolation
whatsoever to you, but each one of these stories that get posted regarding a Boxster (mostly
the engine) having suffered a failure provides alot of insight and experience to others who may
end up suffering the same fate, or your experience shared here may prevent another owner
from suffering that similar fate. This is a good community (this forum) and the knowledge I
have gained from these cats has been invaluable to me. As has been the lessons learned in
YOUR story as well. I'm hoping for the best for you and that you can be behind the wheel of
another Box soon and that once again you will be smiling as a result of it !

Realize too that there is the IMS bearing retrofit and the IMS upgrade, two different solutions, the latter being the more complete, and more expensive, solution to the IMS issue. The retrofit is simply a replacement of the IMS bearing with the more robust LN Engineering one. The upgrade is exactly what it says, an upgrade of the IMS bearing to a "triple-bearing" style one. That requires disassembly of the engine and sending them IMS out to have the work done by someone like Jake Raby. Obviously you're talking a lot more money there, but the engine's not in the car yet, so it makes more sense to have one of those things done then before the engine ever makes it into the car.

Also, just keep in mind, that's only one failure point addressed, and there are still several others that exist on these engines, so while it takes care of a big problem, there are still many other things to check and possibly address on a used engine (things like chain guides, water pump, cylinder sleeve slipping/cracking, air/oil separator, etc.). Since you're dealing with a Porsche specialist, I expect they'll know what to look for and spot any of these issues on any block they look for.

Called mechanic that started all this. He completely denies any wrong doing but is willing to call insurance and see if this is covered

I use to be a licensed insurance agent in Missouri, and there are policies that would cover something like this. It's usually called errors and omissions or professional liability, like if u called to pay insurance or something and they forgot to enter it and policy cancelled and u get in wreck, errors and omissions would cover. Basically covers whenever a professional says the wrong thing or makes a mistake at work

...so he's denying any wrongdoing until he can be sure that someone can cover him, then he'll admit to everything? It's too bad you don't have a recording of that phone call.

"Can't get a newer Base boxster because even though it's faster on paper it's slower in real life"



Those are fighting words kid:) Best of luck with whatever you decide. If I were you, I'd likely sell the car outright without the motor and get newer S model. The gearing and additional power may be a better fit for your driving style.

Lol!! From 60-90 it is my opinion that a 2.5 manual is faster than a 2.7 manual..... again, that's my opinion, from my personal experiences. Mayb I had a "fast" 2.5 and I test drove a "slow" 2.7, not every engine is created equal

I still owe a few grand on mine, so it's not quite so simple


But I believe you are right. Based on the 99 and 03 I drove, my options are either new engine, very well maintained 2.5 manual, or S. this changes the equation a bit.

I think I next I need to see what type of auto loan I could qualify for. Called place I bought boxster from and said I'm good but didn't say how high. Think I'll call current lender, explain situation, see if they'll give me another loan and roll currently loan with new loan. If enough maybe S is a possibility?

If I don't qualify then engine swap might be the only option for now

Would you really want to be that upside down in car that is still depreciating and may also experience mechanical distress? Maybe it's better to take some time to build up some play money before jumping into a different 986.

i.... use to be a real estate investor, buying and flipping and renting and short sales and all that, and you learn very quickly not to tie all your money up in a single project, that even if you have money, it's much better to borrow what's needed, that way you can have a dozen projects going on at once, rather than one project

my cellphone payment is higher than my 986 payment

so i have the money, i just don't like tying it all up in one project, which is why the engine swap idea is killing me right now

"My god, that scares the JesusRapingAngels out of me. I would pull over".


Hmm, what chapter of the Bible is this a quote from ?

thanks, thanks for the vote of confidence :) I try to be a good dude, few years ago... i guess you could say, i started believing in karma? Sorta? I mean, I wasn't a bad guy before, but... some things happened, and i'm like, oh wow, there is... something, else, going on, that i... that we, don't understand, and dont believe, but... yeah, it's... real. Ok. Well, then. Um, I better... be good :) So, ever since then, I've tried to.... be good, just, i mean, sometimes, i do things that other people might not think is good, like the guy you have to fire because he damaged a customer's property, you don't want to and he might think you're "evil" but yeah, he damaged someone's property, so you have to. That's where I am, sorta. But I won't even "borrow" a pen from work, stealing is stealing. I know, sounds silly, just... yeah, it's how i am now, and things have worked out rather well, even when it seems like it's not :) everything happens for a reason...

I'm still on the fence, but i've narrowed it down to S or engine. Due to some.... accidents, by credit bureau, my credit is not where it should be, and I just recently found that out. I'm mailing letters out: How to Dispute Credit Report Errors

also if anyone's looking to build their credit, this site is great https://www.creditkarma.com/ and they don't charge fees, instead the make $ by advertising credit offers, etc to you

I don't own it or work for it or anything, but it's been very handy recently, wish I would have found it earlier, I would be buying an S today

flipping
 

Yeah that worked out real well for a lot of people in 2008.

Haha, wanted to see what I could get away with since we had a filter.
But seriously, that picture made my heart drop, and I let out an "oh shet" in real life. That image is stuff that nightmares are made of.

yeah... well, lol, we could harp on that for.... wait, how many years has the media been beating that one? 6-ish? yeah.....

still makes sense, don't sink all your money in one boat, because if that boat sinks you're SOL

question and answer with Reid Vann

as you guys know I received a $7,000 estimate for a used 2.5 installed. I sent the following questions:

1. do you offer any type of financing? Down payment, pay the rest over a few months?

2. If I brought in my own engine, would the labor and parts price be the same?

3. Is the engine salvageable at all? Can it be rebuilt?

4. Is there any useful engine parts remaining? Pistons? Etc?

5. How much do I owe Reid Vann in total (taxes, fees, etc) right now?

6. If I decide to have the vehicle moved until I can afford repairs or, god forbid, I part out the vehicle, will there be any kind of storage fee or lot usage fee for having it on your lot? When do I have to have it moved by to avoid fees?

Answers:

1. We do not offer any financing.

2. Yes it will stay the same.

3. You will need to disassemble the engine to evaluate the total damage first.

4. It depends on the extent of the damage.

5. $67.29

6. It can stay here for 10 business days starting Monday July 30th with storage charges.

I spoke with the lender, told them the situation

Basically, my best option for getting a working Boxster ASAP for the least amount of $ would be to trade in the boxster with blown engine on cheapy car, wrap the loan up with cheapy car loan, and then when they find another boxster, wrap the loan up with that. They said if they had a buyer waiting they could find a good boxster in a few months at most.

Even though I've only had it 8 months I've paid off a lot, (short loan, not 60 months or anything) and if they give me anything for trade-in + new loan on the cheapy car would probably bring me close to where my original loan started at so my payments shouldn't go up much if at all, i'll just be driving a Corolla instead of a Boxster

Then when they find a boxster i could trade in the cheap corolla

or keep renting car @ $600/mo + pay loan on boxster, which I can afford, but I would rather put that $600/mo towards another Boxster down payment and use the loan on boxster to pay off cheap car

this is all assuming i'm able to get another loan on cheap car. They claimed they pulled credit and I'm good, but I've heard that before.

Dealer is closed on Sundays and I'm busy during the week, I'll go see what they have next weekend.

if this works, this would put me out.... maybe nothing, right now, since i have a trade-in, they might not need a down payment on cheapy car, although since trade-in not running....? So, at most, it will be small down payment now, continue normal loan payments, and use $$$$ i'm currently spending on rental towards down payment on.... S? Hopefully? We'll see.

this might work out for the best after all..... :D :dance: ... karma? Ok sure it would have been better to just trade in the base on a S, but had this not happened I would not even have considered that option, but because of this there is a possibility I will be driving a S before 2013

Given the information posted already, my personal choice would be to buy the motor from Raby and have Reid Vann install it.

1) you get to keep your already near perfect car
2) no telling what issues your "new" S would have

It sounds to me like you are less than concerned with the financial feeding frenzy these lenders can stick you with than the total it's going to cost to repair the engine/ car. Don't think about what this costs per month, add it all up as one big total in the end.

Financing repairs or etc on a car that's 13 years old makes it easy to get upside down.. Lenders do not have your best interest in mind. Thinking about things only on a monthly basis is what lenders look for as their prey, and that mindset didn't help the current state of our upside down economy.

Porsches cost more to own than they do to buy, always have. I learned that before I even had a drivers license.

I would have to agree. I would rather go with a known than an unknown. The Raby engine is going to be good and you already know your car. There are other ways to finance such as a personal loan from your local credit union. Yes the rate is higher than an auto loan but less than a CC. Plus, it sounds like you would pay it off fairly quickly, thus not too much in interest expense. Tough choices though.

I'd like to add that the engine I have is used and cheap.. The price I gave him on the engine is for the used engine as is, no upgrades to include the IMS. That can be done for added money.

The reality is it could run for 100 miles or 1,000 miles or 100k miles as it is a used OEM engine that does not have a guarantee of anything other than the fact that it will break or wear out at some point. No unicorns or rainbows with any use engine, that's why I have only sold two used engines in a decade.

The sale of any used engine is final, this engine made excellent power on my dyno and ran too good to be stripped down and made bigger. That's the extent of what we know about it. If it scatters to bits tomorrow, that's the risk that comes with the territory.

Hey guy been reading the thread and also sorry for the loss, but I had one question:

With you having a loan on the car I would assume you had to provide full coverage insurance on the car, why not put a claim for total loss ?

engine blowing up is not something covered by insurance, unless there was a fire or something that caused other structural damage

Auto insurance does not cover mechanical break down.

my 986 did have some costly maintenance coming up, so before dropping 7k on used engine install i do need to remember I have a few more thousand to spend

I bumped up this thread the day before the blown engine http://986forum.com/forums/298809-post31.html

because the same mechanic who looked at the coolant said the tires should be replaced in a few thousand miles. Also said I should have the brake pads, rotors and sensors replaced when replacing tires

my top is old, I don't think it's original but there are some areas that are looking pretty worn, i posted about it and have been keeping an eye on it http://986forum.com/forums/280339-post1.html

and my lenses are burnt.
http://986forum.com/forums/270430-post14.html
Previous owner must have put bulbs in that were too powerful and burnt the plastic a bit. Not a major problem, headlights work fine and I don't know if it limits lighting without a good headlight to compare to, however it's definitely an eyesore and should be replaced

and we never did figure out why the engine was overheating. Hopefully a new engine would fix all problems but who knows

so.... if i replace the engine, i still have all of that to look forward to. Not saying a new Boxster wouldn't have it's own list of problems, but I would be replacing the engine knowing all these issues would be coming up.

returned this to walmart, bought just 4 days before the engine blew... :barf:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1343507117.jpg

definitely part of st. paul's letters to the corinthians :D
Eddie Izzard - St. Paul's letters - YouTube

:confused:

.... i wasn't expecting a 100,000 miles warranty, but.... this sort of sounds... scary....

I don't expect Reid Vann to give me a 100,000 mile warranty either, but at least it was the engine they chose and they installed, so if there is a problem, they *might* be more willing to cut me some slack, where if I bring in a engine and had problems they might say "told ya so"

so I appreciate the offer, it was very kind, but I will pass

i'm still debating. Looking at used car prices today, looks like prices have been going up? Seems like I"m not the only one that noticed
Used-Car Prices Are on the Rise - WSJ.com


so... maybe it would be better to get a 4g beater (forget 1g cars, that's history, you're lucky if you can get anything that runs under 2g), wrap the loan up with existing loan, and swap engines in a few months? Then I'll have two cars, and a new used 2.5 engine with IMS done

Don't kid yourself, Reid Vann isn't going to "warranty" a used engine any more than Jake can. At least Jake is honest about it!

Have to agree with that !

no one is going to warranty a used engine unless, it's had a complete strip down and rebuild, as it depends on how the engine has been treated previously. A an engine that has been rebuilt is going to be a different cost, than Jake's fair offer.

if you go for another car, you'll also have to bear in mind that you could be buying someone else's trouble if it has not been well maintaned.

as a suggestion, why not consider a cheapie run around like a pick up or 4x4 like a ford explorer with a tow hitch, that way you can rent a trailer for the day to move the boxster about.

matt has made you very kind offer providing his help and tooling, so get it home, drop the engine and you and matt have a look if the engine is reworkable; either way its going to have to come out at some point..

if the whole engine and block is toast that's one answer, if its repairable then there is another answer.

then keep your eyes peeled for say a boxster with a front end damage going through salvage and get the engine or heads from it. before replacing the engine, do the ims / rms, maybe the headers and any other bits, it'll take a bit of time sure, but with a spare car for winter and car you can tow with you will end up with a box that has been gone through mechanically and 4x4 or pick up when the winter sets in.

just a suggestion

Reality can be scary and this is real. Too many people today live in a virtual world of lies, deception and Unicorns bounding over rainbows..

Mechanical things can and will break and it will happen at the most inopportune time possible. I have dealt with mechanical things all my life and flew in flying mechanical coffins as a CH46 aircrew member, having 3 in air mechanical failures... That said, I don't ride roller coasters for a very good reason.

No candy coating of reality here... Its a used engine being sold at a price thats more than fair, but when it leaves there isn't a warranty. We only warranty engines that our minds have designed and our hands have assembled from scratch and that we have proven in the rigors of our testing regimen. The cost of such an effort begins at 18,000 dollars and it takes a minimum of six months to create.

Yes, I am way too honest and straight forward; but thats the only way to be when working with an engine foundation where we have documented 23 modes of failure. Being honest and direct is how I built this company from scratch and have gone 15 years without a single conflict of any significance.

i would then understand completely Jake's demands on mechanical equipment, painful as a boxster engine failure may be, a CH46 intermesh *will* ruin your day.