the dreaded RMS problem
 

A year ago I had a leak in the Rear Main Seal repaired at the dealer. This AM I notice new oil sppots again on my garage floor in the same area. Plus as a bonus the Air Bag light came on. I've got on 04 with 12,000 miles so it's warranty work right now.

My question is.. since this has happened twice in a year, should I consider looking at a trade before the warranty runs out? I've been told that once RMS problems start in this repeated fashion they tend to not go away.

I love my Box but will quickly fall out of love of this becomes a way of life in Porscheland.

Any ideas?

Damn, sorry to hear. I'm on the fence right now and am checking out an 04S with 12000 miles :eek:

Getting off subject slightly, but what exactly is the problem with an RMS leak other than the spots on the garage floor?

Hi,

2nd leak in a year? I'd be pressing Porsche for engine replacement before the warranty runs out.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

We had our RMS replaced about a year ago as well ('04 Boxster) during the first service at 15k.

We had the second service (at 26k) done before we went on vacation (3400 miles), After we got home, I noticed a small oil spot on the garage floor.

I never detected any low oil reading on the dip stick.

I called the dealer and set up an appointment for the replacement. The Service Consultant told me that there was a recent re-design in the RMS and our first repacement was of the old design.

I got the car in and they did the replacement again. We have had a couple 600 mile trips since and, so far, no oil on the floor.

Hi,

I'm glad everything seems to be working out OK for you. But, be aware that the new seal hasn't fixed the issue entirely either. Have they measured the block? There is a procedure to measure the block to insure that it's within a certain tolerance. If so, the seal is replaced, if not, the engine is replaced.

Since the lister is under warranty, I'd be more inclined to argue for a replacement because a replaced seal could possiblty fail and no longer be covered by a warranty...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

"2nd leak in a year? I'd be pressing Porsche for engine replacement before the warranty runs out."

I am with Jim on this. However, I wonder if Porsche has actually ever done this for a customer?

BTW-I had a 911 that had gone through 2 RMS in its history. No note of a new engine on that one.

Hmmmm!

St. Louis Boxster, I think there are 2 dealers in St. Louis...Plaza Motors and Parktown. Which one did the first RMS? Matbe you should try a different dealership too?

Press to meet with the Porsche Service Zone Manager too, if you don't get the cooperation (engine replacement) from the dealership that you deserve.

All of sudden I don't feel like I am alone in this fiasco.. Thanks for all your input. I thought about the new engine angle, I think I'll pursue that a little harder since this is the 2nd RMS repair in one year.

Bmussatti I took it, bought it from Plaza. Good idea about Parktown.

No, I think you may be alone. I've never heard of rms, Jk.

I am in STL too, one advice would be to go to Reid Vann and speak with JOhn. Reid Vann (if you are not familiar with it) is a small shop across from Parktown, much more friendly than Plaza or Parktown (where I don't like to go as it is way too big and you feel like an number)

John is very honest, patient and experienced and would be able to give you good advice as he knows Porsches very well.

Good luck!

http://reidvann.com/

Vanessa:

I've heard nothing but good news about Reid Vann, but, since I'm still under warranty, I'm probably stuck with Plaza or Parktown.

Look forward to seeing you around town !!

Which model years had this problem?

I think all of them! Unfortunately.

We have not heard about this with the 987. Hopefully not ever. But it will probably plague us too.

Tips have less occurrence that the manual tranny. And certain years have a higher occurrence than others.

There is lot of info on the Forum about the RMS. And there are a few dedicated threads complete with a survey.

There were a few RMS reports from the 987. I don't think we are out of the woods yet.

Richard, from Forum members here? I forget if "we" had any here.

We do have 987 members who hang here. I can't be sure that they have reported in with RMS. My service advisor told me the RMS is not resolved but a bit better due to the larger seal being used.

For what it is worth.

Just a brief follow up..

I spoke with the service manager and inquired about an engine replacement since the problem has occurred twice in a year. He said they would do some kind of calibration check and if's an out of tolerance issue, the engine would be replaced. It goes in Monday, I'll keep you all posted.

Hi,

FYI, almost all of the RMS issues spring from the center bore being out-of-tolerance. But, Porsche will only replace engines if a certain out-of-tolerance measurement is realized. Kind of saying "We know your car is f*cked-up, but if it's not f*cked-up enough, we won't replace the engine, you'll just have to perennially budget a grand or so for when it goes out the next time". Wonderful after-sale support! Good Luck!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

lucky it is happening under warranty...

so yes, see you around STL..I'm pretty easy to spot since -so far- i seem to be the only chick in town in a boxster..Its such a feminie car, I don't get why that is!!!

It feels like we don;t have many "top down" days left...tomorrow sounds like one, so enjoy!

Hi,

You just killed a ton of egos on this board with that one teenie weenie sentence...LOL :)

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

There are two ways to look at it:
* women like its soft curves and smoothness.
* it's curvy and feminine looking which is why men like it too :)

Not long ago, my BMW dealer gave me a M5 for a few days and THAT"S such a masculine and aggressive car: straight lines, minimalist and aluminum accents in the inside...

Actually, I took a child watch the Pixar movie CARS and the "female love interest" in the movie was a Boxster and he was a Ferrari :)

What I was trying to say is that I am so surprise to not have seen one woman driving one of these as it is in the same price range of many other more common cars.

Any update?
So, let me get this straight. They only replace the seal if it is not too far out of tolerance in which case it will likely happen again in the future. If it is beyond a certain tolerance they will replace the engine. The new engine they put in, is it RMS leak proof? If no, then we're back to square 1 yes?

I took it into the dealer Monday. I was told that it's weird this problem surfaced again since they had a new and improved seeal that once installed "usually" never leaked again. I asked about checking the tolerance and they said they would do that. Today is Wednesday and I haven't heard back from the dealer. Thankfully, it's not my daily driver and it's still under warranty. (it's an 04 with 12K miles)

No such thing as a RMS leak proof Porsche.

It is a design issue, so until they redesign, no solution that is perfect.

yes, Chicks LOVE the Boxster. This was a big surprise to me. I mean some girls have gotten REALLY REALLY excited upon seeing my car or riding along.

When I thought of chick cars or chick appealing cars, I always thought the Volks Wagen Cabriolet, Beetle (especially the convertible), that Mazda Mx3, Toyota Celica (especially the convertible), and lately appartenlty its turned toward SUV worship, like the X5 and X3, Murano and my current lady friend gets all excited by the Jeep Compass :confused: and has no interest in my car whatsoever!!

I thought of the Boxster in performance roadster/targa category along with the S2000, Z4, Lotus Elise. Do they get happy about these cars too? Not accordig to most women I've talked to.


as far as RMS, the more I think about it the more I think I'm convinced I'm going to throw a well orchestrated fit (close enought to where prospective buyers can hear me yelling) at the dealer when they tell I have to cough up a grand for a problem common only in their brand of cars. Have there been government imposed recalls/sanctions on car builders for non-safety issues?

The final word

Dropped the Box off Monday... no calls from the dealer all week,finally I called them today since it's suppossed to be a great weekend here for top down action. Some air bag part that causes the warining light to come on had to be ordered, however, the RMS leak is once again repaired, the second time in 2 years. I asked the service guy about tolerances and alignment issues, since the last RMS repair was only one year ago (o4 with 12K miles) he said to get used to it, an annual RMS leak is not out of the ordinary or unusual for this car.. It's still under warranty so it's a free repair but in another year or so, after two more free RMS repairs, it'll start costing me $850 a year. This guy said this so matter of factly it was unreal.

Nice german engineering, it's impressive. I felt like walking around the new car showroom talking up the whole RMS issue with the folks getting ready to drop $50K on a german-engineered sports car.

Don't we have some Porsche new car dealers on this site? What do they tell their Boxter customers?

fixing an $850 seal once a year isn't so bad albeit infuriating, it is a German sports car requiring specialized labor to maintain and fix afterall, anyone who bought one thinking its as care free as an S2000 is living in some other reality.

The big scandal is that this problem could easily require a new engine fix after however many RMS repairs. That's as good as any reason not to buy this car. The percentage of 996 911's and Boxsters and now new 911 and Boxsters as well, requiring this drastic measure is a very carefully watched game of russian roulette by Porsche. Way too many to address with a recall and not enough to ward off potential buyers. Perfect for Porsche.

If I were you I would consider selling and getting into a new Boxster before the warranty goes. I certainly wouldn't buy a car that had two RMS leaks in such short span. Too many 2nd hand Boxsters to choose from with zero issues.

btw, is your '04 tiptronic?

Thanks for the reply. Mine is not a tip. It's a 5 speed. I love the car, it is frustrating that the engineering group that turns out a car like this can't resolve this issue.

If you guys couldn't drive a Porsche and wanted the sports car, convertible feel.. what would you drive.

Hi,

Sorry for your troubles. But, realize, it's not that they can't fix the issue, it's that they refuse to fix it. It would require a whole new set of tooling and casting, and that's too much for their profit picture to absorb.

But, I think the word is out and I expect Porsche to come out with a new engine design, the M97 engine in '09 under the guise of some improvement, all the while ignoring those saps who bought into the M96. Payback for Pottsdam...???

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Jim is right.

Porsche CAN fix this issue but won't until they HAVE to.

Sad but true.