New Owner of a 1999 996 Speed Yellow coupe with Aero kit!

[Neto]

Hey Guys!

After a some months of research for a 996 that would met my expectations I finally found it last week! I was trying to find a car that had a factory aero kit, and its exterior color to be guards red or speed yellow... So I was fortunate enough to find a mint Speed Yellow 1999 Coupe with 51k miles at a very good price!! The car has so mane factory & aftermarket options such as Aero kit, 18" wheels, LSD, H&R coilovers, Fabspeed exhaust & cargraphic headers.. The car has no leaks around the IMS bearing and I believe 1999 where double row so they have a less % of IMS failure?

This is my first porsche and I plan on maintenance myself since I have done it to all my cars.

Here are some pics, let me know what you guys think!

[Silver_TT]

Congrats, looks sharp. I really like the wheels. Aero kit looks great as well.

[Loren]

:welcome:

:thumbup:

[Neto]

Thanks guys!

I forgot to mention, I am the 3rd owner of this car (bought it from a PCA member).., carfax history says its clean but only a few maintenance records from the first owner. One thing that caught my attention was that the carfax says that the "flywheel serviced", "transmission checked" & "front crankshaft seal replaced".. I assume that for all this they had to take the engine out...

What would a carfax say if the IMS was replaced? I assume if they removed the flywheel, then they checked the IMS but who knows....

[Silver_TT]

Carfax is a good basic sanity check but not a guarantee by any means. To service the flywheel the transmission would need to come out, not the engine. If the IMS was replaced this would be in the service records for the vehicle that hopefully were provided to you -- it would not be in a Carfax. I wouldn't take anything for granted. While you are correct that your original OEM IMS is probably less prone to failure than the later revision, you are still at some risk and they can still fail and destroy an engine.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Silver_TT

[GromitInWA]

You could pull the oil filter and cut it open to check for bits. While you're at it you could install a magnetic drain plug. If you get an inspection done at a local Porsche indy they could do that for you and also check diagnostic codes and values. This might help get in front of potential problems.

If I'm not mistaken clutches are generally done around 60k so when you do that you could have IMS done and flywheel checked.

[Neto]

You could pull the oil filter and cut it open to check for bits. While you're at it you could install a magnetic drain plug. If you get an inspection done at a local Porsche indy they could do that for you and also check diagnostic codes and values. This might help get in front of potential problems.

If I'm not mistaken clutches are generally done around 60k so when you do that you could have IMS done and flywheel checked.

Thanks for the suggestion, I think I read it on the forums one time, usually people cut the two ends of the filter and expand it to see if there are any metal pieces.. A magnetic plug is a must in my book for my next oil change. I am planning on doing 0W40 Mobile 1.. How often do you guys change the oil on these cars? The maintenance book says 15k miles? but I think that is wayy too long. My wife's audi Q7 is every 10k miles so I though that was a good number?

[Neto]

Carfax is a good basic sanity check but not a guarantee by any means. To service the flywheel the transmission would need to come out, not the engine. If the IMS was replaced this would be in the service records for the vehicle that hopefully were provided to you -- it would not be in a Carfax. I wouldn't take anything for granted. While you are correct that your original OEM IMS is probably less prone to failure than the later revision, you are still at some risk and they can still fail and destroy an engine.

I did not get any documentation transfered from owner 1 but I will probably call that place on the carfax and see if they still have the service history.. Hopefully they installed the LN bearing solution and the RMS while they had the tranny out.

[Silver_TT]

Checking the filter after an oil change should be standard procedure.

I would change the oil every 5K miles if your car is driven fairly regularly. Oil changes are cheap compared to a new engine. 10K or 15K miles is definitely way too long in my opinion.

[kbrandsma]

I used to change my oil every 10K between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. After I hit 100K miles , I started changing every 8K and sent in samples to Blackstone Labs out of Fort Wayne, IN. I have received nothing but good reports back from Blackstone and they always recommend to use oil longer. I just changed my oil yesterday and placed an oil sample in the mail.

+1 for checking the oil filter after each change for metal and installing a magnetic drain plug. Buy a few extra crush washers so you always have a few on hand for each oil change.

I use MY 98 Boxster as an everyday driver, so no problem with having to change the oil at regular intervals. Some may not drive as much, so it is a good idea to change once a year and/or again right before storing for the winter. I try to avoid short trips, so I can get the car (and oil) up to temperature, so on short trips around town I take the long way home.

Blackstone's web site can be found HERE

Edited March 10, 2014 by kbrandsma

[kbrandsma]

Here is a copy of my last Blackstone Report:

Edited March 10, 2014 by kbrandsma

[Sl3ipner]

Neto: congrats on a real beauty! The yellow is my favorite color, the guards red 2. choise. Ended up with the latter, but envy you just a little bit ;)

The IMS for 98 and 99 models are indeed double row, and according to official Porsche figures have a failure rate of "far less than 1%", whereas single rows (00-05) have 4-8%, if memory serves me. Upgrading it when its clutch time seems sensible, as mentioned above.

Kind Regards

[Y2K911]

Used as a DD but for short distances. Since maxxing-out on mileage or Km-treage is not an issue for me, I respect the once-a-year convention, ... and I do wipe-out oil tube winter mayo regularly in the winter.

These acidic residues are what convinces me to change my engine oil once a year.

Very nice find of a car! Enjoy, but be nice with her as it provides good karma!

[Neto]

Thanks for all suggestions and great feedback. Today was my first trip to work and that was fun.. While i dont drive like a maniac, i do like the punch when i floor it.. I will dd this car to work, 4 days a week and its around 45 miles round trip. So that means around 9k / year..

[GromitInWA]

High revs are your friend. Don't change up all the time. Not great for fuel economy but if you wanted that you'd be in a Ford Fiesta Ecoboost!

[jaekormtb]

+1 on the Blackstone labs oil analysis. I've also got a 99, and at 77,000 miles I just had to do the clutch. The old clutch had an 03 date, so mow this car is on its third. While I was in there, I did rms and IMS. The old IMS felt perfect, but it is good peace of mind.