Here is a story that I need to share in hope I can spare someone else the same experience:

My 1999 Boxster was recently diagnosed with the apparently very common intermediate shaft failure (IMS failure). The big surprise came when I heard the only way to fix this, is a complete engine replacement; $12000 for the part alone! Add the hours needed to put it in, and this is more then the cars current value.
The car has 62000 miles on it and had every scheduled service, done by Porsche certified shops.
When I approached Porsche to help me out, they had a good laugh and told me that the warranty expired 6 years ago. Even after I pointed to the "Implied Warranty of Merchantability and Fitness of Purpose" regulation in this country, and told them that nobody would buy a car knowing that it's engine will disintegrate after 62000 miles, they had nothing to say. I guess my fault for trying to keep the car in good shape and not driving it enough so that the failure would occur within the warranty period.

On their website, Porsche boasts with statements like:
“With the ‘Made in Germany’ cachet, and because of it” and “What counts here are quality, environmental protection, safety. And, naturally, fascination.”

Needless to say that I was fascinated until this happened.

I'm left with two options: donate the car, or get a lawyer. Neither is remotely what I'd like to do.

It is beyond me how Porsche can act this way. They want to make a profit out of this and sell me a new engine. An engine that I need to replace due to a design flaw that they built into it. They didn't even offer to give me a new engine at their cost.

I hope many people read this post and it shows them how Porsche treats its customers. I know, I'll never buy one again. And believe me, it hurts to say that: I loved to drive my Boxster.

Read up on the IMS failure and think again if you think of buying a Porsche. The user forums are full of people with similar stories. Don't make the mistake I made. Don't buy a Porsche!

 

If you love the car, then spend the money and put in a new motor and continue to enjoy it.

 

Hi Martin,

first off, I don't work for Porsche or in the car business at all, I just own an old 911 for the fun of it.

I can certainly understand that you are upset that your car is now unusable and you are facing a big repair bill. Yet, as a business owner I would like to ask you, how long should a warranty run? Also, as a point of interest, how do you in your work handle claims that come 10 years after you did the work?

In the software business we have an annual maintenance charge and we provide ongoing updates to the latest version to customers, however, the cost of that is about 20% of the purchase price per year. I have not seen this model in the car business, but I bet that is because very few owners would be willing to pay, say $10,000 per year, as a warranty fee.

So, just bit the bullet and get it fixed, you will love it the first time you turn that key and hear the engine come to life again!

 

Martin: you have a few other options. take it to a independant porsche shop. have a used motor put in or part it out on e-bay. the car was ten tears old didnt mention miles. cant believe that the car wasnt making noises or something leading up to the failure. no one offers a ten year powertrain warranty. There is nothing like german performance. But preventative maint. is a must.

 

that would not be very smart, since the repair costs more then the car is worth. I'm better off walking away from the car and using the difference that I'd have to pay on top just to get it back to working condition as a down payment for a new car.

 

do you have any references for used engines? It seems to be that there is a real shortage out there. My guess is that all the people behind the other posts I found are looking for used engines as well. I'd be happy for any option that makes it reasonable to get the car working again. Putting a new engine in is simply not a financially sane option (plus I couldn't stand Porsche making a profit off of a replacement engine)

 

I wasn't expecting Porsche to pay for the replacement engine. What I'd expect from them is a good faith effort to show their customers that they care. As a business owner myself I would not charge my customers the full hourly rate to fix bugs that I introduced. There is always a gray area, but I certainly don't think it is reasonable for an engine with all scheduled services done by a certified mechanic to fail after 62k miles. That's why I pay the $120/hour for the Porsche certified mechanic, every time I have a service done.

But I think you frame the issue the wrong way: it isn't so much a question of how long the warranty should last, it is more a question of bad engine design. If I was the only one out there I'd call it bad luck, but there are many many Porsche owners out there that had the same experience. Some with a lot less millage.
You can't tell me that it is ok to hope for the problem to occur before your warranty runs out.

BTW: you're in luck: the old 911s don't have that problem and even if did, the fix isn't a complete engine rip and replace.

 

Are you looking to get out of the car in the next year or two? Then I can see not putting a motor in it, but if you were planning on driving it for the next 10 years (as many porsche owners keep their cars long term), then the motor cost is trivial.

 

Hey Martin. You bought a used car, six years out of warranty. Wake up: there is no implied warranty and no reasonable person would expect anything. Porschedoc is right, if you like the car, pay to fix it: you took a chance and unfortunately you lost a roll of the dice, but it you love the car, then paying for the fix isn't that bad. Eventually, if you love classic cars and take chances like this, it happens to us all. Don't blame Porsche. Quite honestly, I would not fix the car -- I'd just buy something else and move on, but . . . it's your car, and your choice.

 

wow, I never mentioned anything about buying the car used. Are you sure your name is not Heather Cooper and you accidentally are working for Porsche. Shame on you!

But regardless: what difference does it make if the car was purchased new or used? What if I tell you that the only previous owner was a Porsche dealership? Still doesn't make a difference.
Stop trying to side track from the real issue!
The engine has a design flaw and many people end up having to put a lot of money into a new engine, because Porsche is not willing to help. Unless of course you are lucky and the engine breaks down withing the warranty, and apparently it does quite often.

I'm saying this is kicking your customers while they are down.
Porsche seem to say: get over it: if you really love the car you suck it up and send over the money.

But thanks for making this even more clear to me with your last post.