Hi everyone,

I've been looking for a 06+ C2S and recently sent a car to get inspected at a dealership.

(I've already searched at older posts but didn't find the answer to this question)

The dealer says that the car has very minor RMS "seepage". He says that it is not leaking or dripping, and that a leak would not arise until another 25k+ miles or so. He also told me that these cars all have these problems and will eventually leak and that this is not a major issue.

Is this true? Will all 997's eventually develop RMS leaks?

And as for the seepage that is currently present, what do you guys think? will it be "ok" for another 25k+ miles? or will I possible run into troubles before then?

Thanks for all your input!
-Will

btw, the car I am looking at is an 06 C2S in seal grey with 25k miles. It's a stripper though and basically has no options on it (which I am ok with personally). Looking to buy for about 50k even. If you have any thoughts on pricing or if this is a deal or not, please let me know too. Thanks again

 

A RMS seepage is normal, what that means is the seal has a little bit of oil on it. When my car had this problem, I didn't know I had it as there was no oil on my garage floor.

 

I have an 06S and have no seepage at 32k miles. I'd ask the dealer how much to fix it and ask the seller to cover 1/2 the cost. That way you know the car doesn't have any known issues.

 

RMS seepage calls for replacement of seal. Mine (06) was done at 20K miles 1 week before warranty expired. Tell them to fix the car or keep looking. If you already owned the car you could/would wait for clutch repair to deal with it but let it be someone elses problem is my advise.

 

Im no mechanic and Im not even sure what an "RMS" is...But, thats a REALLY high price to pay for that car.

 

+1. agree

 

I've had one which did and all the others didn't . It wasn't a big deal if caught in time and covered under warranty .

 

Unless I'm mistaken RMS= Rear Main Seal.

I find seepage at 20k unacceptable. Especially if its leaving any oil on the floor.

Now I don't know if this is par for Porsche, but as a former mechanic, again, a seep at 20k is unacceptable in my view. That could be an outright leak at 25-30k. No guarantees. I'd have the dealer fix it. On their dime, not yours.

 

I believe that ultimately, with a flat 6 design, it's inevitable, and that miles matter far less than age. It's a matter of course. Porsche has gone through many, many iterations of attempting to correct this, but they know there's no permanent fix.

Take a look at the Grand Canyon. In ANY battle of liquid vs. solid, over time, liquid wins. In the air-cooled Porsche world, seepage like that has come to be seen as pretty normal and accepted as and part of the deal. It's getting to be the same for the modern era flat 6's.

Note, however, that there's a major difference between a seep/ weep, and a leak. A leak will leave drops behind on the ground even during a short stop at the gas station. A seep/ weep, may never announce itself with any sort of drop to the ground whatsoever.

I would not lose any sleep over a weep, I count sheep. Ouch!
This is my $.02.
CATTMAN

 

I bought my 2006 C2S with 32k for $52k including CPO warranty for two additional years. During the certification, the did the major maintenance, which is worth a couple grand. Mine had an original MSRP of $92k. Check out the wholesale price on Galves. It's what the dealers use to value trade in.

I would say that since it's a private party sale, with no CPO, that price is indeed high. Do you know the oil change intervals? I would check that. If satisfied, have the seller to repair the seal for $1300 or so I hear. The more important issue is the IMS. When the RMS is being repaired The IMS can be inspected also. Check the last two issues of Excellence magazine for great articles on the IMS and RMS respectively. Good Luck!

All in all, this one might be a pass, IMHO.

 

my car is dry so far.
i would not exclude possibility of this to happen. i think it happens more often on cars that are not driven for 2-3 months sometimes, may be winter time. rubber seals like movement.

 

You'll find lots of info in the GT3 area here and at RennList about RMS. The seal on those cars is actually put in backwards on purpose - has to do with sucking the last bit of possible power out of the engine, creating a vacuum or something like that. It's designed to keep the oil in and the engine sealed under load and not worry so much about a little spitting of oil if at rest. Just about all my fellow tracksters that have 996 GT3s complain about a puddle of oil. I've had a 2007 C2S and now have a 2009 C2S, both exercised regularly, neither had any hint of RMS issues.

But, if I was looking at a car that had RMS, I'd run, not walk. For some reason it sounds like if you change it once, you'll be changing it again.

 

From what I have been told is that it will be worse on cars that haven't been driven, mine was replaced under warranty, when I got an inspection for my extended warranty. I would never have know it was seeping, as there was no sign of it, even when looking at the engine while it is sitting on the ground.

 

My 2006 Carrera S has 34k+ miles on right now and is dry.

 

when i got my shocks done i asked mechanic to look at it when car was on a lift - he says it`s dry so far. will see.