E89 to 997

H

Hizza

Member
After several years of Z4s I've gone to the dark side and bought a 997. I still think the Z4 - be it 85, 86 or 89 is one of the best looking cars out there. I particularly liked the 86 coupe. Thank you to everyone on the forum for many wise words over the years. I've a few bits and pieces for sale and have posted them here rather than ebay, although the bags may be going to Mr Wilks who has first refusal. Who knows - I may be back one day in my Z4 dream car - a Zmcoupe in Sepang bronze with cream and black interior and CSL's. Perfect! :-)
 
Which one had the bore scoring and shaft bearing (IMS) issues was is 996 or 997 gen 1?

Enough to put me off Porsches for life those stories...
 
Maniac said:
Which one had the bore scoring and shaft bearing (IMS) issues was is 996 or 997 gen 1?

Enough to put me off Porsches for life those stories...
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From the watercooled era pretty much all Boxsters,Caymans ,911s up to gen2 :cry: a much maligned topic that will never be fully numbered .
Its not a foregone conclusion it will happen but the sheer cost of repair makes it a gamble not worth risking as for the most it can be almost if not more than the value of the car to put right :thumbsdown:
 
Ahh...I knew the doomsayers would arrive the minute I said 997! I did a lot of homework before I bought. Mine is a 2006 Carrera manual. This means an uprated Ims bearing from earlier models which whilst not perfect has a far lower failure rate. I had a borescope done and no bore scoring. I bought the 3.6 as this has fewer cooling and therefore bore scoring issues than the 3.8. Similarly I wanted a manual because the tiptronic can pull away in second and cause oil starvation at lower revs. I am aware of the risks and have mitigated them as far as I can, together with oil changes every six months and servicing by RPM Technik. For a ten year old car on 36k it is amazing - like new inside and outside and pulls like a steam train. The handling and steering are everything and more that I expected them to be and I'm at the bottom of the depreciation curve. I loved all three Z4's and its a real shame a E89 M wasn't produced with the M3 V8 as it would have been tempting although that said the throttle actuators fail on these - so even Bmw engines have known issues. Of the three Z4s I had I think the E86 coupe was the best although the steering could be a little unsettling - possibly not the right thing to say on the E89 forum - but it was lighter and smaller. Wish me luck with the Porsche and thanks again for all your help over the last 10 years of Z4 ownership - this is a great forum with a great bunch of helpful and learned motorists. Hizza
 
Let's face it any car can give you a repair bill of thousands.!!

Hope you have lots of happy miles with the new motor :thumbsup:
 
Hizza said:
Ahh...I knew the doomsayers would arrive the minute I said 997! I did a lot of homework before I bought. Mine is a 2006 Carrera manual. This means an uprated Ims bearing from earlier models which whilst not perfect has a far lower failure rate. I had a borescope done and no bore scoring. I bought the 3.6 as this has fewer cooling and therefore bore scoring issues than the 3.8. Similarly I wanted a manual because the tiptronic can pull away in second and cause oil starvation at lower revs. I am aware of the risks and have mitigated them as far as I can, together with oil changes every six months and servicing by RPM Technik. For a ten year old car on 36k it is amazing - like new inside and outside and pulls like a steam train. The handling and steering are everything and more that I expected them to be and I'm at the bottom of the depreciation curve. I loved all three Z4's and its a real shame a E89 M wasn't produced with the M3 V8 as it would have been tempting although that said the throttle actuators fail on these - so even Bmw engines have known issues. Of the three Z4s I had I think the E86 coupe was the best although the steering could be a little unsettling - possibly not the right thing to say on the E89 forum - but it was lighter and smaller. Wish me luck with the Porsche and thanks again for all your help over the last 10 years of Z4 ownership - this is a great forum with a great bunch of helpful and learned motorists. Hizza
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Well you seem to have done your homework and I agree the scoring is much more a 3.8 issue than a 3.6. In fact it seems to be unheard of on the Boxsters/Cayman S with their 3.2/3.4 engines from what I have seen. IMS wise if you really want to mitigate the risk as much as possible then there is always the aftermarket upgraded shafts the likes of Hartech and others do. Think they come in a round the £1K mark. I often think a 987/997 with a IMS/Scoring failure would be a great purchase at the right money £5K would get you a pretty much bullet proof rebuild at one of the Porsche specialists engineering out all the failure points
 
Still waiting for the pictures :lol:

Every car has a potential issue list, no different with the M and percentage wise probably as much chance of a failure as a Porsche with an IMS issue. The manual choice is for a drivers car a great choice as well.
 
Nice - maybe a backwards step in a couple of areas compared to the E89, but really a class apart, all things considered. Be sure to post your thoughts. :thumbsup:
 
Love that ( Obviously) ... And looks like it's been to Silverstone Experience Centre next to a 919!

I feel genuinely lucky to have owned a Z and a 997 two gems... Totally different ways of building a road biased sports car but both great.?
 
Didn't mean to be a 'doomsayer' just saying i wouldn't go that route given the stories I've heard. Every car does indeed have its issues, but ones that impact reliability in terms of engine failure and rebuild are a different story.

As you've done your homework, I hope it all goes well for you.
 
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