He claims it was the second failure of his 911 996 M96 engine in 65,000 miles and that the German carmaker is trying to keep the lid on a known reliability issue. Chambers also claims that Porsche’s UK network is so short of skilled technicians that engine rebuilds are no longer an option – full replacement is required.
For an out-of-warranty 996, the bill for a new engine could be £10,000, plus £6,000 for a new transmission.
“Porsche says its engines can easily go 200,000 miles between rebuilds,” he says. “But Porsche doesn’t – or can’t – rebuild engines any more if they go wrong, so they replace them.
“I have spoken to many customers and qualified engineers and come to the conclusion that Porsche is trying very hard to keep the lid on a fundamental problem inherent in the M96 engine used in the current 997 models, the 996 and Boxster.”
Chambers, whose company sells in-car entertainment systems, further claims that the engine problems fall into three main categories – bore liner cracking, leading to oil and coolant mixing; intermediate shaft bearing failure; and big end failure.
“Because of the way the engine and transmission have been designed, and also due to the lack of trained technicians in the dealerships, engine rebuilds are not an option,” says Chambers.
His car has been with Dick Lovett’s Porsche Centre in Swindon since July. Chambers says Lovett, which also has Porsche Centres in Bristol and Cardiff, offered to replace the engine at a discount, which he declined.
Porsche Cars GB and Lovett’s Swindon Porsche dealer principal Richard Davies were asked to comment but had failed to do so as AM went to press.
Chambers adds: “I’ll take this matter to court if I have to. I want justice for myself and other Porsche owners whose car have suffered similar unexpected engine failure.”
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