996 engine misfire - support from Phil Raby

996 engine misfire - support from Phil Raby

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RNAEO801

Original Poster:

6 posts

88 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
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Just wanted to publicly commend Philip Raby for the support he gave me recently. I purchased a 2002 996 Cabriolet from him in June this year (my first 911) but after only a few weeks of use, an engine warning light appeared with associated rough running / mis-firing. Initially I took it to my nearest official Porsche Centre hoping it might be a 'quick fix', but unfortunately it emerged they could not repair the fault, even though they had already changed several components including coil packs and injectors. The only course of action that remained to properly diagnose the fault was a full engine strip, which was very worrying, especially as some of the potential engine failure modes can result in some very extensive and expensive repair work such as cylinder bore scoring, bore wash and cylinder block or head cracking. I have read that sometimes it is cheaper to find a replacement engine, and even that can come with it’s own ‘history’

At this point I got in contact with Phil to gain his advice (as I had only recently bought the car from him) and couldn't have a received a more reassuring response. He told me not to worry, just bring the car back to him (in fact he collected it from the Porsche Centre) and he would get it working perfectly again. More diagnosis lead to a full a full engine drop and strip and then replacement of all the tappets as well as other engine components that seemed prudent whilst in it's stripped state.

I have received the car back in full working order and now thoroughly enjoying owning and driving this remarkable vehicle. My point in signing up for the first time to PistonHeads and writing to this forum (for the second time as my first post was removed as it looked like an advertisement – which it was most definitely not) is to share this ultimately positive experience with the community. It is very refreshing to experience such support and integrity in this area of business and I thought that Phil Raby deserved the chuck-up!

griffter

3,981 posts

254 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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What a brilliant endorsement. Enjoy the car!

RNAEO801

Original Poster:

6 posts

88 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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Thanks, it's great fun and look fantastic - especially with the roof down!

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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Always nice to read a positive review, especially about a 996!

Glad it all worked out, they are great cars, hope you enjoy many happy miles together smile

Chlorothalonil

3,619 posts

200 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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Ooh look, this post has come up yet again.

RNAEO801

Original Poster:

6 posts

88 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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Yes, it was unfortunately removed in its previous form as it was deemed to look like an advert.

It is not an advert, it is my opinion based on my experience as a new 996 owner and therefore have re-posted after consultation with the forum editor who advised on how it could be perceived. Much of the text has been changed to avoid confusion.

ooid

4,049 posts

99 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
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Great that it's sorted but it would be more useful for current or potential owners out there to see what was the issue with the car and how or what they fixed essentially, if you can tell more about it course? coffee

RNAEO801

Original Poster:

6 posts

88 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
The inlet tappets on 4 of the cylinders were worn such that the valves were not closing at the correct moment in the cycle. This meant that the compression was very low causing the misfiring. It is believed that the unusual wear might be due to the original 2 yearly oil change regime for this model, until it was changed back to annually. I.e. dirty oil slowly eroded tapper material

ooid

4,049 posts

99 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
RNAEO801 said:
The inlet tappets on 4 of the cylinders were worn such that the valves were not closing at the correct moment in the cycle. This meant that the compression was very low causing the misfiring. It is believed that the unusual wear might be due to the original 2 yearly oil change regime for this model, until it was changed back to annually. I.e. dirty oil slowly eroded tapper material
Great info thanks. Do you mind telling how many miles your car did so far? The original 2 year oil service was really a despicable joke, even turbo models were suggested in the same period which is a pretty dangerous time interval imho, judging by the potential use of that car! Anyway, many 996s that have the original engine out there, with high-miles, seems like had a much more sensitive oil change which is a great sign.

Enjoy your car thumbup

RNAEO801

Original Poster:

6 posts

88 months

Thursday 1st December 2016
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52,000 miles.

peterzoom

313 posts

206 months

Thursday 1st December 2016
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I bought a car from Phil Raby earlier this year and I can concur 100% with the original poster that Phil is indeed a pleasure to deal with.
Honest, knowledgeable and totally committed to making certain that I was completely happy with my car. I did post on the forum earlier to this effect, so hopefully that will dispel any notion that it might be an advert of any kind.
Phil is genuinely one of the `good guys` in the motor trade and that is a very small and exclusive club in my experience, so he definitely deserves the recognition.


Export56

546 posts

87 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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what a lot of car dealers miss is the fact that selling cars is a risk, you win some you lose some . You cannot make on every car and when it goes wrong, do the right thing, catch a cold on it and get it sorted. So many stories on here are about dealers selling prestige cars and then not wanting to step in when it goes wrong. So good to know there are some decent ones out there. I work in business and sometimes we take a big hit on a project, we cant just walk away, have to deliver it.