Silver_TT

That looks familiar (yours is a convertible though which I'm a fan of). Your plan sounds pretty smart to me. There are also several outstanding members here who have TT's that will be able to help you when you need it, it's a good group. The Mezger is a beast, try not to get addicted to boost ?

Just my two cents coming from a 2002 911TT (also silver), it's a high-performing beast of a car at stock. Mine came with a ECU tune but it made emissions fail (anything other than the stock flash makes it fail a checksum like validation) despite coming with a OBD II tool that was supposed to flash the car back and forth between stock and the tune. Florida may be easier. The most surprising thing though was when I took the tune off and went back to stock ECU I couldn't tell a difference -- the boost was the same, etc. I can't say that I've tried every flash out there but I don't think you're going to get too much else out of it unless you start to spend on hardware to go with it (which is far from cheap). To each their own but in my opinion is the stock car doesn't need much so maybe drive it a few months and see how you feel before investing in mods. Again, just my two cents, I know someone's going to disagree and say modding their car was awesome. In another state with less stringent checks you may be ok........

No, sorry that will require a PIWIS

I know you know now but it's always best to go see the car and drive it there. Trust but verify. Even if the mechanic went through the Porsche training program and got certified (I believe there are different levels as well), if they are now working at an independent dealer outside of Porsche and are dishonest or sloppy, I doubt Porsche has any recourse. Even if this happened directly from a Porsche authorized dealer you would still have issues as the laws simply are not setup in your favor -- once the money trades hands it's a done deal. However at an authorized Porsche dealer I would think the likelihood of something like that happening would be much less. Used car sales though is a shady business. I have bought a car in the past and missed things even though I knew exactly what to look for, picked it up in person, and had a PPI done at a Porsche dealership, got a carfax, etc, etc etc. I crossed my t's, dotted my i's...and still got burned. Some things like a CEL or stored codes are easy to catch. Other issues can be much more subtle or intermittent and make it hard to spot.... even for someone that has the knowledge of what to lookout for. Also ya I did mean it's just money but the cost of plugs and coils isn't as bad as some of the things people have been scammed on. There is no end to the crazy stories and lies you hear when looking at used cars. I tried to buy an Audi Q5 last summer and threw in the tower and bought a certified one from Audi. Too many idiots and liars out there selling cars. Sad state of affairs really, but you can't trust most people.

It makes me nervous if I understand that the shop you use only has one person that can scan codes. To work on your car you need a PIWIS or 3rd-party Porsche-specific tool like Durametric. Scanning with a generic tool can work but sometimes gives incorrect/misleading information. Not using the proper tools can be expensive in time and money. I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately most people selling cars aren't honest, including -- if not especially -- dealers. And the way the laws are setup, once the car/money trades hands you have very little recourse. People trying to sell a car conveniently "forget" things or embellish/exaggerate in their own favor -- they want to sell the car and, maybe I sound cynical here, but most people are just disingenuous. You can't trust them, especially when there's money involved. They will look you right in the eye and then lie through their teeth. Dealers are in the business of moving cars, the longer it sits the more desperate they are to move it. I've seen so many cars with issues try to be passed off as "clean as a whistle!", it's an embarrassment. While advisable, even an independent PPI isn't a guarantee. It's just a sanity check that when someone (who hopefully is very familiar with the ins/outs of these cars) scans codes and gets it up on a lift, there are no glaring issues. I wish you luck. If you end up just needing some new plugs and coils, and a couple other things it won't be the end of the world.

Not a shot at you, you're clearly in the majority, but I'm always surprised at the lack of record keeping when I have been in the market to purchase a car. I'm fussy and risk-averse but I will not buy a car with missing or incomplete records. Period. As far as where to draw the line, I keep records and receipts for everything including and especially oil changes. I put them all in a manila envelope which I put away with all my other fun records to keep like taxes. You can scan them into your computer or whatever if you prefer. You can't always depend on the dealer or others to keep records for you. For privacy concerns, most dealers won't give out records on a vehicle from past owners. Your best bet is to track it yourself and it's really little to no incremental work. I bought my wife an Audi Q5 last summer and searched for 6 months trying to find a clean car with records. This is in the NYC area, which I would consider a very large market. Couldn't find one, almost no one keeps records these days. I really wanted to buy from a private party. After about 6 months I ended up saying to Hell with it and just bought a certified Audi. Too many shysters out there these days -- anything you can do to mitigate a potential buyer's risk and help them understand the full history of your car will only fetch you more money when you go to sell.

Sorry to rain on your parade but if it looks too good to be true..... A 2010 TT with 22k miles for $49k? Not even close to market value, this car is listed at least $20k under its fair value. Obviously there's something missing here. Someone's gonna get burned on this.

If it makes you feel any better, the failure rate is still material for other model years. So don't lose sleep at night kicking yourself that you should have bought a different year with a double row bearing or whatever. Any of the cars with this IMS design are going to be vulnerable to this catastrophic failure.

996's and 997's are both affected as they both use the same IMS design. The bearing has changed a few times but the design is still the same vulnerable design. As far as the IMS and rate of failure, folks will, much like engine oil, debate until they are blue in the face. Some people say tips fail less than manuals, cars driven more/less are better, etc. The fact is that no one knows the exact rate of failure (some information was given in the lawsuits but these are still back of the envelope numbers) and no one has the data to be able to run a regression (probably not even Porsche). But the simple fact that if an IMS failure does happen it has the potential to create an enormous amount of damage not limited to taking out the entire engine. So while the rate of incidence is debatable, it's the type of situation where if you do in fact experience a failure, or even the beginnings of failure with ferrous metal swirling around in your engine's oil, you're in a very serious and expensive predicament.

Congrats on your new car! I would just echo what has already been said that most of these upgrades are just false marketing claims. If you want to really upgrade your car, you should think about the IMS if it hasn't already been done. Another consideration is you may get some unintended baggage if you chip your ECU or switch out the exhaust. It can cause a number of different type of problems -- eg. with emissions. In my state they check your ECU software and if it doesn't exactly match the car's OEM flash they will fail you. I have seen flashed 996's and 997's that produce nothing more than stock on a dyno. There are also people that change out their exhaust to a non-OEM that's supposed to work, or so the manufacturer claimed, only to start getting codes or an engine that runs rough, etc. I'm not saying that will happen for sure, but you're definitely rolling the dice, and as JFP has already alluded to, you need to ask yourself is it really worth it when you're spending money and incrementally getting little to nothing (possibly even negative value). My opinion would also be to enjoy your car and spend the money on track time and peace of mind (IMS Solution) for your investment.

No one ever said Porsche parts were cheap but I'm pretty sure there are more differences than just the logo. I have never used parts geek but two words of warning. First a quick google search shows a lot of people are dissatisfied with parts geek and apparently they have a very restrictive return policy so if things don't workout for you the way you thought they would based on your model/year as you said you may be stuck with them. Second, those cats may work just fine, I'm not saying they won't but you won't know until you try. But you are rolling the dice and taking your chances. You may get codes and/or emissions readiness state failures. Those are not Porsche spec, so you're risking it. Also I'm sure you already know but if they are 48 state compliant, I guess you won't ever be moving to or selling your car in California or New York (I'm guessing those are the two states they don't include), two of the largest markets in the country.

If you replace them with the OEM cats you shouldn't have any codes thrown after the install (emissions readiness states may need some time driving to clear/reset as they collect data over time rather than instantaneously).

Good deal. Just a word of warning if you decide against going with the Durametric. Using a non-Porsche-specific reader has the potential to get you in some trouble. There are a lot of them out there and I'm not saying it won't work, but I have seen cases where using a generic reader either missed codes or otherwise reported misleading/incorrect information. Durametric is so cheap and they hold their value so well, even if you have other readers it would be hard to pass it up. Last I checked Durametric was $300 or thereabout for the Enthusiast which is plenty -- one wild goose chase from a bad reader can easily exceed that in terms of your time or buying new parts that weren't needed, etc. Again, just generally speaking, not saying generic scanners don't or won't work, just saying Porsche-specific readers like Durametric are the gold standard among those in the know. Congrats again on the car.........Toughest part is waiting :)

I think Mike was just giving a list. Cam deviation is not a known issue per se but is one of the things that can easily be checked with a tool like Durametric. I recommend buying a Durametric if you don't already have one. As far as a Porsche mechanic, I don't think it's so much them doing something special to improve performance as much as it is just always helpful to have someone with deep knowledge of these cars "kick the tires" before buying. Doesn't mean they will find every single possible thing and they are God, but just generally speaking it never hurts to have a seasoned veteran take a look. Like many things in life, experience trumps all. And as far as improving performance, everyone has their own opinion but it's mine that a lot of aftermarket performance enhancements are more marketing than anything else (especially on a Boxster as opposed to, say, a TT).

The IMS is the "Achilles' heel" if it hasn't already been updated. There are several after-market solutions, not all of which are created equal. Good time to do it if you're doing the clutch anytime soon.... Congrats on your new car!

Not sure where you are located in the city but if you have someone look at the car and are willing to drive a little bit outside of the city call Jon Rhodes at ET Tuning. I have no affiliation other than I was a former customer but would highly recommend him. His rates are half the dealer's and he is every bit as knowledgeable and professional (actually probably more). He has a dyno and a bunch of lifts/equipment; this is no gas station service shop. They did all sorts of work for me, some of which was very complex, and his guys always did a great job. The only time I ever had an issue I confirmed it was WorldPac's fault so I don't count it against him and he took care of it. You are very lucky to live so close to someone who is so good and inexpensive. In NYC, this type of option simply doesn't exist and the Manhattan dealer service sucks.

No problem, I certainly didn't think you were. Your comment just didn't follow, especially if you read further up the thread where it explained many of the considerations/differences in detail. I was just trying to point out in a friendly way that thinking a car with a lot of miles and original IMS "will likely do fine with pretty much any new bearing you use" is a bit naïve.

You may do just fine with any new bearing you decide to use. But there is substantial evidence to suggest that not all aftermarket bearings are equal.

These folks above are all giving good advice. I know it's painful and you don't want to sink more money into it but, yes, not knowing much about the specific situation I do still think it's at least possible it could be repaired rather than being scrapped. Like others say, I think it's important to see what happened and then it will be easier for you to decide what your options are. I think that no one will be able to definitely tell you what your options are (and quote you the associated costs and such) until they actually physically get into it. But Loren is saying it's around $30k for a new engine installed from Porsche (if you can get one) so at that cost it certainly makes sense to dig a little further even if it feels like you're in a hole.

As far as installation tips, really the method stated above about tapping into the car's wiring is the cleanest and least intrusive method as far as ruining the interior goes. It's really simple and clean which is the reason most people have chosen to do it this way. Agree that you get what you pay for so just think about the incremental cost of a V1 and then think about what just one additional traffic ticket might cost. Generally speaking, one speeding ticket saved can roughly pay for the entire device. Congrats on your new car!

+1 to what Loren says about avoiding LA Dismantlers in this case......but they are great and will save you a fortune on certain things. For example, I bought a clean, good as new OEM headliner from them (something crazy like $1,000+ from Porsche) for less than $100 shipped. Not sure they are a bad company so much as it's just a bit of a shady business by nature and extremely risky to acquire something like a motor from a salvage/dismantler for obvious reasons. Ahsai has a good suggestion that you should first make sure you can't fix what you have, because if you can it will be a fraction of the cost. I wish you the best of luck.

Another vote for the V1. When the technology changes (hardware or software) it's upgradable or replaced by the vendor at a very reasonable price. I mounted it up by the rearview mirror and as JFP says there is a wire up there which can be accessed through the sunroof control panel, if memory serves, to hardwire it. The V1 even comes with the part(s) you need to do this right out of the box (or at least it did when I bought mine). Really the only way to get "caught" with the V1 is if you're hit with instant on, but in that case nothing's gonna stop it. The V1 also holds its value extremely well. When I wanted to sell mine in the past (moved to Manhattan where you can't drive over 20-30 mph under most circumstances) it sold on eBay for almost the same price I paid for it new. Heck of a deal. Good luck.

I can recommend Stan and Gbox, they rebuilt my 996TT gearbox. If your mechanic has experience with this car pulling the gearbox it shouldn't be that bad. If memory serves I paid my indy under $1,000 in labor to get the gearbox in and out of the car. Regarding the second gear issue, are you aware of the detent? You won't really know the synchro is worn until they get into the box and obviously the detent wouldn’t help in that case. But if the case is otherwise, it's cheap and easy to install. Just wanted to let you know in case it's the issue. http://www.gboxweb.com/detent.html I promise not to go off on a soap box diatribe but please, PLEASE, do not use anything but the OEM gear oil in this box. Don't listen to the all people that say Redline and Royal Purple are the same thing. Trust me, they ain't. When you get Stan on the phone ask him how he feels about it........

maybe.....but if it is registered certainly makes the car more valuable all else equal

great info as always JFP