02 Carrera 4 RMS failure

My friend owns a 2002 Carrera 4 with the 996 engine. He is currently on his third engine after the rear main seal (RMS) failed on the previous two. The Porsche dealership opted the replace both engines under warrantee. Unfortunately, the warrantee is about to expire. He is worried about the possible repair costs of keeping the car compared to the poor resale value from questionable reliability.

I did read through the forum and found other instances of the RMS failure. Is it a guaranteed occurrence or just poor luck? Does Porsche do anything besides a complete engine replacement to fix a RMS failure? Can anything be done to prevent a RMS failure in the third engine?

Thank you in advance for any responses.

--Daniel

Daniel,

It is NOT common at all to replace an engine for RMS failure. I would recommend that your friend get an extended warrantee or sell the vehicle with the known facts given to the buyer.

Well it's rare, some RMS issues never seem to go away. I just can't figure out why three engines were replaced for this issue....????

-Eli