Rambling Intro - IMS Thoughts
08-24-2010, 12:42 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Rambling Intro - IMS Thoughts
Dear Friends:
I hope that the accompanying pics will permit me to officially shoot through. I've been reading & posting, but dare not proceed further without photos
. After thoroughly enjoying over two decades of owning air-cooled 911s, I purchased a 2004 C2 tip with 50K miles back in Nov '09. A familiar refrain worth repeating: this site provided an invaluable base of information in evaluating prospects and correcting the few issues encountered so far. Some info regarding both that might benefit others. Purchase experience: Spotted car online from California broker. Clean CarFax but no real service records. One owner car. Made offer contingent on verification of no prior collision history and being presently mechanically sound to be determined by PPI. Inspection report disclosed only thin brake pads (Broker replaced) on front and badly worn rear tires (which I was already aware of). After some very extensive online research, arranged cross-country transport through DAS. On balance the best deal I found with relatively good ratings. Opted for no frills, open transport. Car sat a few days at the staging point, but then traveled virtually continuously (real time tracking was impressive) to their closest pick-up point, which was nearby. No affiliation, similar service may be available with other companies. Footnote: If you have a comprehensive auto policy of your own, you're probably covered and if you are, don't bother with their's.
Some things missed in the PPI. Signal switch wouln't hold for one direction, wouldn't cancel in the other. Easy replacement using instructions found here. Bad oil pressure sensor caused guage to constantly go flat. Easy fix (tools & technique specified by Dharn) that literally took 5 minutes; first looked much more challenging.
Both rear wheels had extreme runout. Although the rear tires were in such bad shape that the ride would have been attributed to that, simply rotating the wheels, even on the car, would have revealed the problem. Replaced with low cost replicas which after 15 K miles remain fine. All in all, small stuff to bring the car around to 100%.
Recently the back and forth function only of the driver seat stopped working. Seat back and height adjustments still work. It's in a good driving position, so when I have more time, I'll check to see if the switch is supplying power to the motor (which I expect to find). If so, any recommended motor remedies, i.e. cleaning or repairing the motor...or is it a replacement only thing? Any ideas are appreciated.
Personal intro: I live in W.Va. and and also have a home in Northwest Germany where I spend about a third of my time each year. Happy to discuss all the curiosities about the autobahn, TÜV, etc.. (Ich würde mich auch gerne mit mitgliedern aus DE, AT u. CH unterhalten!)
I can't close without wading in on the thorny subject of the IMS. The alternatives seem to be to drive and hope for the best, do a LN replacement, purchase an aftermarket warranty or some combination. It seems that the concern is so specific to justify a specific remedy. Would it make sense for someone to organize a fund or pool at a rate comensurate with the participants & reported failures specifically to provide relief exclusively for IMS engine destruction? Although the numbers would be difficult to calculate, it seems like with a sufficient number of participants, a few hundred bucks per person might fill the need. Don't mean to fan the flames of an already volatile subject, but, if there is someone out there with a financial background in risk assessment and management, it might be a project worth developing.
Best Regards
I hope that the accompanying pics will permit me to officially shoot through. I've been reading & posting, but dare not proceed further without photos
. After thoroughly enjoying over two decades of owning air-cooled 911s, I purchased a 2004 C2 tip with 50K miles back in Nov '09. A familiar refrain worth repeating: this site provided an invaluable base of information in evaluating prospects and correcting the few issues encountered so far. Some info regarding both that might benefit others. Purchase experience: Spotted car online from California broker. Clean CarFax but no real service records. One owner car. Made offer contingent on verification of no prior collision history and being presently mechanically sound to be determined by PPI. Inspection report disclosed only thin brake pads (Broker replaced) on front and badly worn rear tires (which I was already aware of). After some very extensive online research, arranged cross-country transport through DAS. On balance the best deal I found with relatively good ratings. Opted for no frills, open transport. Car sat a few days at the staging point, but then traveled virtually continuously (real time tracking was impressive) to their closest pick-up point, which was nearby. No affiliation, similar service may be available with other companies. Footnote: If you have a comprehensive auto policy of your own, you're probably covered and if you are, don't bother with their's.Some things missed in the PPI. Signal switch wouln't hold for one direction, wouldn't cancel in the other. Easy replacement using instructions found here. Bad oil pressure sensor caused guage to constantly go flat. Easy fix (tools & technique specified by Dharn) that literally took 5 minutes; first looked much more challenging.
Both rear wheels had extreme runout. Although the rear tires were in such bad shape that the ride would have been attributed to that, simply rotating the wheels, even on the car, would have revealed the problem. Replaced with low cost replicas which after 15 K miles remain fine. All in all, small stuff to bring the car around to 100%.
Recently the back and forth function only of the driver seat stopped working. Seat back and height adjustments still work. It's in a good driving position, so when I have more time, I'll check to see if the switch is supplying power to the motor (which I expect to find). If so, any recommended motor remedies, i.e. cleaning or repairing the motor...or is it a replacement only thing? Any ideas are appreciated.
Personal intro: I live in W.Va. and and also have a home in Northwest Germany where I spend about a third of my time each year. Happy to discuss all the curiosities about the autobahn, TÜV, etc.. (Ich würde mich auch gerne mit mitgliedern aus DE, AT u. CH unterhalten!)
I can't close without wading in on the thorny subject of the IMS. The alternatives seem to be to drive and hope for the best, do a LN replacement, purchase an aftermarket warranty or some combination. It seems that the concern is so specific to justify a specific remedy. Would it make sense for someone to organize a fund or pool at a rate comensurate with the participants & reported failures specifically to provide relief exclusively for IMS engine destruction? Although the numbers would be difficult to calculate, it seems like with a sufficient number of participants, a few hundred bucks per person might fill the need. Don't mean to fan the flames of an already volatile subject, but, if there is someone out there with a financial background in risk assessment and management, it might be a project worth developing.
Best Regards
08-24-2010, 09:27 AM
#2
Three Wheelin'
Nice pics! The paint looks terrific!
I like your idea about IMS-specific insurance. I bet this board could cobble together an IMS Death Pool. Say an Engine replacement costs $20k. 20 owners each kick in $1000. The first car to die from a documented IMS failure gets the pot, and the lottery is closed. The remaining participants can start a new pool, or simply sell their 996's. Now there's some insurance.
I like your idea about IMS-specific insurance. I bet this board could cobble together an IMS Death Pool. Say an Engine replacement costs $20k. 20 owners each kick in $1000. The first car to die from a documented IMS failure gets the pot, and the lottery is closed. The remaining participants can start a new pool, or simply sell their 996's. Now there's some insurance.
08-24-2010, 09:39 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
Mark,
Welcome and its a beautiful looking car! The seat issue can be a fuse or a loose wire. In my case, it was a wire that was wired in a spot that wore through at the seat hinge which caused shorts. I bet it is a loose wire in your case because other functions work.
Welcome and its a beautiful looking car! The seat issue can be a fuse or a loose wire. In my case, it was a wire that was wired in a spot that wore through at the seat hinge which caused shorts. I bet it is a loose wire in your case because other functions work.
08-24-2010, 09:52 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
Trending Topics
08-24-2010, 10:07 AM
#9
Burning Brakes
Simple IMS bearing solution: Clutch job and IMS bearing replacement every 2-3 years for $2k. Too bad Porsche doesn't offer the bearing because it would be warranted for 2 years if done at the dealer.
08-24-2010, 10:36 AM
#10
Drifting
Remains to be seen if an IMS bearing replacement every 2-3 years is necessary. The LN bearing has been available for about 2 years. Hopefully LN will now start having, and sharing, the history of the bearing. I have not heard of any failures of the LN bearing to date. Maybe Charles or Jake will chime in on this one. Hopefully the longevity of the LN bearing will make this a more permanent fix.
08-24-2010, 11:18 AM
#11
Three Wheelin'
Remains to be seen if an IMS bearing replacement every 2-3 years is necessary. The LN bearing has been available for about 2 years. Hopefully LN will now start having, and sharing, the history of the bearing. I have not heard of any failures of the LN bearing to date. Maybe Charles or Jake will chime in on this one. Hopefully the longevity of the LN bearing will make this a more permanent fix.
If that does come to be the case, I think i'll just cough up the dough for a no exclusion warranty.
08-24-2010, 11:24 AM
#12
Parts Specialist
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I dont recall that (maintenance item comment)
the original bearing has a life expectancy of under 50k miles (dont flame me, thats just the service life) The new bearing has a much higher service life (but I have not heard any numbers)
the original bearing has a life expectancy of under 50k miles (dont flame me, thats just the service life) The new bearing has a much higher service life (but I have not heard any numbers)
08-24-2010, 12:32 PM
#14
Drifting
If you review the latest threads on insurance, it seems that 2 yr. policies are going for $3K and more these days, and are getting harder to get on older cars. Based on this it would seem that replacing the IMS bearing on a "maintenance" basis might end up being cheaper, although it does not cover everything that a policy covers.
When my car (a 2000) was coming off warranty in 2004 at about 30,000 miles I bought an EasyCare "TotalCare" policy with a $200 deductible, 4 years, 75,000 miles, cost was $2,663.00. Bet you can't find one at that price any more.
When my car (a 2000) was coming off warranty in 2004 at about 30,000 miles I bought an EasyCare "TotalCare" policy with a $200 deductible, 4 years, 75,000 miles, cost was $2,663.00. Bet you can't find one at that price any more.
08-24-2010, 12:45 PM
#15
Three Wheelin'
If you review the latest threads on insurance, it seems that 2 yr. policies are going for $3K and more these days, and are getting harder to get on older cars. Based on this it would seem that replacing the IMS bearing on a "maintenance" basis might end up being cheaper, although it does not cover everything that a policy covers.
When my car (a 2000) was coming off warranty in 2004 at about 30,000 miles I bought an EasyCare "TotalCare" policy with a $200 deductible, 4 years, 75,000 miles, cost was $2,663.00. Bet you can't find one at that price any more.
When my car (a 2000) was coming off warranty in 2004 at about 30,000 miles I bought an EasyCare "TotalCare" policy with a $200 deductible, 4 years, 75,000 miles, cost was $2,663.00. Bet you can't find one at that price any more.
I have until 2/2011 to decide (CPO expires then).