j beede

Someone drew an analogy between IMS failure and Russian roulette... I think it fits. You either walk away unscathed or your blow your head clean off. No "in between". The truth is that if your IMSB lets go you have just about zeroed out the value of your MY99-MY01 996.

I don't recall anyone, anywhere, ever saying that every m96 is due to suffer IMSB failure. If that were so I think a recall would have been enacted some time ago. I believe the anecdotal evidence is 15% failure rate. Unfortunately all 996 are stigmatized as candidates for IMSB failure. Why else would these near-exotic sports cars be selling at such deflated prices--surely it's not just the narrow body.

Ahmet

15%? Where are you getting that from? How many have you seen failed?

I've read about them too, but I have yet to see one IMS failure out of dozens that I've been around personally and professionally. I've actually been on the look out for a broken 996 to buy for some time now. I've come across 2 cracked cylinders and one possible cracked head over the last year (that's across the U.S. publicly for sale, and several shops in and around NC). Considering 100,000+ cars made, that seems staggeringly low.

Anyway, I'd probably buy a car that has had an IMS bearing failure at the prices people on Rennlist suggest they go for. I'd be happy to toss in $500 as a finders fee if you find me a car that's not advertised on autotrader, cars.com, craigslist, eBay and the forums (since I check those myself) that I end up buying. That's a sincere offer, dead serious.

Ahmet

I should add that I've owned several trouble free (to 110k + miles) 996s. My current engine is unopened at 159,859 miles, factory original. I've also replaced "perfect" IMS bearings for other people.

I'm available to perform that service for anybody local to Raleigh NC by the way.

DreamCarrera

Wow, you are truly a piece of work. Why are you here? Are you still looking for a 996 or are you simply another of the many infomercial hosts we have seen here over the last few years? 15% failure rate-HAHA Give me a break, more like 0.15%.

Don't post your BS here unless you can prove it.

DreamCarrera

+10000000000000000

I too have searched over the last year for a 996 roller to purchase and I have not been able to locate a single car for sale.

In fact, not long ago someone posted here on RL that they experienced an engine failure in their 996. Another member of RL and I both inquired about purchasing the roller but, not surprisingly, we did not receive a response. My guess was that the post was an informercial which was not interested in selling the car but rather another product.

Ericginpa

Hey dream carrera, still have the bearing you wanted to see, I sent you my address and phone number but never heard from you. If it helps I'm in Allentown every tuesday near the airport,if you'd like I can show it to you.

DreamCarrera

I couldn't care less about seeing the perfectly fine bearing that you supposedly removed from your car. At least not enough to drive for hours to see it. Have you ever posted pics of it?

You did not hear from me because I already explained to you that my parents live in Allentown, not me, and I only visit them several times per year. You live about 1 1/2 hours north of Allentown, so you are at least 2 1/2 hours from me. Do you ever get to the Reading area? Do you ever do any PCA events or car shows, DE, AX events?

Ericginpa

Posted pics. did send you my phone number and address, at your request,but never heard from you. Why so hostile? You asked to see the bearing and the car and I offered for you to see it while it was still apart,but got no response.

DreamCarrera

No hostility here.

Again, if it was convenient i'd be happy to look at your car/bearing but obviously I am not going to drive for hours to see them. Why would I do that???

I recall asking you if you were going to attend the CPA PCA swap meet in Hershey and I never recieved a reply from you.

Once again, do you attend any of the events that I listed above? I attend many events and meeting at one of those would make more sense. Again, do you ever get to the Reading area?

Ericginpa

You had asked to see the bearing that's why I was following up with you. Seemed very interested at the time. As I said in the other thread I can send them to you. Surely you see your mom and dad more than just several times per year,I'm in town every tues am near the airport. As for pics I did post the pics as soon as I got a cable for the iPad,just search my name.

j beede

I should have said the anecdotal data was 10%, not 15%. The 10% number is quoted frequently on rennlist and also appears on LN Eng's web site. I referred to that statistic as anecdotal--is asking for proof of anecdotal evidence sensible? Out of the four 996s that I have looked at seriously, two had suffered catastrophic IMS failures. Both were repaired out of warranty.

Why am I here? To engage in technical discussions of 996-related topics.

Nyegaard

I find it pretty hard to actually take these numbers all that serious. Mainly because the statistical bias in the source is beyond what we're able to correct for with what we have availbale as control points.

Fact:

The people replacing IMS bearings for a living mostly see cars with broken IMS.

I'm not saying IMS is not real, I'm just saying most of us worry about it far more then it deserves. It's a high powered sports car, I'm fairly sure theft and / or accidents is far more likely and happens a lot more then IMS problems.

All the forum "noise" about this once stopped me from going down the Boxtser route and I highly regret that decision. This time around, I'm going for a 996 and I'm not worried.

Either way with a used car it's a gamble. Things happen.

The article this thread is based on is good though, recomended reading.

Ericginpa

The IMS shouldn't scare you off a car,especially if you've got good service records. I have a cummins diesel that is known for developing a crack in the block( in small percentages). I don't lose sleep over it because there's nothing that can be done preemptively. The IMS can be changed if so inclined,so given it's a part that can be replaced it shouldn't be a deal breaker. Or just roll the dice like you would with any used car. Just my .02

TRT41

I use one of the best P-Car mechanics in the country, he has never seen an IMS failure, but has replaced many perfectly good IMS bearing on request.

I mentioned to you before, you should look for some other car and move on from the 996's. You will never be happy with a 996, you seem to have already set up a lose/lose situation for yourself.

spender

My Porsche mechanic, the best in Calgary, has only ever seen 2 failures that ruined engines.

I went and bought the magazine just for this article. The summary at the beginning of this thread is spot on.

If I had to summarize the article myself, I'd do it as follows: Look after your P-car, check fluid levels (and only use the right stuff), older P-cars with lower mileages that were occasionally used in "city" driving are probably more at risk, and most of the worst problems only affected the first 3.4 L engines. RMS is not a "big" deal, more of an annoyance (author calls it a red herring), and IMS failures are probably more rare than stated on the forums - and this is likely a big factor in why the 996 series does not command high prices and is not considered a classic by Porsche standards. In summary, cars break down (P-cars too), but it shouldn't stop you from driving them.