Drive 14hours in new used 996 without IMS Guardian? (would you?)
05-05-2012, 02:49 AM
#65
Drifting
This has got me thinking, should I let my wife drive her Boxster on the freeway? It's a '99, she's had it since '01 when it had less than 8k miles on it. It's on the original IMS, RMS, AOS and all that other stuff. I forgot these cars are a ticking time bomb. Should I tell her? Hummmm... maybe I should run the car by the dealer and let them have a look see. Nobody's put a hand on this car except me since it went off warranty in '02. Nothing's broke but the ash tray lid and I fixed it. Heck, that was 10 years ago. This is getting really scary! I won't tell her, she's got a cell phone and I'll get a call if one of her cars even hiccups.
05-05-2012, 09:26 PM
#67
Rennlist Member
Counterpoint
I am a relative newcomer coming over from the aircooled world, and am not trying to hijack this thread, however, I would like to provide the counterpoint on this issue regarding the "risk" of IMS failure (maybe in support of OP's question?). I recently acquired my 2004 996 and submitted a question to PCA asking what service they would recommend given the low miles vs age of the car.
After providing info on routine maintenance issues, they added "To that I would add that you need the LN Engineering IMS Bearing Retrofit Kit. We have been losing some engines, and replacement engines are very expensive now, so this is a MUST" (their emphasis on the word MUST).
This certainly caught my attention and being a person who wants my P-car to perform its best, and believes preventative maintenance is a large part of that(as most of us on these boards) I began the mental debate of how far should I drive, how long should I wait vs the potential risk of damage (and higher cost) before having the retrofit kit installed. I still don't know the answer to that question. I am not trying to spend money needlessly, however I tend to respect the advice of PCA as I do the members of this forum. So for every story about the risk being low, there is probably another saying "don't risk it". Maybe some real empirical data would be helpful, but I suspect it is not available since the cause and effect is not always associated and Porsche is proabably not interested in advertising the extent of the problem. Sorry for being so long winded.
After providing info on routine maintenance issues, they added "To that I would add that you need the LN Engineering IMS Bearing Retrofit Kit. We have been losing some engines, and replacement engines are very expensive now, so this is a MUST" (their emphasis on the word MUST).
This certainly caught my attention and being a person who wants my P-car to perform its best, and believes preventative maintenance is a large part of that(as most of us on these boards) I began the mental debate of how far should I drive, how long should I wait vs the potential risk of damage (and higher cost) before having the retrofit kit installed. I still don't know the answer to that question. I am not trying to spend money needlessly, however I tend to respect the advice of PCA as I do the members of this forum. So for every story about the risk being low, there is probably another saying "don't risk it". Maybe some real empirical data would be helpful, but I suspect it is not available since the cause and effect is not always associated and Porsche is proabably not interested in advertising the extent of the problem. Sorry for being so long winded.
05-05-2012, 10:23 PM
#68
Most will choose to do the retrofit when you need a clutch. The labor is the same as installing a clutch so just do the IMS and RMS at the same time. How many miles does your car have? Have you installed a new clutch yet? Also we need to see pictures of your car so get them up quickly. 
05-06-2012, 07:22 AM
#69
Drifting
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ephrata, PA, USA now. Originally from the UK
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I am a relative newcomer coming over from the aircooled world, and am not trying to hijack this thread, however, I would like to provide the counterpoint on this issue regarding the "risk" of IMS failure (maybe in support of OP's question?). I recently acquired my 2004 996 and submitted a question to PCA asking what service they would recommend given the low miles vs age of the car.
After providing info on routine maintenance issues, they added "To that I would add that you need the LN Engineering IMS Bearing Retrofit Kit. We have been losing some engines, and replacement engines are very expensive now, so this is a MUST" (their emphasis on the word MUST).
This certainly caught my attention and being a person who wants my P-car to perform its best, and believes preventative maintenance is a large part of that(as most of us on these boards) I began the mental debate of how far should I drive, how long should I wait vs the potential risk of damage (and higher cost) before having the retrofit kit installed. I still don't know the answer to that question. I am not trying to spend money needlessly, however I tend to respect the advice of PCA as I do the members of this forum. So for every story about the risk being low, there is probably another saying "don't risk it". Maybe some real empirical data would be helpful, but I suspect it is not available since the cause and effect is not always associated and Porsche is proabably not interested in advertising the extent of the problem. Sorry for being so long winded.
After providing info on routine maintenance issues, they added "To that I would add that you need the LN Engineering IMS Bearing Retrofit Kit. We have been losing some engines, and replacement engines are very expensive now, so this is a MUST" (their emphasis on the word MUST).
This certainly caught my attention and being a person who wants my P-car to perform its best, and believes preventative maintenance is a large part of that(as most of us on these boards) I began the mental debate of how far should I drive, how long should I wait vs the potential risk of damage (and higher cost) before having the retrofit kit installed. I still don't know the answer to that question. I am not trying to spend money needlessly, however I tend to respect the advice of PCA as I do the members of this forum. So for every story about the risk being low, there is probably another saying "don't risk it". Maybe some real empirical data would be helpful, but I suspect it is not available since the cause and effect is not always associated and Porsche is proabably not interested in advertising the extent of the problem. Sorry for being so long winded.
05-06-2012, 10:08 AM
#71
Nordschleife Master
My point would be that the PCA representative that wrote the quote is just another enthusiast with an opinion - they have no more greater authority on the matter than many of the rest of us.
05-06-2012, 10:23 AM
#72
I think wellardmac is correct but on the other hand I don't think the PCA gave you bad advice. You have a very low mileage car and will need to make your own decision on when you want to do the retrofit. Weather that be now or later when you get a clutch. Unfortunatley there is really no set number of miles or time that is generally recognized as the time for the new bearing. Some will say do it now no matter what an others will say wait. Ultimately it will be whatever makes you comfortable. I got mine done at 62k with a clutch. Nice cab by the way and welcome to the group. Is that meridian metallic? Looks similar to my color.
05-06-2012, 03:27 PM
#73
Rennlist Member
Thanks for the welcome. This forum has been a wealth of knowledge in learning about the car. I previousy had a very nice '88 Targa which was great, but this car is unbelievable. I believe the color is called seal gray. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how impressed I am by some of the work I have seen done by forum members, including some home garage IMS retrofits. Very impressive.
