Sporty

Ok -so I have a 2005 997 C2, build date March 2005, with 17k miles bought from the dealer new and had 6yr extended warranty which expired two years ago. Took to my indy for oil change last week, some weepage noticed. Pulled apart and leak is coming from IMS, not RMS and it is the larger diameter bolt (latest IMS bearing) which cannot be replaced w/o splitting engine. No metal in the filter or on the magnetic drain plugand car runs great. Car was serviced regularily. I assume its just a matter of time when later 2005 thru 2008 failures will surface. How could Porsche redesign this knowing that this has not been made bulletproof and further make it worse by making it prohibitively serviceable??? When will these models become part of the class action suit -it seems a no brainer in that they actually made the situation worse than the previsous scenario in terms of preventive measures. What do i do now-contemplating my next step.

Flat6 Innovations

Remember:
The IMSB has NEVER been a serviceable component, no matter the diameter of the bearing. There are no Porsche part numbers for an IMSB.

Prior to our development of the procedure and retrofit bearings there was nothing commercially available to address this issue.

Just because something is changed doesn't mean that it has to make sense. There are big reasons why the earlier cars in the series are my favorites.

Sporty

Thanks Jake. Meant that at least the older version can be pulled out and replaced by your permanent solution which is what i was going to do until I found out I have the latest version. With this bearng you have to pull and split engine-do you even have a permanent solution available for this yet? What would the all in ballpark cost be for you to do if i ship to you and engine has not been damaged(assuming) -I can call to discuss. Car is with Jay C. in Chatham Nj will be going over it on Tuesday AM -great start to the week.

Flat6 Innovations

We can apply the IMS Solution for the late cars at our facility. We can perform our work to disassemble the engine to facilitate the retrofit in only 3 day's time as we are very proficient at the task.

We have yet to certify anyone to do a full tear down IMS Solution installation. Jay is Certified for the non-teardown installations on the 01-05 cars.

terbiumactivated

Customers aren't sheep, arrogance is the enemy of repeat business

LordVicious

Sporty, every IMSB I've ever seen was wet and weepy looking when the bell housing comes off. This is not an indicator of imminent bearing failure in any way. Which begs the question, why did your indy pull the tranny for an oil change? Was the motor dripping?

Now to get at your larger question, if you believe Porsche has done a bad job, I would point out your car still has excellent residual value. Your best bet by far is sell the '05 and buy the car you really want. You could do an even swap for a 370 zapper, or a heavily optioned Camry, whatever turns you on.

I just don't think someone can ever be happy once the seeds of doubt are planted. Even after throwing money at aftermarket parts and "preventative" repairs you'll still be left pondering ... (is my car gonna blow up today? is it making a funny sound? etc.) Porsches get weird as they age, as do we all. Some folks really enjoy the smell of gasoline and rotting leather. It's really all part of the ownership experience. If you can't embrace the foibles of an aging high performance sports car then surely it's time to move on.

H964

so whats the deal here? 2 years ago, i had a 996 4S and my ims gave up while driving. 60k miles. the dealer refused to pay anything, in fact i ended up paying 175$ for them just to tell me that i need a new engine. fuxxxers!
a good local shop ended saving my engine with a new bearing and few parts. cost me $3500. i would like to get some of that back, still have the receipts..

KrazyK

By looking at your avatar pic, looks like you came out great. They gave you a "new" but older, better car.

KrazyK

But thanks to Jake there are many bearing options out there now. Some are very reasonable. The only "solution" to the M96 engine woes, is replacement with something built better.

I will be submitting a claim for my 25% of my $200 repair.

Sporty

LordViscious -thanks for the first part of your reply - it answered the question i was asking/implying - does weeping indicate imminent failure of the bearing itself or is it just due to the the flange seal -does provide some comfort but not sure if it should (?) There was very little oil on the piping alongside the filter, no drips at all on my garage floor. Initially Indy and I thought it was an RMS so we decided to pull apart and see whats what. He indicated the leak was from the IMS, not RMS and which I inspected this morning. Quite frankly the flange area seemed barely moist to me with some clutch dust, it was not a big mess. The flange itself was not removed to inspect the bearing. No metal/plastic in the filter or on magnetic drain plug. How have you seen so many -are you a Porsche mechanic? If i swapped it would be for a 2009 or later 911, or maybe a 1970 - 1973 TRANS AM, or a 2013 Trans Am with 650HP(modified camaro)... the list can go on

pfbz

You didn't mention what year the 4S is or what type of owner you are, but as I read it, you should be able to submit a claim for:

thklinge

Yeah, I had a 996 C2 that failed. Not IMS though but from oval cylinders. I replaced the engine but didn't get the same feeling again, even a year later. Ended up selling the car and getting a Turbo instead. Good feeling's back

Copple

So who do we contact to file a claim? The contact info on the first page isn't clear. Thanks!

Gatorland

I own a 1999 bought new with 32,500 miles on it. Low milage in part to the IMS issue. I saw some metal flakes in the oil filter on the last oil change and decided to go ahead and replace the IMS with the LN kit. Glad I did, outer seal and race were trashed, one ball bearing had a chunk missing and inner seal was going bad. Pulled the pan and only had a couple of shavings in it, so think i caught most everything. Put in a new clutch and good to go.

Them going back only 10 years for a known problem like this is pretty low on their part, we buy these cars and keep the mileage low on a lot of them.

I purchased a BMW M6 in 2007 and it has twice the mileage and half the problems.

Sax Maniac

I can't believe I read the whole thread.....LOL

All that and nothing concrete yet, eh? :-(

I am inside 30 days until by CPO warranty expires. 3 months ago the plan was to do the IMS/RMS and replace the clutch about now but I'm waiting for the specifics on this settlement to see if replacing the IMS will cause me issues later.

Crossing fingers there are updates/details soon.... :-)

Sean