AWDGuy

you guys are weird.

why would you want to keep the old bearing? I throw out car parts that I no longer have use for. you guys like having a wife nag you over left over car parts strewn across the house and garage???

gnat

Was there any doubt for many of us?

Mostly I agree. For me the IMSB is a bit different given all the grief that surrounds it. It's kinda like a badge of honor or something. I'm also a fiddler so it's a fun toy to have on the desk to spin and play with

In my case she is the one that hung onto a half used clutch (replaced with the first RMS) for over a decade, still has the CD changer even though the HU died and we replaced it 10 years ago, and won't let go of the original tail lights for her BMW after she put the "blackline" versions in 7 years ago. I'm the one that runs around nagging about too much **** in the house

5CHN3LL

Having people send in their old bearings is a cheaper way to collect data than extracting them yourself. If I was trying to produce the best possible retrofit part, I'd want a huge sample set...

I'm certainly not saying that any conspiracy theories about why the bearings are being collected is wrong - just saying that there might be an engineering explanation as well...

Hurdigurdiman

They take the old one off your hands (which was a perfect one anyway) throw some sand in it and stick it on a drill for a few hours to make sure it's really effed up. Then they have evidence to show any doubters that they have lots of effed up bearings which kind of proves that they run a legit business and that they are not trying to scare the crap out of the posters on this board. I mean a 5% to 10% of all 996 ever produced. I wonder how many legit effed up bearings they have in stock????? They need to keep that % as high as possible. They are living off this board. Ask a 996 driver who does not know about rennlist if they know about the bearing in question. They will say WHAT????? and look at you as though you are a nut case. All joking apart. Why would they want the removed bearing???? My guess is as good as any other reason.

AWDGuy

5CHN3LL nailed it. the report LNE sent back to me about my old IMSB read like an oil report. no sand thrown in...lol

5CHN3LL

Hurdi, you are a complete ****. Is it safe to assume that in your reality the World Trade Center was a controlled demolition, Bin Laden is alive and working for Facebook, and the moon landing happened on a sound stage?

The reason they want removed bearings is to look at them and understand how they fail. I realize I'm speaking for LN without actually consulting Charles; but I'll donate a dollar to your favorite charity if I'm wrong and the reason really is that they are trying to bury the evidence of a conspiracy to defraud the 996 population.

alpine003

No silly, the aliens took all the best specimens from earth for their own entertainment aboard their ship. People like Elvis, Bruce Lee, James Dean, JFK, John Belushi, etc. are all partying it up on a spaceship. They've all been given anti-aging drugs so they can party and entertain the aliens forever.

porsche951

I do believe that LN Engineering profits from the hysteria that dominates these forums. That being said however a problem with the IMS bearing does exist. Possibly blown out of proportion from what percentage may be the reality but who amongst us is willing to take that chance. My bearing (like most) with 81k on it appeared to be in excellent shape, which I fully expected it to be. I just couldn't afford to be one of the unlucky 10 % who experience an engine failure. If a motor rebuild was around $5k I would not have replaced the bearing. $20k? That's a whole different story.

5CHN3LL

^ Exactly. Porsche doesn't make the motors, and the cores that exist get snapped up by rebuilders who want them for inventory...what's left for us is overpriced leftovers and sloppy seconds.

Flat6 Innovations

This has been standard procedure since 2008. This is done to ensure the retrofit bearing was not put into service after an original bearing had failed.

Each bearing thats returned has photos taken, a visual and measurable inspection, and then the data is loaded into a database with the vehicle's specifications, and VIN/ engine code logged down.

This is a double positive, as it keeps shops honest, and it gives data to the largest IMSB database in the world.

Unfortunately shops that are not Certified Installers can't be forced to send the unit in, as directed. Until thats done, the job really isn't complete.

porsche951

So some of these failures of replacement bearing we see posted may be due to an IMS replacement after the bearing had failed or was close to it?

Flat6 Innovations

Absolutely!!! That's why we push pre - evaluations, and that shop have good judgment and ethics. Replacing a bearing after failure is just plain dumb. People have no idea what exists for collateral damage deeper in the engine, how the IMS assembly handled the trauma, or how much debris was spread throughout the engine.

Makes zero sense.

Charles Navarro

Hey guys, I'll explain this one for the record. We have always required the old bearing to be sent in from day one. We disassemble the bearings, photograph them, and document the condition of the bearing along with vehicle vin and other relevant data. Then when we get a call about a particular car, we can look up if it has been retrofitted and all the information about that kit. We track every serial number on our end what type of kit it is, when it was made, etc. We can tell you a lot if the job is properly registered.

The other main reason for registration requiring the bearing is that there are many people and shops that have had the original bearing fail and they still put a retrofit in, resulting in the replacement bearing failing, or some other catastrophic failure, which then they come to us wanting us to buy them an engine.

Another part of the registration process is inclusion of the work order from the shop that put it it documenting the procedure and that it meets our guidelines and proper pre-qualification is done including the removal of the oil pan for inspection. You would be amazed at the number of shops that don't even bother to change the oil when putting a bearing in and we've had some even drain the old oil and reuse it. The level of incompetence is rampant.

These requirements are here to try to stop those shops cutting corners and doing work that shouldn't be carried out and ensure the best possible results from use of our products.

roadblock

Charles - your business is in Chicago- the only certified installer closest to Chicago is Ohio

Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

Chiamac

Agree, this one is more like a trophy than a old used part.