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I finally got my first Porsche! I picked up 2005 Carrera base tiptronic with 64K miles last week. I have been reading up on IMS bearing issue and called the dealers service dept to get more info. Both of the service dept told me that IMS issue only occurs in very cars and I should not be concerned about it. One told me it usually happens to car before 30K and 5 year mark. If you car has 60K miles or is over 10 years old, you should feel safe.
Uh... Is this right? I was called the indy shop and they told me that they heard this from dealers too but they had no real recommendation on IMS issue as well.
What do you guys think? Should get or not get it replaced? Indy shop quoted me $3600.
Hi guys,
I finally got my first Porsche! I picked up 2005 Carrera base tiptronic with 64K miles last week. I have been reading up on IMS bearing issue and called the dealers service dept to get more info. Both of the service dept told me that IMS issue only occurs in very cars and I should not be concerned about it. One told me it usually happens to car before 30K and 5 year mark. If you car has 60K miles or is over 10 years old, you should feel safe.
Uh... Is this right? I was called the indy shop and they told me that they heard this from dealers too but they had no real recommendation on IMS issue as well.
What do you guys think? Should get or not get it replaced? Indy shop quoted me $3600.
Thanks for your help!
Have you checked to see what engine you have in your car?? The earlier production 2005 engines had the problematic Bearings which can be changed. The later 2005 engines had the later style larger IMS Bearing which was much more robust and not as prone to failure and you shouldn't worry about it.
Engine# is stamped on block under car. Kneel down and look behind drivers side on rear tire and you will see the small rectangular area where the engine# is stamped.
Compare your #:Engine#'s for IMS Bearing size:
The smaller IMS Bearing in the 3.8L "997S" motors are in motors up to M97/01 68509790 ---> Engine#'s from M97/01 68509791 forward have the larger revised more robust IMS Bearing.
For 3.6L "Non-S" motors, if the engine# s M96/05 69507476 and higher it has the larger more robust IMS bearing.
*And if you want to change the IMS Bearing in the earlier 2005 engine, the LN Engineering IMS Bearing is about $850 and labor about $1200 at good indy shop
Last edited by groovzilla; 08-08-2022 at 10:29 PM.
I finally got my first Porsche! I picked up 2005 Carrera base tiptronic with 64K miles last week. I have been reading up on IMS bearing issue and called the dealers service dept to get more info. Both of the service dept told me that IMS issue only occurs in very cars and I should not be concerned about it. One told me it usually happens to car before 30K and 5 year mark. If you car has 60K miles or is over 10 years old, you should feel safe.
Uh... Is this right? I was called the indy shop and they told me that they heard this from dealers too but they had no real recommendation on IMS issue as well.
What do you guys think? Should get or not get it replaced? Indy shop quoted me $3600.
Thanks for your help!
I see you already got help, so allow me... no problem asking questions but a sensationalist topic label is unwarranted. The dealer is actually correct - yes, IMS happens, but the numbers are small, and, as you were already told in this thread, several gens of the design exist. The problem is so bad that these cars are all dead... Not!
I don't think anyone on here is going to say not to replace your IMS. If it's something your going to worry about, the peace of mind alone is a good reason.
With that said, the failure numbers are low and with your mileage, I would tend to agree with the dealership. If you drive your car and don't just look at it, then in opinon, don't replace but be cautious.
Know the symptoms and some preventative measures. Make sure it's warmed up fully before getting on it, change oil regularly and look for debris in filter. Make note of how the engine sounds now and if it changes or you hear rattling, it might be time.
If you happen to be in there for something else like a clutch, main seal or other, replace it while your there.
Note.. I don't have an IMS on my .2 so take my feedback for whats it's worth. Just how I would handle.
I have a good friend who owns an independent Porsche repair shop. He services 2500-3000 Porsche cars annually, maybe even more, and a good portion of them are the older models like 997/987/986/996. He is totally open and honest with me. He told me that he "maybe" sees a couple of cars cars annually with an ims bearing failure. Sometimes he goes a whole year without seeing a single case. It is VERY rare.
With that said. I agree with most here. For peace of mind, get it done because you have a 2005 model year with the smaller single row bearing which is the "notorious" one. The bearing you pull out will most likely be in pristine condition, but this is for your peace of mind. If you had a 6 speed manual.. perfect time to get clutch job done, but since you have tiptronic, see if there are other important maintenance jobs to do "while you are in there" in order to maximize your labor costs and take advantage of the tranny being removed. Do the transmission service, fluid changes, starter, AOS, water pump and anything else that is difficult to reach and easy to replace with the transmission out. I don't think there is anything to worry about as far as an imminent catastrophe, but plan it accordingly with other maintenance.
The fact is... you just purchased a 17 year old performance car. Plan to give it a little TLC $$$ and it will take very good care of you for years to come. Welcome to the club and enjoy it in good health
OP, as long as you have a smaller IMS bearing engine,, I would absolutely do the IMS Solution and never have to worry about it again.
Originally Posted by ADias
I see you already got help, so allow me... no problem asking questions but a sensationalist topic label is unwarranted. The dealer is actually correct - yes, IMS happens, but the numbers are small, and, as you were already told in this thread, several gens of the design exist. The problem is so bad that these cars are all dead... Not!
Maybe you’re thinking of the larger bearing car.
The smaller bearing car has a ~8% fail rate compared to less than 1% for the larger bearing car.
**Your IMS Bearing is the later style larger IMS Bearing so no worries----> Your engine# is M96/05 69611490 which is the larger Bearing. The larger Bearing in the Base Engine are engine#'s after 69507476 Please refer to the info below: For 3.6L "Non-S" motors, if the engine# is M96/05 69507476 and higher it has the larger more robust IMS bearing.
**I just saved you $2200
I lightened your engine# photo:
Relax and have a few drinks - Forget about the IMS Bearing and worry more about Bore Scoring IF you did not get a Bore Scope Inspection as part of the PPI when you bought your car. The Base engines are less prone to Bore Scoring but good idea to have it Scoped to see condition of all cylinders.
In the meantime enjoy your new ride and forget about the Bearing - You'll be fine
Last edited by groovzilla; 08-08-2022 at 10:49 PM.
**Your IMS Bearing is the later style larger IMS Bearing so no worries----> Your engine# is M96/05 69611490 which is the larger Bearing. The larger Bearing in the Base Engine are engine#'s after 69507476 Please refer to the info below: For 3.6L "Non-S" motors, if the engine# is M96/05 69507476 and higher it has the larger more robust IMS bearing.
**I just saved you $2200
Great research Groovzilla.... and this is one of the reasons rennlist is a great forum to be a part of... We just want to help each other enjoy their rides and worry less
08-08-2022, 08:01 PM
Dealers denying IMS issue
