BED997

I'm ready to buy a CPO car, 2007 that had a RMS and IMS flange service before being placed on the lot. Obviously, the car had a leak when it was traded.

Does anyone have experience with a car like this? Once a car starts a leak with the RMS will it continue? I was told that the IMS flange had been redesigned 11 times before the engine design was change in 2009, and the new ones are triple sealed.

Thanks -

Vjgtrybno1

I bought a 2007 with low mileage in late 2007. It developed an RMS leak over the winter, presumably due to little use over that time (seals shrink when not lubricated with oil). The dealer who performed the work under warranty also replaced the IMS seal since the tranny needed to be dropped to get at the RMS and it is SOP to replace both when you are in there. I have heard that the RMS has been redesigned over the years to prevent leaks. The IMS has been redesigned, but my documentation suggests two things changed - double race to single race and beefed up fastening nut - I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.
So off we go and a few months later - she is leaking again. They tear it down and it is the IMS and I am scared. After much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, they tell me that the IMS replacement was probably not done exactly correctly. There is a tool to test the position of the IMS to ensure that there is no problem - I was there when they performed the test. If the IMS is not centered, it greatly increases the chance of failure. She passes the test and they replace the IMS.

That was over a year ago and no leaks since from either - knock on wood. To answer your question - no evidence that RMS is a recurring event IF the car gets enough use. Any car will suffer cracked and dried seals if it sits.

BED997

Hate to hear that you had the reoccuring problem. With this 2007 car being a CPO, my thought is that I would find out within two years if this is going to be an issue.

If it becomes chronic, my thought (if it was a solid car) would be to purchase an extended warranty before CPO runs out (Easycare is what my dealer here uses).

It sounds like even with the updated seals / parts they claimed to use in the repair, there still is a chance for nagging problems down the road.

Vjgtrybno1

The funny thing is that there was no recurring issue - the new RMS has held up fine. It was the IMS seal being installed improperly (as a precaution) that ended up breaking what wasn't broken in the first place. I did learn quite a bit about the M97 in the process.

USMC_DS1

I think you'll be fine. My '08 C2S sat on the p-dealer lot for 4-5 months before I purchased her. An RMS leak developed during her idle stay with the dealer. I had them replace the RMS seal before my purchase. It's been a year now and no leak so far... knock on wood. I make a point of driving her regularly (controlled warm up to operation temperatures then some hard driving) to avoid any further seal leaks. I also do frequent oil changes every 3K miles or 6 months(regardless of miles). Some on RL believe that regular driving and clean oil via frequently changed oil helps against a potential IMS failure... I'd like to believe this to be true as I enjoy doing a DIY oil change every so often.