mordeeb

Looking at a local 2005 997 base that has less than 50k miles they are asking $34k and it looks to be in great shape however what are my options with IMS on this? Can I get some kind of coverage since I believe it can't be replaced?

semicycler

It depends upon when the car was built. For the 'S' models early 2005's have the smaller replaceable bearing and where included in the class action lawsuit. Later 2005's have the larger more reliable but non-replaceable bearing. Not positive but I thought the base model was the same. You could lookup the VIN on a website somewhere to figure out if the car was included in the lawsuit. Sorry don't have a link though.

If it's the larger bearing, I wouldn't worry about it at all unless you plan to strip the car down, heavily modify it and turn it into a track beast. If it's the smaller bearing ask if it was done already. If not or there is no documentation then build the cost of the replacement into the negotiated price. And if they won't budge then move on. There are plenty of gems out there.

Finally, be sure to have a PPI done which includes a DME overrev report before buying.

mordeeb

Thanks, should this all be part of price negotiation?

Sporty

What is the build date- that could give a clue. If Feb / Mar 2005 most likely big bearing. Mine is a 2005 C2 base and it has the larger bearing - build date Mar '05 9 (was visually confirmed). That sounds like a fair starting point price if it is clean, passes PPI, but as all things, you can probably negotiate a thou or two off the price.

Ben Z

I have an '05 C2 base built in 12/04, it had the smaller bearing. Replaced at 30K miles w/LN, the original bearing was fine. That's the time to do it, before it has begun to shed metal debris into the oil, otherwise that debris can destroy the retrofit which is an open bearing. So be sure the PPI includes, at the very least, an inspection of the drain plug and cutting open the oil filter. Better to drop the pan. But if the oil has been changed recently that might not tell the true story.

However although my IMS never grenaded, the engine needed lifters by the low 60K's and further inspection revealed that in addition to the lifters being bad, the piston skirts were scored, which is the precursor to bore scoring. My car has never been out of S. Florida, so no cold weather starts ever. End result was a new engine, however unlike with an IMS failure, my core was still good, so that saved me quite a bit of money.

As a side note, I paid $46K for mine 7 years ago. So either these cars are doing amazingly well in terms of low depreciation, or else they're asking strong money for that particular one. What options does it have? Mine has full leather, both power seats w/driver's memory, 19" S lobster fork wheels w/colored crests, Bi-Xenon headlights, Sport steering wheel, BOSE stereo.

mordeeb

This is the car,

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=153417211

frankyluis23

Car looks good, go ahead and buy it. Keep in mind that you have a higher chance at being in an accident with someone with no insurance than you do at having IMS failure.

mordeeb

based on the VIN it is under the lawsuit but that seems to be no help since this car is over 10 years old anyways.

Nova997

It could be a bargaining point to use in the price. Since the mileage is close to 50k, the time to make this upgrade is when the clutch is replaced. The PPI should let you know how close the car is in need of that.

mordeeb

so this IMS can be replaced?

semicycler

If the VIN says it's part of the lawsuit then yes the IMS bearing can be replaced without tearing down the engine. As said above there is a lot of labor overlap with a clutch replacement job.

mordeeb

Yeah, I have a 986 boxster that got a new clutch and did the IMS at the time, not sure if that is what I want to go through again...

Hunt3R

The VIN number gives you a hint which bearing it "probably" has in it but it's not necessarily always correct. You can look up what range the engine number falls into as well. And you can look at the build date too, but all of these could be wrong. The only way to absolutely know for sure which bearing it has is to drop the transmission and inspect it visually. Doesn't matter if it's an S or base model, all 2005 911's could have either bearing.

mordeeb

so depressing that this bearing is such a problem on so many cars.

Derek Zoolander

No offense or anything, but that may be the lowest spec'd 997 I've seen:
http://admin.porschedealer.com/repor...AA29975S717389

Division: PCNA Commission #: 551320 Prod Month: 02/2005 VIN: WP0AA29975S717389 Price: $77,510.00 Exterior: Black Interior: Black Standard Leather Warranty Start: March 30, 2005
Additional Equipment

342 Heated Front Seats 446 Wheel Caps with Colored Crest 670 Navigation for PCM 680 Bose High End Sound Package 692 Remote CD Changer (6 Disc) A1 Black Top AN Black Standard Leather P15 Power Seat Package P74 Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package