graham964

I am seriously considering a 3.2 boxster or 996 cab. However I have concerns about the rms and ims issues. I am looking at older cars (98-2002) with higher mileages. I get the impression that ims issues occur on low mileage cars only, is this correct?

Any advice on how to avoid these problems gratefully received

cheers

Graham

VERBOTN

2002-s that gets the crap beat out of it and even dare I say race it. 3 RMS (not a big deal for me) but runs great and is a ton of fun.

dennisafrompa

IMS is an issue, not necessarily low or high mileage though. I had on failure in a 2.7 Boxster at 6600 miles and another in a 3.2 Boxster at 64,000 miles.

No one knows what the numbers are, only PAG and they ain't talking. IF you don't experience one of these failures, the motors seem to go on forever. There are motors out there with over 250K on them with hardly any wear.

It is a crap shoot and although odds are in you favor, when you lose you lose big, about $ 12 K for a new motor.

Since I was the original owner and had purchased 3 new Porsches since '99, Porsche did give me a new motor even out of warranty....but it cost me 3 grand for R&R and partial tear down.

MikeBat

Budget $1k extra, upgrade the IMS with LN Engineering/Flat Six Innovation IMS retrofit and start enjoying the M96 howl. Think of this retro fit the way older Carrera guys think of the pop off valve that they ALL install.

deckman

Were these all under warranty? Did they all get fixed by the dealer?

VERBOTN

Deckman:

in fact they were, and they were even kind enough to honor the warranty on my rotors despite the livery, cage, seats, etc. (true). Car is now out of warranty and I am facing 4 RMS which will not be replaced due to a pending upgrade in power plant.

Still love the car, way down on power but its a kick in the pants to drive on the twisty's

deckman

The Boxster S is a great car to drive.

I am working on RMS/IMS #3, an this one will not be under warranty. The last one was under CPO in December just 4K miles ago. I don't expect Porsche to warrant the last repair. I'll find out Thursday. I feel like I need to budget for this fix about every other oil change now.

theiceman

Not quite the same at all .. I have over 200,000 and have never had a pop off valve and never will. But your point is well taken and i agree this should be done.
besides .. a blown airbox is 500.00 plus labour if you can't do it yourself. An IMS failure is 12-15 G .
Does anyone have any information on the LN engineering update and if they have experienced any failures of the upgrade and the ceramic bearing ?

Also keep in mind LN offers different solutions including replacing your IMS with an updated one which means complete teardown and is a BIG ticket preventative maintanance.
There is also the upgrade to just the bearing that is done from the outside that is about a $800.00 fix plus labour.
If you can get your hands on a copy of the Decemeber 08 copy of excellence. It has a GREAT article on the M96 engine and some of the challenges and solutions.
I think the answer is do as much research as you can and make your decision. it is definitely a crapshoot and I think the failure rates are higher than we would like to believe.

MikeBat

I was trying to illustrate the point that there are problems and preventative mainenance to all cars. I know you got my point Maybe my example was not the best. But worn valve guides, oil leaks... these are just part of every model ever produced. Hell, even recently delivered $150k GT3 997.2's are reporting leaks, and failures. It is part of life with a Porsche. Preparing for them as best you can is just a way to delay/avoid Porsche Paranoia.. "what was that sound?"

I would love to have ths info too. My guess is that they are so new, no one has had the time to break 'em yet!

Here is the pricing:
Single row retrofit $519, dual row retrofit $595, complete replacement $895 including exchange of the parts.

I spoke to them and because you will not know which one (single or double) you need, it would be best to order both and return the unsed one to minimize down time. They will work with you regarding returns of unused parts.

I think it is much less. My logic is that you never hear from anyone who does not have a problem, but you certainly hear from the ones who have. Then again, we will never know.

That is why I am upgrading anyways. My car has not leaked a drop yet... but you never know. For $519 plus 3 hours of labor... I will simply just do it.