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mikefocke · 11-03-2011, 05:28 PM

The Guardian cost/benefit is different on a TIP (or a '07-'08) versus doing the bearing replacement because of the expense of replacing the bearing when compared to a stick shift car.

You either have no clutch (TIP) whose replacement helps with the cost of the Removal and Replacement (R&R) costs of separating the transmission from the engine for the installation of the IMS bearing or, in the case of the '07-08 models, you have the third generation IMS shaft/bearing which can be replaced only by tearing the engine in half and paying LN to rebuild the entire shaft and bearing. In either case you are probably talking more than $3k to have someone knowledgeable replace the IMS.

In any of the cases, if you are one of the few unlucky ones, if the Guardian goes off you are going to have to spend serious money to replace what is breaking and it could not be the IMS at all..other things can break and trigger the Guardian..those failures are not as well publicized and sometimes people just assume it was the IMS when it really was another of the many possibilities of failure that took out their engine.

Keep in mind that by far the majority of Boxster owners will never experience an IMS failure. Either because they are one of the majority and lucky ones or because they won't keep the car long enough for the odds to catch up with them

All engines have the possibility of failures. I've replaced/rebuilt 3 engines because of internal engine failures in ~48 years of car ownership probably averaging 2+ cars owned at a time over that period. Both new and used, almost every make imaginable. Neither of my Boxsters ever had any internal engine problems at all.

11-03-2011, 05:28 PM	#11
mikefocke Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sanford NC Posts: 2,538	The Guardian cost/benefit is different on a TIP (or a '07-'08) versus doing the bearing replacement because of the expense of replacing the bearing when compared to a stick shift car. You either have no clutch (TIP) whose replacement helps with the cost of the Removal and Replacement (R&R) costs of separating the transmission from the engine for the installation of the IMS bearing or, in the case of the '07-08 models, you have the third generation IMS shaft/bearing which can be replaced only by tearing the engine in half and paying LN to rebuild the entire shaft and bearing. In either case you are probably talking more than $3k to have someone knowledgeable replace the IMS. In any of the cases, if you are one of the few unlucky ones, if the Guardian goes off you are going to have to spend serious money to replace what is breaking and it could not be the IMS at all..other things can break and trigger the Guardian..those failures are not as well publicized and sometimes people just assume it was the IMS when it really was another of the many possibilities of failure that took out their engine. Keep in mind that by far the majority of Boxster owners will never experience an IMS failure. Either because they are one of the majority and lucky ones or because they won't keep the car long enough for the odds to catch up with them All engines have the possibility of failures. I've replaced/rebuilt 3 engines because of internal engine failures in ~48 years of car ownership probably averaging 2+ cars owned at a time over that period. Both new and used, almost every make imaginable. Neither of my Boxsters ever had any internal engine problems at all.