[boxster]

So, I know this topic has been discussed sooooooo many times, but just wanted to give my feedback on the matter. I had been thinking about it for such a long time, and since people were saying that garage queens suffer the most Ims bearing failures, I thought id better just bite the bullet and get the bearing replaced.
So I bought all the parts I needed, including obviously clutch and flywheel and thrust bearing rear main seal,etc, since it makes sense to change your clutch once the gearbox is out, and got my mechanic to have it done for me. I have a 99 model so it was the dual row bearing, and I can say that the old bearing still looked absolutely new. No free play whatsoever, nothing, runs smoothly like the new one. I was expecting it to at least have some slack, but it was in perfect condition.
My car is a queen of queens. It has 75k miles on the clock and sometimes spends months without being used, so that's why I was getting worried, but as I said, turned out there was absolutely nothing to worry about since the bearing was still in perfect shape. Luckily, the clutch and flywheel were showing quite a bit of wear, so the gearbox didn't come off for nothing.
I know that some people were unlucky with their bearings, but I now believe that it just happens to a VERY small percentage of cars which maybe had a batch of defective bearings from the factory. Frequent oil changes I believe is a must, but if I had to have another Porsche with the famous ims bearing in the engine, I personally wouldn't worry about changing the bearing untill clutch needs replacing, and even then, I'd remove the flange and check for free play first, and if there isn't any, I'd just remove the front seal. I know some people here might not agree with me, but That's just my opinion! Thanks for reading.