2003 Boxster S - prevent IMS failure?

[rick3000]

All Boxster's are prone to RMS and IMS failures, but they tend to be more common in earlier years. Also know that once you get past 35-40K miles your chance of having one of these problems decreases but that is not to say it can't happen.

If your seeing oil leakage, a tell tale sign of an RMS problem, I would not try to postpone fixing it. Your risking a pricey engine replacement vs. a $600 US seal replacement.

Also, IMS has nothing to do with a seal. The only warning for this, is if you hear a faint sound that sounds like a coin bouncing around in the engine compartment. If your really concerned with IMS, there was a company a while back in the UK that was selling modified intermediate shafts, that they claimed were failure proof. I can't recall the website, but someone posted it a few months ago. I'll look for it.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by rick3000

All Boxster's are prone to RMS and IMS failures, but they tend to be more common in earlier years. Also know that once you get past 35-40K miles your chance of having one of these problems decreases but that is not to say it can't happen...

With IMS, the problem is more prone on later cars. Porsche re-designed the IMS in 2001 to eliminate a noise/vibration concern. This eliminated one of the bearings resulting in more shaft flex. This is when the IMS issue was born. Reports of IMS failure on earlier model years are very rare.

[rick3000]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

With IMS, the problem is more prone on later cars. Porsche re-designed the IMS in 2001 to eliminate a noise/vibration concern. This eliminated one of the bearings resulting in more shaft flex. This is when the IMS issue was born. Reports of IMS failure on earlier model years are very rare.

I didn't know that, so I guess an earlier year could actually be better then, because you only have to worry about RMS which can be detected ahead of time.
Vs. having worry about RMS and IMS (which is hard to detect) with later years.

Do you which year they made the change?