New Clutch/L.N. Engineering I.M.S. Retrofit: Where?
 

I'm going to start this thread maybe we'll make it a sticky.

If you've had the LN Engineering IMS retrofit kit installed where did you get it done and what did you pay? Please include how much doing the clutch added to the bill.

Flat6Innovations did mine. ~$3500 labor & materials including the IMS bearing, new clutch, new RMS, oil change, pre & post installation dyno runs, and 100+ miles of test drive/break in by Jake before I took possession. The only thing I supplied was a new flywheel. I believe their rate is $110/hr, but they do a flat rate deal, which is good should there be issues with removal of the old bearing (happens occasionally, they said).

My car had 70k mi at the time and was on the original clutch. The clutch didn't seem bad (until I got the new one), and Jake said I might have been able to get another 5-10k miles out of it, but why bother. A clutch kit costs as little as $400 online and the flywheel, if you need one, another $450 or so. Unless your clutch has got a substantial amount of life left, this probably isn't the place to try and save a few bucks. The RMS replacement is standard practice when doing the IMS, and the parts costs is ~$100, so again this isn't a place to save money. The labor's the real cost. If you're going to do it, do it right, then you'll have a lot less worries.

by the way, does anyone have a PDF of the Dec. 2008 Excellence article discussing the LN Engineering kit?

The excellence article does not cover the IMS retrofit much at all. When that article was written we were still developing the procedure to extract the factory bearing. Due to this the article barely touched the surface.

Excellence is doing a tech forum on the IMSR procedure, they are writing the article now and just contacted me last week with some text to proof.

Our flat rate charges are the best way to go, you know exactly what will be spent up front and that doesn't change, even if we hit problems. Gschotland's exhaust system was a ******************** to remove but it didn't cost him any extra money, even though it added 3 hours of labor to the procedure.

We do more IMSR procedures than any other shop, partly because we helped develop the bearing and the extraction procedure and know the IMSR better than anyone.

We've had cars shipped from California to have the procedure completed here under my roof.

I did my own. The easiest part was the R&R of the actual IMS kit. Jake has made it extremely easy. The hardest part is pulling the trans out and lining it up to put back in. Helps to have a lift and transmission jack :cool: I put in a new DMF and Sacs Clutch kit and clutch slave from Vertex (best price on the internet....speak to Charles). BTW, make sure to bleed the brake system after you install the trans....or the pedal will slam to the floor when you touch it.... :rolleyes:

Maybe you can find someone closer to home that can do the job, but I doubt for a meaningful amount less. I really didn't want someone learning on my car or on my dime, so I took a 5 day road trip and did some sightseeing on GA's beautiful Antebellum Trail with Jake's complimentary '98 Box loaner (fitted with a hot, whiz bang cam) while he worked on my car. It was a fun trip, Jake taught me a lot about my car, and I can sleep well knowing the job was done right.

Thanks Gary!! It was great working with you and showing you around...

My old Boxster will never be the same again, we are chopping up for an SCCA IT race car :-)

Dang! That loaner sounded like a great side-benefit to getting the job done at Jake's

I had my IMSR done at RUF, can't give you a price as it was done while I was having my engine replaced

There is a series of pictures showing how hard/easy
 

this is over at http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/Disc162/BoxsterTech-162.htm

I've said I'd want Jake to do it because I don't want someone doing a heart transplant on me for the first time. But the problem you have is do you want to do the IMS/clutch and stop there or do you want to fix all the design, materials and just simple wear problems too. I can't see myself stopping at $3-4k...but around $18k ought to do it. Why spend $3k to solve one problem when others could take you down? And then where do you stop...water pump, idler pulleys, AOS, throttle body, and it goes on from there. And why not get a 3.6 while you are there.

Spoken like a true petrolhead Mike.
Now, how do I convince my wife that I should ship my car stateside for the 3.6 bypass....

This week RUF Auto Centre replaced my clutch, IMS, and RMS, for an after tax cost just shy of $2600. Labor was billed at 11 hours with the estimate showing 4 of those for the IMS. The car needed a clutch anyway so adding the IMS retrofit was a easy decision. 2.7L engine with 97412 miles.

If you are anywhere near Jake let him do it. I keep waffling between just the IMS upgrade or the full monty 3.6 upgrade from Jake. It's just that tiny little $16k difference in cost that keeps me on the fence. Too bad I can't do the IMS now and get a credit toward the 3.6 upgrade later. :D :D

Sorry but that's too much cash, jesus if I had known what would become of car repairs I would have followed in my father's footsteps. There's a dude in my town who charges $500.00 to change the brake fluid. He rolls up on you with Porsche specs in hand so those who are not handy will submit to his offer of debauchery. five bills does not include the K.Y. jelly.

I still have mad connects in the wrenching going on in my town. I have a guy that will do whatever I want for $75.00 per hr. Granted he would have to be briefed on the fine legwork that Jake and others have done but when he goes into action he will take less of my ass on the trip. after all, replacing the IMS is the easy part. He rebuilt a mini from the ground up, an old one without any previous experience. He's also had a wrench in his hand for more than thirty years. I'm sure a clutch job in a Boxster isn't that different than many other clutch jobs.

do you know what the fee for doing just the clutch and RMS would have been?
Also, what brand of clutch did RUF use?
Sounds like you made out pretty good :cheers:

Sounds like the whole project less the IMS would have been $2,600 less $600 for the IMS bearing less 4 hrs x labor rate ($100/hr?), so maybe $1600.

RUF used a Porsche clutch kit. I did not quote the clutch separately but $1600 is just about right.