has Porsche let us down?

[recycledsixtie]

Trying to see something positive in the situation here . I would think that 2nd hand Porsches are cheaper to buy if they have the originial ims bearings in. People like me are not prepared to buy a new Porsche and therefore go out on the limb to buy a 2nd hand Porsche which can implode for many reasons. An ims scare can be enough to drive away many prospective buyers but it has not deterred me. My sympathy goes out to anybody who has had an ims failure. But in all fairness it is buyer beware
especially when the warranty is over. There is little doubt that the Boxster is relatively cheap used because there is a perception that they are high maintenance cars and can be really expensive if the engine lets go.

It is indeed great now that if your engine implodes you have choices, fix it, sell it as a roller or just buy another used one. It is a buyers market, especially here in the middle of winter!

[Ghostrider 310]

I don't think that is why they are cheap. The cars are affordable because they didn't sticker that high to begin with and are now over a decade old. They have survived in plentiful numbers and are too new to be collectible. Most potential buyers just assume the car will be dependable as most car owners don't know squat about their car's technology or engines. I could tell you very little about the Escape engine other than it being twin overhead cam and dependable and I'm an enthusiast of cars. Some people just love driving Porsche's and that is where the love affair ends, not all want to jump into the car and wrench on it. Those of us who have know the pitfalls, how to save money and when to bail on a repair that cost more than the car is worth.

[particlewave]

All this IMS stuff...I suppose I'll cry if mine ever fails, but I'm on the original bearing and at 80k+, so I'm not in the least bit worried. Sorry for your loss mountainman

[Ghostrider 310]

It doesn't have to Pwave, if I were in the shoes you are I'd just change it with every clutch, that should do it!

[particlewave]

Yeah, I would definitely do it if I were already in there, just not something I worry about.

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

I've been wanting to chime in for a while but haven't for fear of bad kwan, but here goes...

First, we're 3 pages deep into this thread and we haven't heard back from the OP. Maybe he's busy planning his course of action and doesn't have time to give us an update but it's interesting to me. Based on his description (multiple P-Car owner) and his # of posts, he doesn't appear to be someone who came in with an incendiary bomb and sits back and watches the fun. Would be interesting to get an update on what direction he's going.

Second, with all the info available on IMS failures there shouldn't be a Boxster or 911 owner on this planet who isn't aware of it. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you but you can't deny any knowledge of it. And now with preventative measures available, how can you blame Porsche if you ignore it and then it happens to you? We can debate whether Porsche should build a bullet proof car capable of 250K mi of trouble free driving and we can debate the number of IMS failures vs the total number of cars produced. That's not my point. We know there is an issue and we have options. If we choose to ignore those options, aren't we cuplable? When someone pens a thread about their IMS shooting craps and Porsche should be held accountable, I'd like to know why they chose to not do anything prior to the occurrence.

Having said all that, I'm probably going to be hit hard by the IMS Gods. That wouldn't be good with my stable about to expand to 3 for a period of time. However, I've evaluated my situation. My cars have M97 engines with the improved IMSB. In a previous IMS thread, I asked Jake what the approx cost is to change out the IMSB in an M97. He said $4200 IIRC. So I can spend $4200 or $10000 if my improved version doesn't live. I've been watching threads carefully (esp on Planet-9 since that's more 987 centric) and there are very few M97 failures. Not zero, but few. The M96 is much more prone. So I'm going to roll the dice. If mine fail, I don't want any sympathy because I've chosen to go this route and I won't want to start a class action suit against Porsche. I've chosen a path and I'll live with my decision. Two of my three cars currently have CPO into next yr, so my decision might be different next yr.

Good post. Well stated, Husker.

What the hell happened to the Corn Huskers last night? Talk about a "can of whoop ass".

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Good post. Well stated, Husker.

What the hell happened to the Corn Huskers last night? Talk about a "can of whoop ass".

Thanks. Looks like an M97 bit the big one if Mountanman has an 08 Boxster. So they're not 100% reliable either. I'm sure Jake could attest to that. I'll continue to monitor the situation and keep my options open. Maybe the M97s are reaching an age where they'll start failing more often. If that's the case, I'll reevaluate my plans. My decision would be significantly different if the replacement was $2k instead of $4K.

As far as the Huskers are concerned... Did anyone get the license plate of that runaway semi that flattened us? Man. I thought we were ready to take the next step forward but we ended up taking at least 3 steps backwards. Gotta hand it to Wiscy - they were playing with house money and they bet big. Should be an interesting slugfest in the Rose Bowl. I was planning to go to Indy but cancelled out Fri morning as my Cayman S Sport deal started to take shape. Would have been a looong drive home today from Indy.

[Perfectlap]

You replaced an engine on a 2008 987? And Porsche didn't offer to help with the cost? Being that its still 2012 you must have been only a few months out of warranty?

Originally Posted by mountainman

I am back and I have been doing what I am supposed to do, putting hundreds of miles on the 08 boxster. In answer to what I did, I ate the $20K and had a new engine put in.

[stephen wilson]

If you check his previous posts, you'll see the IMS failure was on an '02 C4 , not the '08 Boxster.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310

That's an awesome customer service story. I wonder what it's like trying to get that kind of action from expensive marques? I mean does Ferrari toss you a free motor when one eats it?

Before if it's warranted: Ferrari recalls California, Italia models for faulty crankshafts - Los Angeles Times

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by 1olddude

Do the Porsche dealers do this retrofit bearing upgrade? Should I wait until the Raby guaranteed no fail solution becomes available and will it be performed by dealers or only at Flat 6? These are questions I need to find answers for. I want what is best for my car.

Call us Monday to discuss.

I've been away this week instructing my Engine Rebuild School to 20 guys from all over the country here at Flat 6. What a blast!

[BoxsterSteve]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

What you say is not really true. Some of the MY's have a known set up, it's only during upgrade years that were subject to design changes that it the bearing need be visually inspected. Do you think Porsche designed multiple bearing styles out of the gate and just through different bearing in different cars to keep everyone guessing?

Just got back to this post...
Shad, sorry but I didn't express myself accurately. What I was referring to was a chart showing an approximate change-over from double row to single row based on engine s/n.