my new used boxster, what to do?

[darrin]

Thanks for the info. I think we are talking about the same thing. I have seen the track arm called the trail arm and vice versa. It is the forked one that runs parallel with the car and connects to the middle of the lower control arm, right?

I have been doing a lot of reading about this car and now am wondering if I made a bad judgement. There is a lot of angst about the rate of engine failures out there. The car is 11 years old with just over 100k miles, should I be worried or am I being a little paranoid? I knew about the RMS problems so I had the dealer put it on a lift for me so I could inspect it. I didn't know about the rate of IMS failures though. Oh well, guess i'm stuck with it for now. But I'll probably start planning in the back of my head what I would do should I lose the engine.

[More]

Originally Posted by darrin

Thanks for the info. I think we are talking about the same thing. I have seen the track arm called the trail arm and vice versa. It is the forked one that runs parallel with the car and connects to the middle of the lower control arm, right?

I have been doing a lot of reading about this car and now am wondering if I made a bad judgement. There is a lot of angst about the rate of engine failures out there. The car is 11 years old with just over 100k miles, should I be worried or am I being a little paranoid? I knew about the RMS problems so I had the dealer put it on a lift for me so I could inspect it. I didn't know about the rate of IMS failures though. Oh well, guess i'm stuck with it for now. But I'll probably start planning in the back of my head what I would do should I lose the engine.

The chances of an IMS failure happening to you is in the low %2 to %5.

[southernstar]

The failure rate on an 02 single-row IMS bearing is a little higher than that. On the figures released by Porsche during the class-action suit, they reported claims on 8-10 % of the cars so equipped and, of course, we can assume that there were a number where no one contacted a Porsche dealership. That still means that the vast majority will not fail. And of course, rather than planning for the engine to fail, you can always bite the bullet and replace the clutch and upgrade the IMS bearing for a lot less money! Either way, welcome to the forum. Enjoy your car and don't obsess over a potential, but unlikely problem. As someone much wiser than myself once said, if it doesn't happen, there will have been no sense worrying about it; if it does happen, worrying won't have changed it.

Brad

[fatmike]

Originally Posted by darrin

Oh well, guess i'm stuck with it for now. But I'll probably start planning in the back of my head what I would do should I lose the engine.

Stuck with the Boxster??? It could be a lot worse.



Relax on the RMS. RMS is just a slow leak in the seal between the engine and gear box. You can look under the car and see the telltale drip. For the most part, if you are diligent about checking your oil, this really isn't a big deal.

The IMS is a different animal. Its the bearing deep in the engine. If it fails, the engine will be a total loss. The results of a class action lawsuit were recently published. They detail whether the engines of this era have a "single row" or "dual row" IMS. The failure rate varies dramatically between the design (from "less than 1%" to something like "10%"). Do some research and make a rational decision on how to treat the IMS.

I have elected to take no action on my IMS. I feel the cost of upgrading it is not worth the value of the car. Others have done an upgrade (along with a clutch and RMS). I've already gotten 65K miles from my car and if it died tomorrow it wouldn't effect my lifestyle.

Good luck with your car. Once I got mine sorted, I have found my Boxster to be a reliable daily driver for the past 6 years.



/

[Jager]

Originally Posted by darrin

Thanks for the info. I think we are talking about the same thing. I have seen the track arm called the trail arm and vice versa. It is the forked one that runs parallel with the car and connects to the middle of the lower control arm, right?

I have been doing a lot of reading about this car and now am wondering if I made a bad judgement. There is a lot of angst about the rate of engine failures out there. The car is 11 years old with just over 100k miles, should I be worried or am I being a little paranoid? I knew about the RMS problems so I had the dealer put it on a lift for me so I could inspect it. I didn't know about the rate of IMS failures though. Oh well, guess i'm stuck with it for now. But I'll probably start planning in the back of my head what I would do should I lose the engine.

Yes, the control arms that connect under the driver (and one under the passenger side) and to the lower control arm.