New-to-me 2000 Boxster S (What to do first?)
 

I've wanted one of these since they came out and I was just a sophomore in college. Anyhow, I'm and 68,300 miles and it looks like up until 4,000 miles and 16 months ago it was maintained at various Porsche dealerships. The only think I don't like it is seems like it's just a little too quiet. So here's my list:

1. IMS Guardian
2. Exhaust mod
3. De Snorkel

Has anyone used the IMS Guardian and actually had it predict a failure?

None of the above.

Change all fluids and filters (air, fuel and cabin). That includes the oil, brake fluid and coolant. Make sure tires and brake pads are fully functioning. If the tires are old then ditch 'em. Look at records and make sure the car has had spark plugs, etc.

Then drive it for a while before you do anything.

Folks will chime in about the IMS Guardian, but that car is probably a dual row (look it up) and failure rate is microscopic.

Post some pictures.


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+1 on changing the fluids, the only one that would give me pause is automatic transmission. In some cars new transmission fluid in old transmissions can lead to swelling seals and problems. Other members will correct me if this is not the case in Boxsters, mine's a stick. Look at the brake rotors and pads and replace as needed. That frequently becomes the most important system on the car. Make a point to listen to it so you can recognize anything that sounds out of place. Be sure to enjoy it!

Like fat mike said, make sure the car is mechanically sound before you do anything, if you want to desnorkle you can it's fast and free but it only makes the car slightly louder above 4k rpm, no performance gain from it. If your car is a manual trans, it's possible you could need a new clutch soon if it hasn't been done already, and that's not cheap. I've had my boxster over a year now and every dime I've spent has been mechanical in nature totaling over 6,000 dollars. If your obsessed with making the car louder there are some inexpensive exhaust systems on ebay you can get. But the cruising drone under 3,000 rpm is annoying in my opinion.

Despite the hype, IMS was a very rare issue on pre-2001 Boxsters. The re-design in 2001 is what caused them to fail.

As mentioned above, I would start with maintenance type issues, and make sure the car is up to scratch. And be cautious of desnorkeling if you park outside. Some people have suggested it may allow water to more easily enter the intake, and while it is debatable, I would not take the risk. You will get a much more substantial change in the growl of the car with a new exhaust.

Thanks for the replies. I usually do the major fluids on any car if I don't know when. The oil is only 1500 miles old, along with air and oil filters. The brakes, coolant, and transmission fluid I was planning on doing soon. The clutch doesn't slip or chatter so I'll just keep an eye on it for now.

For me this is a 3rd car, always stored in the garage, but driven at least once a week. On my DD I'm a lot more sensitive to noise. The snorkel seems easy and fun since it's simple and reversible.

I'm absolutely not trying to open a can of worms here, but one thing I'm noticing is a huge amount information on IMS items and maybe I'm just buying into the paranoia, but piece of mind is worth a lot to me. If $329 and a couple of hours in my buddy's garage will do that, it's worth it for me.

OC-Boxster, where do you go for service? Haydon Bros?

I worried about my IMSB kind of a lot... until I drove my car for about 5000 miles and realized I was worrying over VERY low odds.
135k miles, 2000 S. It's been nothing but a peach and I drive it multiple times every week.

Get it warm, get those revs up and have a ball. :D

As usual, all great advice. As far as the exhaust I can recommend FD Motorsports. FD Motorsports » Fister Exhaust – Boxster They modified my prior 993 exhaust and the Boxster's. Nice tone and no droning at an RPM or speed. The droning is a major issue with many after market exhaust.

Agreed. FD for exhaust.

I will chip in here as I have had the IMS Guardian installed for 2 years now. No warnings or any problem yet. I test it before I start each time. To me it is worth it as I don't worry about the IMS anymore.

I change the oil every 5k miles with Mobil 1 synthetic and check for metal in the filter.
I pay attention to changing fluids frequently - Porsche antifreeze etc. Will change brake fluid this spring. Enjoy your car. Drive it safely. Life is for living!:)

I would first determine if the clutch has already been changed. If it has not that makes decisions a lot easier. You certainly want to do the IMS when you do the clutch and if the clutch has not been changed then you decision is how soon to do the clutch and IMS. If the clutch is fresh then the IMS guardian may be a viable option for your situation.

As already mentioned the first step is to get on top of the basics and live with it for a while. Hopefully, the first few months will be uneventful and you can move on to mods/etc. It is possible that issues will present themselves and you will be kept busy (including your wallet)...

i found a great indy mechanic in the city of orange called redline automotive. Porsche specialist and they love boxsters. Its owned and operated by 2 former porsche mechanics that started their own company. They have done all the work on my boxster including a clutch/flywheel/IMS/RMS service. I highly recommend them. Call them and ask for james lee great guy.

That sounds amazing and exactly what I'm looking for. I'll probably live with it stock for a little while just to make sure I need to make a change.

I will try and just stop in there this week just to check things out. I'm in Tustin so their shop isn't too far at all. They have all perfect reviews on Yelp except for one guy (there's always one...lol).

Cool. Let me know what you think. Even though you already purchased the car ask them to do a pre purchase inspection and they will give you a great idea of what condition the car is really in. Tell them mike with the silver boxster sent you.