New guy says Hi
 

Hi all.

I'm the proud new owner of a Arctic Silver / Black / black 2000 "S" bought two weeks ago and starting to become comfortable with it and enjoying it. The car was a garage queen (no longer) with an unbelievable 10,800 miles on it since new. I have all maintenance receipts. The car is perfect. Looks like I just drove it off the showroom floor but, I'm concerned if I should be doing, or considering doing, some maintenance because of the low level of use (aside from IMS) which I'm aware of and plan on addressing.

I've been reading about the IMS Guardian. Is it effective warning device? Are there other alternatives? I am NOT going to do any wrenching myself, will use an independent garage. Thanks for your input.

Lary (The Bald Eagle)

Wow, nice find Lary. That sounds like a very low use Boxster. I'm not an expert on these things, but I assume you'll want to refresh fluids and tyres. If it still has the original tyres they will be pretty hard by now and probably offer not much in the way of grip.

Enjoy the drives :)

Congrats on the low mileage S. Definitely will want to do a full service on the car and have the car fully inspected. It's still a 14 year old car. Enjoy the car.

Pictures
 

Rule #1 on this forum: If there are no pictures, it never happened.

As stated, replace all the fluids first. I would do an early clutch (40-50K miles) and the IMS at the same time.

Thanks for your responses. All fluids and new tires were changed this Spring. Will do the IMS when it's time for the clutch. Any thoughts on IMS Guardian or other magnetic device until then?

I'll post a photo soon.

Larry (the Bald Eagle)

It will be a while before that car needs a clutch. If you plan to drive regularly, replace the ims.

With that low of milage, you probably have a higher risk for IMS failure. On the other hand, with a 2000, you might have a double row IMS bearing which has a lower failure rate.

At the very least, get a magnetic drain plug, inspect the oil filter, and get an oil analysis from Blackstone Labs($25). There is a lot of miles left for your car, so given what I have read, I would get the IMS changed out. Too big of chance that any oil behind the bearing has turned acidic which then causes the failure. I am sure the car is pristine, but sitting for long periods is just not that good. Also, drive it frequently and keep your revs above 3000 the majority of the time with a some revs close to the limit. Cars driven hard regularly tend to have fewer issues than those driven gingerly and infrequently. Just my opinion.:cheers:

Put in a magnetic oil drain plug and that will tell you what you need to know about the internals. When you get the oil changed take the filter apart and see what you find.

Magnetic ferrous particles are the bits of greatest concern and can warn of IMS issues, plus you just want that metal out of circulation through your engine as it will accelerate anything bad that might already be happening.

I would not worry much about the IMS before the scheduled clutch job unless there are oil leaks specifically from the IMS area.

Thanks for the advice guys. The car was just serviced at the dealer - oil change / filter / fuel system service / fuel injection service end of May 2014. I asked the previous owner if there was a magnetic drain plug - answer = no. So I'll get one installed asap and keep the revs up. Photo is now posted as an avatar.

Larry (the Bald Eagle)

Don't forget air filter, serpentine belt, brake fluid flush, brake pads, spark plugs. And just an FYI, working on these cars is not all that difficult. I have been doing most of the work on my 99 myself. I am very cheap and trust no one!