IMS Bearing -- Be careful when specifying a replacement

[Seadweller]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

Tell me why you think this service life recomendation is absurd.

I might be OK with the mileage service life, because I'll never put 50K on it...I don't understand the 5 year part...Does the ceramic dissolve after 5 years? I can't imagine having to replace the bearing every 5 years, after only putting 10K miles on the car...

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by Seadweller

I might be OK with the mileage service life, because I'll never put 50K on it...I don't understand the 5 year part...Does the ceramic dissolve after 5 years? I can't imagine having to replace the bearing every 5 years, after only putting 10K miles on the car...

I think they put the year/mileage service life recommendation on there to 1) limit their liability, and 2) encourage you to buy another in the future, to continue their revenue stream. They are supposed to be better built than the factory ones. One guy on another forum (MarcW) has over 300k miles on his 02 Box with the original factory IMS bearing. The whole car from the factory has a 4 year / 50k mile warranty, but the IMS is still good after 300k miles/15 yrs, so that number they attach to the part doesn't mean much.

I've got an 01 with 73k miles, and original IMS. Does that mean my factory bearing is a 16 yr service interval bearing? Don't worry so much about the service life figure. It just means that they think the Pro bearing will last longer.

[Cbonilla]

Originally Posted by Boxtaboy

Don't worry so much about the service life figure. It just means that they think the Pro bearing will last longer.

I'll admit to being gun shy as I am just getting this car back on the road after an IMS failure. The service life, I recognize, is not a guaranty that nothing bad will ever happen inside that window, or that it will all fall apart immediately outside that window. But it does engender some peace of mind and that two year shorter window is what I feel I have lost

[Frank N]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

This car is a tip

ouch, then this hurts much more

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

I'll admit to being gun shy as I am just getting this car back on the road after an IMS failure. The service life, I recognize, is not a guaranty that nothing bad will ever happen inside that window, or that it will all fall apart immediately outside that window. But it does engender some peace of mind and that two year shorter window is what I feel I have lost

Agreed. You have a valid gripe. It stinks that this shop doesn't like to install the Pro version.

[DWBOX2000]

Is this only a single row problem or does it apply to the double as well. I paid 1800 for the retrofit last year. Didn't know about different versions. I apologize if already answered.

[cnavarro]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

Here is how my shop responded. I'd welcome your informed views

Basically, the tool that LN Engineering sells you to install the “superior” bearing is not very good (and yes, we do have the newer bearing tool). We have installed a couple of the “Single Row Pro” kits on cars and had some issues with the tool and fitment in which we didn’t feel comfortable with either the installation process or with that tool. Additionally, there is a very fine (thin) lock ring wire which that tool installs with the bearing that is impossible to tell if it has seated properly. The bearing may have more load capacity and a longer service interval but if it doesn’t install correctly that really won’t matter. We like and trust LN Engineering and their products as theirs is the only replacement IMS bearing that we will sell and install. The “Single Row Classic” bearing is of a better design and material than the stock bearing and we feel it will go farther than the suggested 4yrs, 50,000 miles given the fact that there are a larger percentage of cars on the road still with the stock single row bearing that have exceeded that mileage range and time window without failures. We feel that the suggested time and mileage from LN Engineering is to their benefit, same goes for the limited warranty. ... I might add that most, if not all, Porsche dealerships won’t install that bearing either choosing instead to install Porsche’s own bearing which is of the single row design.

I chose to raise the missing sticker in my response to this email, so it could not have been addressed here

We have received a few complaints on the Faultless Tool that have been unfounded. Jake designed the tool and I made it - and it works. Just like the Faultless Wrist Pin Tool. Some shops just want the easy way out. They probably don't even have the tool or they didn't read the step by step printed manual that comes with it.

I also find interesting that they say most dealerships choose to install Porsche's own bearing. Interesting because so such option exists. In fact, dealerships were the first to buy our kits because they knew the IMS was a real problem.

[Cbonilla]

Originally Posted by cnavarro

We have received a few complaints on the Faultless Tool that have been unfounded. Jake designed the tool and I made it - and it works. Just like the Faultless Wrist Pin Tool. Some shops just want the easy way out. They probably don't even have the tool or they didn't read the step by step printed manual that comes with it.

I also think this excuse from the shop is rather shaky. This is a shop that has been very good for me for a number of years. This is the first time that it has let me down. Unfortunately to me this is a rather big issue, particualy as this car is a tiptronic so I don't have the advantage of piggybacking a bearing change on to a clutch replacement.