Does brand of IMS make a difference?

[Nedlands]

So it looks like I am going to give in and replace the IMS before I sell the Boxster. That said, does it make any difference which brand I pick to install? I am tending towards a roller bearing version i.e. Vertex or MB but don't want the brand to put off potential buyers.
I don't have anything against LN since I have one in my 996 but it kind of feels like a scam the whole 5 years or 50k miles thing.....
Thoughts?

[Jamesp]

.

[JFP in PA]

Any of the roller or ball bearing retrofits are going to have a defined life span, so they will have to be replaced at some point. Regardless of their advertising, roller bearings units also have no more load carrying capacity than a quality ball bearing unit, so they actually are no stronger or resistant to wear. LN has also recently increased their suggested replacement for their ceramic hybrid bearings to 75K miles.

If you want to get away from having to look at retrofits and maintenance items, consider the IMS Solution, which is an oil fed solid bearing, and is a permanent, life of the engine retrofit. We are doing more of them than ever now that the Solution is available in a dual row design as well.

[Traco]

I'm on original bearing and from what I can see I'll just replace it with a new one from Porsche. It would seem to me that the OEM has more unfailed miles than all the other systems combined and is a fraction of the price.


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[Anker]

Originally Posted by Traco

I'm on original bearing and from what I can see I'll just replace it with a new one from Porsche. It would seem to me that the OEM has more unfailed miles than all the other systems combined and is a fraction of the price.


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Do you mind sharing the statistic that you are quoting? Or is this purely conjecture?

[Traco]

Purely conjecture but I believe there are many more out there with non failed bearings than failed. The web lends itself to the doom factor. I have read lots of threads etc and the max % I have seen for failed bearings is 20% but from majority of articles it seems even 10% may be on the high side.

So even if we take 20% then that's 80% running on OEM bearings with no problems. Based on that info I'm going to speculate that the miles on OEM bearings is substantially greater than the third party ones, so for me I think I'll take those odds and install a new OEM bearing when the time comes to change the clutch.

I could be totally wrong and if I am then the jokes on me but until then I've decided to enjoy driving and working on the car as worrying about all the what ifs don't help.

Again, this is just my opinion and I'm not suggesting anyone follow it, it's just the route I've decided to take that works for me.


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[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Traco

I'm on original bearing and from what I can see I'll just replace it with a new one from Porsche. It would seem to me that the OEM has more unfailed miles than all the other systems combined and is a fraction of the price.


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Hopefully, you are aware that the only IMS bearing you can buy from Porsche is the third design oversized unit, and it only comes pre installed in a shaft and will require total disassembly of the engine to install it.

Good luck.....

[Traco]

Didn't know that so guess my options have been severely limited now. Just thought it'd be possible to buy the OEM part but there you go. "Every day is a school day!"


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[10/10ths]

...stop worrying and buy the "IMS Solution" and start enjoying life.

I did.

I do.

[particlewave]

Guys...
If you're going to respond to the OP, at least read post #1.

He's considering doing this to make it easier to sell, not for his own peace of mind. Any LN product is going to cost more than he will get in return when it sells (unless he installs it himself).
I think your best option is to keep trying to sell it as is.

[mikefocke]

So the OP wants to create the widest possible audience and the least resistance on the part of the buyer.

The best known brand name is LN. The kit cost is in the $700 range but by the time an experienced mechanic does the job, the bill often climbs to $2k.

Will the OP recover that when he sells? Probably not. But it may sell faster and for a bit more compared to a car that didn't have the replacement.

An alternative is price the car $1k below what it would sell for with the IMS replaced. Hope someone not knowledgeable buys it at that price. If someone knowledgeable comes along and wants a PPI, have them pay for the PPI and if the PPI includes a filter drop or even a pan drop, the buyer is welcome to make his choice of IMS bearings and pay for it himself/herself. The OP will have contributed to the cost of the IMS but not had the risk of doing it and then not recovering the cost.

As a buyer, I'd rather buy that way because then I'd know that the replacement was done as a preventative measure and not after the original had contaminated all the oil passages and ground down all the other bearings.

[Nedlands]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

...stop worrying and buy the "IMS Solution" and start enjoying life.

I did.

I do.

That's what my 996 is for....

[Nedlands]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

So the OP wants to create the widest possible audience and the least resistance on the part of the buyer.

The best known brand name is LN. The kit cost is in the $700 range but by the time an experienced mechanic does the job, the bill often climbs to $2k.

Will the OP recover that when he sells? Probably not. But it may sell faster and for a bit more compared to a car that didn't have the replacement.

An alternative is price the car $1k below what it would sell for with the IMS replaced. Hope someone not knowledgeable buys it at that price. If someone knowledgeable comes along and wants a PPI, have them pay for the PPI and if the PPI includes a filter drop or even a pan drop, the buyer is welcome to make his choice of IMS bearings and pay for it himself/herself. The OP will have contributed to the cost of the IMS but not had the risk of doing it and then not recovering the cost.

As a buyer, I'd rather buy that way because then I'd know that the replacement was done as a preventative measure and not after the original had contaminated all the oil passages and ground down all the other bearings.

The issue is buyers don't want the hassle or to have to pay. They want the job done and not have to worry. Problem is that LN have cornered the market to the point that people see anything else as inferior. Personally i have a problem paying so much for a bearing.

[10/10ths]

...if your bearing blows out in West Texas, at 2am, 150 miles from the nearest town, and food and shelter, and your wife is sitting next to you, and it's raining, and coyotes are howling, and 18-Wheelers are blowing by you, and strange, scary looking people are stopping to "help" you, how much money would you pay to NOT be in that place?


Just buy the "solution" and stop worrying.

You folks are looking at these cars all wrong. If you want cheap fun, buy a Miata.

:ah:

[10/10ths]

..."Cornered the market"? Really? A low volume car that is 20 years old? Really? WHAT FREAKING MARKET?????

You think there is enough money in THAT pool for more than a couple of companies to actually engineer, test, and market and support a freaking bearing that a lot of folks don't even THINK they need?

What color is the sky in your world?

[boxxster]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

..."Cornered the market"? Really? A low volume car that is 20 years old? Really? WHAT FREAKING MARKET?????

You think there is enough money in THAT pool for more than a couple of companies to actually engineer, test, and market and support a freaking bearing that a lot of folks don't even THINK they need?

What color is the sky in your world?

Well they made about 340,000 986/996 units combined. Granted, that includes turbos and gt3s that don't have the IMS issue but I would imagine those cars are a small part of the total. I wouldn't say its like the market for a honda civic but I certainly wouldn't call it low volume. They made a ton of these things.

OP, here is the most cost effective bearing if that's what your after. Claimed to be good for 40K. Costs $185

Pelican Parts IMS Bearing Retrofit Kit - PelicanParts.com

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

Just buy the "solution" and stop worrying.

Still refusing to read, eh?

He's not worried. He's trying to expedite the sale of his car.

[10/10ths]

......if nobody buys the darn thing, if he invests in the solution, he can drive her in peace.

[particlewave]

The conundrum is price. If the Solution costs thousands to have installed (even the basic ceramic coated LN is going to cost $2k min installed), and it only gains him $1k on the sale price, it's not worth it.

Better to just drop $1k off the sale price and try to sell as-is, IMO.

[78F350]

+1
And replacing the IMS just before sale will make some potential buyers suspicious. Personally, I'd rather buy a known good car and replace it with my choice of bearing.