1999 New owner scared - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Sawfish · 12-22-2011, 12:21 PM

I just purchased an immaculate 1999 with 34600 miles on the odometer.
All the info on the net about IMS failure I am scared sick about the implications.
I want to enjoy my new car I did not do a PPS just read the service reports and car-fax and rolled the dice. Was this a mistake? Any advice would be great.
San Diego

Topless · 12-22-2011, 01:42 PM

Relax and enjoy the car. IMS failures are less than 1% of cars built with this design. Change the oil every 5k miles and inspect the used oil filter for shiny bits. A magnetic drain plug is a good idea as an early warning device. For peace of mind you can have a PPI (post purchase inspection) done at a local Porsche indy shop but this does not include inspection of the IMS bearing since that would require removing the trans.

tnoice · 12-22-2011, 05:19 PM

X2

With any car there is a risk of something breaking...so drive it how it should be driven, take good care of it, and enjoy every minute.

Jim Miller · 12-22-2011, 08:31 PM

I was in the same boat a year ago, bought a 99 with 32,000. I was going to just take my chances but very soon broke down and had the IMS replaced along with the RMS and the clutch since they were in there (~$2500). I now have the bearing on my desk at work, all indication were the bearing was fine.

I will tell you you will love the car!!

charlie112 · 12-23-2011, 03:51 PM

I also purchased 99 two years ago with 52000 miles on it and I was scared to drive it I had the ims rms clucth and spark plugs replaced for $2400

milliemax · 12-23-2011, 04:54 PM

purchased 1 year agoand I try to drive it every day. Oh what fun !! Enjoy your nice , new car. OOPs bought with 89k miles.

thstone · 12-26-2011, 10:31 AM

Post some pic's of your car and welcome to the Forum!

The IMS is not as big of a problem as these forums make it out to be. My 1999 has 100,000 miles on the original IMS and the engine runs like its brand new. Two of my friends with Boxsters had their IMS bearing replaced (both at over 80,000 miles) because of the worry and both bearings were in perfectly good condition.

These engines are made to rev so don't be afraid to drive it like it was meant to be driven and enjoy yourself.

Sawfish · 12-26-2011, 12:44 PM

Thanks for the reassurance I appreciate the feedback. Here is an attempt at some photos I am new at this so here goes nothing

ddb · 12-26-2011, 01:11 PM

Very nice, Sawfish! I like the color combination. Very clean.

Enjoy!

blue2000s · 12-26-2011, 02:22 PM

If it worries you, replace it.

thstone · 12-26-2011, 10:22 PM

Very nice, thanks for the pic's!

And only you can decide if you're willing to live with the IMS bearing as-is or spend the money to replace it. Search the forum, there are lots of threads and opinions to be found. There is no right or wrong answer.

MileHighBoxster · 01-03-2012, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sawfish

I just purchased an immaculate 1999 with 34600 miles on the odometer.
All the info on the net about IMS failure I am scared sick about the implications.
I want to enjoy my new car I did not do a PPS just read the service reports and car-fax and rolled the dice. Was this a mistake? Any advice would be great.
San Diego

Congratulations on your buy. All the information on the web is highly over-hyped. Very few Boxster's ever have an IMS failure. Nobody knows the percentages but I've spoken to numerous dealer's and the best I can figure out is that it's somewhere well below 3%. My dealership has never seen nor heard of a local IMS issue. Relax and enjoy the car, or sell it. There's no cause to fret. Otherwise, buy an extended service plan and whip that Boxster like was meant to be driven.

Dragonwind · 01-04-2012, 02:38 AM

I have a 99 Boxster as well and they are great cars! I had the IMS changed around 72k miles and it was starting to go. I don't think the situation is over-hyped at all . My local guy does these all the time (we do have a large amount of Porsche owners in CT). I will say that your driving style does help for the longevity of the original part. Essentially the things I would have do to any car of that period are:
1) RMS (Rear main seal)
2) Clutch?...might as well while you are there
3) check the flywheel...the DMF can wear out and be a source of vibrations @ 2700-3000 RPM but not always the culprit
4) IMS Bearing
5) Front Motor Mount (although at 34k it may be fine. Mine was toast at 60k).

Now drive it like it was meant to be driven!

Chris