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Jake Raby · 09-13-2009, 10:56 AM

How many more engines that could be saved will fail if people are waiting for 100K miles to be racked up on the IMS retrofit bearing?

Since the procedures have been perfected DOZENS of engines that had early signs of IMS bearing failure and even engines that had failures that hadn't spread throughout the engine have been saved from the salvage yard. There is no better feeling than saving an engine from the junk heap and keeping thousands of dollars of our money back here in America.

The bearing technology alone is much greater than that of the factory bearing, there is no way to build a stronger bearing that will fit into the factory IMS location without engine disassembly. No cost was spared when making the retrofit bearing and thats why its not cheap.

I have the very first unit that was ever installed in my personal car, just this month I have already installed 3 IMS bearings in cars from Ohio, Texas and one from Atlanta. My personal car has been painfully abused with this bearing installed and has seen track time at Road Atlanta with one of the most aggressive drivers that one can find... Where it turned a 1;47 in stock trim with me as a passenger and a stock 2.5 (stock internally less the IMSR bearing) I also have an IMSR bearing in my911, that my Wife will hopefully set a Land Speed Record with next weekend.
The fellow from Atlanta is a forum member here, perhaps he'll chime in- I saved his engine last weekend and he saw the pieces.

Most cars that would fail at or below 70K miles without an IMS retrofit will be able to run until something else in the engine gives up or wears out. When an engine has 20 modes of failure, removal and replacement of the biggest failure point is smart when the clutch needs replacement, etc as a preventive. I am a very objective person and even I can see that IF the bearing wasn't good for 100K miles it would get the engine past the critical wear periods and take it through till the "big one" takes the engine out and that big one would no longer be the IMS bearing.

Our experience with doing so many of these in a short period of time has proven effective. I have had to use some of our old fashioned ingenuity to make some of the more challenging removals and replacements happen and that includes cutting failed bearings out, welding pullers to bearings and etc. Thats why people send these troubled cases to me, because I'll do pretty much anything and we have a flawless record so far... Every bearing we have attempted to pull, has been effectively pulled and replaced with 100% success.

More and more Porsche Dealerships are recognizing the IMSR bearing technology and are using it to save engines. Porsche won't give them the technology, so they have to look to us to make it happen and they are. Rizza Porsche in Chicago is one good example.

The extraction process is being revised and I amusing our experience and application to assist LN with making an even easier to use tool for the process. Thats my job.

I have dozens of IMSR clients that would be willing to share their experiences with anyone who is on the fence, just email me.

Here is one example:

My 2003 2.7 Boxster had covered 49,000 miles and was in at an official Porsche dealership for a routine service. During the service they noticed a small leak from the engine - the infamous rear main seal. I booked it in for repair and once the gearbox was off, it was also apparent that the intermediate shaft bearing retaining bolt had sheared off. The car was running absolutely fine when it went on the ramp but we didn't dare fire it up it again knowing this! To fix this I was told by my dealer the engine would have to be stripped down and a completely new intermediate shaft fitted (Porsche don't sell the bearing on it's own). COST for parts and labour - 6000GBP!

Needless to say I was not impressed and after asking around on the internet I came across flat6innovations. Their IMS retrofit kit addressed this issue - not only do they have the kit and the know-how, but Jake identified the type of IMS bearing from pictures I sent him, advised exactly what tools were required, how to do it and shipped me the kit to the UK within days. GREAT customer service!

Porsche fitted the new IMS for me (the techs were gathered round while it as being done!) and I have the car back. It runs as well as it always did, but with peace of mind that the IMS bearing is a quality item and the retaining bolt is at least twice as thick. It's as Porsche should have designed it!

COST for this repair - 650GBP including parts, tools, labour, overseas shipping and taxes!!! I am a very happy customer!

Rgds,

Craig Smith

Save someone 10,000+ dollars and they'll appreciate your technology.

09-13-2009, 10:56 AM	#7
Jake Raby Engine Surgeon Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cleveland GA USA Posts: 2,425	How many more engines that could be saved will fail if people are waiting for 100K miles to be racked up on the IMS retrofit bearing? Since the procedures have been perfected DOZENS of engines that had early signs of IMS bearing failure and even engines that had failures that hadn't spread throughout the engine have been saved from the salvage yard. There is no better feeling than saving an engine from the junk heap and keeping thousands of dollars of our money back here in America. The bearing technology alone is much greater than that of the factory bearing, there is no way to build a stronger bearing that will fit into the factory IMS location without engine disassembly. No cost was spared when making the retrofit bearing and thats why its not cheap. I have the very first unit that was ever installed in my personal car, just this month I have already installed 3 IMS bearings in cars from Ohio, Texas and one from Atlanta. My personal car has been painfully abused with this bearing installed and has seen track time at Road Atlanta with one of the most aggressive drivers that one can find... Where it turned a 1;47 in stock trim with me as a passenger and a stock 2.5 (stock internally less the IMSR bearing) I also have an IMSR bearing in my911, that my Wife will hopefully set a Land Speed Record with next weekend. The fellow from Atlanta is a forum member here, perhaps he'll chime in- I saved his engine last weekend and he saw the pieces. Most cars that would fail at or below 70K miles without an IMS retrofit will be able to run until something else in the engine gives up or wears out. When an engine has 20 modes of failure, removal and replacement of the biggest failure point is smart when the clutch needs replacement, etc as a preventive. I am a very objective person and even I can see that IF the bearing wasn't good for 100K miles it would get the engine past the critical wear periods and take it through till the "big one" takes the engine out and that big one would no longer be the IMS bearing. Our experience with doing so many of these in a short period of time has proven effective. I have had to use some of our old fashioned ingenuity to make some of the more challenging removals and replacements happen and that includes cutting failed bearings out, welding pullers to bearings and etc. Thats why people send these troubled cases to me, because I'll do pretty much anything and we have a flawless record so far... Every bearing we have attempted to pull, has been effectively pulled and replaced with 100% success. More and more Porsche Dealerships are recognizing the IMSR bearing technology and are using it to save engines. Porsche won't give them the technology, so they have to look to us to make it happen and they are. Rizza Porsche in Chicago is one good example. The extraction process is being revised and I amusing our experience and application to assist LN with making an even easier to use tool for the process. Thats my job. I have dozens of IMSR clients that would be willing to share their experiences with anyone who is on the fence, just email me. Here is one example: My 2003 2.7 Boxster had covered 49,000 miles and was in at an official Porsche dealership for a routine service. During the service they noticed a small leak from the engine - the infamous rear main seal. I booked it in for repair and once the gearbox was off, it was also apparent that the intermediate shaft bearing retaining bolt had sheared off. The car was running absolutely fine when it went on the ramp but we didn't dare fire it up it again knowing this! To fix this I was told by my dealer the engine would have to be stripped down and a completely new intermediate shaft fitted (Porsche don't sell the bearing on it's own). COST for parts and labour - 6000GBP! Needless to say I was not impressed and after asking around on the internet I came across flat6innovations. Their IMS retrofit kit addressed this issue - not only do they have the kit and the know-how, but Jake identified the type of IMS bearing from pictures I sent him, advised exactly what tools were required, how to do it and shipped me the kit to the UK within days. GREAT customer service! Porsche fitted the new IMS for me (the techs were gathered round while it as being done!) and I have the car back. It runs as well as it always did, but with peace of mind that the IMS bearing is a quality item and the retaining bolt is at least twice as thick. It's as Porsche should have designed it! COST for this repair - 650GBP including parts, tools, labour, overseas shipping and taxes!!! I am a very happy customer! Rgds, Craig Smith Save someone 10,000+ dollars and they'll appreciate your technology. Last edited by Jake Raby; 09-13-2009 at 11:06 AM.