How to get Porsche replace my 2005 987 Porsche engine IMS bearing failure at 42023 mi

[Jager]

Pull the IMS bearing and send it to the CEO of Porsche with a letter giving him the details of the vehicle, your situation, and ask him for his recommendation. Keep the letter polite and professional.

Thanks for all the ideas.

I have some good gear (Canon 7D) to do a nice video of this perfect shape 42k miles 987.
Then drive down to Atlanta and knock some doors directly and leave them one letter, the IMS bearing and a USB stick with the video ready to post on Youtube and forums.

If you have a good scenario of video that I should do except for the close up of destroyed IMS bearing please share ;-) I need some inspiration.

Thanks!

Greg

[Paul]

Being a 2005 your car may have a non removable IMS bearing. Your wallet and health will both be better off, if you sell it and walk away now.

[DenverSteve]

Sorry for your loss. If you want any possibility of help at all, be nice. You have a car that needs an engine. You're not the first and they've been threatened before. What I'm most surprised about is that of the too many Porsche owner's that have experienced IMS failures that they haven't gotten together and hired an attorney for a class-action suit. The only possibility of change comes from strength in numbers. There are likely thousands of attorney's who own Porsches and don't want to be the next high-and-dry owner with a bad engine. Numbers have strength - You Tube and other threats - not so much. Fix your car and drive it for another 100,000 miles.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Boxeer

Thanks for all the ideas.

I have some good gear (Canon 7D) to do a nice video of this perfect shape 42k miles 987.
Then drive down to Atlanta and knock some doors directly and leave them one letter, the IMS bearing and a USB stick with the video ready to post on Youtube and forums.

If you have a good scenario of video that I should do except for the close up of destroyed IMS bearing please share ;-) I need some inspiration.

Thanks!

Greg

Aww man I could have field day with this...


Get your friends and put on a mock lottery to win a 2005 Porsche boxster. Show one of them drawing the winning ticket. He does a fist in the air, screaming, run around the bar. Show his girlfriend crying tears of joy. Show his fat best friend somersaulting down the bar counter.
Then show the whole bar run out to see the lucky winner get the keys to the car and a Porsche jacket, like the green jacket when you win the Masters. He gets in the car turns the ignition and kaboom!
The grim reaper shows up with the letters IMS on his chest. And the girlfriend lets out a horror movie scream. Lots of smoke coming from the cockpit. Grim reaper "ha ha ha your time has come! The soul of this PORSCHE engine has been claimed!" The driver shakes his head "noooo it cant be! Nooooo it only has 42k miles!! Grimm reaper laughs haha ha no porsche engine is safe! Ha ha ha....and asks for the keys. Everyone goes back in the bar calling him a loser.


I also have an idea for a Let's Make a Deal plot where you pick door #3 after passing up a suitcase full of gold bars or something ...

IMS bearing is removable:

Chewed up bearing support:




That should be Porsche logo:




Intact inside/outside vehicle:




Greg

I really appreciate your help

[Ghostrider 310]

I thought you were going to play diplomat first? I understand how you feel, I lost one at less than 30K with religious oil changes and I still don't know what exactly it was that fell into disrepair. I started out like Gandhi and think my final communique celebrated my father's participation in making sure the world didn't speak German. They simply don't care, we are peons to them and if you have a late model you bought used that goes double. They make a fantastic product with no safety net under it and frankly they make no bones about it. How do they get away with it without massive lawsuits? That I don't know, think you're pissed? Go read the 911 blogs of guys who spent north of 100G for a paper weight. A lot of them are sworn enemies of Porsche and would do anything to thwart a future sale. Will they someday be the German Kodak? If they keep that level of arrogance up you can bet on it. Everyone is going to expect VW to be awesome now and that is not going to be an easy trick to pull off. Paul is giving you solid advise, get your money and run, if you can't change the engine yourself all you are going to do is pay a painful amount for the Resurrection of your own car. It's likely cheaper to sell it as a roller and get another one if like me you want a Porsche. In fact 11AM today, I get to see what I bought blind!! (gulp)

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Boxeer

That should be Porsche logo:



Greg

such catastrophic simplicity.

one $500 part is all the difference between years of joy and the bitter demise that leaves you groveling for mercy.

[berty987]

Originally Posted by Boxeer

IMS bearing is removable:

Chewed up bearing support:




That should be Porsche logo:




Intact inside/outside vehicle:




Greg

OUCH ! that looks nasty ! From the damage I'd suggest the bearings have popped out of the bearing and got both behind and in front of the inner and outer races. I assume that the engine has seized or you have some contact between piston and valves as a result ? Was there no signs of impending failure , noises , vibration etc ?

Regarding your course of action , the dealer will be the only person that can put pressure on Porsche , they will be able to quote potential loss of sales, bad publicity of the brand , etc , etc as reasons for a goodwill gesture by Stuttgart. If you can get to talk with the dealer principal and get them on your side you will have a better chance than relying on the service manager who is unlikely to have the authority or clout to get Porsche to help. Porsche will NEVER admit it is a design failure or manufacturing defect , as this opens them up to liability for all other failures , so they will simply say they are assisting you in an irregular and uncommon failure by a goodwill gesture. Even with a new engine there will be no guarantees outside the normal period of a replacement part , so the same could happen again. If you want to safeguard against the bearing failing in future , either fit a ceramic one or a higher spec item that can operate in low lubrication situations with reduced wear.

[feelyx]

[QUOTE=Boxeer;280133]IMS bearing is removable:

Chewed up bearing support:




That should be Porsche logo:




Why is the bearing completely dry? Any seal pieces in there? Do you have a pic down the IMS shaft.
I don't think you could sue porsche directly, you would have to go after NSK for producing defective bearings causing more than 10,000$ in damages(leading to a class action). Then NSK would probably be forced into release the info implicating porsche and THIER design of the IMS bearing. I'm no lawyer, but I did play one in a 6th grade play.

It is a good idea but I don't think the bearing design/quality can be put in relationship. As a mechanical engineer I have to choose bearing sometime and it is my responsibility to choose the right one that match my application. They just screwd the design deeply and they are ignoring it. It's already a miracle that the bearing did last 42k.

The use of a bearing was just a bad choice as it is impossible to quantify the play of it and plan a replacement before failure happens. A bearing has an L10:

Bearing Life Estimation - load and life calculations - Pacamor Kubar Bearings

Greg

[feelyx]

Originally Posted by Boxeer

It is a good idea but I don't think the bearing design/quality can be put in relationship. As a mechanical engineer I have to choose bearing sometime and it is my responsibility to choose the right one that match my application. They just screwd the design deeply and they are ignoring it. It's already a miracle that the bearing did last 42k.

The use of a bearing was just a bad choice as it is impossible to quantify the play of it and plan a replacement before failure happens. A bearing has an L10:

Bearing Life Estimation - load and life calculations - Pacamor Kubar Bearings

Greg

That is true, and you have an off the shelf single row bearing. I'm no lawyer, but, I would think one could back door porsche through the bearing company as the original bearings are a custom design (OEM) by porsche built by NSK and not available to the public. I am sure NSK documents, emails, drawings, etc. will show the flaws of a design reported to porsche most likely before during and after the failures took place. Hence we come to the off the shelf of the single row bearing, and the replacement engine bearing, 2 different designs used at the same time, 1 design to use up stock (single row) even though it was a flawed design. I am sure that a lawsuit would have to come Texas as their laws provide for a pre lawsuit subpoena of all evidence to see if a lawsuit is viable.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by feelyx

I don't think you could sue porsche directly, you would have to go after NSK for producing defective bearings causing more than 10,000$ in damages(leading to a class action). Then NSK would probably be forced into release the info implicating porsche and THIER design of the IMS bearing. .

an interesting strategy. One often used in criminal cases. Go after the enablers who don't have the resources of the ring leader.

[madmods]

Originally Posted by Jager

Pull the IMS bearing and send it to the CEO of Porsche with a letter giving him the details of the vehicle, your situation, and ask him for his recommendation. Keep the letter polite and professional.

Yep, A+ on this mate

(remember, polite and professional)

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Jager

Pull the IMS bearing and send it to the CEO of Porsche with a letter giving him the details of the vehicle, your situation, and ask him for his recommendation. Keep the letter polite and professional.

Dear Mr. Müller,
I recently purchased a 2005 Boxster with 42,000 miles for $5000 but unfortunately the engine was toast (you know, the IMS bearing thing). I don’t have the $27,000 + labor to replace the motor, what do you recommend I do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Signed,
Help Me

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Although the forum has been somewhat scammed by the OP, he has a point about a low mileage car getting fixed at Porsche's expense. His question is valid weather or not he is the original owner or he purchased it already toasted. I think Porsche needs to stand behind ALL of their cars that have IMS failure provided the car is under 100K miles and they can satisfy themselves the car has not been abused.

Example:Triumph motorcycle has a problem with their Rocket III models. They have been standing behind many of the repairs and subsequent upgrades and rebuilds of the model even for bikes years out of warranty no matter if you are first or second owner. I purchased mine new in 2007 and purchased a 6 year extended warranty just in case. So far mine is OK. The problem is hit or miss just like the IMS.

You would think the new price of a Porsche should easily pay for a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. If a cheap $15,000 Hyundai can come with it, why can't a $50,000 to $100,000 plus Porsche ????