New owner needs advice on upgrades

[Mark_T]

Oh, yeah, you asked about wax - this is what most of us are using:

Best wax for Boxsters

Although, some of us prefer this one:

Mitchell King car wax

It really comes down to personal preference. Check out Johnny Danger's reviews.

[mgfranz]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

Oh, yeah, you asked about wax - this is what most of us are using:

Best wax for Boxsters

Although, some of us prefer this one:

Mitchell King car wax

It really comes down to personal preference. Check out Johnny Danger's reviews.

Yeah... Right. Lol...

I can offer this advice, stay away from Mothers Detail spray, it's crap. The SoCal Wax Shop has a Signature and Venom line that I use on both the 986 and the 530i, both black and they look amazing when done.

And no, they aren't $37,000

[Perfectlap]

I paid $1k for the water pump. My indy charges $85 an hour.

$3K for your IMS quote includes the new clutch which you already have so you can discount that.

An experienced Porsche shop can do the IMS in a day, maybe you'll need a new OEM flywheel $600 (I think) if it wasn't replaced, you can opt for a less expensive IMS bearing (Pelican) so I'm guessing $1,500 all in. The point is to replace the original bearing which is the one that nearly always fails. An IMS failure on a second bearing (Pelican or LNE) seems very rare if a proper inspection was done beforehand to determine if the original bearing had already compromised the engine.
While you're at it service the axle boots and replace the RMS seal.
Although some guys have done the their own IMS bearing swaps with no special tools or experience taking down transmissions, it's not a good choice for a DIY job.
The cost savings does not provide a good risk reward proposition.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I paid $1k for the water pump. My indy charges $85 an hour.

$3K for your IMS quote includes the new clutch which you already have so you can discount that.

An experienced Porsche shop can do the IMS in a day, maybe you'll need a new OEM flywheel $600 (I think) if it wasn't replaced, you can opt for a less expensive IMS bearing (Pelican) so I'm guessing $1,500 all in. The point is to replace the original bearing which is the one that nearly always fails. An IMS failure on a second bearing (Pelican or LNE) seems very rare if a proper inspection was done beforehand to determine if the original bearing had already compromised the engine.
While you're at it service the axle boots and replace the RMS seal.
Although some guys have done the their own IMS bearing swaps with no special tools or experience taking down transmissions, it's not a good choice for a DIY job.
The cost savings does not provide a good risk reward proposition.

wait a minute... 8% failure rate is nowhere close to "Nearly always fails"
maybe I am reading what you meant wrong.

I'm not going to say the IMS is not a problem, but if 92% don't have a problem, well......

Granted, there are a % that have been replaced before any failure, what that number is I have no idea, but I would bet a dollar it nowhere close to 90% or nearly all

Will I get mine replaced, most likely when the clutch is done, its good PM at that point, but I don't lose sleep over it

[TypeA]

Well I have to admit its a concern for me and I have no one to blame but myself. I might luck out but after reading the replacement procedures I realized I am hearing the slight mild rattle when I first start my engine. Its my first Porsche and not only did this issue not come up in my research (again, my fault) but I also didnt know it was unusual or indicated a problem. Its pretty mild and the engine sounds and runs so good at all others times I (again rookie) wrote it off as a quirk of no consequence. Ive not heard it while driving as the guide suggests is also possible. I did buy the car with the understanding that if my mechanic found any major mechanical issues they would be corrected and the lot does have a long and very good reputation. Since this is such a critical issue I will be bringing it in to my mechanic sooner rather than later. An interesting side note, I did learn from that guide that 2500 rpm is not recommended and considered chugging, my last sports car was nowhere near this caliber. Interesting that I am learning the car from in front of my computer and you great folks, go figure. It will be interesting to see what my mechanic has to say but the procedures to replace it are in depth. I read them all and while the guide is good its a pretty heavy duty thing to do myself.

[TypeA]

Happy to report that this car got a clean bill of health and was obviously well taken care of. I was told that the sound I hear on start up is just the engine oil that settles when it sits long enough, makes sense as I dont hear it except after its sat overnight. I did have a chance to look at it on the rack, amazed the engine its leak free and the underside is so flawless. Not bad for $9k. Since theres no way to check the IMSB short of dropping the tranny I will be changing the oil shortly and then again in 2000 miles plus adding the IMS Guardian when Ive got the extra dough. Ill save a sample of the oil and send it off, gotta research "Blackstone Labs." Not a clue who or what they are besides what the name implies. I think cabin and intake air filters should be done immediately also, just cuz. Thats where Im at and I will be driving it around just in time for the Rose Parade. Clay and wax job will be in the next week or so, Ill get some pics up when thats done. Thanks again for all the input on my questions, delighted to say thats its far more input than I expected. BTW this was a lease with pretty comprehensive but vague maintenance for the first five years of its life (according to carfax), it was then returned to the dealership and sold at auction. Was Porcshe proactively replacing the IMSB on 2002s between 2002 and 2007? If so it might have been replaced during that lease? The second owner owned it 7 years and put 25k on it.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by JayG

wait a minute... 8% failure rate is nowhere close to "Nearly always fails"
maybe I am reading what you meant wrong.

I'm not going to say the IMS is not a problem, but if 92% don't have a problem, well......

Granted, there are a % that have been replaced before any failure, what that number is I have no idea, but I would bet a dollar it nowhere close to 90% or nearly all

Will I get mine replaced, most likely when the clutch is done, its good PM at that point, but I don't lose sleep over it

I meant that I have never heard of a failure on a car AFTER an owner proactively switched to a new IMS bearing. We've heard stories of a handful but none of those have surfaced in blogs, forums or magazine letters to the technical editor.

Also, take no comfort in any Porsche statistics ( or non-Porsche stats). None of those statistics are complete, they often only include the failures Porsche was alerted to -- an undetermined number failed out of warranty and the ownets dealt only with independent dealership. Neither did the law firm (to my knowledge) that handled settlement disclose the total number of claims they handled. Secondly, the Boxster is not a daily driver for a large % of owners, many of the cars have been sitting and stewing. They are then sold to new owners who drive them more frequently and compromised bearings are not replaced which end up failing. The point being 90% of all Boxsters are not driven and cared for the same. 90% of all Boxsters can probably endure a certain amount of abuse from oil starvation or contamination, but once the bearing exceeds that threshold the previous coin flips have nothing to do with the current coin flip.
Also it's simple engineering logic, a sealed bearing playing a critical role in keeping your engine in tact will not last forever nor is there any benefit in keeping it in there indefinitely.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I meant that I have never heard of a failure on a car AFTER an owner proactively switched to a new IMS bearing. We've heard stories of a handful but none of those have surfaced in blogs, forums or magazine letters to the technical editor.

Also, take no comfort in any Porsche statistics ( or non-Porsche stats). None of those statistics are complete, they often only include the failures Porsche was alerted to -- an undetermined number failed out of warranty and the ownets dealt only with independent dealership. Neither did the law firm (to my knowledge) that handled settlement disclose the total number of claims they handled. Secondly, the Boxster is not a daily driver for a large % of owners, many of the cars have been sitting and stewing. They are then sold to new owners who drive them more frequently and compromised bearings are not replaced which end up failing. The point being 90% of all Boxsters are not driven and cared for the same. 90% of all Boxsters can probably endure a certain amount of abuse from oil starvation or contamination, but once the bearing exceeds that threshold the previous coin flips have nothing to do with the current coin flip.
Also it's simple engineering logic, a sealed bearing playing a critical role in keeping your engine in tact will not last forever nor is there any benefit in keeping it in there indefinitely.

Fair enough. Your logic makes sense. I thought I might have misread what you were saying

I do agree that the IMS is a problem, just that its not all doom and gloom.
Like I said, when my clutch get replaced, and I have 60k on it now, so I expect it will be in the next 12 months, I will proactively replace the IMS bearing.

In the meantime, it miles of smiles

[TypeA]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Secondly, the Boxster is not a daily driver for a large % of owners, many of the cars have been sitting and stewing. They are then sold to new owners who drive them more frequently and compromised bearings are not replaced which end up failing.

Yeah, this scenario is pretty much me. According to the car fax the last owner put 25k on it in 7 years of ownership. I however will be driving it for fun and as a daily driver. The oil condition when I bought it is "40%" so I would suspect between the two previous owners it was well cared for but its days of sitting in the garage are pretty much over. It will be loved and well-maintained but it was purchased to drive.