IMS tell tale

[mikefocke]

Let me make one personal comment here in the interest of historical accuracy.

Mike Focke has owned two M96 era Boxsters. Never worked on any internals. He doesn't deserve to be lumped with JFP and Jake Raby. Jake has developed multiple kits and tested dozens of approaches. Done thousands. JFP , gads only knows how many he has done/overseen.

What Mike has done is been is on the P-car forums daily (10 on three continents) since forever (Actually his first forum was the original forum long before there was even a PC) and he has been following the IMS issue since before anyone knew of a way of doing an IMS swap nor what was the better way to do it. He was in extended (multi hour long multiple times over months and years) talks and email exchanges with all the developers of the original IMS swap procedure, bearing engineers, etc even before their announcement of a procedure or a product. He likes to think his credibility based on honest inquiry with them (and ability to keep a secret) was one of the reasons they were willing to share their test successes and multiple failures and even product details before public announcements.

He has been universally critical of the amount of tests all kit producers have used before claiming that their bearing is a good replacement for the original. He has been critical of their use of extravagant marketing language.

In a prior life, he was product manager for a small volume computer based product and had both the development and the test responsibility (plus patent and certification) with multiple millions resting on his alone ship/no-ship decision. So he has a sense of the economics of the uncertain volume high development investment environment.

He no longer owns a Porsche. No maintainer within 40 miles. And just too old and a bad back to get in something that low. But he remains fascinated intellectually with the IMS subject.

He has no financial interest in any kit provider.

Neither of his Boxsters ever had an IMS replacement and the only one to survive his driving habits is last heard around 95k miles with the original still in it. Which is not to say he wouldn't do it if he still had the Boxster (lovely car) as the procedure and some kit products have evolved to his satisfaction since the time of his ownership.

He loves Boxsters.

[10/10ths]

.....the reason this keeps coming up over and over again, is that the 986 has reached the point in her life cycle where she's a $4,000 car and lots of folks who don't have a lot of money, are taking the plunge and buying one.

These folks are trying to own a Porsche "on the cheap" and don't have a lot of money to spare.

So, as a public service to those folks, I will throw in my two cents:

Whatever your budget is for buying a 986, add the amount of money necessary to change the IMS. Just save the extra money. If it's a $4,000 Boxster you are looking to buy, just know that it is actually a $7,000 Boxster.

Good luck.