Which would you buy ?

[Krooked]

Originally Posted by pinksnyper

Great insight ! Question: does having the IMS seal change at 53k prolong the life of the bearing itself in theory? For example of the clutch has like another bit of life in it, I wouldn't want to jump on changing it all so quickly.

There are some who would argue the seal should simply be removed, since the bearing itself is likely to get oil soaked (and therefore loose any grease it's packed with). the thought here is, without a seal, the IMSB would get far more lubrication. So, depending on who you ask, the seal being replaced can be either a good thing or a bad one. Regardless, the IMS bearing is still the original and while you may get another 100K out of it, you may not. It all comes down to how much you wish to gamble.

I'm willing to take my original IMS to the 100K mark or until the clutch needs to be replaced; whichever condition occurs first. If the IMS detonates on my car before then, I'll simply replace the engine since the rest of the car is in such good condition. And that's the gamble I'm willing to take.


As far as your follow-up question on the '02, I would like to see a drop of 4K or more before I would ever consider a car that's been in two accidents and then I would joy ride the hell out of it first to feel the car out. Even minor accidents can impact the overall handling. I've never, ever, been happy with the handling of any of my previous cars after they've been repaired following a collision.