Last year I did the unthinkable, and bought a Corvette. I did order some white Skechers right away, Jorts (jean shorts) were on backorder, and I'm working on developing a taste for coffee, and a desire to park in random parking lots with other owners. I figure I have a decade and a half before I really have to figure this out...
Porsche 911
- Thread starter jerseyguy357
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Last year I did the unthinkable, and bought a Corvette. I did order some white Skechers right away, Jorts (jean shorts) were on backorder, and I'm working on developing a taste for coffee, and a desire to park in random parking lots with other owners. I figure I have a decade and a half before I really have to figure this out...
I obviously failed to dress to succeed.
This is awesome.
Although you know my 17 year old told me the other day that he really likes the new mid engine Corvette. Maybe the more dramatic new style will help bring in younger buyers. And then again maybe not . . . .
(Btw I have new balance 990 made in the USA sneakers. Are those ok for Corvette ownership?)
What good is a Corvette if you can’t remember where you parked it?
IMS issues are internet hysteria- fueled by IMS bearing kit purveyors, IMO. Very few engines actually have an issue. My advice having owned several with this "problem" is to do reasonable interval oil changes and not to lug the engine. The recommended interval of 15k oil changes probably contributes alot to actual failures
Is there failure rate by model year listed on a reliable site? I have been kicking 996 around as they pop up now and then but have been shy. On carfax I see many in for service and then listed for sale the following month. I can imagine a technician reading the filter tea leaves and informing the owner of bad news.
There are but I don't recall right now. Do a search. Should be easily found bc so much attention was focused on this. Those caefax cars listed for sale after service are bc the very first question asked by ppl buying one (like you ?) is "was the IMS bearing replaced?". IMO, sellers probably replace them so they can sell the car, not necessarily bc the engine needs it. YMMV
I don’t know about that, I see a lot of young guys in corvettes all the time . Most of the people I see in Porsches are getting up there in age of which I am one. In my defense I bought my first Porsche at 50 as a gift to myself when my daughter graduated “on time” And didn’t have to pay for an extra year or two of tuition!
Supposedly the mid years single row bearings had an ~8% failure rate per the information from a class action suit filed against Porsche. The rates for the earlier and later versions is lower, but unknown or not easily known. There is an issue w/ the IMS, it is a point of failure with the engines that have the sealed bearings (which have a finite lifespan), but it is way overblown. I only know of two in my years of playing w/ P'cars, and one was a run hard and put away wet, sad example. Is the IMS issue any worse than some issues that plague other cars, or other 911's (early case studs, 993 secondary air injection, etc.)? Who knows.
We replaced the dual row IMS's in ours with the open bearings and consider that along with frequent, high quality oil service a lifetime fix. I would recommend the same for peace of mind as well as resale if that is a concern. That said, we now have two perfectly fine original IMS's on the shelf of expensive parts.
One I did early on at a friend's shop, a Porsche indy, partially out of interest as I participated in the process. The other was in a ~40k mile Boxster S that dropped into our laps and while absolutely mint, had an unknown maintenance history and may have had a single row bearing (it did not). When I was looking at 993's I prioritized ones that had their issues addressed, eventually finding one that was recently resealed and had another common problem addressed preemptively, despite having very, very low (and validated) mileage. This is not uncommon in the Porsche world, especially air coolers, probably less so w/ Toyotas...
On these matters, I am generally not a gambler, but others feel differently. My philosophy on my toy cars is the same as for our airplane and ocean boats; they will start whenever I need them, are maintained as ready for a long trip, everything works every time, and risk is minimized. Time is too valuable for unplanned problems, but I admit that I am very lucky to be able to pursue this philosophy. "Waste of....money"? Maybe to you...
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It just reads a tad hypocritical to tell any prospective buyer that this issue is overblown, while at the same time you've had the "overblown" issue addressed in your personal vehicles.
The issue isn't overblown. Your philosophy isn't unique. We all want our vehicles to start and in the case of this Porsche we don't want them to blow up requiring a $25k (or more) rebuild. I wouldn't buy a 996 without documentation of IMS being done. If it wasn't done, the vehicle would have to be discounted well below market value to cover the cost to get it done right away.
An issue being real and also being overblown are not mutually exclusive.....
As far as "..isnt overblown", what legitimate evidence do you have? What first or even close secondhand experience do you have with these vehicles?? Own? Work on? PCA member? Friends who own a Porsche indy shop?? Someone like me who's an addict??
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Any particular year where the bearing be (easily?) replaced whilst performing a flywheel resurfacing and clutch disc and pressure plate? I have read it is accessible with the transaxle pulled. - Arco
The '99 through '05 or so are replaceable while doing a clutch or similar, later ones aren't replaceable without splitting the engine case and the 'fix' there is to remove the bearing seal allowing splash lubrication by engine oil. This seems to work.
This LN link provides a lot of good information, but take it from the perspective that they are selling something, quality products, but still a sell: IMS Summary LN
If you are seriously considering one, talk to your local indy about the cars but also about any they know of for sale. There is a good shop near the Seacoast, but I don't have the info handy, and two excellent ones in Mass; EPE in Framingham and Sports Imports in North Falmouth. I have learned the best cars don't always get advertised publicly for sale and there is something to be said for finding a car via a knowledgeable shop familiar with the vehicle.
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That's the point. None. I believe the market sentiment (or "mass hysteria" as one poster put it) with these models is appropriate (and "isn't overblown") and there’s good reason there's probably not a single 996 that changes hands without discussion of IMS bearing as topic number 1.
You’re the one going against the grain / market / internet here saying the issue is overblown. Which is fine, we can all have our own opinions. But, you aren't really walking the walk... because, you know, you had yours replaced
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Yes, I agree, this is the point
