Im shopping used Boxster S...im worried about the IMS issue. How worried should I be?
If it hasn't been addressed in the past, what years/models are likely to fail?
We were aware of the issue for many years, and shied away from the water cooled cars... Then Raby marketed a replacement bearing...After a year or so of making sure that was a good one, we updated every early water cooled P-car we sold. Of course we only buy cars that have had the oil changed in half the factory interval. After a year, the stack of removed bearings on the inspection table got so high they toppled over. All were in perfect condition. We stopped automatically doing the bearings, however, we still only buy P-cars that have had the oil changed in the half time. Still no issues. Like all the "issues" before it...they proved to be overblown. If you are looking for a Boxster S, check out http://www.aicauto.com/content/inventory.asp?Image=641
Any car built 2009 and onwards has a new engine that does not have the IMS bearing at all. These cars are very reliable. The 1998 - 2005 cars have a 1-8% chance of an IMS bearing failure in their lifetime. The 2005 - 2008 cars cannot have the bearing replaced without splitting the engine, but these are much less likely to need doing.* *The model years for 1998-2008 cars are approximate, there was some crossover of engines with single, double row bearings and enclosed (non-replaceable bearings).
The older cars (2000 or older) have double row IMS bearings which are a lot better than the later single row bearings. IMS bearings should be replaced when the clutch is serviced. Change oil every 5,000 miles and drive it like a Porsche to make it last.
