Another one bites the dust BOOM!.

For anyone that thinks it's rare and won't happen. IMS BOOM!... I would be interested to see service intervals etc for this car as I think that extended service intervals are half the problem. Not a Merry xmas for this guy. My deepest sympathies. Regards.

I really don't like the oil advice from the few dealers i've been to. They all seem to go for some cheap 10W-40; maybe so they can get a nice markup? First thing i did was drain it out and kept it for the lawnmower. Replaced with some decent Millers synthetic 5W-50 which ciontains a bit of ZDDP. Tim

I hope you tore apart your filter too?.

Nodding in agreement.

Yes but at 90000 miles 10w50 might be a better bet so long as it is fully synthetic or you change it very often, the danger is 0w40 at that age in my opinion for the same reason Boxter owners fit the Hartech lower temp thermostate. 5w40 seems to suit the GT engines in UK but a lot of US owners seem to be switching to 10w40. All in my opinion obviously.

I think its the 10k between thats a bigger issue.

Genuinely interested in why you think that.

I think that certain parts suffer from oil starvation and I prefer a max of 5k for an oil change. I know we have no stats to prove nor disprove anything, But I think an engine with 5k oil changes would be much more unlikely to have its IMS bearing break down. Most of the people I have witnessed have IMS failures are people that had there cars cared for at Porsche dealers! and were very blinkered and opinionated that the really is no issue. And yet there was there car like this guys with no engine and looking at a rebuild. Whether there be a design fault or not it relies on splash back. When ever an RMS leaks the oil down there is BLACK. My RMS was changed several times before Porsche got it right, probably because they employ Tech's not Mechanics, that's because when they employed mechanics they used to get trained then go off and set up there own garage. And for what oil costs now days (compared with petrol) its a no brainer for me to just change my oil regularly. Personally for the same price as a tank of fuel I'm changing it. And thats why I made sure I was on the Pre order list for Jakes "Guardian" so my engine is monitored without me even needing to cut my filter apart which are can't see main dealers bothering to do either. "I couldn't sleep till I had it" We gota look after our toys. Regards.

"Man I wish I could spell"

My mistake I thought you meant the difference between 0w and 10w. I completely agree with you about importance of frequent oil / filter changes. I change mine every 5K or every year whichever comes first, but I do a low mileage so it's usually every year.[ ]

I agree - an unfortunate experience to say the least - on the other hand, under the circumstances, I think he's done quite well to recover £9.4K for a 90,000 miler early 996 without an engine (the auction jumped by over £3k in the last few seconds) - and it still makes it a bargain for someone who has the time and knows what they are doing to add an engine and have a great car. Ideal use of ebay.

If he does get the £9.4k he had a massive result!. I'm not so sure about the buyer £9.4k plus engine + gearbox that going to put it over market value for most unless there trade. But I would think that trade would not be interested. Ive seen working 2001 cars go for £11k in pretty good nick, so yes the sellers done well there.

The seller got a fantastic result IMO. Seems he retreived the gearbox, so it was only an engine that was required. £5-6000 for a second-hand engine, a couple of days work, and you have a running car worth just about market value, for a cost of ........... about market value.

He should have got an IMS Guardian [ ]

Me too. Not mathematically calculated but it just feels about right. Keeps oil the right colour and prevents a build up of water and other dilutents from condensation/fuel contamination etc affecting the performance of the oil. The cost of oil and a filter plus 30mins labour is nothing once a year.

Still new to porsche having sold my sports bikes. i have a 1999 C4 tip cab 996 with 35,000 miles. been looking at the IMS guardian about £450 installed. To get IMS bearing changed at auto farm would cost 1450. What are peoples thoughts as the IMS guardian doesn't prevent failure? Pay more now for saving later

Both are advised.

The IMS is my extremely well maintained C4 went - £1,450 to have the bearings changed is worth every penny!

Is the IMS bearing a possible fault in all 996's or just early one's? Mine's a 2004 C4 and was just wondering if they altered the design for the later facelift models?

I'm sure more knowledgable members will be along but all NA 996 engines (and 997) run this risk of IMS failure. Only the gt1 based block cars - turbos, gt2s, gt3s? don't. General concensus seems to be that its not as common as the internet might make out but it does happen and then the bills are rather large.

And not the 997 Gen 2 DFI engines as they don't have one[ ]

All the Carrera M.96 and M.97 engines use the 996 intermediate shaft. (987/997 Gen 2 use the MA1 engine, as Alan says). Over the years, they kept revising and increasing the size of the bearing and mounting post, each time improving the longevity, but not eliminating the problem. From MY2005 they made a significant modification to the design which made it impossible to change the bearing without stripping down the engne. I think I am correct in saying that they increased the bearing size yet again for MY2006, and this final iteration is significantly less susceptible to failure. I know I have a vested interest in the Guardian, but one thing I will say about the LN ceramic bearing is that they suggest that it should be changed every 40,000-50,000 miles (depending on the type of bearing), and that it should be considered as a maintenance item.

I still cant understand how some can have the problem not all of them. Im tempted to get the guardian and fit it myself. Do they have a garantuee that it will 100% detect any metal filings?

Not being a mechanic it's probably an issue with quality assurance with multiple factors eg seal silicone balance of crank etc. the ims guardian is out of stock reply today . Going to treat the car to ims bearing at autofarm noted about replacement at 40/50k so it is not really the solution . Apart from selling car!!! As it needs new wishbones ( creaking) thinking about m030 suspension does porschshop uk give pcgb members A discount There is a big difference in price 650 at porschshop and 730 at design911. Question for learned friends while it be too uncomfortable for road driving (m030) and can you retrofit heated seats

You should get 10% Club discount on th M030 kit. It is heavily discounted anyway, so it makes it a bargain. I had it on my C2, and found it a bit harsh on the rubbish roads in this area. I ended up putting standard dampers on it, which too the edge off the harshness, but didn't seem to affect the handling adversly. If the roads in your area are half reasonable, it will probably be OK. You will notice a huge difference to the feel of the car. It has a much more 'planted' and sporty feel. It makes the car look much better too, being 10mm lower. You will still need the lower wishbones, as they don't come in the kit.

design911 only offer 5% discount does anyone know code for porscheshopuk/i will ring morning no company can provide yoga 100% guarantee so i don't think IMS guardian could do that email me: [email removed]

I found the opc to be the most competitive as they gave 10% off for being a member. Came to £590 for the kit iirc, just had to go and pick it up (thats including vat).

I think the single row bearings typically suffer from more failures the the double row. I also am sure there are stat's somewhere to show this?.

my 996 cab is now sitting in autofarm waiting for the following 1. IMS bearing RMS seal 2. Mo30 suspension 3. wishbones 4. smarttop Big bucks after a service. I am also changing my savannah interior to black so if anyone is interested !. Cant wait but they have a backlog of work so it is now a 2 week job, then its is exhaust bypass . think i will go for 1.5 inch.