HELP - IMS Total Engine Failure - Porsche Boxster 3.2 s 2005 - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice on my 2005 Boxster 3.2 S, as I had total engine failure yesterday and my local specialist told me that it is likely IMS failure. I'm not sure what to do and could do with some advice? I've been told I could look at a new engine or rebuild, which will cost me anything up to £8k (is this the usual cost?), or I can just sell me car with the engine problem and get up to £3k. The problem is that I have a car that was worth only £12k-£13k. If go for the new engine or rebuild I'm not really sure where to start; i.e. what I best doing and who do I get to it for me (I live in Reading, Berkshire, UK)? Alternatively, if I decided to sell it at a ridiculously low price, where do I do that too? Any advice, feedback, help or direction would be really realy appreciated. Thank you Malcolm

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice on my 2005 Boxster 3.2 S, as I had total engine failure yesterday and my local specialist told me that it is likely IMS failure. I'm not sure what to do and could do with some advice? I've been told I could look at a new engine or rebuild, which will cost me anything up to £8k (is this the usual cost?), or I can just sell me car with the engine problem and get up to £3k. The problem is that I have a car that was worth only £12k-£13k. If go for the new engine or rebuild I'm not really sure where to start; i.e. what I best doing and who do I get to it for me (I live in Reading, Berkshire, UK)? Alternatively, if I decided to sell it at a ridiculously low price, where do I do that too? Any advice, feedback, help or direction would be really really appreciated. Thank you Malcolm

Sorry to hear of your bad new Clarky. You may be lucky though and it isn't as drastic as you have been informed. I would phone the company Hartech in Bolton (01204 302809). I know they are not local to you but they are just about the best in the business for your problem. Good luck;)

Hartech appear to be the recommended specialist of the moment. Worth having a chat as they may take it off your hands, but if you go down the repair route you might want to keep it a long time to get some value out of it.

Hi there, Had the same experience with one of our cars but an 05 2.7 manual boxster - IMS failed and used Hartech to fix. great guys and bill came to circa 5k (included uprated items and complete top end strip). 100% recommend using them - speak to Grant.

Hi there, Had the same experience with one of our cars but an 05 2.7 manual boxster - IMS failed and used Hartech to fix. great guys and bill came to circa 5k (included uprated items and complete top end strip). 100% recommend using them - speak to Grant.

Hi Richie200, Many thanks for your feedback, I'll give them a shout and hope for the best. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the problem is fixable and within a sensible price tag. I'll keep the forum posted. Thanks Malcolm

might be an idea to speak to Max at lakeside engineering, Addlestone. He does engine rebuilds and is a little closer to you. www.lakesideengineering.co.uk Max & Tim are more known for being Lotus specialists, however they have fixing Porsche's now too for a good while. 01932 340003 HTH

I'll second the Hartech recommendation. I had my 986 3.2 engine rebuilt by them following IMS failure. They have a constant stream of cars coming from both private individuals and garages for IMS and other engine failures so have a huge amount of experience with these engines. They are also able to upgrade certain weak points in the engine design to help prevent future engine problems (e.g later, larger design IMS bearings etc) I'm in Surrey and got my car taken transported to Bolton specially.

Try http://www.northwayporscheltd.co.uk/ Just south of Reading. They do lots of M96/M97 rebuilds.

By the replies you've already had you can see that Hartech are probably the No.1 respected specialist in repairing watercooled Porsche engines in the UK. Buyers will often seek out a car which has already had a Hartech rebuild and often pay a little more for the piece of mind. As highlighted it's not just repairing your car, it's adding the extra precautions to reduce the risk of future issues. For that reason alone they'd be the obvious choice.

Autofarm are probably also worth a call, as they too have a good reputation on rebuilds. They also offer the option to increase capacity to 3.7 litres if you fancied getting a bit more from your rebuilt engine. No idea on the cost of that vs a standard rebuild though.

Thanks for all the replies; I've left a message on the Hartech answerphone and hope to hear back from them. I am worried about cost, so any ideas on what I am looking at for an engine rebuild with them (although it will be a bit finger in the air)? Will keep you posted, but thank you Malcolm

£5k if you're very very lucky and nothing else needs doing, up to maybe £8-9k for a total re-manufactured engine with all upgrades and future-proofing done.

Scary costs, at £5k is might be worth it, but at £8k probably not. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks Malcolm

I'm now in touch with the guys at Northway Porsche near Reading now and they are going to try and help me. Either way it won't be cheap, but fingers crossed I'll get the best help. Thanks

Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it.

anonymous said: [redacted] Not at that price, no. I seem to recall a few years back (when they had the prices on the website) it was around £10k, which at an extra £2-3k over a standard rebuild would be worthwhile IMO, but for the last couple of years the website has just said POA, so had no idea on current prices. Sounds like the prices have gone up considerably.

Clarky40 said: I'm now in touch with the guys at Northway Porsche near Reading now and they are going to try and help me. Either way it won't be cheap, but fingers crossed I'll get the best help. Thanks Although other specialists may seem nearer/cheaper/something, Hartech would be where I would take a water-cooled engine.

Also ask your OPC what it would cost with them as if you have a relationship they may be willing to cover some of the cost as a goodwill gesture. Worth a quote if nothing else just to compare. Good luck.

Hi 'TheAnimal' I'm not sure what OPC is, can you confirm? Thanks M

Hi 'TheAnimal' I'm not sure what OPC is, can you confirm? Thanks M

Clarky40 said: Hi 'TheAnimal' I'm not sure what OPC is, can you confirm? Thanks M Offical Porsche Centre - Porsche main dealer.

If you're paying, you don't just want it repaired, better to ensure you have prevention against it happening again. Speak with Hartech before getting anyone else to have a look.

Sorry but every time I've been a OPC in the past they have been up to 30%-40% more expensive and I haven't got a 30%-40% better deal or level of service. May be a bit harsh, but generally been try for me. :-( None the less I will ask, but not confident about their support. Thanks for the advise though. Malcolm

g7jhp said: If you're paying, you don't just want it repaired, better to ensure you have prevention against it happening again. Speak with Hartech before getting anyone else to have a look. Depends what he's planning to do with it afterwards, if he wants to get it running again & shift it on then the cheapest option makes sense. Pity the next poor bugger who owns it mind...

LordHaveMurci said: g7jhp said: If you're paying, you don't just want it repaired, better to ensure you have prevention against it happening again. Speak with Hartech before getting anyone else to have a look. Depends what he's planning to do with it afterwards, if he wants to get it running again & shift it on then the cheapest option makes sense. Pity the next poor bugger who owns it mind... I'd still take it to Hartech. People prefer to buy a car rebuilt by Hartech with a Hartech warranty, see thread here.

I had a long chat with Hartech this morning and they gave me some really good advise. I've got some thinking to do about the car, but they were really helpful and will do their best to get it back on the road (either to sell or drive again), we'll see. Northway are also giving me their view as they are a more local alternative for me. Really appreciate all you help. Thanks Malcolm

Sorry to hear of your situation. Have you had any further thoughts about what you are going to do? If you don't mind me asking, how many miles had your car done & what was the servicing like?

Sorry to hear of your situation. Have you had any further thoughts about what you are going to do? If you don't mind me asking, how many miles had your car done & what was the servicing like?

Hi M, I've got a good 987 3.2 S engine in stock at the moment 74,000 miles. Its on Ebay at the moment here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-987-BOXSTER-3-2-... Its another option for you if yours has completely destroyed itself. You can also fit a new IMS bearing before it goes in as well. Steve

43SteveC said: Hi M, I've got a good 987 3.2 S engine in stock at the moment 74,000 miles. Its on Ebay at the moment here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-987-BOXSTER-3-2-... Its another option for you if yours has completely destroyed itself. You can also fit a new IMS bearing before it goes in as well. Steve OP a replacement engine is your cheapest option. However I would not buy a replacement engine without a 12 month warranty or if you do pay nor more than a few thousand quid as the engine in the advert above for example could just as easily let go on you as your first one. Also Hartech will probably buy your old engine off you. Not worth spending £8k you can buy lovely Boxster S for that money.

Hence the suggestion of fitting a new IMS bearing before its fitted!

Boxstercol said: Sorry to hear of your situation. Have you had any further thoughts about what you are going to do? If you don't mind me asking, how many miles had your car done & what was the servicing like? The mileage does not seem to be relevant. They can go at 3k or do 200k.

43SteveC said: Hi M, I've got a good 987 3.2 S engine in stock at the moment 74,000 miles. Its on Ebay at the moment here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-987-BOXSTER-3-2-... Its another option for you if yours has completely destroyed itself. You can also fit a new IMS bearing before it goes in as well. Steve I'd definitely look at this as an option - Steve could probably fit it all for you too, and hopefully provide a warranty. I'd want the bores inspected before committing to it though.

We mostly do race work but we could fit it in for you and of course we give a guarantee. We do use a bore scope camera to inspect these as well and carrying out a cylinder leak test. I do agree with most people on here that Hartech are the best on these engines but its useful to have a lower cost option if you didn't want to spend almost the value of the car for a full rebuild if it comes to that.

I think its down to the condition of the rest of the car. Is it mint otherwise? Or will it need tyres, brakes, maybe some paint soon etc etc. If theres other stuff looming, I would sell it as is and move on the wiser. Unless of course you love it and want to keep it? Then the financial aspect vs value of the car is not as meaningful. Whatever you do, good luck, its rotten luck. Oh, and if you do go down the rebuild / future proof route, Hartech are the best choice.

Again, thanks all. I'll let you know how I get on, but I've not quite decided on who will do the work yet, although it is likely to be either Hartech or Northway.

Sorry, I meant to add that the car is in fantastic condition other than the obvious. New discs, pads and tyres within the last year, plus last major service was done in the early part of the year. Bodywork, wheels, interior also in fantastic condition. Such a pain about the engine, but I'm sure it will get fixed.

Quick question; has anyone ever had a rebuild done by Northway Porsche in Reading, as I'm thinking about them doing the rebuild work me?

Quick question; has anyone ever had a rebuild done by Northway Porsche in Reading, as I'm thinking about them doing the rebuild work me?

Hi clarky,other option would be buy rebuilt engine with 2year garantee (if they fit it, one year if they don,t)seen on e-bay 4000 pounds about, I doubt the quality will be as good as elsewhere,so what you can then sell or not,depend if you like the car? If the rest of the car is good low miles etc. let me know if you decide to sell as is ,maybe able to top trade offers. good luck

As much as I like the idea of an 'upgraded' engine on a limited budget a good replacement makes a lot of sense rather than a rebuild which may cost twice as much. You can replace the IMS bearing with the same again for a couple of hundred or spend a bit more on other alternatives or upgrades. You won't pay for removal and refitting of gearbox so this will almost halve the price of a normal IMS replacmenent as you will presumably pay for removal/fitting of gearbox as part of the engine replacement.

anonymous said: [redacted] I'd agree with all that but 43SteveC who offered the engine earlier in the thread is a long established Porsche specialist who also races a Boxster S. I'd definitely contact him before deciding what to do.

How about this for an option? They are a respected indy. Maybe you could ring them up a do a deal for it fitted? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-PORSCHE-986-BOXS...

anonymous said: [redacted] Oh yes, Silly me.

The engine is out, the cylinders look good, only a minor scoring in one of them. IMS broke both ends and oil pump now needs replacing but that's fine. Waiting for further updates on values, etc. but technician didn't seem to think it was too bad (so far), but this could all change. Fingers crossed...

Engine, not in the bad a shape and can be rebuild, all be it approx. £5k+VAT. The guys at Northway Porsche have done a great job so far, but hoping they can get it back to me quicker than 6 weeks. Apparently the machine shop works takes a while. Feel a bit better about things than a I did last week.

Clarky40 said: Engine, not in the bad a shape and can be rebuild, all be it approx. £5k+VAT. The guys at Northway Porsche have done a great job so far, but hoping they can get it back to me quicker than 6 weeks. Apparently the machine shop works takes a while. Feel a bit better about things than a I did last week. Just wondering,will the rebuild and engine work come with a warranty of and kind?

Hi, sorry for not coming back sooner... the work on the car has a 1 year warranty for parts and labour.

Car all fixed and back on the road. Great job done by the guys at Northway Porsche near Reading in Berks. Running sweet as, if not better than it was. Cost approx. £6500 so not too bad, and could have been a lot worse. Will enjoy it for the summer, then may sell it in Autumn. Very happy now though..... Clarky

Good to hear that it's up and running again.

Glad to hear you got it fixed, mines just gone 'pop', and if mines IMS it'll be uneconomical as mines as 2000 2.7 with 130k. Out of curiosity what actually happened when yours 'went'?

hi, low engine all pressure warning came on, then started to make a few funny noises. When coming up to a roundabout I shifted down from 4th to 3rd and I lost all power, everything shut down. No smoke, no oil dropped; that is until AA man tried to turn it over. Have it relayed straight to my specialist to find out what the problem was. I was very lucky as the damage could have been far worse than it was. I hope you get yours sorted, but if the damage is too bad you may have to write it off sadly, depends on the value of the car I guess. I hope its not that bad though. M

Cheers, unfortunately that sounds far too similar to my tale of woe....it's not looking good for me, my local Indy is hopefully taking a look tomorrow when the RAC drop it off.

OK, good luck my friend.