?99 996 IMS retrofit expiration

Hi all - I picked up a �99 996 Carrera, 35k miles, with a LN Eng IMS retrofit kit (dual-row?) performed in �13 @ 20k miles. LNs website today shows a mileage and age service interval, 6 years I think, on their current retrofit kits. Do I need to seek another IMS job given the last one on mine was >6yrs ago?

It seems like you�ve already answered your own question. There are no hard and fast �rules�, but if you want to follow the recommendation of LNE, then yes - you need to change the bearing. If you want to keep the car long term and never want to change it again, have the �IMS solution� installed. Looks like you got some reading to do... Good luck

I got the retro in mine and am over the 6-7 year mark. Will replace it with the retro again when my shop drops the engine to look over the Rms, clutch and flywheel sometime next year. It's been durable as he'll with no issues. Eventually I will have the engine rebuilt and will go for the solution.

Not a hard rule, although I am sure LNE would like you to change it. I would change it again whenever the engine comes out next. This is your car, do what you want, and ignore the internet noise (including mine).

The bearing only has 15K miles and is covered in oil all the time. Why would it need replacing?

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If it�s covered in �fresh� oil all the time it most likely wouldn�t need to be changed. I would think that part of LNE�s Time calculus (6 yrs or 70k miles) takes into account short drives, condensate accumulation, fuel in oil, acidity etc. to determine the safest average time interval to change out the bearing. Considering that many 996�s that are 20 years old have less than 100k miles on them 6yrs. is probably a fair �safety� number - it may be a pricey maintenance item for some, but considering the overall value of the car and the cost of a new engine it�s really small potatoes for a Porsche. This is where the value of The IMS Solution really shines - do it once and never worry about it again (also a great re-sale Point).

Everything mechanical eventually breaks. Some mechanical parts have more dire consequences than others if they do. My experience with the retro kit is that it's a tank. Doesn't mean that it couldn't eventually fail. So I will replace it with another.

On another thread someone had a bearing "time out" (installed in 2015) and then it failed. Of course, now he is playing a good role of being the victim, even though he bought the car with the bearing already fitted. Lots of considerations and factors were reviewed when the service intervals were put in place and first posted in 2008. Of course lots of people just look at this from a perspective of LN wanting to sell another bearing (or Solution) when the first one has an end of service life. The modern human is quite interesting, to say the least.. Opinionated, and often with zero substance, or first hand experience to back up their opinion. That said, I would take a risk on a bearing running out of mileage in the service interval over running out of time. Cars that are not driven often do not see their recommended 6 month/ 5K mile service intervals, so corrosive wear is a factor that people don't take seriously. I would take a chance on risking the mileage interval on a bearing, but I would not take a chance on the time. If my engine purchasers miss a service on their FSI engine from a time perspective I slap their wrist a lot harder than if they overshoot the mileage. These cars need to be driven often, and exercised. If not, you are multiplying the chances of issues manifesting themselves. Drive the damn car. problem solved.

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Thoughts on a car that's driven minimum once a week, no short trips, all 30+ miles? At minimum it would only be 1,600 miles a year, but never sits for extended periods of time.

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Change the oil 2x/year regardless of mileage and it should be fine... Oh, and drive it more!!! :-)

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Oil changes are clock work, maintenance done as (laziness) permits. Sadly lack of faith in humanity has caused the heavy reduction in miles (long story short, drove the BMW to dinner with a friend and someone did a donut in a dirt lot and scratched/chipped up the rear end really bad). It gets taken out, just very particular about the where and when.

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Drive it more. I think you are driving the car more than a lot of 996 owners, but the cars that I see live the best lives are used as daily commuters. The highest mileage 997 I have ever seen with the original engine saw all its miles on I-16 driving from Atlanta to Savannah GA 2-3X per week (a 4 hour trip each way) for a few years. It lived 260K miles in the hands of one of my customers before he sold it to a friend of mine, who drive it everyday as well. The only unscheduled repair that car ever had was a heater core replacement. I have seen 996 owners take a whole year to log just 500 miles. One Boxster S owner that bought the car new logged 1,800 miles in a 10 year span, and he wondered why the whole car was falling apart.

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Totally agree, and not just 996's, but all cars are meant to be driven. My BMW had 220K in 5 years before selling, and it drove just as well (less 80 electrical gremlins) as any other day and had some track hours on it as well. The RSX-S (albeit K20 bullet proof) also had 200k miles and running strong before moving on. All repairs were scheduled or just wear of time as expected, and never doubted either on 700+ mile one way trips at those miles. This has been different because it replaced motorcycles for leisurely/enjoyable drives where miles per year are way less, so I try to make sure it never sits beyond a week between leg stretches. Should have gotten one more "used" to be honest.

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A friend drove his Ferrari every day as his only car. Whenever he went to the dealer he was made the first priority for service over all of the flat bed arrivals. He was also awarded the Enzo award by the Ferrari Owners Club for driving his car as intended!

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I'm no Ferrari fan. I've done a fair number of their engines from Testarossa and newer. They always sit around and just degrade. The last one I owned was a 512TR and it belonged to an entertainer.. It sat inside his house and fell apart in the living room.

Jake, how durable is the Oem oil cooler? I have heard about failures but haven't seen any recommendations on When to replace. What are your thoughts?

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I haven't seen one fail in about 5 years. It very seldom happens.

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I would get the Solution on the next change. It can be re-used when you rebuild the motor down the road.

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Thanks Bill. No question I will get the solution when I finally decide on a rebuild over the next 2-3 years. In the meantime, it's just as easy and much cheaper to just pop in a new retro kit this year when my Indy drops the engine. I have the utmost confidence in the retro kit and have viewed it as a replacement item in my rotation along with my clutch, fly wheel and RMS. However, there is no question that the rebuild will include the "solution" in the future. The bigger question for me is what do I want my rebuilt engine to "do" and "be" over the next 20 years of ownership so I can remain competitive on the track but yet maintain high levels of mechanical durability. In essence. Solve for all of the M96 issues. Looking forward to hearing more about your new engine!

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I know it's "only" an extra grand for the Solution over a retrofit kit, but if you do it this time, you'll: 1. Know that it is done and not a potential point of concern ever again; 2. Cheaper in the long run as you'll not be spending on a retro kit that will be taken out and replaced down the road; 3. Have a higher resale value in the event you elect to sell it and; 4. Make oil changes even easier.

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Thanks Joby. Your argument is very sound and adviseable for the average 996 owner that doesn't want to spend a lot of time on servicing the car and replacing items. In my case, I've owned the car for 20 years and know it's full history. Everything is on a replacement and or enhancement cycle including eventual engine rebuild. Most of which is based on "tracking" the car, not on "streeting" the car. For the guy/gal like me that is constantly servicing their car, the retro works beautifully. I like the idea of a self contained bearing that can easily be replaced like all other parts at specific intervals. However, with the rebuild will come the solution among many other permanent oil starvation, oil pressure stability, and cooling solutions. The great thing about the Retro and Solution is that you have 2 choices depending on your objectives. Glad to see you are a proponent of having a better IMSB. Wish all 996 owners felt the same way!

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What do you mean by self contained?

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Not hooked into the oil system like the solution. Sealed is probably a better term.

GC996, none of your arguments against doing the IMS Solution make any sense, including the �tied in to the oil system�...I don�t know what your bias against a clearly superior product could be besides initial cost (approximately an extra $1k) - especially considering that the extra cost will be erased the next time you replace the ball/roller bearing...??? Obviously, you can/will do whatever you want, I�m just not getting the logic (or more precisely, the lack thereof)...

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No bias at all. Love both products and agree with your arguments. I think you may misunderstand my answers due to point of reference. You are looking at it from the perspective of a guy that "streets" his car and therefore wants a permanent solution that he doesn't have to worry about long into the future. And you are right. Why drop your engine if you don't have too. I look at it from the perspective of a guy that "tracks" his car, which means that my engine has been dropped on average once a year for various service/replacement items. It's no big deal to pop in a new retro kit for $600-700 when my engine is dropped for servicing when looking at the clutch, flywheel, Rms, etc. Keep in the back of your mind that the retro kit is an exceptional piece of machinery in its own right. From a cost standpoint, I would need to replace the retrofit 4x before the cost of the "Solution" was paid for. Because I still plan on tracking the car, the engine will be dropped every year regardless of whether I have the "solution" or "retrofit". But, as I have mentioned, I plan on having my engine rebuilt sometime over the next few years. When I do, the rebuild will solve for oil starvation, oil pressure stability, bore scoring, cooling, etc. Not to mention more performance output. At that time, it would make sense to add the "solution". Lastly, the great thing about having both products, is that it's not a question of which one is better, because both are exceptionally built, it's a matter of how you are going to use them.

Apologies for not doing my research but does the LN solution require more labor hours to install over the retrofit? I currently have the retrofit with 4 years on it and considering either direction when i need to replace.

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Yes, for the Solution, you are looking at 1800-1900 for the parts and then labor hours to drop the engine, machine it and getting it working. All in cost ranges between 2500-3000. Can't go wrong with either choice depending on your objectives. ​​​​​

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But it isn't sealed.

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Let me answer your question with 3 questions typically used to differentiate products. This may be a helpful exercise for everyone to go thru as they are deciding which product to use. Remember, both are exceptional products. The key is to determine your application and why. 1. What is the difference between the Retro Kit and Solution? 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? 3. How would you use each product in a car and why?

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Price is the ONLY reason why isn't everyone using the Solution (plain bearing), it is superior to all other options in every way. The other end of the intermediate shaft has a plain bearing from the factory, this end should have came like that from the factory too.

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​​​​​Can't argue with you on your points. But there is also a viable reason for the Retro as well. Glad to see that you support the importance of replacing the Oem IMSB. I am with you.

"You are looking at it from the perspective of a guy that "streets" his car and therefore wants a permanent solution that he doesn't have to worry about long into the future. And you are right. Why drop your engine if you don't have too. I look at it from the perspective of a guy that "tracks" his car, which means that my engine has been dropped on average once a year for various service/replacement items. It's no big deal to pop in a new retro kit for $600-700 when my engine is dropped for servicing when looking at the clutch, flywheel, Rms, etc. Keep in the back of your mind that the retro kit is an exceptional piece of machinery in its own right. From a cost standpoint, I would need to replace the retrofit 4x before the cost of the "Solution" was paid for. Because I still plan on tracking the car, the engine will be dropped every year regardless of whether I have the "solution" or "retrofit"." No, I read your initial post that made it clear that you were going to rebuild the engine annually. Your pricing is off though. The purchase price of "The Solution" is only $1300 - $1700.00 - That would mean you're breaking even after 2 retro kits, not 4. The problem with the ball/roller bearing is that it can fail without warning - the plain bearing won't do that. I would think that The Solution is even more important for a race engine... Whichever way you go good luck with it ! :-)

Even though either product remains unchanged for a while, prices have gone up a decent chunk. Exactly a year ago I paid $680 for the retrofit itself. Today the same exact product is $900.That's a 32% increase. I don't recall the cost of the solution from 2020 but I presume the increase is similar. The installation of the solution will also add extra labor cost as you're cutting into the engine a bit to run the oil feed line. That's a commitment in itself. As GC996 tracks his car and plans to rebuild his engine at some point I would not want to make that commitment until I'm building a dedicated track motor. Imagine a worst case scenario where the motor goes boom on the track. Now you're stuck buying the pricy solution again, not to mention a new motor. That's not something a street car owner would really worry about but the reality for cars that see a lot of track time is different. BTW, can the solution be actually removed and re-used in another motor? Would be a good thing to actually get a confirmation on.

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You are a funny one... Rebuild engine annually... ​​​​​​😂

Yeah, I�m a funny one... Funny one how? You mean like a clown funny?... Look, you�re the one who said you�d be dropping the engine annually - �rebuild� means different things to different people... If you�re going to replace the IMSB then doing the Solution is essentially the same exact process with the exception of the oil feed - which is literally a 10 minute addition to cut a notch in the engine casing...

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I get a kick out of you. 😁

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