Wheeler Dealers 996 Project

Watching Velocity TV today, saw a trailer for new season Wheeler Dealers beginning April 17. In that trailer saw a Porsche 996 Cab being worked on by "the guys." Interesting to watch if they address the issues we discuss on these pages. /X3

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I am a big fan of the show. I doubt they will do anything to IMS. I have been watching it for many years and miss Ed China. More fluff now. Another great car show is Car SOS.

yes i prefer Ed as well but cant wait to see what they do where do you watch car sos? i cant find it online anywhere and have never seen or heard of it until now, definetly looks worth watching

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I have an android box and run any one of half a dozen different apps to watch unl8mited tv programming. If you have an android phone, install an app called cyberflix. Let�s you watch just about anything.

awesome thanks, easy to install on the amazon fire tv, watching now

Yes! I'm a massive wheeler dealers fan! Although I too prefer Ed over Ant, and when it was in the UK. ​​​​​Subscribed to hear when it comes out

Where�s Edd Chyna?

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He's in England. Last I knew he had a show that may only be through youtube. I did like Edd more so than Ant. But they are both good at their trade. Looking forward to the 996 episode. I have no doubt the IMSB will discussed, if not replaced.

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Yea, I stopped watching it after Edd left. He really made the show complete. He left for very good reasons. He said the producers were moving in a direction that he couldn't follow. Therefore, he left quietly and on good terms. Basically he went on to say that he wanted the show to be MORE about repairing the cars rather than a lot of the buying, selling, and showcasing vendors. IMHO, the show lost it's original flare it had in the beginning before vendors and sponsors got heavily involved in the production aspects. In the beginning, it was basically Mike Brewer trying to locate unique and rare basket case cars and then Edd trying to resurrect the car with whatever tools and resources he had on hand... not relying on too many outsourced professionals. They had good chemistry between them and once Edd left well... kinda like BBC's Top Gear without Clarkson, Hammond, and May.

Interesting comments about Edd, I liked him also, but now that Ant is on the show and in So Cal, more stuff that were used to seeing redoing. I think Ant does a better job explain what he is doing than Ed did, but it may be his personality. You got to give him credit, He now has a smoking HOT wife. (Knocked up I read the other day.)

I like Wheeler Dealers as well, and have watched it for years. Edd China is great, but the change in the show wasn't for him, so he decided to leave. I was really ready to not like Ant Anstead, but you know what? He's really good too! I don't buy the fact that show has sold out, but it certainly has changed. If you watch the old episodes, there are parts of it that are kind of cheesy to watch now, especially how they used to show examples of the same featured car "in good nick" by another owner. Mike Brewer is a cheeky guy, but does know his stuff. I have nothing but respect for his tenacity and know-how. One thing that I WOULD say, is that some of the "play acting" is painful to watch. They seem to have fun with it, but there is a fine line between entertainment and just letting things happen. Oh, and yes, Ant has a stunning wife. If you don't know her, do yourself a favor and google Christina El Moussa (now Anstead).

Still love Wheeler Dealers, even if Edd is better than Ant. They still do decent stuff to the cars that is fun to watch. Not hopeful they tackle any of the more complicated issues with our cars. When they did the 928 back when Edd was still on they didn't say anything about the timing belt even though the car had been sitting for a while. Ten bucks says they spend a lot of time on the top.

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Mike, I with you! I prefer Ant! And the show is better in the USA. Ed was to fluffy! And he left for all the wrong reasons IMHO. The show is better now and Ant is just as compatible mechanic if not more so!

Ed and Ant are both great mechanics and explain what they are doing very well, so there is no reason to prefer one over the other. The show is still going strong and Ed should have stayed with it. He made a big career mistake for sure.

See �Ed China�s garage revival� on Amazon.

A long time ago they did an early 986. They address a transmission issue if I remember correctly but nothing with the engine.

Haven't watch since Ed left. Started to become too much like a reality show.

On tonight.

Info says the address Catastrophic engine issue. Wonder what that is, IMS, Bore scoring, AOS, RMS, Chain Guides,Oil Sender ? Oh let me count the ways...... A least Mike likes Porsches. not like TopGear, *** clown.

Just saw the trailer on FB, definitely addressing the IMS.

bet he going to see his friend Wayne at Pelican for Parts. I saw the rerun of them doing the 924 the other night, He goes and sees Wayne, who "let's him go pick his own parts off the shelf" Now that was a little bit of stretching the truth. Wayne says, Aw Mike go get it yourself, you know where everything is.....

Lets's see if this works: <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMrWheelerDealer%2Fvideos %2F1266246223531253%2F&show_text=0&width=476" width="476" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

Here you go: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x75x1tn Not sure how long it will be up. Zero time spent on the convertible top, installed IMS Solution (sorry for the spoilers...)

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Thanks for posting, just watched it. I cringed when he kept saying the IMS was "broken" and referred to the motor as a 3.6. Otherwise interesting episode. They started with a pretty clean example.

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Part way through watching now and nowhere did he mention top dead center or locking the cams before removing the bearing. Ed would have covered that... Anyway, my IMS Solution is being installed this week!! Nice to see him using the one I am putting in.

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= CLARKSON unfunny pompous ***...

Thanks for the link really enjoyed it

Many have come across our products through either the Rennlist community, friends, or at auto shows. We invite you to take a peak at our facility in the season premiere episode.

In the clip I saw Mike talks about how the IMS is not such a big deal. I personally like Ant, more than I thought I would. I don't like how they "downgraded" the filming of repairs....but that was not Mike or Ant's decision it sounds like that came from Velocity/MotorTrend who thought the way Mike and Ed had them filming was too costly.

The console looks awesome, money well spent on the interior. Overall I thought they did a decent job with it!

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Thanks for posting. I'm not sure I would be able to stay awake - I get up early. Got to watch, and rewatch. No commercials was a big bonus. I had to figure out the skip-ahead feature needed some patience. My wifi source (phone) lost battery power, so I missed the last minute. Didn't get to see what Mike sold it for. A lot of good repair coverage. Captured a few of the big hitters. Hadn't anticipated the wheel bearing job. That was nice. The interior work was excellent. Other than too much Mike, I rate it two thumbs up.

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$22,500. Pretty good price for the work done. I'd have bought mine at that price if the same work had been done (except big NO to convertible - wanted a coup�) So with ya on "too much Mike". That problem has existed with the show from Day 1.

3.6L engine

Good to know the Wheeler Dealers recognize the best IMS bearing to put in these cars - The IMS Solution!

There was one huge problem. During the purchase, Mike closed the driver's door by pushing on the glass. Doesn't he understand proper P-Car protocol? Terrible, shocking.

I was pleasantly surprised with this episode.

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Link worked perfectly, thank you. Great video. They did a super job.

I like Ant Anstead every bit as Ed, maybe more. He's a man's man and like the way he carries himself (no homo). The sad thing for Ed China is the show really did not change all that much so I fear he walked away over nothing. Can't wait for the new series. With Grand Tour coming to an end, as we know it, this is now the best motoring show available.

They hit the IMS. RMS, AOS and bearing. I was fascinated with the leather splitter. I was yelling at the TV when he walked out with the console “how much?!?!”. 600, seemed a good price I wonder if the regular viewer will get that price. Interesting about the air filter. How many on here have that kind of air filter. They did get a pretty good car to start. I recall on the British one they did an air cooled 911 and it had way more minor issues to deal with. $22500 seems like a great price for a car with 65k miles and the IMS solution done. they made it look so easy for a few minutes I thought, hell, I could do it myself...lol. Then my wife walks past and says “You will break the car”, bringing me back to reality. Lol

True, for Ant the IMS Solution, RMS, AOS, clutch, even wheel bearings jobs are no challenges for him, looks so easy, incredible... Ant can really do anything, very cool episode, I really enjoyed it, it's like seeing my car on the show, hehheh :-) Cheers,

I never watch TV. I didn't;t even know this was coming on, till someone shot me a text while they were installing my IMS Solution. Watching that install made me cringe... granted, this isn't a technical show, but now we are going to have all sorts of people thinking you can get away without pre- qualification of the engine, locking the engine at TDC #1, not locking the cams, and more. This reminded me of why I don't watch TV.

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Exactly, I thought what about putting the engine at TDC, locking the cams etc.? Check the oil filter? For all we know the engine was about to D chunk. Instead, a few taps here and there, and the new bearing is in! I love the magic of TV

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Horrible, but it could have been worse. At least he liked the design of the IMS Solution. Like everything today, it's all fake. Its been so long since I watched TV, I couldn't even figure out how to use the damn remote control to turn the show on. 45 seconds into the install procedure, I turned it off and went back to work.

I enjoyed the episode - thanks for sharing the link. Although I miss the amount of technical detail Edd used to provide. Its become more glitzy... Bring back the old days when they would flash up old ads of the car and meet with owners of perfect condition examples!

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This remark always leaves me a bit puzzled - unless you're going to spend 20K, the result is always the same, is it not? Pre-qualified or not, the IMS solution is always going to be the best option to 'fix' the IMSB 'problem', I don't think you'll deny this. The only point is that if you get a pre-qualification and it fails, you won't install it unless the engine is rebuilt for 10-20K $. If you know from the start that you're not ever going to spend that cash on the engine, then what is the point of getting a pre-qualification? For that particular engine, failed or not, the Solution will still be the best bet to keep it alive the longest for < $2000. With that I think it's wholly in the spirit of the show, it's not a car-restoration show anyway. And even for your generic amateur that just wishes to address the IMSB without dropping 10-20 grand on a new engine, IMS solution is going to be his best option regardless of pre-qual. There's just no added value in it for them, it will only cost time and money without any upside from knowing their engine passed your test or not.

I tuned in early, and the previous episode was a Toyota MR-2 that had turbo and head gasket issues. Ant pulled the engine and while it was out changed the timing belt and lots of other stuff. He was careful to point out TDC and how to get there, along with lots of other things that he does to ensure that the motor goes back together OK. Maybe they ran out of time on the 996? Still enjoyed the show, but agreed it would have been a little more interesting to see some more detail in the IMS solution installation. Also I find it hard to believe that the top did not need some adjustments (like mine needs right now LOL). Overall seemed like a decent episode.

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Any time given to Ant, to show more steps to do the job, is going to take time away from the fat guy. We can't have that.

Ant should have shown in detail the condition of the IMSB he removed, then also discussed the shaft runout as the reason for the few, early failures. /X3

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Totally agree. I liked the show yesterday. At least, they clearly showed some appreciation for the 996 gen and his value. However, what I dont like (and nobody has mentioned) is the "pricing" they show. If you see the prices they showed in the MR2 parts... are just "hilarious". And the same with the 996 parts.

I liked the episode a lot. If you compare this show to 99% of all the other "car" shows, this is the King's English of detail, when it comes to actually showing how things are repaired. I believe it's a huge nit-pick if one complains about the lack of "TDC", and "explain the runout". Come on, Ant explained the overall process of the IMS bearing replacement, and I especially like the schematics that he draws on the work bench. He also explained how to fabricate a pulling tool, so you can save $500 on buying the tool. Give him a break. Mike is cheeky, but that's his schtick. Sometimes it's a bit over the top, but overall, he makes it enjoyable, and not boring. I like how he points out the various sub-trades that DO the repair work, rather than just throw things away. It's actually a huge industry, that many people don't even know about. I'll pass along the positivity, and enjoy the show!

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Agree... It is a TV show, not a technical master class. And they give more detail about the mechanical stuff than other car's shows though.

I enjoyed seeing my same year and color 996 on the show! Same interior (but mine is full leather) too! Is it me, or did the TV 996 sound bad - like someone put in an aftermarket set of mufflers? Buzzy and raspy. My car sounds way better!

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Yes! I forgot to mention that. It sounded really bad, unless taken from directly behind the car.

Everybody is bitching about skipping steps on the IMS install but steps were also skipped on the rear wheel bearing job! No mention of how to take apart the drum-in-disc parking brake mechanism without screwing it up, and/or why he'd spend time making an on-the-car bearing puller when he has a hydraulic press at his disposal for later in the job. And it was "job done" once he had the new bearing installed on the old hub; no mention of how he's going to press that into the bearing carrier on the car? I'm confused since normally you'd do the opposite; press the bearing into the housing while pushing only on the outer race, and then press the hub into the bearing while pushing only on the inner race. With the hub and bearing pressed together, I'm not sure how he's then going to press that on the car without damaging the new bearing? The little bearing retainer and 4 screws holding that on are not going to be strong enough to draw the bearing into the housing, are they? More annoying to me than skipped steps in the IMS process was just the premise that they ALL fail. "It's broken", to quote Mike. No discussion of what percentages of them have failed, how to weigh the risks vs. reward of different preventive options. Just a flat statement that they're all going to require ~$2300 worth of tools and hardware plus a ton of man-hours of labor, or else they're guaranteed to break. Bonus points to them for never once mentioning the headlights though Agreed on the sound, it didn't sound right to me. Weird microphone placement maybe.

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He pressed the hub out of the bearing, but they didn't show him removing the inner race from the hub, I caught that slight of hand and it made me smile as that can be a total pain in the *** sometimes. They could have spent an hour showing him swearing and miserable trying to get the AOS out as well I am sure. With the amount of time they had, I thought they did a good job representing the 996. 99% of people don't care about the fine details like us owners do, just the overall picture. Again, I was really impressed with how the console came out, mostly because I never would have dreamed it would have changed the feel of the entire interior like it did.

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I thought it sounded like aftermarket exhaust. It also had a sump protection plate and transmission mount inserts. Whoever had it before the PO did some mods.

At the end of the day, we all know that this is just about entertainment. I do hope for the buyer�s sake that they at least installed the spiral lock to retain the IMS Solution bushing, since the last frame of their footage didn�t show it in place, nor did it show the bushing inserted completely. If we end up with our first ever IMS SOlution failure, this will probably be the car. At least it will be a documented �botched install�, so it might not hurt so bad. Last time I checked it cost ME several hundred dollars per month to have the privilege to come to this forum, and make a single post. Nothing like having to pay money to help people with free information, based on critical experience that took years, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to gain. What�s even better is having to pay to be criticized for simply existing.

Just wondering if they pulled out the IMS and it turned out to be totally fine if they would have mentioned it or what direction the show would have went in since the main premise was the IMS needed replacement.

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You made some otherwise good points about the install, but i really don�t think you can play the victim card here - i�m quite sure the exposure and brand-awareness you gained though this very platform is responsible for the majority of your 996-related business. Those hundreds of dollars are absolute peanuts comparatively, every successful business invests in ads and mouth-to-mouth on forums is one of the best forms out there. Especially since you�re a vendor, your words will be more carefully scrutinized than the average Joe. Your intentions will always be weighed carefully - even on the free information you provide - since at the end of the day you�re here to make money with your inventions. Frankly, since you�re a professional, I think your skin should be thicker than the average Joe as a result too.

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Boxman, really? Where have you been for the last decade? He's addressed this over and over and over on many forums. He doesn't make money or receive royalties from the sales of the IMS Solution or any other IMS product he developed and patented. He spent more than 10 years of his life in R&D and over quarter of a million $$$ in blown engines and fabrication to bring the IMS Solution to the market. Once it was completed and patented, he turned over all of the rights and data to Charles Navarro at LN Engineering for manufacturing.

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Others contributors, not so much. I guess they missed the casting call for their own "reality" show.

My favorite part was that it took 15 seconds to install the AOS and 7 seconds for the RMS. I really miss how detailed Edd was. I did like the fact that I have completed almost everything the completed on their car on my car.

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Could it have been the K&N CAI? The guys that have this installed says it changes the engine tone.

Wish they would have inspected the original bearing - I have the same 2000 C2 Cab and had the IMS, RMS and AOS replaced at 27K 6 years and 30K miles ago The car has been really great - love it and would recommend 996MK1 -not sure about the value going up like they claimed -nothing against Ant but Edd is a genius and really fun to watch

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I enjoyed it as entertainment which is it's purpose. I understand that the show is trying to appeal to car nerds of all stripes and getting into too much 996 minutia could have had non Porsche people reaching for the remote. Too funny!

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This is the right question, because what to do if we inspect the IMSB during a clutch change, for instance? /X3

I�d like to expand a bit on the pre- qualification reasoning: I created the pre- qualification pre-requisite for for the IMS Solution installations performed here at Flat 6. Since the product was invented, and developed here, it was available here for years before it was ever advertised. When people would inquire with us, I would offer this to them verbally, with no written materials shared. I did this because I was unsure where I wanted to be when the product was released, and also because I wanted to offer it to people that I knew I could trust. The Patent process was underway, so I could have shared anything without issue, I just chose to keep it under my hat. I do that a lot. That said, what was most important to me was ensuring that someone did not purchase an IMS Solution, and have us install it, only to have an engine failure later. After people spend money on an elective repair like the IMS, they have zero tolerance for issues that may pop up later. The very first thing they do is blame the last person that touched the car, or the product that was installed. That is just how it is. Once I did an IMS job for a local guy, and two weeks later, his turn signals stopped working... Guess who got the blame? the bigger, and better the reputation, the more and more the expectation is. It sucks, you should give it a try sometime. So... I developed a semi- invasive pre- qualification procedure to quantify the health of the engine before the person spends serious money on the procedure. If the engine has a symptomless issue, it is my goal to sniff out that issue before moving forward. This tells the person where they really need to spend the money, and it also saves them from �wasting� money on an IMS Solution only to have a cylinder, or something else fail very soon thereafter. When done comprehensively, the pre- qualification works. We have installed 680+ IMS retrofit products over the years. Of those, we have not received a single report of anyone experiencing a failure of any portion of the engine later. Further, we have �downed� 30% of the engines that could have been retrofitted during that period of time. This occurred due to issues found during pre- qualification, that I flagged, and �disqualified� the engine for retrofit. When this happened it cut into my bottom line, but it saved the owner thousands of dollars, while maintaining the reputation of the IMS Retrofit products. At the end of the week a typical shop that disqualifies an engine for IMS Retrofit has an employee go home with a skinnier paycheck, because that technician lost a job that week, and more than likely he has this occur because he DID do his job. He followed the regimen, found the issue, identified it, documented it, and for that he gets to lose money because the job. was not done. This is the problem that regular shops run into, and its one issue that at times, the technician pretends to not see certain things. Its not his shop, not his car, and not his product at risk. He ends up doing what is best for him. This is just an example, and its why you don�t want a shop doing work that pays their techs �flat rate�, on commission. Today we only perform IMS Solution installs two months out of the year, in April, and November. I call these IMS SOlution Clinics, and we put a focus on carrying out the jobs only at these times. We don�t do nearly as many installs as we used to because of this. Our focus shifted more to only building, and developing engines. Today, when we have someone from far away wanting t ship their car to us, I don�t want to have the person spend money to ship a car that has imminent issues that are easy to find. That really pisses people off, after they spend 1K to ship a car, only for me to �shoot it down� in 5 minutes. Due to this I have a �pre� pre- inspection carried out by a local shop near them. I give the a specially prepared checklist, and have them inspect the car. If they don�t find anything, then we schedule the car for the Flat 6 Innovations IMS Solution Clinic, ship the car, do our inspection, and hopefully carry on. We still �down� some engines after all of this is done, but it its always something deeply internal that we find, and pretty much we�d only be able to find. In this month�s IMS Solution Clinic we had 15 tentative jobs scheduled. 12 of these are what I�d consider far enough away to require the local inspection to be done first. Of those, 4 of them failed, and the others were scheduled in. When carrying out a pre- qualification, I treat it like a pre- flight inspection. I go into the scenario looking for a problem, not believing that �everything is ok�. !911 Syncro, and others. The term �Patented� is our way of saying �This is the genuine article, and not a knock off�. This is what happens when you are an originator, and not an imitator. That�s all. �Assume nothing, and quantify everything� is the rule. Hope that clears the air on the pre- qualification procedure.

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It�s not a question. If you have an M96 down to the flywheel, the smart man services the IMS bearing. The IMS bearing on these cars is a wear item. It is very much a kin to the idler and tensioner bearings on a belt driven timing setup. I wouldn�t do a timing belt without changing these bearings. Honestly now that I have seen the guts of an M96 the IMS bearing, chain tensioner pads, vario cam soleniods and 3 chain tensioners are all wear parts. All timing setups contain parts that will need replacement eventually.

I had never seen or heard of Wheeler Dealer until a few days ago. I purchased the one episode yesterday afternoon on Amazon Prime for $1.99. Unfortunately I wasn't very impressed with the show, so I doubt I'll be paying for more shows. I had worked all night long the night before (except for a 2 hour nap) and had just taken a break for lunch around 2:30PM. I fell asleep after the IMS Solution install and didn't wake up until 30 minutes before the Used Oil Analysis class. I was happy that they used the IMS Solution, and the LN Engineering tools, but it looks like the IMS Bearing has already failed and likely the engine is not going to last. Hopefully the IMS Solution survives the imminent engine failure so it can be used in the vehicles next engine. I'll have to go back and watch the entire episode sometime this weekend.

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Do you share what the pre-qualification involves? Pardon my ignorance if it has been revealed before or elsewhere. I personally liked the video. The host had some pretty great things to say about the 996 overall. The only thing I question is if the car wasn't due for a clutch or had any symptoms of a bad IMS (Besides the mechanic making a bad face when he finally revealed it), was it necessary to swap it out at that point in the cars life? Once revealed, it didn't exactly look like it was leaking (IMS and RMS) and the bearing looked to be 100% still intact. I didn't like the host saying "It's broken" without even taking a look at the IMS or even under the car to check for a leak. Just because a 996 has an original IMS doesn't automatically mean it's broken.

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Pre-qualification is available at : www.theimssolution.com http://imssolution.com/wp-content/up...-Checklist.pdf Also Jake did a video showing how to do the pre-qualification on the Rennvision YouTube channel. You Tube The "grinding" means it has started to fail and has VERY likely started to shed debris to the rest of the engine.

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Thanks! That was an informative video to watch. The comment I was referring to was when the host first drove the car to the shop and was simply looking at it sitting there outside turned off. The host says "It's broken" without having said anything as to why it might be or even having taken a look underneath the car. His only reason for saying it is broken, is because it was original. He made the grinding comment once he had the transmission removed, which is a fair time to make a 100% assessment.

Appreciate you sharing your motivations on why you developed the pre-qualification, Jake. It seems your arguments stem mainly on what a customer expects when spending relatively big bucks on the engine and your wish to deliver perfect engines only so nobody comes back to complain when something unrelated blows. I appreciate that, and understand. What I wanted to address is the way you wrote it down there, implies that a pre-qualification is (or should be) a mandatory step of the IMS-Solution install. This in turn implies that without proper pre-qualification, the >IMS solution< would possibly fail as a result. With my post I wanted to address that that last part isn't true and shouldn't be interpreted as such. That if you are doing the IMS and just the IMS - and are not looking to spend 10-20K on a new motor given other possible looming defects -, a pre-qualification is not required and will yield no merit to the buyer whatsoever. Installing the IMS Solution means at least the IMSB is fixed forever, regardless of pre-qual, does it not?

I think all he's saying is simply that in his opinion, if an engine isn't healthy then you shouldn't be spending $ fixing the IMS when you have other serious issues to address first.

I bought my 996 with the IMS Solution already installed. Knowing it had to pass prequalification to me meant that the engine was in perfect shape just 3 1/2 years and 28k miles prior. I still did a thorough self-inspection before buying it. If I end up buying a second 996 or a 986, the first thing I will do is install The IMS Solution. I�ll do it myself and the first step will be to pre-qualify it. Actually my self-inspection will almost cover all the pre-qualification steps except for maybe the sump drop and bore scope.

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Yea, I thought the same thing. I was hoping he'd crack it open like he did the wheel bearing. All he did was test it for fluidness of movement and judging from his "Oh Mike" snide remark, meant he felt quite a bit of resistance. From what I could tell, the dual row bearing didn't look bad other than the seal was compromised which was confirmed by having oil the shaft. Actually, I haven't watched this show since Edd China left, but I must admit, this new guy is rather good. What's with Mike kissing his wrist in the commercials and smelling him? hahaha

I liked the episode. What I found most interesting is that it was a MY2000 and it had the small single row IMSB. MY2000 was a transition year and I assumed the vast majority had the larger duel row.

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That's not necessarily true, right? I mean in your case it might be, if the shop that did it was thorough. But generally speaking anybody can just buy the IMS Solution and install it without going through the pre-qualifying procedure. So just because a used car has these parts installed, doesn't mean it's a healthy engine. That's like saying if I buy a FitBit and some running shoes, all the sudden I'm an athlete in great shape. That's the annoying thing about the market for these cars. People demand that the IMSB be replaced, and they'll pay more for a car that has an IMS Solution installed. But there's nothing keeping a shady owner from slapping those parts into a falling-apart engine, justifying a higher asking price, and then leaving the new owner to pick up the big bill when it hits.

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from my understanding and research, earlier build MY2000s still had the dual row. Finally got a chance to watch the episode then read through this thread. The amount of times the said �IMS bearing� was nauseating. If I had played a drinking game while watching it for every time they said it, the bottle of bourbon I was drinking would have been gone. It was interesting to see it all taken apart and reinstalled though. I agree that the exhaust note sounded a bit off, not exactly sure why. And I�m glad they touched on why those K&N filters were a bad idea. $22,500 seems a bit much, for all the man hours of work they put in it didn�t look like much of a profit.

[QUOTE= . I agree that the exhaust note sounded a bit off, not exactly sure why. And I�m glad they touched on why those K&N filters were a bad idea. [/QUOTE] I agree that the K&N is a bad idea but I do think it gives the intake a better sound which I think you can hear at the first of the show compared to later in the show after they change back to stock. You Tube

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had to do more with the exhaust than the intake. A weird high pitch drone sound.

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Exactly. Its just like a Pre- op. If the patient doesn't pass the basics of a pre- op, you don't risk their life, or the success of the procedure.

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No. Again, and sorry that I have to repeat myself but it's exactly what I've been trying to address; that analogy implies once more that without pre-qual you risk some sort of engine damage during install, or risk the install failing altogether. This is just not true . Bottom line is, on purely technical grounds, the pre-qualification procedure has nothing to do with the IMS Solution or the installation thereof. They're not related. Lack of pre-qual cannot affect the IMS-Solution or its installation.

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How do the over revs weigh in on the decision process? My car has none in range 2 but I've seen plenty of 996's for sale with range 2 revs. On the 996's there's no way to tell how high the revs went.

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If any product is installed into any engine that has some mode of internal failure, these risks are created. This isn�t limited to a Porsche engine, or an IMS Solution. Its pretty simple, inspect the engine and look for symptoms of in- process failures. If something is not right, spend the money correcting those impending issues before installing a product like the IMS Solution. Once corrected, then apply the IMS Solution. The priorities have to be straight. If this does not occur in the proper manner, the chances of installing the IMS Solution, only to have the engine fail due to the underlying condition is a reality. In many cases the failure could even waste the investment that was made in the IMS Solution, as collateral damage can easily effect it. Of course, to understand this you have to intimately understand how the engine works. Having assembled one with your own hands helps. Having one of those you assembled fail, will help more. Ironically a guy 6 weeks sent us his car locally. All of a sudden a tow truck showed up at the gate, un announced.. The bottom of the rollback was covered in oil, where it had dumped when the car was hoisted at a steep angle onto the rollback. This happened because the IMSB failed, and a 10mm diameter hole in the IMSB flange (where the center stud used to be) had opened up, allowing the oil to release.... Classic example. Anyway, the first thing I see under the car was a brand new, 6,000 dollar exhaust system. Finally the owner called and said that he just installed the exhaust 3 days before the failure, and that he was heartbroken because he loved the sound the car made so much. I asked him why he didn�t spend the money on the exhaust to make sure the engine didn�t have an IMSB failure. His response �I�ve read about all that on the forums, and decided it was hype�. He made a big deal wanting an �official� diagnosis, even though I had diagnosed it for free, before it even came off the truck. He wasn�t going to be happy till I provde it to him... So I snuck the bore scope into the bellhousing and shot a video of it. Then he said �How can I be sure that�s my car?�. I decided we�d not be accepting that job, refused to take a dollar from him, and told him to get the car off my property. Somehow it was everyone else�s fault that the owner spent the money on addressing his shiny exhaust system, rather than the IMSB that failed shortly there after. Its easier to be a victim, than a failure. So, maybe it would be smart to �pre- qualify� the engine before spending 6,000.00 on an exhaust system?

I said multiple times I understand and appreciate your reasoning for doing pre-qualification in your shop. They're valid and I understand why you don't want to deal with potentially bad engines. The thing I'm repeatedly addressing is that you keep wording it as if it's a pre-requisite for the job - risking consequential damage otherwise - which it's simply not. It's not required. You can replace the IMSB with the IMS Solution and neither this process nor the installed Solution will cause any damage or risk of additional damage to your engine . This is a fact. Whether or not it's an economically smart decision is a whole other discussion (and there too I have some reservations). Bottom line is, that if you wanted to address the IMSB and install the Solution to take away the biggest risk factor of the engine forever, you can do so without pre-qualification and without incurring any additional risk. Regardless of the state of the engine, the IMS will be fixed for the life of it. Plenty people out there who don't deal in absolutes (only wanting a 100% perfectly immaculate engine), but take into account probabilities and failure rates and are happy enough with only fixing the statistically most significant offender, leaving the much much rarer failures to chance as if it was any other engine without an actual Achilles heel.. For that group of people, I find it important that they know they can install the IMS Solution at any time without adverse effects whatsoever.

I wanted to add that Mike got a really nice example to start with and for a really good price as well - I thought the 996 looked pretty good on camera - and sometimes this forum can make me a little bummed

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Yeah I caught the 3.6 misspeak too. At least he properly described the 5 chain engine that it has.

I enjoyed the episode immensely but this was almost cheating due to how clean of an example they started with. Not to mention how cheap Mike Brewer acquired the car.

These last threads/posts are not particularly helpful to most of us viewing. /OP /exthree

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My apologies--that is the post I was thinking of and I mistakenly attributed it to you.

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I'm still curious about how the over revs impact the decision especially with the 996's. There's no way to know how high the revs went. Are any over revs disqualifying?

The old IMSB looks like a dual row?

Gentlemen - Please cease the personal stuff. Thank you.

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No answers?

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I will not attempt to answer the question about disqualifying the engine for the Solution. However, the implication of type 2 and greater over revs, is that this is usually as a result of a mechanical over rev. This can cause a number of problems: from stretched chains, to piston to valve contact. I'm sure those with more experience, in this area, should be able provide more and better detail.

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Thanks Scott. A friend is looking at 997's so depending on the year, he may get a car with the IMS. He's owned other P cars, a 993 and a 996. I agree with most folks that the solution is really the best option for replacing the IMS. Since most PPI's include a DME report, we're thinking of asking the mechanic to just go ahead and do that first. If the rev report is disqualifying, we could end the PPI right there and move on. EDIT - And I guess if a bad rev report is disqualifying for the IMS solution, it's a car he shouldn't be buying anyway.

Wheeler Dealer is a television program whose intent is to appeal to a broad audience, not just 996 fanatics. I have been watching the show for many years, even before it ever aired in North America. At first I was not a big fan of Ant. He is actually pretty good. What I do miss is that the earlier episodes got into a lot more detail of what was being done to the cars. In one episode, Mike uses a deck of cards to cover a tire to paint the rim. This was a very useful cheat! Yes, a lot of steps were missed on air for the IMS Solution install. So what? It was fun without the ridiculous drama of a lot of other auto shows.

While you don't know technically how long the car was in an over-rev situation, you have plenty of data to know how long it _could_ have been. My car had 25 range 2 ignitions when I checked prior to purchase. At the rate of 3 ignitions per revolution @7k RPM, round down, and you get... 300ish ignitions per second. 25 goes into 300 12 times...if all 25 range 2 ignitions for my car happened in the same incident, the longest period it could have been running at that speed is about 1/12th of a second. Since I also knew that the last Range 2 ignition happened many operating hours ago, I felt that there was negligible exposure for this particular concern.

well, 1/12 of a second may seem a short time, but in my experience recorded over-revs are typically that short - something else happens to slow things down immediately; clutch/wheels/ground. more telling is the time elapsed since the over-rev; did it just happen or has the motor been running happily for hundreds of hours since?

The range-2 ignitions I've seen happen in real life are almost always due to money shifts at the track. For a car I don't know anything about, that's what I want to look for recent evidence of - some clown who doesn't know how to drive it hooning around and yanking it down into the wrong gear. If you can't get 0 range 2 ignitions, a small number that hasn't increased in a really long time trumps (er, is better than) a giant number that recently got even biggerer. The engine isn't meant to spin beyond a given speed...but safety margins exist for every part in an assembly to allow for metallurgical flaws, finishing issues, production variance, etc. My hope was that the Range 2 ignitions happened so long ago that any failure introduced or weakness exacerbated would have long since presented itself. Thankfully, that's been the case thus far.

Decent episode. Replaced IMS with LN Solution. Did a few other minor fixes and upgrades. Paid $16k then sold for I think $22,500. Reasonable money for a MY2000 C2 Cabriolet.

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I was thinking the same thing. MIKE said engine was broken but I think he meant the IMS had not been replaced. When they removed it they mentioned it felt gritty. No inspection for metal bits so as we all know even with the IMS Solution that motor could grenade somewhere down the road.

It's a TV show, they can't show you every step they took...Lots of editing to make it all fit into their time slot.

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And he slammed the frunk shut!

I am still trying to learn about these cars, it's super scary to hear about replacing the isb but the engine having so much damage it is too late to replace the bearing. The car on wheeler dealers looked great and had low miles. Likely a better car than I could find. Also the rear wheel bearings both trash at 60 some thousand miles ? That seems like pretty terrible service from those parts. I like the show, ants wife is a real hottie, he seems to do a great job on the show. I liked ed chyna as well, patient and very skilled. I would hope they do a 987 boxster or Cayman project as that would be a great budget car to turn.

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Will you do my 996 console for $600? I sort of doubt it as I just visited your website (nicely done!) and an armrest cover alone is $289.... I hope that is the correct price (and not some reality show puffery) as I'll have the console winging it's way to you tomorrow!

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[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/popcorn.gif

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Since you don�t have your own TV show, you get special pricing.

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and this is why I think the show is such a joke... it's all about entertainment and screwing the next owner with some shady work to make a quick buck.

Not unlike the HGTV stuff where they renovate an entire 1st floor for what a local contractor would charge you for a kitchen remodel....maybe! I'm going to write these guys and see how they respond.

Speaking of HDTV, saw trailer for new show, "Christina on the Coast" with cameo appearance by Ant kissing the hostess lol! /X3

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I saw that too. Turns out they are married.

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Wait! How was the work shady and how did the buyer get screwed? They did some expensive work if you look at shop rates. Imagine what the "stealership" would have charged!

Exclusive Option website does not have the 996 center console leather cover listed. They took it down no doubt because of the special price extended to the show. (The 997 center console is $1,799.) I would be surprised if they didn't do the work for free, or even paid to have them use their product. Business happens. They could explain it on their website, I would have no ill feelings toward them.

Turns out that I got a call from the company and it seems that the producers of the show plugged-in that price for the center console and it was done so quickly that the company never got to confirm the number, and they have been fielding countless calls from owners hoping to have their console covered for $600. Oh well... So, I brought my console to a local body shop (Grafton Auto Collision in Yorktown, Va...ask for TJ), and had them spray mine console in Seal Grey to match the exterior and it came out great! I'm really pleased...

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No surprise there. I thought their numbers always look lower than what I've personally experienced trying to do the same thing at local shops.

I would hope that they would eventually provide pricing for the 996 console, as they DO have the price for the 997 at $1,799.00. The 997 console seems to me to be very similar to the 996 console, so I would think that they could do it for a price similar to that. Perhaps once the Wheeler Dealers frenzy dies down, they'll introduce it. I emailed them asking about it right after the episode aired, and have yet to receive a reply. Oh well, I would love to put leather on my console, and would be happy to pay the $1,799 if it's as good as it looks.

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Nice! Did they prep the plastic by stripping the soft touch black paint off?

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What is the name of the kit, which company? Thx!

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LN - IMS Solution