How to check if IMSB has really been replaced

Had my IMSB replaced a couple of months ago...supposedly. It was supposed to be the LN replacement. LN Engineering has no history of it being registered. The car runs great and has no issues, yet. How to I physically check to see if it was really replaced short of pulling it out? Suggestions? Thanks

You can separate the transmission from the engine for an inch or two and take a peek. Still lots of labor though.

Razor, am I right to presume you recently purchased the car and the previous owner said the IMS was replaced with an LN product, but they didn't give you an invoice or certification that the work was actually done? And, you've contacted LN and offered you VIN for confirmation, but they came back with bad news saying they have no record of any IMS replaced on the car? Ouch!

When you say "had my IMSB replaced", does that mean you had a shop do it? And now you don't trust that the work was done? Is it a reputable shop?

No, I knew it had not been replaced so I had it done as preventive maintenance days after purchase along with other maintenance items. There have been some things that raise a question such as the oil had not been changed and I didn't have the serial numbered sticker they are supposed to put on the vehicle. The shop said it must have blown off and they would reorder one. Thinking LN Engineering would have a record of registration I contacted them. No registration found. Hmmmmm. I thought/think it is a reputable shop. I hope it was replaced as charged and timing for registration is the answer. I should know soon.

Oooh boy this sounds bad. I asked to see the old bearing with my own eyes. They had it in a bag ready to ship back to LN. I hope this turns out ok for you!

Normally the LN certification sticker is mounted under the rear hood and rarely comes off from what I heard. But surely they gave you an invoice with the LN serial number printed on it?

The serial number sticker is on metal foil; I suspect I'd take paint off if I tried to remove it. It doesn't blow off. My shop did not register my bearing with LN nor did they return the old bearing (I was more interested in seeing the old bearing myself than in the 2-year bearing warranty). Perhaps they just tossed the sticker along with the rest of the packaging.

Technically, if a LNE bearing is used, there is supposed to be a serial#/tag/sticker affixed to your car (some say in the engine compartment, some say drivers side door jamb) that corresponds to the bearing. In addition, the original bearing is supposed to be sent back to LNE for inspection and/or potential future warrantee claims. If your shop told you that they installed a LNE but LNE doesn't have a record of it, there are a few possibilities... 1) They did install a LNE bearing (which one?) but didn't send the old one back to LNE. Of course this will be their claim, but the question becomes why not? (2) They installed a "generic" bearing, but charged you for a LNE bearing (which is the most expensive of the aftermarket bearings) (3) They did nothing at all and charged you for a new bearing and the labor to replace it. Of course there are probably more potential scenarios, but I think these pretty much cover it within some variation. Whatever the case turns out to be, good luck with the car.

Hope this story has a happy ending. Forgetting the cost aspect, another reason to go with the IMS Solution is that the work is pretty visible without much effort - such as the supplemental oil feed from the oil filter. No second guessing if the work was actually done.

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I guess I'd be interested in hearing more about why you're suspecting the shop may have defrauded you. Are they well-regarded by the local PCA chapter? I know I'm overdrawn vis-�-vis Occam's Razor references on Rennlist, but in this case, it seems applicable: "Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected." Believing that they just failed to apply the sticker requires fewer assumptions then believing that this shop is willing to burn customers in order to make extra money in the short game.

At this point in time I am leaning towards the side of paperwork issue and not fraud. I will follow this out to make sure it is not the latter though. Along with the IMSB replacement I had the clutch assembly replaced and did notice a difference so pretty sure that was replaced. I will check with the vendor of the clutch ***'y to make sure one was sold to this installer in the correct time frame also. I guess I am doing the Reagan thing, "Trust but Verify."

Well, it still sounds like finding a new shop might be in the cards - it doesn't sound like you trust them, and once they get the vibe that you think they f****d you, there's going to be friction.

At this point I am 90% good with the shop. I think they realize the issue I am having and I won't claim fraud unless absolute proof is found, which I think verification will prove otherwise. When doing a PPI prior to the sale, the first thing they looked for was a tag for the IMSB being upgraded so they know also how important that is. Now that I still don't have the sticker it should be an issue for them as well as myself. I am not considering a new shop at this point but just want to have full faith in my guys. I am sure it will work out between us. Should be easy to validate. Thanks for all the responses.

I had mine replaced at 54K miles and the sticker was placed on the driver side door (it will not peal off easily). I decided to not send in my old bearing since the warranty is for the cost of the bearing only (and the majority of cost is the labor) and I wanted to keep the old bearing as a paper weight. I did keep all the paper work and plan on keeping the car. I hope that if I do decide to upgrade the car in the future, the buyer will accept the paper work, sticker and old bearing since it was not registered. 2004 C2, original bearing was still good.

I believe the appropriate sticker placement is inside the driver side door sill. However, I opted to put mine on the underside of the engine cover. I really doubt it would blow off in either position. Outside of that, the oil not being changed seems like a red flag. How do you know it wasn't changed? I can't speak for the LN IMS retrofit and normal bearing replacements but with the Solution there is a pre-installation checklist that includes removing the sump plate (hence draining all of the oil). One other nice thing about the IMS Solution is that you can easily check to see if it has been installed without removing the transmission or any other parts (because there is an external oil feed line running between the transmission case and block). With any other IMS product I think, like others have said, you need to split the transmission and remove the clutch/plate/flywheel. Then you may be able to tell by looking at the flange. That being said - if you asked them to perform the service, and they charged you for it, the most likely explanation is that they forgot to put on the sticker and didn't send in the registration to LN. Even if they showed you an old IMS bearing it doesn't necessarily prove it was yours and that the work has been done. I'd just work with them to try to clear up it - get the sticker - and try your best to get it registered properly.

Okay, mistake by Indy not putting sticker on. He will register it early next week. He was glad I brought it up. I also validated parts purchases from his supplier. All is good. Faith has been restored and reputation intact.

Everybody likes a happy ending! yay!!! (((Clap, clap, clap.)))

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