Mat Watson 996

He’s a bit excitable but still worth a watch over a cup of tea.

Enjoyed that. Better than sifting through Monday morning emails! Thanks for the link

Very good watch, thanks for sharing. Yet another case of a perfectly functional IMS bearing being replaced though...

A good watch, thanks for that. Agree with the IMS replacement, but a lightweight flywheel in there is a very worthwhile improvement IMO. One thing I heard on his GT3 / GT4 and RS straight line shootout, he was saying he's been offered a new GT3 RS and is on the list!! I'm guessing that his own car being a fairly humble (don't shoot me 996 forum!) car, that his other business is pretty successful. Anyone know how well he does overall?

This is what I don't understand. He has removed an IMS bearing that is still perfect, after 25 years of use, and replaced it with one, that the manufacturer of said bearing, says needs to be replaced again after 6 years. Seems strange to me. I guess you could argue that a roller bearing will certainly last more than the 6 years or 75k miles EPS say, considering they also claim it will take 12x the load of the oem bearing. But still seems strange.

It wouldn't make a very good video if he just left it in.

Seems like ass-covering by the manufacturer to me - the mechanic said he'd fitted a load of the new type and had never had one come back. More proof that the IMS bearing internet panic about these cars is overblown though.

He said his original plan was for an oil inspection, bore scope (which he'd already had done when he bought the car) and a brake upgrade. It also took a month for the oil analysis to come back, so not great for YouTube algorythm (you need a steady and consistent output of videos to get pushed up the recommendations list). So, pretty sure he wasn't planning to have the IMS pulled until they found that chip of iron in the filter.

I find Watson very annoying so usually don't watch anything he is involved with. As the "safer" Dual Row IMS Bearing appeared to be in excellent condition after +70k miles once the cover plate had been removed, was it wise to replace it at all especially with the good oil analysis? Was this done for YouTube channel content alone? Looking at several YouTube articles over the years on replacing the bearing I accept that freezing & brute force with a hammer is the only way to get a new bearing in but I can't help thinking "what stresses & strains is that hammering putting on the shaft, chain sprockets & linked internals"? I believe that is why a lot of garages decline to do IMS bearing replacements: risk of consequential damage.

Thing is at the point of establishing whether or not the bearing is still in good service, would it not be prudent just to change anyway? Has the majority of the work not benn done to get to that point?

He mentions WarrantyWise and implies his car is covered and encourages viewers to click the link. I did so and they refused to quote as my 997 is over 12 years old. So he is unlikely to be covered.

I picked up on that too - there is heavy implication that the IMS work is covered by the warranty (he specifically mentiones that the aftermarket suspension is not covered, but doesn't state the same for the IMS). He could have a specialised warranty as an influencer, but either way, I highly doubt a third party warranty is going to cover a couple of grands work to replace a breaking down bearing on a 20 year old car.

The seal on his IMS bearing was in good condition and looked to be keeping it sealed still. I thought that was part of the problem, when the seal breaks apart it allows a constant supply of fresh oil in to lubricate the bearing that’s why the advice from this forum seems to be to remove the seal and leave the bearing alone if it’s still good. Would the seal still be in one piece after 70k or could the dual row have been replaced before?

first time I came across him (am not into youtube car videos) and I also find him very annoying to watch/listen to. But the must admit although nothing new, the content was still interesting.

Anyone else notice the state of his Ohlins? They've only been on there a few years and they're covered in rust.