IMS Guardian

[911dark]

Have you ever seen a mechanic place a screwdriver near a bearing location then put his ear up to the handle and proclaim a bad bearing? A localized vibration sensor with a tuned DSP to watch for the failure harmonics would be an interesting diagnostic.

[Mike D]

IMS failure happened to me about 3 weeks ago... 2002 C2, purchased in 08 with 15K miles, just failed without warning at 34k. Luckily I have coverage which is going to cover the engine replacement.. While the sky may not be falling this is a major design flaw.... it is frustrating that there is not a warning it is going to occur and when it does occur you do not need a repair, you need an engine! now my dilemma is that I will have the 05 plus with the newer IMS bearing which can not be replaced without a tear down. I will have a 2 year warranty on the engine but after that I am on my own. I was planning on keeping this car long term but I am now concerned.

[logray]

If you are concerned install the IMS guardian. When properly used and there is a warning (shut engine down as quickly as possible) you can save big $$$$$. Even if the engine requires complete tear down you still save money because you have a rebuild-able core (which has lots of value) compared to NOTHING if you keep driving the car and the engine completely grenades itself. So less value perhaps than a car with a serviceable bearing, but certainly a lot more than being on the side of the road without a rebuild-able engine.

Also, Porsche's revised bearing is as strong as the original dual row bearing, so it is beefier than what you had and chances are with proper maintenance and the IMS guardian installed you'll never have the problem again.

Edited December 16, 2011 by logray