options after catastrophic IMS failure

[Bill083]

 A friend and coworker of mine bought a 2005 Boxster a few years ago.  It was in excellent condition with only 20k miles.  He was meticulous about care and maintenance.  Driving home a few days ago, he heard the rattle, and the car died.  The Porsche dealer determined that it was IMS failure and the engine is toast.  He is covered under the 25% rule of the class action suit.  This means that Porsche will cover 25% of the $30,000 engine replacement.  This is obviously not an option on a car he paid $25,000 for over four years ago.  He's sick over it as am I since I also bought a 2005 Boxster a few years ago (mine has 63k miles), so this hits close to home.

 

My question is, what options does he have?  The car is immaculate.  Is it worth selling as is?  Any idea on ballpark value or possible outlets to sell it?  Is it realistic to get a replacement junkyard engine (which could also be a time bomb) or is that still cost prohibitive?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

 

[JFP in PA]

 A friend and coworker of mine bought a 2005 Boxster a few years ago.  It was in excellent condition with only 20k miles.  He was meticulous about care and maintenance.  Driving home a few days ago, he heard the rattle, and the car died.  The Porsche dealer determined that it was IMS failure and the engine is toast.  He is covered under the 25% rule of the class action suit.  This means that Porsche will cover 25% of the $30,000 engine replacement.  This is obviously not an option on a car he paid $25,000 for over four years ago.  He's sick over it as am I since I also bought a 2005 Boxster a few years ago (mine has 63k miles), so this hits close to home.

 

My question is, what options does he have?  The car is immaculate.  Is it worth selling as is?  Any idea on ballpark value or possible outlets to sell it?  Is it realistic to get a replacement junkyard engine (which could also be a time bomb) or is that still cost prohibitive?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Bad scenario.  The car, as a "roller" (read dead engine) is only worth a couple grand, even in near perfect condition.  And don't even consider trying to break the car up and sell it for parts as that usually does not work out well as a DIY.

 

Probably the optimum solution is to source a used but good engine from a wreck and have that installed; then you would have a serviceable used car if you wanted to sell it.  Depending upon your location and the style engine in the car, you would be spending a few thousand for the used engine and a couple grand more to do the swap.  Still not cheap, but better than having a lawn ornament, and it would have much better resale or trade value to help recoup the outlay.

[Richard Hamilton]

In the UK, Porsche are now supplying short engines for the M96 & M97 on an exchange basis at a heavily subsidised rate.  Prices of around £2500-3000 (~$4000-£5000) have been quoted, so it might be worth checking if Porsche USA are doing the same.  If the heads are OK, it might be an affordable way out.

[Silver_TT]

You'll rarely hear him say it and will never see him advertise, but "JFP in PA" has a shop in your state and it may be worth sending him a PM to see if he can help you.  He's one of the most knowledgeable folks in the country when it comes to these cars.  If your friend decides to do the swap, I would be sure to get someone that knows what they are doing in terms of helping you source a good used engine and also doing the install.  Sorry to hear it but I wish you the very best of luck.

[Bill083]

Thank you all for the responses.  It's a bad situation with no real good solution, but I'm hoping we can find a practical engine swap solution. I'll try to find out more about JFP and the Porsche short engines, thought that's beyond our capabilities and would still need a good mechanic.  If anyone else has any recommendations for shops that may be reliable in engine swaps, I'd appreciate it.  We live in SE PA by the way, north west of Philadelphia in Montgomery and Berks counties.

Thanks again.

 

ps, just noticed that JFP was the first responder, guess I'll need to contact him.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Bill083

[JFP in PA]

Thank you all for the responses.  It's a bad situation with no real good solution, but I'm hoping we can find a practical engine swap solution. I'll try to find out more about JFP and the Porsche short engines, thought that's beyond our capabilities and would still need a good mechanic.  If anyone else has any recommendations for shops that may be reliable in engine swaps, I'd appreciate it.  We live in SE PA by the way, north west of Philadelphia in Montgomery and Berks counties.

Thanks again.

 

ps, just noticed that JFP was the first responder, guess I'll need to contact him.

 

You are actually kind of spoiled for choice in your area as there are a lot of respected independent shops at nearby locations:

 

Dougherty Automotive in West Chester 

Possum Hollow Motorsports in Phoenixville

Performance Automotive in Malvern

Tilson Motorcars in PHL

Woodlawn Service in PHL

 

Just to name a few.  You can also contact your local PCA chapter (Riesentöter  http://rtr-pca.org/) as I am sure the local members will have direct experience based suggestions as well.

[Bill083]

Thanks to those who helped us out on this topic.  Unfortunately, while the class action suit is technically a win, it is so restrictive that it was no use to my coworker.  The shop he had it trailered to was in search of a used motor, but the timeline was shaky at best as good motors seem in short supply and pricey as well.  He sold the car for a few grand, pretty much a total loss.  Needless to say, he was a one time and never again Porsche owner.

 

I am seriously considering having the IMS retrofit done to my car as I am now super paranoid that my boxster's time is also limited.  Any ideas as to cost of having someone do the retrofit, which one's are best as there appear to be several competing models, and any good shops closer to the Lansdale PA, Montgomery county area?  The shops that JFP mentioned are not too far, but closer is always better if the shops are known to have done successful transplants before. 

 

Thanks again to everyone.

Bill

[JFP in PA]

Thanks to those who helped us out on this topic.  Unfortunately, while the class action suit is technically a win, it is so restrictive that it was no use to my coworker.  The shop he had it trailered to was in search of a used motor, but the timeline was shaky at best as good motors seem in short supply and pricey as well.  He sold the car for a few grand, pretty much a total loss.  Needless to say, he was a one time and never again Porsche owner.

 

I am seriously considering having the IMS retrofit done to my car as I am now super paranoid that my boxster's time is also limited.  Any ideas as to cost of having someone do the retrofit, which one's are best as there appear to be several competing models, and any good shops closer to the Lansdale PA, Montgomery county area?  The shops that JFP mentioned are not too far, but closer is always better if the shops are known to have done successful transplants before. 

 

Thanks again to everyone.

Bill

 

The budget range for an IMS retrofit on your car is actually a fairly wide number for several reasons.  As it is a 2005 car, it could either be carrying the single row serviceable (read replaceable) IMS bearing, or it could have the oversized last design, which cannot be changed out without totally disassembling the engine.  If the car is a serviceable single row (which can only be determined by pulling the trans out and looking), you have the option of going with the LN single row ceramic hybrid bearing, the newer LN "Pro" dual row ceramic hybrid replacement for the single row, or the LN IMS Solution, which replaces the OEM IMS with an oil fed solid bearing design, and which is the only true permanent replacement.  For budget numbers, assume you will be putting in a new clutch at the same time, and replacing the RMS, regardless of which bearing is chosen.  For the LN single row, or the newer Pro,  a good budget number would be in the $2-3K range, all in.  Moving to the Solution, the number is going to rise to $3-4K range due to the additional labor and considerably higher parts costs.  You should also be aware that if you went with the LN Pro bearing, the shop has to have the special Faultless installation tooling to install it, it should not be attempted with the tools used for the conventional bearings.

 

If the car is carrying the last design that cannot be retrofitted without engine disassembly, realistically all you can do is to remove the rear oil seal on the OEM bearing and reassemble the car.  This would have you back in the $1.5-2K range. 

 

While shopping around on something this expensive is usually a good idea, you should really be concerned about how the shop is equipped, and how many retrofits they have done.  You really do not want to have someone that is less expensive, but inexperienced or poorly equipped to handle the job.

[Tony Yiamkis]

Curious, What do you mean by removing the rear oil seal on the OEM IMS bearing? I assume you mean on the transmission side. Why do this?

Tony

[JFP in PA]

10 hours ago, Tony Yiamkis said:

Curious, What do you mean by removing the rear oil seal on the OEM IMS bearing? I assume you mean on the transmission side. Why do this?

Tony

 

Allows engine oil  to cool and lubricate the bearing.