2003 Porsche Boxster Engine Problems

THE IMS BEARINGS IN THE 2001-2005 PORSCHE BOXSTER WOULD JUST STOP THE ENGINE IF NOT REPLACED. HELLO, I BOUGHT MY 2003 POSCHE BOXSTER BRAND NEW FROM RECTOR PORSCHE/AUDI DEALERSHIP OF BURLINGAME BACK IN 2003. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT PORSCHE HAD A FAULTY PART IN THEIR ENGINE CALLED THE IMS BEARINGS. THE CARS THAT WERE INVOLVED ARE CARS FROM 2001-2005 PORSCHE BOXSTER. THERE WAS A LAWSUIT (EISEN VS. PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA) THAT TOOK PLACE AND SETTLED BEFORE GOING INTO TRIAL. PEOPLE THAT OWNED THE CARS WERE NOTIFIED TO GET THEIR IMS BEARINGS FIXED THROUGH PORSCHE. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED. I REACHED OUT TO PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA AND ASKED ABOUT THE LAWSUIT. THE LAST DATE TO FILE TO GET YOUR CAR FIXED WAS OCTOBER 15, 2013. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WASN'T EVEN LISTED IN THEIR SYSTEM AS THE OWNER OF MY PORSCHE BOXSTER. SO I ASKED. HOW COULD HAVE I FILED A CLAIM IF I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT IT. PEOPLE'S CARS WOULD SEIZED FROM WORKING WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS. MY CAR ONLY HAS 32,480 MILES ON IT. THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC SUGGEST'S THAT I GET MY IMS BEARINGS REPLACED. BUT IT WOULD COST ME $3,500. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS? THEY WON'T OWN UP TO THIS AND IT'S THEIR FAULT FOR NOT HAVING MY NAME LISTED IN THEIR SYSTEM. I SHOWED THEM MY BILL OF SALES FROM RECTOR AND EVEN SHOWED PROOF OF REGISTRATIONS DATING BACK FROM 2002 - TO PRESENT DAY.

1. I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW. IT IS MY DAILY DRIVER. ONLY SERVICED MY PORSCHE MECHANICS. IT HAD 32,500 MILES AT TIME OF FAILURE. AFTER LEAVING A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, I NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NOT VERY LOAD. I THOUGHT IT HAD CAUGHT A PIECE OF DEBRIS IN THE BELT SYSTEM. DROVE IT SLOWLY HOME, AND THE SOUND GOT PROGRESSIVELY LOUDER. THE NEXT MORNING THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL UNDER THE CAR. I CALLED THE PORSCHE DEALER IN MOBILE, AL FOR A TOW TRUCK. 2. I WAS TOLD BY THE PORSCHE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE CAR HAD EXPERIENCED THE INFAMOUS INTERMEDIATE SHAFT (IMS) FAILURE, AND THAT I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THERE IS LITTLE TO NO WARNING OF THIS FAILURE, AND THEY ARE ALMOST ALWAYS CATASTROPHIC. REQUIRING COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. 3. PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA WAS CONTACTED WITH ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION. THEY RESPONDED WITH AN OFFER TO COVER HALF THE COST OF A FACTORY REBUILT ENGINE. I WOULD PAY THE OTHER HALF, PLUS ALL LABOR AND TOWING COSTS. THIS REPLACEMENT WILL COST ME OVER $11,000.00 !!! *TR

MY ENGINE FAILED DUE TO A PART CALLED THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE CAR IS A 2003 PORSCHE, BOXSTER S WITH 47,000. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON LINE AND APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP I WENT TO, KNEW RIGHT AWAY ABOUT THE FAILURE AS THEY SEE AT LEAST 1 PER MONTH. WHEN THIS PART FAILS, THE REMEDY IS A NEW (OR USED ENGINE). THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW OF THIS FAILURE UNTIL IT HAPPENS. I REPLACED MY ENGINE AND IT COST $12,000. THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PORSCHE PROBLEM AND IT SHOWS SOME OF THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THEIR ENGINEER, HTTP://WWW.LNENGINEERING.COM/IMS.HTML. THEIR RESEARCH INDICATES THAT PORSCHE KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM AND THINKS IT HAS TO DO WITH PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER CARS (ONE OF WHICH IS MINE) AND FIXES IT WHEN IT HAPPENS DURING WARRANTY. I ASKED THEM TO HELP COVER THE COST AND THEY SAID NO, AS MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. IT IS MY OPINION THAT A CAR (PORSCHE OR NOT) SHOULD NOT FAIL LIKE THIS ESPECIALLY WITH NO WARNING. AS AN FYI, IT APPEARS PORSCHE FINALLY REDESIGNED THIS PART IN 2006. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME CAPTURE SOME OF MY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE AS WELL AS MAKE OTHER USERS AWARE WITH A POSSIBLE RECALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 PORSCHE BOXSTER S WITH 32,000MI ON IT. ON THE 8TH OF MARCH, THE ENGINE FAILED WITH AN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEARING FAILURE REQUIRING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE. PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA ARE NOT HELPFUL. SUCH A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENGINE IN MY OPINION IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY BY PCNA CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT ARE OUT THERE. *TR

ON SATURDAY, MAY 16TH THIS BOXSTER SUFFERED ENGINE FAILURE WHILE TRAVELING AT ~ 30 MPH. THE ENGINE FAILED WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. THE INITIAL INDICATION WAS A LOUD AND DISTRACTING FLAPPING NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING HAD BEEN PICKED UP ON THE CAR'S UNDERCARRIAGE. THIS WAS FOLLOWED WITHIN A MOMENT BY SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGINE AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING. WE FEEL FORTUNATE THAT THIS ENGINE FAILED AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEED IN LIGHT TRAFFIC, SO THAT NO ACCIDENT OR INJURIES OCCURRED. HAD THE FAILURE OCCURRED EARLIER IN THE DAY WHILE WE WERE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON CURVING ROADS, WE BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO LOSS OF THE ENGINE ITSELF - INSTALLATION OF A REMANUFACTURED ENGINE IS ESTIMATED AT $14,000 TO $15,000. WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THIS PAST JANUARY FOR $20,000 SO THAT THIS ENGINE FAILURE REPRESENTS A NEAR TOTAL, UNINSURED LOSS. THE ENGINE FAILURE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS AN INTERMEDIATE ENGINE SHAFT (IMS) FAILURE BY A LOCAL MECHANIC SPECIALIZING IN PORSCHE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR (THE CLOSEST PORSCHE DEALERSHIP IS OVER 100 MILES AWAY). OUR SUBSEQUENT INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES THAT IMS FAILURE IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR PORSCHE AUTOMOBILES WITH THE M96 ENGINE, WITH SOME ESTIMATES THAT GREATER THAN 25% OF THESE VEHICLES WILL SUFFER ENGINE FAILURE PRIOR TO REACHING 100,000 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TRUE STATISTICS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS. PORSCHE HAS NOT ADMITTED THAT THIS FAILURE MODE RESULTS FROM A BEARING DESIGN FLAW, HOWEVER THAT IS THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED ROOT CAUSE. PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA DECLINES TO ASSIST WITH REPAIR. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE FAILURE RATE AND SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE PORSCHE M96 ENGINE. WE FURTHER SUGGEST THAT IT IS LIKELY THAT FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PORSCHES WITH THESE ENGINES HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ASSIGNED TO DRIVER ERROR. WE BELIEVE THAT PORSCHE SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR IMS FAILURES OF M96 ENGINES THROUGH A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH A 2003 BOXSTER S I PURCHASED IN MAY 2003 FROM MCKENNA PORSCHE IN NORWALK, CA. SOME OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN THE LAST 2 YEARS INCLUDE: 1) CONDENSATION IN OIL FILLER AREA; 2) OIL LEAKS IN 2 LOCATIONS; 3) WORN DRIVE BELT; 4) CLUTCH CAUSING GRINDING NOISE; 5) IGINITION SWITCH & KEY DIDN'T WORK; AIR CONDITIONING UNIT DIDN'T COOL; 6) STEREO SYSTEM DIDN'T WORK. MCKENNA HAS REPAIRED/REPLACED ALL ITEMS TO DATE EXCEPT THE CLUTCH. MCKENNA ADVISED CLUCTH PROBLEM IS MY RESPONSIBILITY DUE TO WEAR AND COST IS $1700. THE VEHILCE HAS 19000 MILES. THE INCIDENT DATE BELOW IS DATE I PICKED UP THE VEHILCE FROM MCKENNA. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE STARTING WITH THE FIRST DAY I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FROM MCKENNA.