Re: IMS Guardian Support Line question

I've noticed that for an extra cost, the IMS Guardian comes with a support lifeline allowing you to call for recommendations if the alarm sounds. Why would you need this? I assume if the sensor was activitated, you should safely pull over, stop the engine, and call a tow truck. For a little more risk, maybe drive to your nearest mechanic. Since there's only a single type of alert, what is the benefit of having a support line for advice when the alarm sounds? What could they possibly tell you that would be a benefit?

Well, it looks like on their website, for an extra charge, they offer you an engine support "lifeeline", so I don't know what that is, but sounds like the benefit is to them...a way for them to advise you to get the car over to them to do the retrofit and/or offer you other additional things they can charge you for. That's a neat little gadget they got going there...I mean I bet my home HVAC contractor would love to install a gadget like that on my water boiler that would light up to tell me when it was about to fail and to then allow them to perform a service call or replace the unit. Lol.

IMHO, and it's only my opininion that having one of those things in your car is ridonculous. I mean can you imagine the conversation with the passenger in your car?...."so, what is that switch here?....oh, that's an engine failure warning light. A what?! Oh, an engine failure warning light. You see, these cars are very very high performance oriented...so much so that these here engines sometimes fail, but with this gadget, you don't have to worry!" Passenger fights hard to resist laughing.

Me personally, if I felt my car needed an engine failure warning light, I would no longer own that car. That is just pathetic IMO. I've owned my Boxster for 10 years now, and have only changed the oil every on the factory recommended 12-15k miles interval or every two years. The car has given me 10 yrs so far of driving pleasure without engine issues. Oh, a failed water pump at 59k miles, but that's it. If the engine does crap out on me, I will be disappointed, but hey, I got 10 yrs out of it already, so I'll sell it as a roller. What I won't do is spend money on an engine failure warning light for my car though. To me, that's just too funny. YMMV.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2012 05:55PM by boxtaboy. (view changes)

... with myself.
If I ever saw the warning light come on and warning buzzer go off I'd say to myself:
"Pedro, aren't we glad we installed the IMSG?. Now, let off the gas and go park the car in the paddock. Since we're only 60 miles from home we can safely drive it back. Tomorrow we can drain the oil and check the oil filter for what triggered the alarm. If we find anything serious then we'll drop the engine and rebuild it in time for the next track event. Congratulations!, we just saved ourselves a bunch of money".
I didn't find it funny at all.
YMMV
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Lol Pedro. Fair enough. I guess it's good stuff for some, and not for others. that's why I put a YMMV in there.

the consultation would be something like this:

1. Alarm goes off

2. Talk to Jake's staff

3. They suggest you take the plug off and describe the particles, send them a picture and/or send the plug to them for particle analysis

4. You do that

5. They call you back and tell you what the particles are likely from and what your options are

(Of course in many cases one of your options is send the car to them. But if they tell you it is IMS and you have a local or can do an IMSR yourself, it saves you the uncertainty of thinking it could be from any other cause for ferrous particles to get to the magnets. And if it is not IMS particles...then again you have an idea of the options and probable costs. And by the way, we already have engine failure lights in our cars. And "take me to a service" lights...my wife's car has one on now.)

... was the only par that could generate ferrous particles there'd be no need to determine cause.
But there are several other wear parts that could cause the IMSG to trigger an alarm.
The course of action may be just to drop the tranny and replace the IMS Bearing, or as complex as dropping the engine for a complete overhaul.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Aside from boxtaboy's rant on why this is the stupidest invention ever, I may tend to agree with him on his assessment of the support line if Pedro is saying you really need to see what triggered the alarm to determine your next course of action.
(edit - after reading mikefocke's post, I guess there could be value in it for some.)

Quote
mikefocke, '01S Sanford, NC
And by the way, we already have engine failure lights in our cars. And "take me to a service" lights...my wife's car has one on now.)

True...I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that boxtaboy has never had road rage. With all the constant comedic relief starring at him in every vehicle, how could he?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2012 07:01PM by Flaneur. (view changes)

IMHO, unless you track your car often (in which case I think this contraption can have its uses), I think the whole thing is silly. Don't get me wrong...I love my Boxster and have enjoyed it for over 10 yrs, and continue to. IMO, if it ain't broke,... You know the saying. Besides, I'm the type that would really dislike having that sorta engine fail warning light in my car...every time I drive the car, I would stare at it worried that it would light up and would end up not enjoying the drive anymore. Again, YMMV.

Still looks and is running fine after 10 yrs...





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2012 08:01PM by boxtaboy. (view changes)

With the cost of replacing an engine, you'd say that, or if you were ever stranded in the middle of nowhere due to an IMS issue. When mine went at 10,001 miles (only one DE event), I was on my way from DC to Chicago for a Cubs Playoff--tells you how long ago that was (2003). I stopped in Toledo at about 1:00 in the morning in October. East of there is nothing but blackness. I stopped to pay the toll at the exit and the car was running very rough at idle and sounded like it had a coffee can full of ball barrings rattling around. Stopped at a hotel and called PORSCHE. Engine toast, oil spill in parking lot (bolt tore a hole in the engine when it went). But, let me tell you, if it popped an hour earlier I probably wouldn't have been in cell phone reception at midnight in rural Ohio with temps down in the low to mid 30s. Dodge that kind of situation, and you'd think the alarm is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Luckily, my car was under warranty. Porsche stepped up to the plate and I didn't even miss the game.

Whether the engine dies or the "stop the engine immediately" light goes on, either way you're stranded wherever you are.

My impression is that its threshold of activation should be low enough to allow for some reasonable time to get the car to a "safe" place.

Correct, keep the load light, don't lug the engine, coast down hill (aren't any in north, central OH) and try and get to a safe place to pull over. Just don't keep going balls to the walls until the engine breaks into a bunch of little pieces. Even if limping along eventually kills the engine, at least you may not be stranded in an unsafe situation. In my case, that could have been going the min. hwy speed until the next exit with some sort of service--hotel, gas station--or civilization. The exits are far and few in between in that area.

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

to your wallet causing it to empty.

The purpose of the IMS Guardian is to be alerted so that catastophic engine damage can be avoided by alerting the driver to shut off the engine ASAP. The hotline is to provide diagnostic help since the IMS Guardian will also alert to other problems making feromagnetic debris.