[merlinfe]

I changed the IMS bearing out on my 2005 997 C2. No more difficult than changing out the flywheel. I did it in the garage on jack stands. I was sore when it was done, but it was done.

Things to keep in mind;
1. Pay for quality tools, some are better than others. You can sell them when you are done.
2. Buy the IMS bearing kit that will give you the most piece of mind. Changing a wear item ( all multi-part bearings are wear items) for another wear item is great if you plan on doing the job again. There are kits with less moving parts that are the most expensive kit, but you will never have to worry about it again.
3. While you are in there, the rear main seal will be accessible. The seal is cheap, getting it in without the right tool is tedious. It needs to be a certain depth and it has to be installed dry. Its much harder in practice than in theory. Had I to do it over again, I would have bought the right tool and resold it later.
4. There are a few lists from the class action law suit that say cars with this VIN will have this bearing installed. It's useful but can be tricky to use for the early 997 generation.

My personal thoughts are that the bearing is a wear item, period. Buy the absolute best one you can and drive the piss out of the car without worry (except for bore scoring and oil separator issues). I intentionally bought an early 997 C2 so that I could change the bearing out without having to possibly do a motor pull and case separation. Do your homework, don't cheap out on anything and you will be fine.

- Steve