I started with the hub on one of my mountain bikes, the cones wouldn't stay adjusted because the torque washers don't fit in the dropout snug enough to prevent the axle from rotating. So the hub was always coming loose. I concluded the im9 isn't up to MTB'ing (unlike the Alfine), I moved it to my commuter and started piling miles on it. I like the even steps, esp on the road, I still hated the shifting, was always catching and making engagement noises. I added to oil as a last attempt to have this hubs performance meet my standards. Right away I noticed the shifts were much better, no sticking, no disturbing engagement noises. I've since put a couple thousand miles on it, it's coasting much smoother. I suspect this hub needs to be broken it before judgement is passed, the oil bath is worth the effort IMHO. Between the two (miles and oil) I'm starting to like this hub. It will be interesting to see if it can take a Chicago winter, we use LOTS of salt here.

I haven't had to clean the guts of my Nexus/Alfine or my im9. When I do, my plan is to soak in mineral spirits (paint thinner) to remove dirt and grease/oil, dry then soak in ATF. I pulled my Alfine guts after a week long MTB vacation with lots of rain and stream fording, I suspected there would be water intrusion, there wasn't any. So I just soaked the guts in ATF and re-installed.