Broken AF on Canon 18-55 IS lens, what about IS?

With no previous signs of failure, the autofocus of a Canon 18-55 IS lens stopped working (this is the lens being offered in kit with low-end cameras, like the 1000D, 450D, 1100D).

Few searches online suggested that a flat cable has gone bad inside the lens. The cable brings commands from the camera body to the lens front, where the autofocus motor is located.

This failure occurred after about 7000 shots taken through the lens, with a lot of zoom in/zoom out. A new lens costs 95-100, the repair service has been quoted at 60-70 (€uro). The flat cable itself is about 12 €uro.

I could keep the lens without autofocus, but it also has another electrically controlled feature: the Image Stabilyzer. If the AF is lost, how about the IS? How to find out?

The answer will be in another post.