rjsquirrel:
but with hundreds of hours in non-autopilot helos on actual or simulated instruments, I can assure you the autopilot is a great help, but few helos have crashed because of their stability
Isn't the Bell 222 the only non-autopilot helicopter certified for SPIFR (at least, in the US)? What type were you flying actual without an autopilot? Or was there another crewmember (which I would argue isn't the same thing).
I hand fly all IMC approaches so it's not really a big deal. If I was in cruise, own navigation, then the workload has gone up substantially and I'd be definitely asking ATC for all the help I can get.
One very senior helicopter pilot friend recommends that if you haven't already briefed the approach and you lose the autopilot SPIFR, you should declare an emergency and have ATC brief the approach rather than risk vertigo looking down at the plate.
As others pointed out, once you're on the approach most of the time the best exit from IMC is to complete the approach.