Chris_in_NH

there is no way to answer this question. any answer is just a guess. some engines fail very early. some don't. some engines are well cared-for. others aren't. that being said, i'm at 115K miles on my 2.5L. i know other people that are close to 200K. but then, some people have replaced engines at 30K miles. it's all in how you treat it and luck. good ideas to prolong engine life are: -frequent oil changes (at LEAST every 15K miles, but some people change it every 7.5K) including air/oil filters -new spark plugs at recommended intervals -premium gas -don't let the car warm up to operating temp at idle -don't go over 4K RPMs until the car is fully warmed up (10-20 minutes of 'normal' driving) -when starting the car, wait 10-20 seconds before driving so that oil can get to where it needs to be -running a bottle of Techron thru the engine prior to an oil change a used 2.5L Boxster engine will run anywhere from $2K to $5K (USD) depending on mileage/condition.

yes, all 1 DIN headunits will fit. this is a standard size. no 'special' connections are needed, but you will need to do some wiring to match up all the previous connections. you will probably lose the speed-volume feature unless your new headunit supports it. you may also lose the ability to use the CD changer. i think it 'speaks' a proprietary Porsche protocol to the headunit, which your new headunit will not understand. but i may be wrong. what you could do is sell your Porsche CD changer and buy one that your new headunit can use. i don't know of any headunits that play flash memory sticks, but that's not to say that they don't exist. i upgraded my stereo to a Nakamichi CD-500 which has a very 'stock' look and plays MP3 CDs. i love it.

can someone tell me what a 'locking device plug socket' is? do you mean the seatbelt receptacle? update: never mind. i found out this is the piece inside the headlight that locks the headlight in. (i think.)

the vibration between 70 and 84 MPH is usually a wheel (or wheels) out-of-balance. since you changed your tires, i assume that they were balanced. it is possible however, that one of the wheels wasn't balanced properly, or maybe even lost a wheel weight. you might find a shop with a Hunter balancing machine, take it there, and get your wheels balanced again. it will probably cost you $25 per wheel, but then you can rule out the wheels if the vibration is still present. here's a site where you can locate a Hunter machine. http://www.gsp9700.com/ i have no idea about the other stuff. sorry...

first thing - i would check the cable lengths, just to be sure they're long enough. see this thread. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=68 you want to make sure you have ~3/4 inch of drive cable sticking out of the black cladding. you just want to be sure that this is not the beginning of a big problem, and the cables are the problem 99% of the time, especially on early Boxsters. i know you said you checked 'everything', but i wasn't sure if the cable ends were included. if the cables are ok, i would have someone cycle the top for you while you watch to see how the top operates and what happens when it gets hung up. maybe you'll be able to see the problem as it happens. it could be that the slider channel needs to be greased, i suppose. take a look. let us know.

Becker's website says that your stereo is a CDR-220 (4462). www.beckerautosound.com you can send it to them for service, but Becker radios are crap. i wouldn't waste my time. i replaced my CDR-220 with a Nakamichi CD-500, which is a kick-a$$ deck! it has a very subtle, stock look. not gaudy and no flashing lights, etc. a little pricey at $450, but WELL worth it. i got mine from www.onlinecarstereo.com. here's a pic. to remove the CDR-220 you need the Becker removal keys. you can order them on the Becker site. i think they're $2.00 plus $5.00 small order fee, plus shipping. probably $10 total. or maybe another Porsche owner that you know has some that you can borrow. i am sure it's not the wiring. if the radio works, but not the CD player, it's definitely not the wiring. Becker radios just suck. that's the problem. ;)

this could be many things. if you know someone with a Boxster, swap MAFs, reset the DME/ECU by removing the neg battery cable for a few minutes (have radio code if your radio needs one) then re-attach neg battery cable and start the car. if it runs normally, it's probably the MAF. but as Loren suggested, you really need a code reader/PST2 that can read the multiple variables that will help you nail down the problem.

i'll bet you won't be doing that again! ;)

might as well spend the extra money and get the Xenons at that price!

wow, that's too bad. can you explain how you had to mod the casing, which side worked, did you get any light at all on the other side, and are you sure everything is connected properly? when things don't work, i take them apart again to see if i screwed up anything or forgot to tighten something, etc. theoretically, the AC controller should work even with a broken LCD. maybe one of the connectors in the back is not plugged in all the way? very disappointing to hear...

if you think about it, filling up with premium over regular is only going to cost you a few extra dollars per tank. figure an extra $.20 per gallon x 15 gallons is only $3. you can get away with regular, but then you will lose out on miles per gallon and will have to use more gas, so it's a wash. i would just use premium. if you've only needed to fill it once in two weeks, you're talking about a tiny amount of money. yes, $25 Xenons are too good to be true. if the wattage is too high (55w is the max you should use), the bulbs will discolor (burn) the headlight lenses to the tune of about $1K. real Xenons can be found (new) for around $1200-1300. used ones are even less. keep an eye out on eBay. people sell them all the time. you can also 'retrofit' Xenons into your car for around $200. see this link. they will not have the same 'self-leveling' capabilities as authentic Porsche Xenons, but for owners that have done this conversion, it doesn't really seem to matter. they still get the Xenon 'look' and brightness at a fraction of the cost. http://www.cqlight.ca/index.php?cPath=32_45 for the windstop, i think you meant to ask where to put it when the top is 'up'. you can leave it in place, or remove it and put it in either of the trunks, behind one of the seats, etc. - wherever it will fit. my car came with a little canvas bag that holds the windstop when not in use. if you don't have one, just put it in something that will prevent it from getting scratched. you can put a ski-rack on the hardtop or the soft top. hope that helps. ;)

i don't know about that drill bit method! ;) you can make your own removal tool with a metal coat hanger. cut the coat hanger at one of the corners so that you have a metal 'V'. bend the ends of the V slightly inward towards each other. insert the ends into the two holes in the wheel cap, squeeze, and pull. ta-da! you could also take the wheel off and pop them off from the inside.

no. the car doesn't really know if the hardtop is on or if the top is just down. it's probably your handbrake dash light. when you engage the handbrake, does the corresponding dash light go on? if not, the top won't work. sometimes you can move the handbrake thru its range of motion (slowly or quickly - whatever works) to see if you can get the light to come on. if that is your issue, you need to repair/replace the handbrake microswitch, which isn't too hard at all. it could also be the top latch microswitch - you can test it by unlatching the top to see if the windows drop a few inches. if so, the microswitch is fine. (note: your windows need to be fully up to test this. if the windows are already down a little, there would be no need for them to drop.) otherwise, it could be the top relay (probably not) or a mechanical problem (unlikely if your top was working before).

if you do the Tupperware mod (or the Ziplock bag) make sure that you glue rubber washers on the inside and outside surfaces where the screws will go. otherwise water will still make it through the screw holes. the best thing would be to find a solid rubber washer (no hole in it) and screw the screw through it to make a hole. that way the hole is only big enough for the screw.

removal instructions here. Door Panel Removal

Door Panel Removal you won't need to remove everything. just the plastic piece over the door handle and the C-clip on the piece that you're painting. when removing the plastic piece over the door handle, be very careful. it has plastic pins that can break very easily. but if you DO break them (like i did) they still fit securely and are much easier to remove next time. ;)

keep your eyes open on the Boxster/996 boards for people 'upgrading' to Litronics. then PM them and tell them you're interested in buying their clears. that's how i got mine. i got clear fronts+rears for $400. i sold the rears for $150 (i already had clear rears) so the cost was only $250. you need to be quick, though! ;)

ok, gotcha. looks good. i want to see what it looks like after the color sanding, etc. 'normally $4,000'? i got a quote for $6K and i thought that was cheap! (i know you paid $1800 which is just unbelievable - i would do it RIGHT NOW if it was only $1800!)

looks good. what exactly was painted - the whole car, just the rear bumper and trunk? i think the interior pieces look great. i just painted mine with a can of Ocean Blue paint that i got from Paintscratch.com. i went with a matte finish instead of shiny. the only problem is that some of the pieces came out a little too dark, some a little too light, and some (IMHO) perfect. i also have an OB 97 Boxster and i'm going to give it one more shot to see if the finish can be repaired. it's seen many miles (115K) and has spiderwebs galore. also many rock chips and scratches, etc. you can't really see the defects when it's waxed unless you're really looking. but sometimes in direct sunlight it just looks horrible. nice work.

i don't know what the sound is, but it sounds like something loose/rubbing due to the engine vibration. if you have oil around the TB and in the J-tube, you need a new AOS, period. i would not drive the car until you've replaced it. once a cylinder fills with (uncompressible) oil, that's it. you're done.

dude, i'm not THAT lazy... i just don't have an S. i have a base boxster that i'm going to install 'S' rear rotors / calipers on. i don't have the S rotors yet. i'm trying to figure out whether i will have any issues with the rotor offset, i.e. will the rotor center in the caliper, or will i need to shim it, and if so, how much? haha, sorry. read your post wrong. DUH! :rolleyes:

you're going to sell the car because it needs a clutch? first of all, you could have a new clutch installed at an independent for about half of the dealer's price. the clutch itself costs about $300. and that's assuming that you actually NEED a clutch. take it over to someone that's not out to lighten your wallet needlessly.

you could remove a wheel and measure. ;)

it probably needs to be serviced by Becker. you could try one of those laser lens cleaner CDs with the little brushes on it. it may be that your CD lens is dirty and can't read the info on the disc. but i'm guessing there is a problem with the CD player itself. mine did the same thing. it will selectively play CDs. some work, most don't. contact Becker at http://www.beckerautosound.com just FYI, the Becker radios are pretty crappy. an aftermarket stereo (Alpine, Nalamichi, etc.) would probably serve you better in the long run. see what Becker wants to charge to fix it and compare that to the cost of a new (better quality) radio. The site says they charge 1.5 hours labor + parts cost, which could easily be $200-300 depending on what they need to replace.

i've read the same amount of posts as you - and i'm still confused! :rolleyes: i have the Ecsta SPTs for my rear tires. (i have the Ecsta Supra 712s for the front - they haven't worn out yet...) i think they're good tires. a few people complain about tire noise, but i don't think i've ever noticed excessive tire noise from any tire - except when i had huge knobbies on my '92 Rodeo. they stick well in dry conditions, and they are pretty good in the wet. but as you probably know, it's very easy to get sideways in the Box. :drive: i don't know if you *always* 'get what you pay for'. many times, a brand name is involved and that jacks up the price substantially. 'Porsche', anyone? ;) i give them a thumbs up. :thumbup: