Chris_in_NH

if your alarm/locking/immobilizer computer (the black box under the seat) is still working, you are lucky. i think it is a very bad design to put this essential piece of electronics in the lowest bowl-shaped part of the car! ;)

you can test to see if it's working by

- using the key remote to arm/disarm the system. (lock feature and remote receiver operational)

- intentionally setting off the alarm. (alarm operational)

- starting your car. (immobilizer operational)

locking computers are expensive, around $300. plus, they can only be coded with your immobilizer code ONCE. a dealer must do this (unless you have a PST2, but i wouldn't want to take the chance of screwing it up to the tune of another $300), so that's going to cost some labor. probably an hour's worth.

if you want to prevent it from getting fried in the future, you can unscrew the locking computer from its location (you may need to remove the seat) and put a Ziploc freezer bag around it (with the top part of the bag facing up). when re-installing it you will need to screw through the plastic bag. glue a rubber washer on the inside/outside of the bag where the screw(s) will go.

it's also a very good idea to make sure that all your drain points are clear on a regular basis. there are two under the clamshell - one on each side, and two in the battery compartment - one on each side. you need to remove those plastic cover pieces on each side of the battery. i think it's a T-20 Torx screw that secures these pieces. the drains can be blown out with compressed air to remove debris. better yet, gluing a small piece of screen over the drains would keep them from getting clogged. but you'd still need to check them every so often.

here's the top canvas DIY. thanks to everyone involved, especially 'Fred' who took the time to document the procedure and take step-by-step photos.

proceed at your own risk. ;)

DIY Canvas Top R&R

i also have this in PDF format if anyone is interested. just PM me.

Might want to consider simply changing the speakers, unless the ones you have are real good.

Especially if you want to do the doors too, JL Audio 3 way with crossovers excellent choice.

that's what he is doing. he needs to make a bracket so that the speakers can be mounted.

???

wow, cool!

i didn't know you could buy just the LCD piece. i actually searched online for quite a while to see if i could find this, but i never even thought to check eBay. nice find!!!

flyboyshell, you should be able to repair your climate control unit with this replacement LCD panel. taking the unit apart is very easy. a new C/C unit goes for about $400, so this part is a bargain!!! you might also want to buy a spare, just in case this happens again. i'm going to!

when you open the C/C unit, you will probably notice that the liquid in the old LCD panel has leaked out somewhat. that's what mine looked like.

awesome!!

very common. i've seen this happen on many Boxsters, mine included.

i believe there is a TSB regarding this issue.

i know it is fixable, but i'm not sure how exactly. ;)

i don't think the guide pin can be adjusted at all.

the hardtop position can be adjusted somewhat by loosening the bolts located under the triangular cover, then tightened when the top is in the position you like.

you do have the spinlocks installed, right?

How hard is it to cut pergo?

it's pretty easy if you have the right tools. i used a Dremel tool. i suppose a jigsaw would work as well.

we are talking about female airbag blow up dolls, right? ;) :lol: :rolleyes:

Chris,

Where did you find the plastic. Been looking for some for the front speaker upgrade and all I have been able to find is lexan.

Warren

the black frame is 'wood'. it's actually a leftover piece of Pergo flooring (which is why 'wood' is in quotes ;) ) that i cut holes in and spray painted.

what are you trying to do to the front speakers?

I agree, though I rarely use the stereo. Made a big difference and my 16 YO appreciates it when he rides with me. Harvey's kit is great!

you could always DIY for $70. ;)

Yeah, it isn't very funny. It did however get me off my A$$ to clean out the garage that's for sure. No more parking outside even with a car cover. I figure if my top didn't keep it out, no car cover was going to either.

cats like to pee on car covers, too. ask me how i know! <_<

Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. But, you said you thought the 03 didn't need plugs for 60k miles, which was incorrect. And you didn't mention the filters. I only wanted to emphasize that the manual, or the posting suggested by Loren, should be checked for proper intervals. I never heard of an air filter being part of an oil change. If that's true, I might start paying for oil changes.

The belt was in poor shape. I saw it. The dealer replaced it along with the engine that was hanging on it.

you didn't upset me. i was just kidding around! i despise most dealers ('stealers'). ;)

i was mistaken on the 60K spark plug change. it must be the newer cars that go 60K with plugs. i also said that the 'major' components are the oil change and spark plugs. since the oil change includes the air filter and the oil filter, that was included in my 'oil change' category. the cabin filter is not really a requirement.

i suppose that some places may not include the air filter in their oil change, but i always do when i DIY. it's only a $15 part. might as well do it.

the bad engine in your car probably explains why the belt was in bad shape. you said it was replaced, right?

Intreresting stuff guys. Thanks. When the dealer told me what they were going to do it sounded like I could do it myself. Oil change, wiperblades, filters, etc. Are all the filters very easily accessible? It sounds like it. Also, I have read that normal intervals for oil changes are every 15k miles correct?

the filters are very easy to get to

- the cabin filter is the easiest of all. it is to the left of the battery if you're standing in front of the car.

- the oil filter is on the underside of the car near the oil drain plug.

- the engine air filter is in a 'drawer' in the engine compartment.

factory recommended oil change interval for your car is 15K miles (newer cars are up to 20K!), but many people cut that number in half and change at 7,500 miles. i've been doing 15K changes since i've had the car with no problems. i'm now at 113K miles.

with the money you'll be saving, you should pick up a Bentley Publishers Boxster Maintenance Manual which will help immensely with your DIY 30K service (and any other work that you do.)

http://www.amazon.com/Porsche-Boxster-Serv...9817&sr=8-1

so really you're looking at a $975 oil change.

That's not exactly true. An 03 requires spark plug change, air filter change, & cabin filter change, among other things. Checking the polyrib belt is up there in importance too. Mine was in bad shape at only 25,000 miles. Ask the dealer exactly what they plan to do for the $$.

i was speaking figuratively, but if you want to get down to brass tacks - ok.

spark plugs (6 x $10) = $60, labor $100 (1 hour)

engine air filter is part of the oil change cost

cabin filter $40, labor $25 (.25 hours)

so really he's looking at a $750 oil change.

all the 'visual inspection' items are just 'visual inspections' (serpentine belt, too.) if the serpentine belt was bad (or anything else), they would charge him for it. he could inspect the belt just as well as anyone else.

and your serpentine belt was bad at 25,000 miles or that's what the dealer TOLD you? ;)

the 30K is referred to as a 'glorified oil change'. when i first got my Boxster, i was close to 30K miles and i had no idea how to work on my Boxster. so i paid exactly $975 for the 30K service at a dealer. there were a few other 'miscellaneous' charges added on.

now that i've been doing my own maintenance/repairs for 6 or 7 years, i realize that the $975 would have been better spent elsewhere. the major services in the 30K service are an oil change and a spark plug change (depending on model year). i believe for the '03s the spark plug change interval is 60K miles. all the other 'check this, check that' services are just that.

so really you're looking at a $975 oil change.

you can change your own oil for about $120 including tools and ramps (about $70 for subsequent changes). it is terribly easy. and fun. here are instructions: http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...p;Number=211869

you can also 'check' all the things that need to be checked (CV boots, transmission fluid, etc.) just as well as any other sighted person. and i'm not convinced that the dealer really checks all these things anyway. the short story about my 30K visit was that i asked them *specifically* to top up the coolant, which was low. when i retrieved the car the next day, now over $1000 poorer, the coolant had not been topped up. by checking these items yourself, you will KNOW that they were checked and attended to.

if you really don't want to do it, you can probably find an independent Porsche shop that will do it (oil change) for $150 or so. but i would DIY-it, and spend the money on Boxster toys. ;)

I am actually getting an engine light with the P1128&P1130 codes, hence the reason for my cleaning the MAF.

The ignition is the white switch. So I am confused about which one is the latest switch.

i'm not sure which one is the latest switch, but regarding your 1128/1130 codes, i would check for vacuum leak. the usual suspects are the oil filler cap, cracked oil filler tube, torn Air/Oil Separator bellows tube, etc.

has the A/OS ever been replaced? that bellows tube is NOTORIOUS for tearing and creating 1128/1130 codes. $10 says that's what it is. ;)

Folks,

Out of curiosity.....What's with the obsession to "de-amber" (have red/clear lights). Isn't that something that all the young kiddies with Civics and Altimas obsess over?

it's a 'cleaner' look.

the Civic/Altima crowd obsess over Altezza lights.

can you tell me where you got the LED lights for the dash lights?

thanks.

If its cranking but not starting, then likely you have a bad MAF, when my MAF went bad i had the same symptoms you are having. It would start and i would drive, then turn it off and it wouldnt start for 15 minutes after trying to restart the car.

this doesn't sound MAF-related to me at all.

an easy way to see if it's the MAF is to disconnect the electrical wiring harness from the MAF, reset the DME/ECU by disconnecting the neg battery cable for a few minutes (have radio code handy if you need one), reconnect neg battery cable, and then starting the car. you will basically be running MAF-less with the DME/ECU reset to default values.

if the car starts normally - consistently - then maybe it is the MAF. but my guess is that it's the ignition switch.

'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!' ;)

if you are not having problems that point to the MAF, i would leave it alone. i know it's tempting to do stuff to your car while you have the engine compartment open, but i would just leave it.

just my $.02

thanks all for answering my question, i did connect the amp and it does not work. Chris.. can u tell me how to add an amp or piggy back to the oem amp. thanks

i don't know about piggybacking to the oem amp, but adding a new amp should be pretty simple. all you need to do is supply power and connect the speakers and remote turn-on lead. you'll need to get the pin-out for the amp that you have, so you know which wires do what. then you just need to connect those wires to the appropriate connectors on the amp.

check out this how-to video...

http://www.crutchfield.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/l...html?format=mov

my advice is to buy a 'real' amp. ;)

40w per channel is very low, and for roughly the same amount of money as the Porsche amp, you could get a much more powerful amp that will drive your speakers better.

i'd also replace the stock speakers if that's what's in your car. i picked up a pair of MB Quart DKD-110's (4" coax speaker) for $50 and the difference is night and day. no kidding. you could spend a little more and get a nice pair of Focal speakers, too. both the MB Quarts and the Focals will fit in the Boxster dash. the stock speakers are really terrible, and swapping them is the best and cheapest way to get a better sounding system.

here's a pic and link.

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...;product_id=986

congratulations!

did you happen to take any pictures? ;)

can you explain how you were able to solve the plastic slide/clamping rail problem? any detail on how these pieces fit together and come apart?

i have a replacement top, but haven't started installing it yet.

that's some good detective work! ;)

i will refer you back to the original linked post that i pointed you to before. it has grown and now has more information that will help you. i already typed all the answers in the other post, so it's easier (for me, hehe) to just point you to that post. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=13065

i got my replacement parts at Sunset Imports www.sunsetimports.com. they have very good prices. you will pay almost double their prices if you buy from another dealer. i would call them and talk with Jeff Clark. Jeff knows his stuff and has helped me out immeasurably in the past. Jeff's email is JeffClark at Sunset Imports dot com.

1) you can order more of these brass clips. buy a few of them (10 or so) so you will have some extras. they're very cheap. in the future, separate the black canister arm from the V-lever which is much easier than removing that brass clip that you broke. the canister arm just pops off of the V-lever.

2) if you send Jeff the picture of the missing bolt, he can probably tell you which one you need.

3) that bolt that is missing on the push-arm adjusts the length of the push-arm. if you order new push-arms (recommended) they will have this bolt included. even if the red ball joints are not broken, it's a good idea to replace them with the new push-arms which have the stronger, reinforced white ball joints.

4) ask Jeff about the rubber washer (bushing). i thought that my new push-arms came with this new bushing, but i can't remember.

5) i'm not sure what to do about those straps.

as far as doing anything else while you're in there, i would absolutely check the cables. but if you're going to be ordering parts, i would just get the new updated cables, as the old cables WILL eventually stretch. the part numbers for the new cables are in post #5 of the linked thread above.

thx for the reply, and indeed i didnt change the whole shaft, it didnt even coem w a rubber part, i probably will switch it then.

how do i tell if i have old cables or not? and how hard is it to switch them?

the rubber part (bushing) is located at the connection point of the V-lever and the push-arm. it was a long time ago when i replaced mine, so i don't remember exactly. if your new push-arm didn't come with a rubber bushing, then i would just leave it as is, as you have nothing to replace the old bushing with.

see this post for cable/transmission info. post #5 gives the part numbers for the new cables, and how to tell if you already have the new cables (diamond texture on the outside). it would be worth your while to read the whole thread(10 times). ;)

as far as difficulty in changing the cables, there is some work involved, as you will see in the linked thread. this includes removing the conv top transmissions, prying out the old cable, installing new cables, re-installing transmissions and re-timing them. since your top works now, you may be able to get away without having to re-time the transmissions, since they are timed correctly right now. you'll have to see when the time comes...

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=68