Westcoaster

Hi All.

Had a quick search on this, but can't see anything in the archive on it.

When I have my 987's steering at full lock, there is a kind of "judder". It's not much, but it feels as though you are traversing cobblestones, or some series of small obstructions. Someone said that it could be due to the differing radiuses of the wheels at full lock, ie, the inner wheels are covering less distance than the outside ones, so they kind of judder.

Can anyone confirm if this is normal?

Cheers

I don't know if I would like to call this condition " normal" but mine does something similar, it was suggested by others that it was part of the way the steering on these cars work, or that the power steering fluid might be at fault. I forgot have the dealer specifically check the fluid at the last inspection.

Here is my post on the subject (can also be found by a search): http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...amp;hl=steering

Hey Norm, not a bad price from Canadian Tire huh? ;)

I just picked up one from there last week. Also ordered the cig adapter so I can keep the battery maintained during the time I don't drive it over the next few months.

Lordco. CT had their own that cost $30 more and which they were out of stock of. I'm connecting mine directly to the battery.

Really, didn't know they sold them there as Lordco was not listed by CTEK as a reseller. Mine cost $59... $15 for the adapter.

I am having excellant results with 303 Fabric Gaurd: http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?...;Product_ID=429

I found it at a local marine supply store, one of the few places people with more money then Porsche owners shop! ;)

Hey Norm, not a bad price from Canadian Tire huh? ;)

I just picked up one from there last week. Also ordered the cig adapter so I can keep the battery maintained during the time I don't drive it over the next few months.

I just bought a 2000 boxster

Horn not working but i can hear the horn sound when i use the remote key to open the doors

any idea how to fix ?

I believe that you will find that they are 2 different horns... did you check the fuse?

I bought it to drive it not just wash it... :lol:

I average 12,000km a year, heck most of our club weekend lunch runs adds 500km to the clock, and the last long one 1000km!

Can't wait for another road trip cause that's what it is all about, driving!

Hi Al - its been a long time since i've been back reading posts on here - i'm so pleased you managed to get your kit to work in the end, even if it wasn't without some turmoil.

No issues with mine still, although i've only added less than 2k miles in the last 15 months :(

Hi David, yes working, other then manually having to 'turn it on' it has been working fine! I really don't mind, it is nice to be able to have the headlights off if you so choose, stealth mode...

It would seem that I drive a bit further then you, I added about 12,000km this past year.

I even added an electric air horn to replace the stock unit, sure gets their attention now! :P

Thanks for the replies, yes my 2006 has the footwell scoket and it is live at all times so the CTEK should work just fine.

Any time my car sits while it is not driven it too is in the garage, so I don't need to lock it, I was just curious about the alarm.

Waiting for the 'comfort connect adapter' to arrive...

I beleive there are two voltage versions available for HID systems 55 and 35W. The 35W is the same as used on the OEM units (which are the same as Toyota units I am told) Those that have fitted the 35W kit do not appear to have the bulb warning issues on 987 models. The 986 models have a different control unit and are less sensitive to the wattage of the HID kit.

Just to keep things clear, the 'W' stands for watts not voltage, a measure of how much power it draws from the system.

I have a 987 and a 33W HID kit installed, and I do have the bulb warning issue because the kit could not be connected directly to the power lead for the original halogen bulbs due to a DC pulse on that circuit which prevent the electronic ballast from working correctly. This is why I was interested in the kit SLATEGREYTERACOTTA installed. It would be just my luck if the CQ kit I installed is the only kit affected by the pulse I mentioned.

I bought a CTEK 7000 to maintain the battery on my Boxster, along with the cigarette lighter adapter with the correct plug. It's just like your 3300 except it does a few more things. I just plug it in to the cigarette lighter socket, which I think is fused properly for battery maintainers. The only thing I had to do was push the button for gel batteries, which is supposed to work better with the Optima battery I have. I also noticed once when the power went out at my house, I had to power cycle the charger to wake it up.

I'm not sure the Porsche instructions will say more than to plug the maintainer into the cigarette lighter and it's fully charged when the light turns green. That's about all my original Porsche Charge-O-Mat said

If you bought a new CTEK maintainer, you will need to buy the "comfort connect" cigarette lighter adapter, which costs around $10. It just snaps right on to the charger connector. If you don't have one, you can buy it through the renntech Amazon link. The Porsche charger comes with the cigarette lighter plug hard wired on.

I mounted mine on the garage wall right next to where my door opens to keep it off the ground and avoid running it over

Thanks for the reply Geoff, I tried to purchase the adapter through the Renntech Amazon site but they won't ship to Canada. Oh well, I found a CTEK authorized eBay seller (Woody's Custom Shop) and they have the adapter for $9.99+$2.00 shipping to Canada.

The other question I had about it's use on the Porsche was if it mattered if the alarm was set on or off?

The Porsche CTEK is only available with a cigarette lighter connector, the devise is the same.

That is what I figured, and that is why I would like a copy of the instructions that came with the Porsche unit.

I just bought a CTEK Multi US 3300, which I think is the same unit as Porsche sells with their name on it. "Charge-o-mat II"

Of course the CTEK instruction booklet doesn't contain information about charging a Porsche through the connection in the passenger footwell...

I found a little information in the TSB's: at least 10 hours on trickle, but I was wondering if someone had the specific instructions that came with the Porsche branded unit?

Thanks!

Received the replacement bulb and put the HIDs back in. They've been working fine for the past couple of days, no problem. I don't know if the problem is deeper than a bad bulb or not, and unfortunately winter is coming so I won't be able to replace parts under warranty should something else go wrong, because I won't be driving the car for the next few months. Luckily the replacement bulbs are not that expensive, but if one of the light bulbs burns again I'll have to look deeper for the cause.

In any event, all is well again with the HIDs, at least for the time being.

Now, as far as the LEDs on the sides - they still flicker, either one or the other, none, or both... I think the problem is that LEDs are much more sensitive to incoming current than regular bulbs. I also think that main lights have better current regulators than side lights and that's why I see flickering only on the sides. I did a search and found out that a lot of people have issues with LEDs because they are so sensitive. In many cases, even adding an in-line voltage regulator didn't help. On the bright side, it doesn't look like a flaw to those who don't know, but rather like a 'feature' :) I even got compliments on the flickers from various people, hehehe.

Good to hear that the replacement bulb has done the trick (fingers crossed).

As for the LED flickering, that too is interesting, the voltage going to the lights on the car should all come from the same source. Although I don't currently have any none OEM LED bulbs installed on the Boxster, I did on my RX-7, they never flickered at all, solid constant light. As for their sensitivity, they by nature are able to react to change in supply power because they can switch on/off so fast where as a heated filament bulb would smooth out a changing voltage much more.

At one point I had a LED high mount brake light on my 2003, and of course there is a LED highmount brake light on my 2006, I have never noticed that either of them flickers, not that I follow my own car much (I prefer to be the driver! :P ).

....wow....I find out there is an auxiliary battery in the trunk

???

I know of only one battery, the one up front just ahead of the windshield...

Also, isn't there a caveat about the radio and it's code?

MY04 Cayenne.

Two batteries if no sound system and radio is MOST so no code.

Sorry, my bad, I saw the 2004-S and from his description of the 'wife's Boxster-S' and assumed we were talking about it not the Cayenne... I'll go back to my dinner now. ;)

....wow....I find out there is an auxiliary battery in the trunk

???

I know of only one battery, the one up front just ahead of the windshield...

Also, isn't there a caveat about the radio and it's code?

That's what I would have expected, just tough to get 'official' information on the 2009 Boxsters, and as I mentioned the configurator is still set for 2008.

Also nice to see that they will finally offer multiple connectivity to the head unit, on a car of this expense you should not have to cobble together connections for external media players!

So did the October R&T have an article about the upcomming Boxster?

It's the tires.......Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position.....NO wear issues.

When I first replaced them it was quiet for the first few hundred miles........and you

don't hear it if it's warm and the top is down.

Cold fall weather......top up......radio off......first 20 miles driven - very noticable.

I'm a certified GM and Toyota service manager........I know how to diagnose a bad

wheel bearing........That's not what it is.

Original tires (taken off at 8300 miles (because they were 6 years old) also looked PERFECT

but would drive you out of the car with top-up noise.....again, much worse when cold.

I don't have the Pole Position's but rather the regular RE050A's (18" on stock wheels)... I bought this combination as an upgrade from the stock 17" Michelin PS2's.

At first, driving top down, I didn't notice any significant noise, but with the top up it does sound like a wheel bearing noise, quite loud as you say. When I was shopping for a set of tires/wheels I was hoping to find a 18" set with the PS2's but the price and condition of the Cayman S wheels with factory installed RE050A's was too good to pass up, now I wish I would have waited for a set with a different brand of tire (the noise is that noticable).

I have been very happy with the Michelin PS2's, I would either go with them or try the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric if/when I replace the tires.

Oh yeah, as for Boxster versus Cayman... my vote is for the Boxster! ;)

I see that the 997 family is getting a new larger touch screen PCM display and I was wondering if the Boxster will get the same treatment.

The last time I checked the "Build-you-Own" configurator for the Boxster the PCM I saw was still the old style... I think this is still the 2008 version of the application.

I just had a new windscreen installed, Porsche original equipment glass made by Saint-Gobain Sekurit. I didn't notice until after the installer was gone and I was cleaning it up that it was alarmingly speckled over its entire exterior surface. With bright light, the right angle, and a close view, it looked more like tiny razor cuts 0.5mm long than pin points, actually, if that makes any sense. Wouldn't wipe off with glass cleaner or naphtha. I was peeved.

On a whim, I hand polished it with Meguiar's polish/glaze, same stuff I use on the paint. Speckling virtually gone.

Try that?

--Brian

Hmmm, that gives me an idea, Griots sells windshield polishing compound, I wonder if this would 'fix' some of the smaller imperfections and make the whole situation a little more tolerable? But...

I was worried that polishing the windshield would 1) remove any protective coatings, and 2) produce a web of fine scratches that would reflect the light (much like swirl marks on paint)?

Very interesting product, I wonder how it stands up to the wiper movements? As it is a flexible substance I would think that it must be softer then glass, which is why it can absorb the shock of debris hitting the windshield.

Any idea of the cost to do a Boxster windshield?

From the Porsche Tires Brochure (Feb 2006) - you can download it here.

"Use only tire types tested by Porsche. Only tires with the same manufacturer and with the same specification code (e.g. "N0", "N1"” …) should be mounted on the vehicle. Tires should be replaced no less than in pairs on one axle at a time. Only tires of the same tire make and type must be used. Since many Porsche vehicles are fitted with different sized tires on their front and rear axles, this requires matching the tire brand, tire name and N-specification front to rear."

Yes, very interesting, knowing the Porsche has specific designations for tires they approved makes that part easy, also good to know if you have a catastrophic failure on one tire (ie. sidewall puncture), that you need a 'matched replacement' to what the car is currently riding on.

I wonder based on 500's comment how many times mismatched tires on other vehicles go undiagnosed because the replacement tire is the same brand, model and size? I would have to think that changes in tire production gives rise to changes in the internal structure when a tire is manufactured over the period of a number of years?

Hey guys, we are talking about 06's and 07's here, are you changing the filter because it is obviously dirty?

I usually like to maintain my care at or above the factory recommendations but my 06 only has 24,000 km and the air filter replacement recommendation for a 987 is 60,000 km (40,000 miles)...

I know that Secuuda wanted to put in a non-stock filter, so I am curious why you would feel the need to replace the stock element so soon?

I replaced my air filter sooner because I thought that it would be dirty due to the sand/salt that's used on the roads here during winter. It takes a while for the city/town workers to clean the sand up after winter, so there's always a lot of airborne dust in the spring months. When I got my used oil analysis back, there were no indications of dirt ingestion (look for Si/Al in an ~3.4:1 ration) so I basically changed it for nothing (was at 17000 miles). If you're in a non-dusty area, getting to 40000 miles on the filter would be easy.

BTW, when you do decide to change the filter, use Nick_USA's advice -- I wish I thought of that when I did mine -- it took me 20 minutes (although 15 of the 20 were spent cussing) trying to align the filter element to slide over the mount since I didn't want to distort any of the filter paper.

Regards,

paul...

That makes sense, where I live it is pretty clean so the filter would likely last through the service interval without a problem...

I can't comment on the idea of non-Porsche service invalidating the warranty, but to my mind what makes sense is to have the minor and major services done by the dealer, unless there is some extenuating circumstance they would have to stand behind their product should something go wrong during the warranty period. I just had the minor service done on my 2006 at the dealer (2 years, 24000km), they performed all of the normal checks and pronounced it all good, yes it was very expensive considering what they actually did but at least they have definitive record that there are/were no issues.

Having said that I do not wait that long to change the oil/filter, that I do myself at the 1 year interval, I use Porsche approved oil (Mobil 1 0w-40) and buy a Porsche oil filter.

If you have have been burning oil for a while there is a reasonable chance that your plugs have been fouled. I would remove one and check it.

I would also definitely check the air filter. You can always take it out, shake it off and put it back in if you don't have a replacement.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I did replace the plugs. I thought that would solve the hesitation at high engine speeds, but it did not. The O2 sensor was the major culprit.

Thanks for everyones help!

How come the bad O2 sensor didn't show a check engine light right when it went bad? Was the loss of power from this whole episode drastic? I'm just wondering because my father is thinking of purchasing a 2005 987 Boxster but when we test drove it we were surprised at how slow it was. We're wondering if there was a problem. It sure didn't feel like a 240hp car. I used to have a 1997 BMW M3 and that car felt way faster than this Boxster and that concerned me.

And also, how can I tell if the car is overfilled with oil? We're very new to the whole Boxster thing and I noticed this 2005 Boxster doesn't have a dip stick by the oil cap like a 2001 Boxster S did that I looked at...

Thanks for the help.

To check the oil level, insert the key, turn the ignition to on (but do not start), the OBC will display the oil level as a series of bars in the window of the instrument cluster. There should be one unshaded bar at the top of the graphic.

If the engine has recently been run this process can take a number of minutes, if the car has sat for about 30 minutes or more the process takes only a few seconds. Of course the car should be level for this task.

Interesting comment about the 2005 being 'slow', it should be on par with the 'S' you drove.

Yes, directly to the battery, I used a relay as shown in the instructions, I have a separate switch mounted under the dash, this trggers the relay which sends power directly from the battery to each of the ballasts. This bypasses everything in the car and is gauranteed to work asuming that the kit components are all good.

If your HID kit worked before then one side just stopped working then I would guess that one of the parts on that side failed or a connection came loose.

I would strongly suggest that you check all connections and wires carefully, make sure no wires are pinched or damaged if that is all good then I would swap a piece from the working side to the non-working side, one at a time to determine which component is bad. They are still under warrantly so it would be nice to sort it out soon...

It appears that the light bulb itself is not working, the rest is fine. I swapped light bulbs with the working side and the light did the same thing. Then I took the 'good' bulb and hooked it up to the wire harness on the other side and the light worked.

I sent a note to CQLights to see what needs to be done to exchange the bad bulb.

Question: I thought these lights were supposed to last a lot longer than halogen lights. If mine went out after only 6 months, what could be the cause? Bad bulb? Something else in the electrical system that somehow caused the light to burn?

Thanks,

azzar0.

Yes the bulbs should last for a long time, many years.

I would ask CQ about the ballast and ignighter on the sude that failed, it may be possible that it caused the failure of the bulb.

Another thing could be a discharge of the Xenon gas from the bulb, caused by a defect or rough handling, these bulbs need to be handled very carefully and never touch the glass with your bare hands, the oil from your fingers can etch the glass and cause it to fail.

Keep us posted...