macsak

sounds like when i was there in oct 2001 and an entire area was closed off with canvas and poles

i looked around the canvas from far away and could see V-8 blocks for the cayenne- of course at the time, all porsches were 986/996 with flat sixes

the guide said he saw nothing :)

also spotted a camouflaged SUV on the proving ground while at mercedes that was being worked on

that guide also said nothing was there

oh yeah, while at weissach on the test track, a disguised cayenne "accidentally" drove past us

there's no way they didn't know we were there, we were on a prearranged visit :)

aloha

steve

Not sure if it is public knowledge yet or not, but I did not know...

A friend visited the factory recently and saw the reflector between the tail lights was back on the 4S ! The guide pretended not to hear the question asking for confirmation and told him to "look around and seek confirmation with his own eyes" ;-)

He said it's smaller than before, like 2" thick but looks very very good...

hey EZ, i posted the answer on ppbb

:)

aloha

steve

I understand that measuring won't tell me what springs I have, but it will tell me if the car has been lowered from stock. At that point it is going to be chasing part numbers to find out exactly what has been done. If anything at all has actually been done. What are the color codes to look for?

check with sunset porsche in oregon or suncoast porsche in florida

the 2004 boxster s 550 special edition had a chrome logo

take off the badge using dental floss

leave the car in the sun or use a blow dryer to loosen the adhesive

you can use the adhesive remnants to line up the new badge or you can mark off the old location with tape and clean the area more thoroughly and re-align

aloha

steve

I am looking to replace my existing titanium/silver coloured "Boxster" badge off the boot with a Chrome version. Yeh my wife says what for aswell !

Anyway, any guides on how to get the old one off and suggestions of where to get a new Chrome version from?

in hawaii, we have had consumer reports of scammers selling extended warranties over the phone

i am sure this isn't only limited to hawaii

be VERY careful

aloha

steve

Google the topic and you will find lots of pros and cons to these extended warrenties. If you are a DIY guy you don't need one but if you cannot do you own work and you car scares you it's always something to consider. Someone in my family sells for one of the big extended warrenty companies and he makes LOTS of dough and he is legit. He's told me the redemption rate is very low on these warrenties and not does he make good money but so does the underwriter.

You should be able to find good coverage for half that price too!

Lastly, consider the cost to loss. If you put that $2000 in the bank for 5 years it would be a better investment. Even with an RMS failure you are only looking at $1500 to fix and that seems to be the worst that happens. I would do some research on your 98 (prone to engine failure that year) to find out if you have already been replaced and if so forget the warrenty.

If you have not replaced the engine, have an auto transmission and cannot fix your own car you may want to consider such a warrenty but I would go lots cheaper and get a shorter warrenty. Are you so sure to have the car in 5 years?

top can be either color

550 SE and RS60 interior grey is dark natural grey leather, a higher quality leather, and is nearly black

aloha

steve

Another black roof.... Its got to be red and red, otherwise it just looks like a stock car.

The blurb in May's R&T says top matches the interior. Black top and "dark gray" interior are optional. Poster they sent me yesterday (FedEx Overnite) appears to have red top.

If this "dark gray" is like the 04 550, it is what I call "black."

the canadian members at ppbb.com have been over this procedure several times in the past half year

do a search on "Abe Evrens" in the archives and you can see all the details

aloha

steve

Hi Ashley,

I found an 05 base with the options I was after (outside of colour - it's Guards Red, brighter than my usual selection), CPO with loads of warranty, for around 32k. I've never imported a purchased car before, but have brought leased ones into Canada when returning from extended trips into the US. My experiences with Porsche include a lovely 89 944 that I enjoyed for a couple of seasons, as well as about 1000 test drives of 986 models in various parts of the world. Any pointers or tips you would care to share would be most appreciated.

Cheers, Craig

I'm in Calgary too and looking to buy a 987 in the next 8 weeks or so. I currently have a 2000 986 S that I'm selling for $30,000.

I'm hoping to pay around $33,000 for a base 2005 or around $40,000 for an 'S'. Do you have a lot of experience with Porsche, importing etc?

I do, so if you need a hand just let me know....what's goes around comes around...and the guys on this forum have certainly saved me a lot of money over time. At $33,000 US...you're looking at around $38-$39,000 CAD by the time you fly down, pay duty, gst, RIV, daytime running lights (DRL) and drive back.

Good luck...keep me posted on your progress.

Ashley

So, on a whim after finishing off a bit of a gruelling exam I decided to get the 987 that I've been considering for some time now. I found what seems to be a pretty good deal - not my colour but everything else is good. I was wondering if anyone in the Houston area might want to drop by the vendor and have a look at it and let me know if it's worthwhile or a pass. I'm in Calgary, so a bit of a long trip for a tirekick, so if anyone has time I would be most appreciative to get some knowledgeable feedback, and next time I'm in Houston dinner is my treat. PM me if you have some spare time. Cheers - Craig

some info may be found here:

the oldest boxster racing site

http://www.boxcar-racing.com/forum/

this is a newer site about spec boxster

http://www.boxsterspecracing.org/home/inde...p?location=home

aloha

steve

Thanks for the info on your header install.

The rules allow exhaust, intake and a .040 bore over, weight reduction to 2850, any suspension using stock mounting points and safety equipment. No internal engine changes or forced induction permitted.

The car will race against cars that are roughly 200-240 hp at the crank ranging from 2700 - 3200 pounds.

I think the Boxster will be the best handler of the lot. The 968 was very tempting but I bought a 97 Boxster - one of the first built and have always loved these cars.

Anybody else see any full header back upgrades achieving any remarkable HP?

welcome and congrats on the new car

to move the A/C controls, search for "cupholderectomy"

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...cupholderectomy

for the cone filter, there is a company called evolution motorsports (evoms for short) that makes an intake tube (cold air injection- CAI) that has a cone filter at the end

there is also a company called schnell that makes the same thing

major parts departments at sunset porsche in portland and suncoast porsche in florida would be a place to start, as would be http://www.epiqautosport.com/, a boxster only performance parts business

aloha

steve

Hi Gents (and ladies!)

Just thought i would say hello. Have recently bought a 2000 Boxster S 3.2 with 43000 miles, full history. Its 6 speed manual, black interior and i am based in Cornwall, UK. (Picture enclosed.) I have to say that i am absolutely thrilled with the car. I had an Audi S6 (4.2 V8 340bhp quattro) before and that was nice but the Boxster is something else, much more of a drivers car.

Anyways, been nosing round the site for a few days now, before i posted, just to get a feel for things and i have to say that it looks great!

I do have a couple of questions though.

One is regards a K&N cone filter. I have fitted a cone filter to ALL of my last 5 cars and am looking to do so again for the Boxster. However, K&N's website dont list an application for my car, yet i notice that some people have fitted a cone filter. Can someone help regards this, are they K&N or another make? I was kinda after a company and part/application number if possible? I have desnorkled it and it does sound fantastic already but i think with the cone it would be awesome!

The other is the stereo. Mine has not been fitted with the Bose upgrade unfortunately. It just has two crappy speakers on the dash which sound awful. It has some kind of Becker single DIN sat nav fitted powering it all. I really like the look of the Double DIN units fitted to (i think) the 987 Boxsters. Can i move the aircon panel down to just in front of the gear stick (to the slot above the duck in the picture) and then fit a Double DIN unit? Is this possible? Then wire up and add more speakers to shift the focal point of the music into the cockpit more and add a sub woofer or something? Or do i have to have a single din unit and add the speakers?

Thanks in advance for any help. I look forward to being a regular member of the site. Merry Christmas everyone!

Drac

there are a few bay area locals here on renntech.org, but if you want more opinions, you can also check on babblers.org, which is a bay area boxster group

aloha

steve

After all of the effort with removing the headlights, putting in brighter bulbs and wiring the side indicators to blink, no sooner was I on the road (actually parked in front of my brother's house on a VERY quiet street, the only parked car) and the F%&@#*G I$%&%D across the street from him backed into my P-car. :cursing: He at least didn't try to hide his transgression and came right to the house and fessed up. He even drives a small car, we are on the same road as this guy! :drive: :censored:

Of course he thought it was just a cosmetic thing, no insurance involvement, pay to have it rubbed out. But anyone who drives that F%&*#$G bad doesn't know a thing about cars or Porsche owners. I pointed out to him that he actually move the front bumper toward the passenger's side of the car about 1/4" and cracked that headlight on that side. If he wasn't about 6" taller than me and truly apologetic and willing to pay for everything I might have strangled him. :soapbox:

Bottom line, he agreed to pay for everything as it was clearly 100% his inability to drive (my words). And now the reason for the post. I am in San Jose CA and need to find a Porsche worthy body shop. I can go to the local dealer on Stevens Creek and use them but I thought someone out there might have a suggestion for a great shop in the South SF Bay area?

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks,

Gary

i have the 2004 550 SE

the package price was significantly cheaper than if you optioned it, there were a few extra HP, and there was a unique color interior and top (at that time, cocoa was unavailable)- exactly like this new model

it was kind of a "last hurrah" for the 986 before they came out with the 987- i wonder if this means a new Boxster or at least a direct injected/facelifted version?

you are kidding yourself, however, if you think the "limited edition" status will make it a lot more desirable or more valuable on resale

compare the production numbers of the "limited edition" to the rest of the model year, the number is about 15-20% i think

so buy the car if you like the color and the options, and if you were going to price a 987S in the approximate price range, i say go for it, but the car is only a little more "special" than all the rest of the 987S built that year (which are already pretty special cars)

just my 2 cents from one of the people who got the 550 SE

aloha

steve

Gus, you just about order this car righ now with a custom order through the dealership. I think you can get just about every option except the 303 HP. You can only get 295 right now. All of the other stuff is ready now.

Thanks White987S,

I kind of realize that...

However...when any OEM manufacturer packs all the optionals in a car the price tends to be lower than when a customer does so through a custom order...Plus, the limited edition status helps substantially when the time to sell the car comes...Just my 2 cents

Gus

wow, nice!

wbhee'd you get them and what size are they?

aloha

steve

:) UPS guy brought a couple of boxes today & it was my toy I've been waiting for.

I think these wheels r just gorgeous! What do u guys think?

it seems to me, if they are gonna fail, they fail early

i had one on a 2002 986s, and another on a 2004 550 se

aloha

steve

Whilst in the OPC today, I saw a 2004 997 Carerra with the engine and transmission removed. Talking with the service assistant he told me the intermediate shaft had failed and the engine was out for complete replacement !! The intermediate shaft issue seems to affect all 997 and 987 cars fitted with engines from 2.7 to 3.8 except the 3.6l unit fitted to the Turbo and GT3 (these use the 993 bottom end). Whilst Porsche have just celebrated the 100,000 th 997, I'm sure not all cars are prone to failure , but Porsche do not seem to have a reason for it either. This is a little disconcerting as there does not appear to be any warning or check for failure. The car in question had covered 30,000 miles , is there any record of the mileages that other intermediate shafts have failed at ? Are we all sitting on a time bomb ?

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...p;hl=ground+pin

aloha

steve

Hi, can anyone direct me to DIY disabling handbrake sensor to the softtop?

It is annoying when you need to get the softtop up without completely stopping the car, pulling on the handbrake eg when in slow moving traffic.

Porsche Service Australia won't provide me with details...

If this is a simple "trick" like taping up Pin 18 from the relay - where abouts is this relay?

All the above relates to my Boxster S. Many thanks for any relpy that can help.

BoXsTeR S :-)

the tires and pressures are designed to increase understeer, which is safer for normal driving

225/45/17 will make the car understeer less (make it more neutral)

it may make turn-in marginally less quick, but there are lots of people who love this change

it may have a tiny effect on the bead and sidewall, but again this is not significant

that said, if you desire to keep the built-in understeer for your wife, keep the standard tire sizes and pressures

aloha

steve

Eric,

Thanks for the calculator.

I see that the 225/45-17 has the least rolling speed differential from a 205/50-17. That would reduce any effect on ABS sensors and any gyroscopic effect on handling, but what is the effect of a 10mm tread-width increase on handling, if any? First, I understand that the standard front tire size and recommended inflation pressure on the Boxster, when paired with the wider wheel/tread, lower-profile and higher inflation pressure of the rear, is intended, along with the standard suspension and alignment settings, to reduce the tendency of the mid-rear engine, rear-drive car to oversteer. Second, what is the effect of mounting a wider than standard tire on the rim, both on the rim and on the bead and sidewall of the tire?

As I mentioned, the Boxster will be primarily my wife's car. She's a very good driver, but not trained for high performance, rear-drive handling, where the higher limits of the tires can be reached more suddenly and with less warning. Maybe we'll get her that training, but, in the meantime, I don't want to reduce the designed-in understeer safety margin of the car for her real-world driving.

At this point, after some more research, it appears to me that, among the tires theoretically available in the correct size, the Goodyear F1 GS D3 might have the least tread pattern, structure, compound, handling characteristic and wear differential with the Fuzion ZRi's on the back, so I might see if I can order a pair for the front and replace the rears with matching tires when the time comes. I have time with the existing fronts for a reasonable back order wait.

The other alternative I'm considering at this point is scrapping the Fuzions and replacing all four tires with a matched set of the relatively new Goodyear F1 All Season. This seems like it might be the safest route for my wife's daily use in a temperate 4-season climate, with winters where temperatures in the 30's are not uncommon and we have occasional ice and minimal snow.

Having lived in Salt Lake City until this summer, she's an experienced snow driver, but that was in a clapped-out Camry.

Thanks again.

Bob

do they have a 225/45/17?

aloha

steve

Mike,

Thanks for your post and the link to your Boxster tire guide.

I have a 1999 Boxster with the Sport Package, so it has the Boxster Design 17" wheels, with 205/50-17 front tires and 255/40-17 rears. When I bought it in August, it had new Fuzion ZRi's on the back and relatively older Bridgestone Potenza S-02's on the front. The fronts will require replacement much sooner than the rears, and I would like to match the new fronts to the rears, but I would prefer not to discard the two rear tires when they still have a lot of life left. In addition, the ZRi (made by Bridgestone) is roughly $100 per tire, while the S-02 is over $200 per tire.

Unfortunately, it appears that Fuzion does not make a 205/50-17 ZRi. They do make a 205/40-17 and a 215/50-17. Is either of these "off-size" tires an acceptable alternative on a Boxster? Or am I better off buying S-02's for the front, living with different tires front and rear until the rears need replacing, and then matching front to rear by going back to S-02's for the rear? Or, is there another tire which would be better on the front for now which I could match on the rear later?

I'm not inclined to buy off-size tires because of their effect on handling and braking, and buying the off-size Fuzion will commit me to the same problem for a longer term if they continue to be unavailable in the correct size for the front.

If I'm doing the math correctly, the 205/40 tire has a diameter of 23.45 inches, and the 205/50 has a diameter of 25.07 inches (a difference of 1.62 inches). The ride height difference will be .81 inches. I would expect that lowering the nose by close to an inch and increasing the rotational speed of the front tires would have an effect on handling and braking (maybe including the functioning of the ABS), so I'm not inclined to use a the 205/40 tire.

The 215/50 tire creates less of a diameter, ride height and rotational differential (diameter .39 inches larger, ride height .195 inches higher) and would seem to have less of an effect on handling and braking -- maybe negligible. On the wider tire, I am concerned about the dynamics with the rim and the effect on the shape of the sidewall.

Although I am a former SCCA racer, I have no intention of using the car for track days or club racing, and even autocross is unlikely. It will be daily transportation shared by my wife and me (more hers than mine, and she doesn't commute) in all weather, with some spirited back road driving in the right conditions. I'm in Charlotte, NC, so snow is unlikely to be an issue, and we have another car for the few days per year on which our climate will make driving the Boxster risky.

At this time, despite the price differential, I'm inclined to replace the fronts with the S-02 in the correct size and then replace the rears with S-02's when they are ready. I know you have expressed a preference for Michelins. Do you think it would be a better choice to replace the fronts with a Michelin alternative and then match all four by replacing the ZRi's with the corresponding Michelins on the rear when the time comes?

Thanks -- and thanks to anybody else who has an opinion.

Bob

the answer to 4 is use a flat headed screwdriver, covered with a cloth, and pry away from the dash at the bottom

it's scary, but just be careful

once you do it once, it will be less intimidating

aloha

steve

Finally got the chance to look at removing some of these parts so far I have removed the door handle covers and it wasn't easy at all just like Chris mentioned. I managed to broke one of tabs and saved the other.

Now I have a few specific questions hope you guys could help me with some of them. Attached picture for reference.

1: Removing the door pocket lid as I understand does not require to remove the whole door panel, just need to tap out the metal hinge bar. correct? Is it simple to reverse the process for reinstall?

2: Do I need to remove the door panel in order to remove the door pull (or grab bar) "yellow highlight" ?

3: Removing side air vents - I undoed the two screws on the side. What else needs to loosened? and which direction to pull it out?

4: How exaclty to remove these silver bits in the blue highlighted area?

5: Both my front and rear boot release levers have scratches on them so I want to repaint them in silver. Any idea how to remove these? Or are they actually cheaper to replace with new parts from Porsche?

Appreciate any help.

i'm pretty sure it does

you could call sunset porsche in portland or suncoast porsche in florida to be sure

they will likely have good prices too

aloha

steve

Hello again, i got the PSE and have already installed all the electronics and most of the plumping. I am planing to install the box tomorrow morning. The whole process is not that difficult, especially if you have done it in a 996 before. I spent last week installing the whole unit on my late 02 996 C4 and i love it!!! Worth every penny!!! I am now installing the PSE on a friends 04 986 S. I will post pictures of the back box & try to make some sound clips before & after on & off PSE!

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the perfect information on installing the PSE!!! Keep up the good work!

Nikos.

I wonder if this 2004 PSE kit will fit my 2002 986 Boxster S. Does anyone knows? Thanks.

no difference in ride height if you have 18" rims

i would suggest if you are going through the hassle of changing out your whole suspension, to go with the ROW 030, which lowers less than an inch

aloha

steve

That will depend on wheel size.

16, 17, or 18" wheels?

this board has quite a few bay area mebers

a search through the archives could supply a few references

the bay area boxster board is www.babblers.org, they have a references section on their site and should have tons of posts on recommended shops

aloha

steve

mike focke's boxster page is THE reference work for buying a used boxster

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikespor...boxsterwebpages

It looks like there have been 81 views of this offer for a Work on Cars Day....and no one is interested.??? Is it becasue there are no folks geographically situated to take advantage of this offer.....or perhaps the group would prefer another venue? We would really like to get something started that could work into some great meet-ups and the exchange of some oversight, expertise and help.

Chuck

I'm looking at a Boxster in the Bay Area tomorrow (supposed to be an "us" car, but really its for my wife). I'm in Orangevale, have never owned a Porsche before, and have no idea where the good service places are, etc. However I know what a wrench is, and I'm certainly interested in doing some of this stuff myself. First step is getting the car...

Rich

the 911 hardtop will not fit a boxster

aloha

steve

Can you purchase a Porsche 911 Cab hard top and use that on a Porsche Boxster S? If so, what modification do you have to do? That would be cheaper than buying a custom hardtop. I have a 2003 Porsche Boxster S and am looking for a hard top. Please advise.

Thanks,

Mac

sport = M030

aloha

steve

Hi Guys,

I cant seem to log in to my hotmail to ask Richard this, so wondered if anyone can offer some help.

Im just disputing a wheel alignment I have had done and want to check they are using the wrong values, but they are saying that have used the right ones still.

In the work shop manual it states vaules for Boxster and Boxster S in a little table (on page 332) and give values for USA Series and Sport, RoW: Series, and RoW: Sport.

Does the RoW: Sport relate to Boxster S values os M30 sports suspension.

I have a MY00 Boxster S WITHOUT the M30 sports suspension

Can anyone help

many thanks

Russ

so, i am putting the top into the service position, and i notice the driver's side cable laying in the service area. it had broken from the ball joint at the point nearest the top.

the funny thing is, i went to the passenger side, and that one was broken too, but at the point nearest the ball joint that attaches to the body!

so, is this a likely problem from the factory, or from the techs at my dealership acessing my engine bay to replace the motor (once) and the RMS and IMS (twice)?

aloha

steve

the best place to ask would be

http://www.boxcar-racing.com/forum/

aloha

steve

I am contemplating the installation of a LSD on my 986 S MY2001.

However, I've had a doubt that the LSD might interfere with the operation of the PSM system fitted to the car. So I am doing some research before proceding further. Today I went through one of Paul Frere's books on Porsche 986/996 where it was stated expressly that PSM is not compatible with LSD. In the case of the 997/997TT I think this doesn't hold true anyway. But it might be a different version of PSM.

Has anyone done this conversion on a 986/996 car with the early PSM system? Is there a compatibility issue? What are your experiences?

Thank you

just add distilled water

aloha

steve

Just noticed that in the reservoir tank the level is just above the minimum mark.

What kind of antifreeze is recommended by Porsche and how much does it take to fill it from min to max?

the local dealer is of course closed, can this wait unitl I get to the next dealer... ?

you could've yelled back, "your grandfather called and he wants HIS BMW back"

:)

aloha

steve

This is the funniest interaction I've had with another driver. This time, a BMW 745 driver and passenger. I'm driving in downtown, heading home from work, nice day, top down (2000 Boxster S). I slowly pass the beemer and have to move over in front of him, so I speed up and move over with plenty of room between me and him. But, he moves up close to me, then pulls into the lane on my left. As he passes by, his passenger (both seem in their early 20's, I'm 60), leans out his window and yells to me, "Hey, your wife called and wants her car back!". And, he slowed down and yelled it out again.

HAHA! He thinks it's a woman's car.

Well, yeah, he was jerk. Funny, nonetheless.

Jim