Bill_SoCal

:welcome:

I would take your vehicle back and have the wheel balancing checked again...I've had to do this many times due to high speed vibrations after new tires. My '03 has 153K on the speedo and I've never had an alignment. Any problem has always been correlated to balancing.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

A little while ago I was replacing my windshield wipers and made a big mistake. While had one of the wipers off I let go of the arm and it hit the windshield. The result was a nice 5" spider web from the point of impact. :angry:

Anyone here have a recommendation for a good replacement shop in Southern California, preferably in Central or South Orange County.

I don't want any shop that is going to just clip the antenna lead and not hook it back up or have the screen leak after they are done. I want it fixed once and fixed right.

Thanks for any help.

These guys are outstanding! They were personally recommended by my Allstate Agent (whom I've been with for 17-years and knows how particular I am). They came to my home and did an unbelievable job. I was very pleased. I know they service the OC as well. Can't remember what I paid last year, but it was very reasonable.

http://www.shelbyautoglass.com/

All the best,

Bill :beer:

:welcome:

I had my '06 Cayenne in El Paso a few months back...nice road trip out from San Diego. I'm there often doing business in El Paso/Juarez. Not so bad...but I'm sure you can't wait to get back to Denver. I've travelled all over and when I get to El Paso it still amazes me how cultural it is.

I've never driven the ML, so I can't really advise you on the ride. For me, the style is not something I care for. I have two Cayenne's and we've never even considered driving another SUV. That being said, there are many quality SUV's.

There is certainly an exclusiveness about Porsche...you can go to the MB dealer on Airway Drive across from the Starbucks and drive an ML. As you mentioned, not a used [or new] Porsche within 300 miles. It's definitely been a special brand for me. That's what differentiates the ride from so many others...

Cayennes are great vehicles. I've been very pleased with my Porsche experience. Where I live there is a plethora of performance vehicles...the Cayenne always seems to draw the attention. If a person walks up to a ML or a Cayenne in a parking lot, nine times out of ten the Cayenne is the vehicle of interest. Just my subjective opinion. I have no empirical data to support that comment. :P

Happy Shopping!

Bill :beer:

The DIY post for Cayenne Brakes was done very well. I do have three additional suggestions for you that might help with your brake job experience:

1) I recommend jack stands. The person doing this brake job has his legs under the vehicle with a floor jack; while probably safe, I don't recommend it. I also did the entire four corners on my knees in lieu of sitting. There is just something about having my legs under a vehicle held up with a floor jack...

2) Check how your sensor wires are before you reassemble your brake pads. In this DIY, the brake pad sensor cable is routed under the brake pin when it should be over the brake pin.

3) Phillips screwdriver for a punch is not the hot ticket. It will take a while to hammer on a screwdriver as with a punch it is relatively easy. I believe I used a 1/4" punch. The brake pin's are easily removed with a "set" punch and not "center" punch, as well as a deadblow hammer if you have one. If not, a ballpeen should work just fine.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Definitely make sure you're using a set punch and not a center punch. A center punch can mushroom the end of the pin and will not deliver the force necessary due to the tip. A screwdriver won't transmit the force necessary. If you have a dead blow hammer and the proper punch, you should knock it right out.

Best of luck!

Bill :beer:

Just when my Boxster was running well...

Came home from work today and parked the car in the garage. Nothing unusual noticed on the drive home from DC. I do have an occasional grind from 2nd to 3rd if I try to shift too fast that I think is syncro related.

A couple of hours later I get in the car to leave and the transmission won't go into gear. The car eventually would shift into 3rd, 4th and 5th- or at least the lever moves like it is doing that. I could move the car slightly in those gears. No go into 1st, 2nd and reverse. I jacked the car up and the shift linkages are all connected, i.e. nothing obviously broken and the cables are all attached where they should be. The one shaft that moves into and out of the transmission longitudinally can be moved by hand and also by the shifter. The other linkage can't be moved by hand- that's the one that is connected to a slotted plate that pivots. Clutch pedal doesn't feel any different.

Today I removed the cable from the relay shaft pivot and the shift knob moved thru all the gear positions. However, the pivot on the relay shaft won't move.

Anyone have any ideas what's going on?

Car info:

1999 Boxster

1998 build manual transmission

97,000 miles

Royal Purple 75w-90

Thanks,

mike

Royal Purple finished in the bottom 3 of Amsoil certified and publicly published gear lube tests (published for all competitors to see and certified by an independent auditor/lab). It is the only lubricant I'm aware that ever failed an industry standard stress test. You may have shortened your transmission life with your gear lube. Check out page 19 to see how Royal Purple finished against its competitors.

http://synpsg.com/uploads/g2457_Gear_Lube_Whitepaper.pdf

Not even close to Amsoil or Mobil1. The data is out there...I always cringe when I see Royal Purple in the crankcase or tranny.

I hope it works out for you...once you loose a synchro, it's time for a tranny rebuild. I've used Amsoil SVG 75w-90 since my car was new...152,500 miles later, my transmission is still like new.

Bill :beer:

Thats what I use, love them, NO DUST

For what it's worth I put on the Hawk HPS and love them. No issues with sensor placement etc... a perfect fit and great performance.

I use the Hawk HPS on my '06...I've only had them installed for a few months, but I absolutely love them! I will be using them on the '08 when it's due for brakes. In addition to the performance, no dust sure adds to the aesthetics of daily driving. I sure could use these on my Boxster, but unfortunately, I won't be due brakes on that vehicle for a while. I installed OEM on my last brake job before learning about the Hawk HPS product...and my brakes on that typically last a long time since my tranny does most of the work bringing me to a stop. :P

All the best,

Bill :beer:

El Paso? I was just there last week for business (El Paso/Juarez). I haven’t seen many Porsche’s driving through town. Do you have a dealer or reliable service center there? I like the area…as a matter of fact, I’m there often.

There are many more qualified people to answer your question than me, however, I do have experience with lightened flywheels from my college days and my high performance VW engine. At that time I had the flywheel lightened to 10.5 pounds and balanced. I also had a 200mm ceramic clutch installed to grab the flywheel (with a heavy duty pressure plate). In addition, I had the crankshaft and flywheel match-drilled from 4 dowels to eight dowels so that the crankshaft would not become oval at the dowel pin area from the torque. So here’s what I do remember, the lightened flywheel allowed the engine to rev on a dime. It was all about getting the jump for the short distance. I went to a ceramic clutch to keep from burning the standard clutch (went through several). I do not recall an oscillating rasping noise from the lightened flywheel. I was running straight cut gears back then (camshaft), so my 2276 with dual 48 IDA’s sounded loud and commanding…and the whining came from the gears and not the flywheel.

You can’t tell if the flywheel has been lightened unless you physically look at it (unless you have the paperwork from the machine shop or mechanic). If the clutch slips it must be replaced. There is not an option there. If your flywheel is fact lightened, you might consider getting a standard flywheel installed unless you’re running the ¼ mile with a ceramic clutch. I personally am not aware of any reason a daily driver would have a lightened flywheel. As a matter of fact, that makes for uncomfortable freeway driving (not smooth). If you decide you want to keep the lightened flywheel, you’ll need to get a clutch that will engage and not burn out. I will tell you driving with a ceramic clutch is not comfortable at all. It’s either engaged or not engaged…again, it’s been about 25-years since I’ve messed with a lightened flywheel. You’ll be shopping for a Boxster clutch and heavy duty pressure plated for your Boxster and not a 911 clutch assembly.

If it was me, I would buy a new flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate assembly (stock). I drive my Boxster like I stole it and I have 152,300 miles on the original clutch as of my arrival to the office this morning.

Messing with Boxster clutch assemblies is not so easy…in my VW days, it was simply unhooking the electrical, putting a screw in the fuel line, and undoing the four (4) 17mm bolts from the transaxle and dropping the engine onto a skateboard. Now those were the days!

Hope this helps.

Bill :beer:

Why use a filter that doesn't filter as well?

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/k%26amp%3Bnairfilter%3F for about a half dozen tests that all agree.

If you don't like changing filters, how are you going to keep the K&N cleaned and oiled?

How many filters could you buy before you paid as much as you are going to pay for the K&N?

Is it maybe you are buying the filters from the wrong source?

www.autohausaz.com has em for $21.30.

Good stuff on your pages...

As a general comment, I've had great success with Sunset and go to Jeff as a primary resource, however, I sure like the autohausaz.com business model and online ordering ease. Great prices, fast shipping, and the shipping is free over $50.00. They seem to stay mainstream with OEM type replacement parts...$21.30 for an air filter is a great price. Add in an oil filter, cabin filter, drain plug washer ($0.37) and a pair of wipers...free shipping to your doorstep in 3-5 days. Hard to beat.

Bill :beer:

Bill, waht is the Amsoil p/n I could not get the web to find that part number when I went to do the selection for my make and model year on the new filters in your link and video. The web site selected the MANN filter not a Amsoil filter.

1998 986 basic Boxster

Thanks for the help.

Hi Mike,

Amsoil will only build the Ea filter through their filter shop...this is a customer offering for Porsche. I don't use it, although the nano-fiber technology is awesome. You may have gone into the online lookup through the site; even Amsoil recommends a paper (cellulose) element over manufacturing a specific filter for Porsche. The offering is currently Mann. Prior to Mann it was Wix. For $16-$20 bucks, both will do the job very well every 15K for you. I included the Amsoil link on my previous post so you could see the performance attributes between paper and wet gauze...the wet gauze (K&N) is great for air flow, but really poor for protecting your engine from particulates. Amsoil publishes this information for all to see. If it was not accurate, obviously it would not be available.

You may consider changing your air filter, cabin filter, oil filter, and oil on some weekend morning when your service is do. I really enjoy the service. Granted, to pull back the top and shrouds is a little bit of work for a two minute air filter change, however, it is well worth it. This is part of the great fun of owning your Porsche.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

A vacume leak is a good possibility. There's a good old fashion way he could use to find vacuum leaks himself. Sounds scary but not even, (I'd explain why but...).

Simply get a can of spray starter fluid (with the little "mini straw" extension). Fire up the motor, and start selectively shooting focused blasts at all the suspicious vacuum connections and devices. When you hear the engine surge a little (takes a second to register) and it's predictably repeatable, bingo. there's a leak.

Regards, PK

This post brings back good memories of finding vacuum leaks with my dual 48 IDA's on my good old VW Bug when I was in college...exactly how I use to do it as well. I was running a 2276, which was just a blast. There was just something about seating the manifolds once they were ported and polished and getting those 13mm nuts to seat on the 8mm studs. It always seemed as though there just wasn't enough surface area to close the vacuum leak. Those were the good old days! If I had to find a vacuum leak today, I'd do it just as you've described.

I hope the originator of the post finds success getting his car going...sounds like a new mechanic may be the hot ticket.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Not worthwhile or recommended in my opinion. There are many factory paper elements that will do the job (Mann, Mahle, Wix, etc.). I'm not a fan of K&N at all. You get additional flow and horsepower through additional air flow, but with that comes particulates. I have also heard issues with the oil the filters are treated with relative to oxygen sensors. It is proven that the dirt and contaminants drawn into an engine are the leading cause of engine wear. Most of us just think of oil as the contributing factor to engine wear...not the case.

Amsoil has done some fairly extensive testing on filtration. I don't use their filters in my Boxster, Cayenne's, or daughter's BMW, however, their white papers and data are supported objectively with emperical data and worth review.

http://www.amsoil.com/video/company/EaFilters/index.aspx (2-3 minute videos (5 icons) that demonstate filter performance)

http://www.synpsg.com/uploads/g2202_Ea_Filters.pdf (Oil Filter/Air Filter Comparison - Good media efficiency comparison from paper to wet gauze type filters)

All the best,

Bill :beer:

I use Amsoil SVG 75W-90 (changed it at 60K and 120K). It may not be less expensive than the Porsche brand, but fairly easy to order and you should have a dealer somewhere close to you. Based on the aggregate testing performed and published by Amsoil (and available to ALL manufacturers), it's hard to beat. Unbelievably smooth shifting...

Amsoil is not on the Porsche approved lubricant list (this often comes up, and it's at Amsoil's discretion not to spend the required agency fees). That does not mean that this company does not make some of the best performing lubricants in Superior, Wisconsin (Part of our GDP since '72).

Our company sells an awful lot of the SVG to the track guys down here. As a matter of fact, we are a regular advertiser in PCA, San Diego Region.

If you're interested in learning more about the performance of gear oils, this is a great white paper:

http://synpsg.com/uploads/g2457_Gear_Lube_Whitepaper.pdf

All the best,

Bill :beer:

I’m on the Ortega Highway to Antonio Parkway and from there to my office in Lake Forest…I really do enjoy the drive (but certainly not the hazards of the Ortega).

What are you driving? I’ll look for you on the road. I’m in a black Boxster and the top is seldom up…and I’m responsibly driving it like I stole it.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Bill, I'll have to look for you, too. I work in Foothill Ranch (Bake and Dimension), but live down near Antonio. I have a Seal Grey '01 986 with black top,

de-ambered rear lights, tinted windows and the rest of the turn signals and 3rd light are also grey.

Great! My office is right off Bake. I take Antonio to the 241/Portola/Bake and down the hill...I certainly won't miss seeing your car. That sounds like an awesome looking Boxster! I'll definitely look for you.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

He states in his opening post he uses Amsoil.

By the way Bill congrats on the trouble free Porsche!!!!!! :jump: :beer: :clapping:

Thank you!! :beer:

First off, Kudos for hitting the 150k mile club.

What intrigues me is that you support the theory if you drive your Boxster aggresively you have less engine related problems. It has to do with Oil pressure and oil temp being high and hot are best for the Boxsters. While Chris doesn't drive his hard and has had numerous problems ( no offense Chris) :) It may be just coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence. I seriously think the harder(to an extent) you drive your car the less problems you have!! Maintenence is also key.

Just a couple questions so I can hopefully get those kind of miles?

1.) what tires do you get 25k from?

2.) What brand oil do you use?

Keep up the great Success story!! ;)

Thanks very much! Great to club to be in...although the vehicle doesn't feel or look the mileage.

1) BF Goodrich g-Force Sport - ~$130.00ea

2) Amsoil 5W-40 (not Porsche approved...I'm a long time fan and one of two main lubricants sold through my company (e.g., Amsoil, Mobil1).

I agree that driving the vehicle daily has definitely paid off. It gets a work out! I'm very punctual in regard to the regular maintenance as well...at Porsche recommended intervals.

All the best to you!

Bill :beer:

Adding the speedo rollover to 150,000 mile photos...first one is the way I enjoy driving the Boxster:

Off the throttle heading into a stoplight for a more legible picture...all within that one mile:

All good stuff...car is a blast.

Bill :beer:

Great stuff Bill. Im in the Inland Empire, where do you get your maintenance done at?

Great to hear from you. I’m sure we’ve crossed paths on the 15 or 91 at some point…

I deal with Craig at Walter’s for any service needs beyond regular maintenance stuff that I do. I purchased my first Boxster and my current ’03 Boxster from Walter’s. Craig is a great guy. You may work with him as well?

I’ve also used Pioneer Porsche in San Diego for service. That’s where we purchased both our Cayenne’s…we drifted from Walter’s for a while after that changed their service area and went to an appointment desk for MB and Porsche. I liked the days I could call Craig directly…it’s back to that now. That’s where I had my Boxster towed from Lake Forest when the AOS failed. Within a couple hours Craig called me to tell me not to worry about it. Part would be there in a couple of hours; they topped off the crankcase and it was ready to go early afternoon. Pioneer has excellent sales and after sales support. I deal with Matt Bang in sales there. Service department capabilities and ease of access to a service manager has always been more heavily weighted with me than the sales price.

We have our Cayenne’s serviced for any warranty issues at Walter’s now. Those too have been excellent vehicles for us. We had my Cayenne in for a headlight bulb not too long ago and my wife’s for a replacement seat buckle and high beam fault…other than that, just fun to drive. It’s my Boxster that I look forward to driving every day. I’m on the Ortega Highway to Antonio Parkway and from there to my office in Lake Forest…I really do enjoy the drive (but certainly not the hazards of the Ortega).

What are you driving? I’ll look for you on the road. I’m in a black Boxster and the top is seldom up…and I’m responsibly driving it like I stole it.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Bill, I think you are one of the lucky ones. I hope my car lasts a long time, since I will have two college tuition bills to pay for the next six or seven years (so much for the Raby 3.6 upgrade for the time being). Boxsters are a blast to drive and this coming from a 911 guy for the last 25 years (my 911 sits in the garage more than driven).

Lastly, I think you owe your engine longevity to the Amsoil 5W40 you've nurtured it with! :D

If just hit me after reading this that I won't be making any upgrades soon...I will start in on my second tuition this fall. Not really looking forward to the expense and it certainly puts the toys on hold. I'm just waiting for the clutch in Boxster replacement...that's $2K I don't want to spend. I guess with the history of the car, I really can't complain about maintenance items. Other than the AOS, all the maintenance work as been DIY.

My company sells exclusively Mobil1 and Amsoil for a number of diversified applications (automotive, truck, OTR, tractor, etc). Amsoil's not a Porsche approved oil, but I like I've sampled its performance against many others and choose to run it. I run it in all of our vehicles (daughter's BMW uses the 0W-30). There are many good oil products available. Amsoil brought the first synthetic to market in '72. Mobil followed in '76. Both are great products. Air Filter, Oil Filter, and Oil are all products I research extensively. All good stuff.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

I completed my 150,000 mile service today (oil, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter). Car runs like a champ (I still live my days between 5k and 7k on the tach from the time I start it until I turn it off after returning home at the end of my day). I still remember the day I drove it off the lot with 17 miles on the odometer in December 2002.

Engine/General Maintenance History of my car:

Engine Issues (1)

• AOS

• Not one other engine component replaced in 150,000 miles

The ONLY component every changed on my engine besides the maintenance items was a failed AOS at 146,000 miles. There has not been another component changed. I will say the AOS failure was such that I lost the engine…$400.00 later my dealer had me running strong.

Maintenance (Regular)

Oil, Oil Filter, cabin filter and Air Filter every 15K since new

• Amsoil 5w-40 with OEM filter since first oil change

Plugs at 60K and 120K

Brakes (Front) at 64K and front/rear at 120K

Drive Belt at 60K and 120K

Misc Maintenance Items (Misc)

• Window Regulators (3 left / 2 right)

• Ignition Switch

• Clutch Interlock Switch

• Battery (2)

• Tires (Replace 2 pairs rear to every 1 pair front) ~25K out of rear tires

• Plastic Shroud forward of engine (replace twice due to road debris)

The Boxster is my daily driver. This is the BEST car I have ever owned. I drive this car daily over the renowned Ortega Highway (check out the video of this Cayman running the Ortega: http://www.carvideosonline.com/porsche-vid...ugh-ortega.html

This stretch of road through the Cleveland National Forest is the hot spot for motorcyclists and performance vehicle owners. I look forward to my drive to the office everyday…and really look forward to my drive home.

My interior is still in excellent shape. The Boxster looks great…no one would ever guess I’ve logged 150K Southern California miles on the odometer.

I look for a reason to buy a new Porsche sports car (whether that be a Boxster or Carrera), but there’s just no point. At 150K, I have as much fun today as the day I brought it home. Prior to this Boxster I owned a 2001…it too was a great car. I traded it in so I could get the glass rear window.

I always read the litany of Porsche issues…I haven’t seen those issues. And yes, I do drive it like I stole it...every day!

All the best,

Bill :beer:

If you read all of the previously made comments you know I was trying to point out that a Boxster is not as expensive as some other cars that are considered to be inexpensive. The person that started the topic got a bashing and I feel that everyone should have been more cordial as well as welcoming him as a fellow owner. PS I am typing this on a pocket pc, so please forgive any errors.

Got it...I live on the pocket PC (Blackberry) so I understand. Appreciate the clarification and I agree with you.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

I did not do much research but having worked on Porsches when I was younger, I knew that it wouldn't be cheap if I didn't do the work myself. Depending on what may go wrong, if anything, I mqy to have it repaired, but I will obsess over it. And also anyone that thinks repair a VW is cheap, has never had one or if they did haven't had a problem yet. I had to replace a window motor on a Cadillac DTS and it cost about $100 less than one for a new model Beetlle. My friehds VR6 motor costs more to repair than my Boxster's motor.

Huh? Both posts...

Does anyone know where i can buy the Headlight Hex socket tool to remove my headlights for my 2000 Boxster?

Found it! You can use a 5mm socket with an extension or a deep socket. The factory tool is hex female socket, but the metric standard 5mm socket (1/4" drive) will work.

Regards, Maurice.

That's even better than buying the tool!

Good work Maurice.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Does anyone know where i can buy the Headlight Hex socket tool to remove my headlights for my 2000 Boxster?

I take it yours is missing and/or broken from your tool kit inside the spare tire in your front trunk? I had to get my replacement directly from the dealer. I would recommend you call Jeff at Sunset Porsche (link on this site - JeffClark@sunsetimports.com). He'll get you a quote and you can go from there. When I bought my replacement tool it was very inexpensive...that was a few years ago though.

All the best,

Bill :beer:

Remember the 2.7 liter motors used in 911's from 1974 through 1977? Those motors failed at mileage as low as 30,000. Most of the warm climate motors were having major issues by 60,000 miles.

Have you ever owned a 1989, 1990 or 1991 964 that had a cylinder to head leak that puked all over or made your car's value tank?

What about the 3.2 liter motors from 1984 to 1989 that had their valve guides completely wear out by 60,000 miles.

Ask a 1996 to 1998 993 owner if they enjoy the air injection issues that won't let them pass emissions anymore.

Ask a 924 Turbo owner on how often they fix their car. What about the 928 owners with complex electrical issues that can't be resolved easily or cheaply either?

Man, lots of complaining about how bad Porsche is... If you really hate these cars so much, you should sell them quickly and move on to another maker. I got sick of the issues with my 2002 986. So, I fixed it to the extent that it would make for good resale value and bought a brand new one with a 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty. If it breaks, Porsche can fix it. I'll trade it before the warranty gives up or fix it if it breaks out of warranty. I really enjoy driving these cars and nothing else compares in my mind.

The days of hand built German cars that will last for 200,000 miles are long over. No one can built such mass market cars and compete successfully. I have a 1984 911 and a 1990 911. Those cars are built like tanks. Porsche will never do that again. Who can other than the boutique makers that produce cars in the hundreds, not thousands per year.

However, give vendors like Jake enough time to really understand these issues and provide solutions and you'll find that a 986 can become a bullet proof car just like all these other models I list above that now have solid, aftermarket solutions to their problems. Prices for the fixes may even come down as time wears on and R&D costs can be absorbed through more sales.

Yes, Porsche didn't get to solve all their issues right from the start. But, would you rather be driving an Accord or Camry? Seriously, have you driven one of those cars on a twisty back road or on a race track? Do you pull up to your local Dairy Queen car show in your Altima and expect people to look at it or ask you all kinds of questions about it? Those cars are bulletproof, but are insanely boring to drive and look at. If you want to drive fast, well handling, head turning, exceptional road feel German cars, you have to pay up. Anything else is a compromise.

Well said Jay. I would have to say I agree completely. I have three in my garage/driveway and there is nothing else I would rather drive.

All the best,

Bill :beer: