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mikefocke

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Everything posted by mikefocke

  1. mikefocke
    Frequently the insurance route is to have the body shop do the initial estimate, then the insurance adjuster looks at the estimate and may look at the car and haggle the shop down (I actually had an insurance agent refuse to authorize the new bolts to hold the exhaust on replacing rusty originals, they can be that pickey) and then they authorize the work and if anything more is found, they do the dance between the shop and the agent again and so it goes. It can add days to the process.
  2. mikefocke
    Pull the access hatch off that is behind the seats. Run the engine so you see the direction the serpentine belt is spinning. Run for only a few seconds. Remove the serpentine belt. But before you do, draw a diagram of how it goes back on. Run the engine for only 20 seconds. Did the noise go away? Than it is outside the engine in what are called the auxiliaries...idler pulley, a/c compressor, alternator, etc. If the noise didn't go away, then it is deep within the engine and you may need professional knowledgeable help. But if it was in the auxiliaries, try spinning each in the direction it would go and see if there is anything loose, worn or that makes noise.
  3. mikefocke
    If you look at the rear end of my car it has 3 different paint jobs done over 8 years by 3 different shops. Body done by factory in Finland. Bumperettes by Eric of bumperplugs.com and bumper cover done by Tysons P-car body shop. All match perfectly despite AS being said to be a difficult color and they look fine even after 10, 3 and 3 years.
  4. mikefocke
    Any body shop can remove the bumper and send it to a specialty shop that repairs such bumper covers. They then repaint it with special flexible paint. That isn't your big problem, as the cover is cosmetic. The $$$$ problem is what is under the cover that actually protects the car from serious damage in a low speed "crash" and absobs some of the shock to you in a high speed crash. Shock absorbers, crossbar, etc. are all safety concerns. The cover cost-to-repair is only the tip of the iceberg. Poke around and look at a parts explosion diagram in one of the PET parts lists on the official Porsche web site. I suspect you have at least 2 or 3 damaged pieces behind the cover and the bill will be $3k+ before you are through.
  5. mikefocke
  6. mikefocke
    or at My link from Maurice
  7. mikefocke
    No you can't get it CPOed at this stage. Too old, not being sold by dealer. All extended warranty reviews by independent sources say they are bad bets as their payout to cost ratios favor the insurance company by enormous amounts...Consumer Reports estimated a 20-30% payout. The suggestion I see made is to create a fund that you pay into every month and self insure. And maintain the things that can influence reliability...especially those things that age like water pumps, AOSs and fluids. And safety like watch the age on your tires. A few years ago I could get insurance for a '01 Boxster but was staggered by how much it would cost...basically the cost of a used engine per year. I've done nothing but change the fluids over the past few years anyway so I'm way ahead for not have bought. There will be a few who will tell you how they made out well buying...just like a casino. The few make out, a few break even, most lose and the casino/insurance-co always makes money...huge gobs of it.
  8. mikefocke
    Now it works.
  9. mikefocke
    The link doesn't work as it requires a password to access it.
  10. mikefocke
    Appears to be a way of getting a painted rollbar look. Plastic. No structural benefit or safety benefit.
  11. mikefocke
    I've seen rust affect nuts and bolts but almost never a body part unless there was an accident. The subject is almost never raised like it was on the early cars. You don't see floor pans replaced, battery trays, replaced, etc. The cars are dipped and get good anti-corrosion. I bought my second Boxster when it was covered with salt and snow after a storm. Best buy time.
  12. mikefocke
    With proper alignment, they don't wear on the inside if you align within specs but on the edge that favors even tire wear at the expense of some grip at the limits. A mechanic who sets cars up for racing will know the effects of various settings and, if you tell him what you are looking for, he can set it up. I took off my Ribs after 5 years and 17K miles because of age and they were perfectly evenly worn...actually they had legal tread depth left and it was even.
  13. mikefocke
    Define performance. Is it added noise? Added acceleration? Added responsiveness? Added drive-ability? I wager each of us has a different definition. Most mufflers do not deliver on their added HP claims. And many add noise at the cost of a drone at highway speeds that causes many to be quickly available on the used market as buyers retreat. One noted builder of high HP Boxster motors uses the stock muffler after dozens of dyno tests! Most one-size-fits-all chip flashes do little but add a few hundred RPM to the redline (at some risk) and add a bit of additional sensitivity to your press of the accelerator (adding responsiveness and costing MPG). Good flashes are done after all other mods are done and are customized to the car's current state. A summary of the go fast options I've been able to find is at My link
  14. mikefocke
    ZF made it, ask if they have experience with Porsche Tiptronic ZF gearboxes. The engine and tip come out together and then are removed on a bench. Perfect time to redo your IMS and RMS. Not to mention the water pump, oil filler hookup, anti-freeze hookup and AOS, they are all plastic and prone to fail. Slippery slope. Vertex says the rebuilt trans exchange costs $3k.
  15. mikefocke
    Every time this question comes up those in the know say you'd be better off trading in your cars for the one you want. I don't know if that opinion changes if you have to buy a replacement transmission. Tips are usually pretty robust and I've not heard of many failing. Mine is 9 years old and zero issues so far. There is a list of wrecking yards on my web site under "sources". Dallas is a big place, there must be a transmission shop around that knows these transmissions as they aren't unique to Porsche. I know when the dealer told me to buy a new transmission for my son's Mazda it turned out to be a $30 speed sensor at a transmission shop. So don't assume the worst.
  16. mikefocke
    I've run Silverstars for several years, zero issues. They aren't as good as HIDs but are without some of the issues in the stock headlamp mountings.
  17. mikefocke
    You car has been sitting and that leads to smoke. But not the second time you use the car afterwards. Your AOS has been bad, that leads to smoke, dirty intake, dirty throttle body, fouled plugs, contaminated cats, oil covered O2 sensors, etc. That is if you are lucky and didn't experience hydrolock. Have you looked at your anti-freeze expansion tank and its contents. That chocolate milk you describe reeks of intermix of oil and water.
  18. mikefocke
    OTOH, I've had 2 Boxsters and they have been more trouble free than my Honda and Acura of around the same vintage and mileage. For the Boxsters I was the third owner of each, the Honda/Acura were both bought new. Any tools you buy for the 996 are liable to be useful on the 986. At the 2000 point they were awfully similar. There are about 8 forums where people can help you if you do have problems. There are factory manuals available. There are third party manuals available. There are third party parts available for both cars. There are diagnostic computers available...etc. As for the oil change, there are online pictorials that would show you how trivial it is...only hard part is having the 3 needed parts (filter, o-ring and crush ring) on hand as JiffyLube doesn't carry them (though mine will do the oil change just as my muffler shop will change the O2 sensor and for no more cost than on my Honda...oh and the part was cheaper). And the amount of the right oil. Do on your 996 and 986 change the oil much more frequently than the owner's manual calls for (this based on used oil analysis from hundreds of samples). And a special sized filter removal tool is needed as well as a big oil pan. YMMV.
  19. mikefocke
    While I have the functions advertised, beware before you buy if your top has even the slightest need for the chop in order to bend right. All it takes is one use of the one touch and you can put a hole in the plastic. Been there, done that. So don't make it too easy so that you are reminded to do the chop. Anyone know of a good top shop in the Raleigh NC area? Or an '03-04 top with frame available for a decent price.
  20. mikefocke
    Bulb. Easy way to check is rotate the high and low beam bulbs. Instructions in the owner's manual. Problem follows bulb, then bulb. Doesn't then housing. Buy two as the other is about to go and start out again with 2 new bright ones.
  21. mikefocke
    In the states we have many choices of many brands and seldom do we worry about who had the contract for Porsche that year. Porsche didn't make the battery so all we try to do is get a battery as good or better and without the price surcharge of the Porsche branding.
  22. mikefocke
    Nothing is going to be as simple and light today as that 914 was (previously owned a '70 914-4). But when I compare the quality of my Boxsters with the 914, the Boxsters win by a huge huge margin. Now if I could buy a 914 with the safety, reliability and build quality (not to mention rust-proofing) of the Boxster.... I've owned my current Boxster for 5 years and had nothing on it that I needed to do that required any special expensive tools (oil filter wrench and security torque bits at under $40 total). Your 996 is generally the same as a Boxster from the front bumper to the cabin..and the engine little different, just turned around. So any work you learn to do on one will translate. Perfect? No car is. Problems well known? yep. Fixes available? yep. Some of them expensive? Yep. It isn't 1970 and this isn't a $3,700 car new.
  23. mikefocke
    You can replace Pana with Excellence magazine and get about the same value if all you are buying for is the mag. I belonged to the BMW club for a while, to PCA for a while, didn't find I used anything of value, didn't renew. I found Pana nothing but a shill for the Porsche marque. With online forums and ads, there just wasn't enough to persuade me to renew as there always seemed a conflict between their dates and my calendar. Plus the local was dominated by early Porsche model owners and those with big bucks and big HP. One person's opinion. Your location and your personality may have a completely different experience.
  24. mikefocke
    The site you linked to says no, it won't.
  25. mikefocke
    GummiPflege is what I've used for years on my Boxster's rubber weatherstripping, seals, top contact points, etc. Easy to apply, keeps them flexible. Just don't drip it on the leather seats. I apply about every 6 months or so, say once in the spring and once before I put it away for the winter. I've heard of people buying it at BMW dealers. I bought mine years ago online.
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