mikefocke

How rough are your roads? The more tire and the less wheel the more cushion between the road bump and the wheel. Thus more comfort and less likely to bend that expensive wheel. In an area with few potholes, maybe the 19s. But get on roads that can have big potholes and you are asking for trouble. Posted as one who had to get 3 wheels straightened the other week.

You have a good understanding of the issues And the price of the engine replacement and Porsche's not fixed even in the 987 attitude is infuriating to those who experience the few IMS failures. There is a company that claims to have a fix that can be installed at some cost to prevent the problem. IIRC, it involves some modifications to the parts at the end of the shaft. http://www.autofarm.co.uk/engines/water_cooled/shaft_tech

It sure was a fine writeup.. I took the liberty of putting a link to it on my web site.

I wonder about that breather O2 sensors are trivial to replace and non-Porsche parts are available for lots less than Porsche would charge and are exactly the same part. Even if you don't want to do the work yourself, buy the non Porsche part and let an exhaust shop do it for a half hour labor charge. It will take them 15 minutes. Do you know which sensor was already replaced? It seems odd that another failure would occur on a new sensor so soon. And they do tend to last more like 50-60k miles and not the 30k you are reporting. Which makes me worry there is something else wrong and causing the sensors to fail. More info here

If that doesn't work many people have spare circuit boards as a result of swapping older style tail-lights for new. I have the drivers side complete with bulbs working when removed. If you need it....mike.focke at gmail.com

How many miles on your car? Replaced any O2 sensors? Done any mods recently?

How to with pictures I couldn't find it here using the search but there is this rather complete description here

We know that Porsche doesn't manufacture light bulbs so there must be some OEM that makes them. Does anyone know the source of the Litronic bulb used in a 986? Is there a marking on the bulb that would give us a clue? The dealer prices are absurd.

After the 97 model year There was a strengthening of the suspension mounting structure specifically to support the running of 18" wheels/tires. I presume they saw some failures in their testing or else why would they have made the change. They then made the 18s optional. 18s have the reputation of providing a rougher ride and they aren't generally thought to be as good on rough roads. That having been said, lots of people run on the street with 18S on their '97s with no issues. I wouldn't race on them on a '97.

List of batteries known to fit here Link And most people can do-it-yourself, no need to pay someone to do the swap. Just watch your belt buckle doesn't scratch the fender and climb in the front trunk to life the batteries in and out.

I don't understand how this can work in minutes unless the minutes number in the hundreds. We are told don't try to jump the battery via the lighter socket because the wiring isn't up to carrying the load. And given that to replenish the battery enough to start the car (at least a seriously down battery) you have to feed in a serious amount of amps, how is connecting a battery thru the lighter socket going to feed power to the down battery fast enough so that you can start in minutes? Wouldn't you burn the wiring up if you tried to do it in minutes? Or depended on the jumper battery for the umph while you cranked the engine?

I'm with Loren on this one I've owned probably 25 vehicles over my life and 5 years is a long time for a battery to last. My 2002 Acura has had its battery replaced. My 2001 Boxster likewise. I'll grant daily use is better for the battery, but a prophylactic replacement at about 4 years just before the next winter is not an unwise thing IMHO. I wouldn't even bother further testing, I'd just replace the battery based on the voltage reading. You can do it yourself and don't have to use the dealer's overpriced replacement batteries. A list of batteries known to fit is at the beginning of this link.

Disagree.... "what u've described applies to any battery out there ,not only the Optima. once battery is drained like that all the way they r almost not recoverable unless it is deep cycle." Then how about the must be hundreds of times (I'm old and in the neighborhood I'm known as the guy with cables) I've jumped a totally dead (left the lights on overnight) battery and it recovered just fine? I think the danger is how many times that deep discharge has happened to a battery. Too many times and it won't recover. But once or maybe twice and as long as it has water in it and is carefully recharged, it seems to recover.

Here is a list of Porsche approved oils TSB here Me, I use Mobile 1 0W40 just like Porsche does and all the dealers I've been to do. I use Porsche-branded oil filters bought online. Be sure and order the crush ring too. It goes in between the oil drain plug and the block and is not supposed to be reused.

Don't assume you need reprogramming. I have an '01 S and I didn't. It is only early '00s as I read the charts. Read my write up down at the bottom there is a table cross referencing Porsche-branded part numbers with Bosch part numbers. Absolutely no reason to pay for Porsche painting their part number on what is absolutely the same part when bought from Bosch. Replacing the MAF is something you can do yourself. Took me 15 minutes and I had never even opened the engine cover on a Boxster before. Though be aware that often problems that seem MAF related are in fact caused by other problems. But rear the linked article.

I think you have in the article your answer It depends on which all season tire you are talking about what it's strengths are and what it gives up to get them. The only A/S tires to get a Very Good in dry handling gets only fair or good on snow and ice. Ask for very good A/S in snow and ice, you get only a good at best in dry and wet handling. Since these are dedicated winter rims/tires and will not be used in the spring thru fall, you may want to emphasize the ice and snow and be willing to give up the dry handling. It all depends on your weather. If you are really going to have to depend on these tires to get you through bad weather, then winter ones known good on ice and snow and heck with the dry handling. If you are willing to give up on the worst days and have another way to get to work (a buddy with a SUV, for example), then A/S will help if you get caught. And we all can't wait till spring when the summer tires go on and the top comes down.

Have you priced replacement headlights recently !!!!! Pairs Stock yellow ~$650 Stock clear ~$1400 Litronics Kit ~$2400

Then why is it Every scientific study I've ever read of K&Ns and other such filters shows they do a significantly poorer job of preventing dirt from getting into the engine intake than the OEM filters. They all let in more dirt and bigger particles than the OEM filter. And since filtration is what I buy the filter for....why would I use one? Why not just take the filter out entirely or use some crude wire mesh screen if protecting the engine from fine particles isn't important? After all, the wear won't show up before I sell the car, let the next guy worry about it.

What you want is impossible to achieve IMHO You want dry handling, good wear and winter tire traction. But the best winter tires are not good wearing nor do they give handling even approaching the summer tires your car came with. Remember the perfect tire can't be made, they are all compromises. So to my mind you have several choices. 1. Winter tires on a set of wheels (but Boxster wheels are in short supply right now as everyone wants em, better to buy in the spring. Best in winter but do you want them on in summer? 2. All weather tires on your one set of rims which give you not the best handling and not the best winter snow/ice performance but good enough. 3. If your current tires are about shot, get winter tires now and look to buy a set of summer tires and rims in the spring....or when ever you see some at a good price. I bought a perfect set of 17" rims and Michelin Rib summer tires used from a dealer who had them because some rich guy wanted different rims and tires and he took them in trade. They were used but probably not but for 500 miles. Cost me $850 in Philly. Found via eBay. But look on www.craigslist.com too. 4. If your current tires are great but summer (don't drive with them below 45 degrees) you can get winters now and put your current tires on a new set of rims (maybe fancy ones) but that means the cost of 2 installs. 5. Buy a beater and make that your winter car. Store the Boxster and don't winterize it. Some further thoughts on the Boxster as a winter car Here

Grab a quick copy of the November Consumer Reports Hancock rates a 50 where the top rated all season rates an 85. But look at the article because there are reasonably priced tires that have characteristics that are different from other similarly numerically rated tires. The key is matching the tires strengths to your needs and seeing if you can live with its weaknesses. Every tire is a compromise. There is no perfect tire.

And do do the write up for the TSB work you did so others can benefit. Good luck in finding the cure.

I hope you are going to do this yourself. Some sources for cheap parts and a DIY with pictures here It is really trivial. Or at worst, have a muffler shop do it with the part you bought online. Don't pay the dealer just to replace the sensor. Only pay them if the swap doesn't cure the problem and you need further diagnosis.

Haven's seen any Tiptronic 3.4 upgrades. Is 36% more HP really worth spending $16k for in a 8-10 year old car? All those old suspension parts and wires and hoses.... Or is buying a new one the better way to go? Or even better a slightly used year old one?

Got 4 stalks off the steering column? The one on the bottom left controls the OBC. Got only one on the left, then the option was not ordered when the car was built. Can the OBC be retrofitted? Yes. With either a 4 stalk unit or a switch wired in plus the option of the OBC turned on by someone who has a special diagnostic computer (usually dealers but some independents have em)