mikefocke

All condensors take water out of the air ... be they house a/c units or car. It has to go somewhere is the drain is clogged. If you don't have the repair manual and air gun and such, then get thee to someone who does ....dealer or a/c specialist.

A search on "P1125" here will give you nice long discussions together with a diagnostic flow chart in text form. Since it is affecting both sides, it is probably not the sensors themselves but something upstream. MAF, vacuum leak, etc. Unless you are really very experienced (and have the shop manuals and specialized testing tools) (and if you were, you wouldn't be asking here), take it to someone who has the PST2 and associated testers. Don't run it to long as you can muck up your catalytic converters and those get expensive.

Why the 2002 date? Wasn't the cutover in engine control electronics in 2000?

Are my A/C ducts slightly damp? Yes. Dripping? No. Sounds like your A/C drain is clogged. The diagram will show you where it is. When you park, do you see lots of water beneath the car? Like a puddle a foot across.

As this was at a dealer. I presume they had a PS2 on it as they detected it when looking to clear an Airbag warning light.

When someone is trying to save the most money, the standard rcommendation I see is to mount Kumhos. Irrespective of the N rating or not, it isn't a bad tire for most normal driving. Next up in price I see recommended are Goodyear. My personal preference is Michelin Ribs or PS2s but they are top of the $$$ list.

The standard cheap P-car tire is from Kumho. The better but still reasonable is a Goodyear. Wander over to www.tirerack.com and look around.

I've always opperated on the theory that the odds are with me if I don't buy extended warranties on anything. When I buy the warranty, I'm paying them for the expected average labor and parts, their selling expenses, their administrative expenses and their profit. So on average, the amount I'd have to pay for repairs is really only a portion of the cost the warranty would change. When I bought my second Boxster, I had the option to pick up the seller's extended warranty. I declined. So far, after 2 years, my average monthly cost for repairs has been $9. Had I paid the $3,000 for the warranty, I woulldn't now have the $3k in the bank plus investment income from it to help me pay for any repair to any of my expensive toys. Your experience has obviously been different. But then I had a very thorough PPI done before I bought this car. And everything the PPI said I'd need I did need and nothing but an airbag light and a MAF that needed cleaning has surprised me. If I need O2 sensors, I'll do them myself at $120 and still be wildly ahead.

Sears. Had to buy a set of the security Torx. Good instructions on my site

For my base, I bought from Harvey the stainless ones with the small Porsche colored emblem. Easy to install, fit perfectly, looked even better than I expected. Absolutely classy. I now have an S which came with Porsche provided sill guards. Much prefered Harveys. Came promptly, very well packaged (in a tube) and with instructions. Be sure and get the right one on the right side ... etc. Around $75 if I recall correctly.

I took my 01 S with 50k in for an airbag light service to HBL. Pointed out this was it's 4th visit (2 prior to me) for the same airbag light on issue. They said they would fix it for free! Pointed out there was a TSB relating to grounding, could they see if that had been applied to my car as could it possibly be the cause of the problem and not the seat belt buckle. Sure enough. But getting away from a dealer having spent nothing...YEA!!! Of course, when they came out to tell me the good news, they said I was about to have a CEL relating to the oxygen sensors and they could fix it while I was there for $450. I asked how they could tell it was about to happen. They said while they were in looking at codes they noticed it in the softcodes. No information which specific code(s). I asked if it could have been caused by the MAF malfunction I had just fixed? They didn't think so. I elected to wait. So the question is .... was this just the standard story to assure they got the required $400+ out of a visiting customer or can they really tell that something is going to fail? (I can see a code might exist that says that paramaters were exceeded at some time in the past but can they tell how frequently, by how much or how often?)

Depends. If your rear ender is like mine and no paint work needs be done other than the bumper and paint matches perfectly and all the underneeth structures are OK or replaced...then there is no real loss of value. But if there is enough that it gets recorded or is detectable by a potential buyer, they aren't going to want to pay as much for your car. So its value is diminished, even if the car is repaired. HereDV info for background

How to with pictures http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...rue#Post1106222

I notice a bunch of "used" motors from wrecks on eBay today. There is a list of junk dealers (the polite term is "dismantelers") on my web site or in Panorama or Excellence. My Porsche Webpage

She braked and it dropped her nose. Your major concern is to keep the case open until your body shop has time to get inside the bumper and see all the hidden damage to the bumper support structure. In other words, don't sign anything before it is all done that says "this is all they pay". Also, you have the right to go through your insurance company or hers, even though it is her fault. Whichever seems to allow you to work better with the body shop. On my web site, I have a picture of my car after a similar rear-ender. Unlike yours, you absolutely can't see any damage unless you know where to look. First estimate was $3k and that included reusing the bumper cover. Insurance wanted to pay off at $1500. To make a long story shorter, the body shop had to go back to the insurance company twice more after they found more hidden damage...and there still was no body or lights work done, the work was all to the bumper and support structure. Look hard at the muffler too as it is easy to have bent it and there is no straightening it, I ended up having to get a new muffler. Also, an opportunity to get Eric to redo your bumperettes with painted ones if you'd like. He charged me less redoing mine than what the dealer's body shop was going to charge me to replace mine. And the body shop just deducted the bumperettes charge.

Only picking between the two choices, used/worn. Because it gives you the best chance of wearing out all 4 at once and replacing them with some matching tires.

As one who had a car slide into his (while mine was stopped at a light), I thank goodness for the bumperettes which saved serious body damage. As it was, $3k worth of bumper and bumper structure and muffler work but no damage at all to sheet metal or lights. I did taken the opportunity to get the bumperettes painted by Eric. Suggest you reconsider....or pay later.

OTOH, I'm running on a set of used tires, that were on a set of wheels I bought. They were take offs sold by a dealer who took them in trade and so I knew the reason they were available. Didn't need mounting, balancing, etc. Been flawless for 8k miles. The difference between my used tire purchase and yours is I had all 4 matching in design and tread depth as well as knowing the reason for the availability. You don't have those going for you in the 2 options you propose. Drive safely, the $ you save may cost you your life (or someone elses).

You are aware of the danger of mixing tires which give different traction on the front and rear? You wouldn't be allowed to do this in Germany, for example. I once had to replace 2 tires on a rental there just so the tire depth would match after one blew out. The general rule is to try to keep the same design and tread depth on all 4 wheels as that is what the anti-lock brakes are designed for and how the suspension works best. Normal driving, it probably isn't a problem. But put in some weather and a suddent emergency and tires are the last thing I want to have saved $ on. I depend on that contact patch to save my ... from my dumb mistakes and the mistakes of others not to mention nature and the highway crews doings.

We use about a dozen Brands and types of tires.... And everyone has their opinions and biases. It is hard to get good comparison information about tires. And people who have opinions (like me) are frequently comparing old, used tires like yours with new tires newly balanced and possibly with a new allignment. And self justifying the wisdom of their purchase...it is human nature. I'll bet most of your problem is worn tires and allignment. And any tire you buy will be better. Never even slid in the rain in the Boxster unles I meant to .... and I don't drive 3 MPH and I know how to control a slide. I've had 3 brands on Boxsters. All were used when I got them, 2 because of car purchases and one because I bought some wheels and they were on them. So I have experience in driving worn tires and comparing them to worn tires. 1. Pirelli Russo and Asymetrico were on my first Boxster. Good tires. Good grip. Quiet. 2. Yokohama AVS ES100 were on my second Boxster. Fabulous grip wet and dry. Noisy to the point where I couldn't wait to get rid of them. 3. Michelin Pilot Sport Ribs were on the set of wheels I bought, no idea how many miles on them when I bought them. I've driven 8k miles on them and they have another 8k left on the rear. More on the front. Very good grip wet and dry. Quiet. Expensive. Another tire I've heard good things about recently is a Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. Very agressive tread. Cheaper than the Michelin. I'll confess to a bias for Michelin tires, probably bought (or influenced the buying of) 25 sets for family cars over the last 35 years. 5 family cars have them now. Also note I live in the DC area and don't drive the Boxster in the snow so I only have summer tires. Your needs could vary. go to www.tirerack.com which is a great place to research reviews and prices. Many buy through them and use their recommended mounting shops to ship them to and have them mounted.

Thank you. What is truly unusual is that the 0.280.218.055 part number from Bosch is reported to be the Bosch part number for both the 125.00 and the 125.00 Porsche parts. Can this be? Can anyone confirm the 125.01 Bosch part number? If anyone cares, I've posted my 8 page instructions on how to clean or replace a MAF ... kind of a "for dummies "version since I had never been inside the engine compartment before I did mine. Pictures, links, quotes from the repair manual, etc. http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikespor...boxsterwebpages

Anyone replaced their MAF and have one lying around from a e-gas (2000-2004) car that could look at the part number on the MAF itself. If it is Porsche part # 996.606.125.00, what is the Bosch part number on it? I'm trying to complete a table for some MAF replacement documentation that is 98% finished. This is liable to be on a post-2001 car or one that was repaired as I have rev 0 on my 2001 and this part is rev 1, I know the facts on rev 2.

If you will send me your email address by email, I'll send you a MAF cleaning and replacement writeup I'm working on right now if you promise to critique it and return comments to me so I can improve it. It will be in 7 page .doc form with color pictures and part numbers even for tools and cleaners. I having my son do mine tomorrow to test the write up but I believe it acurate now and it does show how to get at the MAF and where it is in the engine compartment. mike.focke at gmail.com

Both I had them on my '99 via paste ons from www.multivexmirror.com for $40 each. They covered the entire surface and were arched to cover the blind spot. When I got my '01, I was struck by how dangerous that blind spot was and got a pair of Porsche ones similar to the pictures here for a reasonable price used. You have the same blind spot both sides so I like them on both sides.

Things that affect price include the location, time of year, mileage, condition, services record, tire condition, top condition, color, transmission, options, warranty, etc. But the big things like year and mileage you can factor into a search to see what others are asking. I do this by going to www.cars.com. Look for a used porsche using advanced search for all distances from your zip code for the year you are looking at. Sort on the second column to separate the S from the base. Throw out the highest few and the lowest few. See how the middle asking prices cluster. Deduct 5% from asking to get to selling price in the spring. Now you have some idea. But if all the factors I listed above are the best as opposed to the worst, then the price you should pay could vary by $5-8k. Now that doesn't help much does it. Because a 2002 will vary from $36k to $28k after throwing out the highest 5 and the lowest 5. The trick is to buy the best example you can afford from a motivated seller, someone who can't wait for the right price and is willing to accept your offer. Tips on Buying a Boxster