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renzop

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Everything posted by renzop

  1. Well, if you haven't bought the car already and are still interested in it, here's what I say when people tell me its an easy, inexpensive fix: "If its easy and inexpensive, why don't you fix it and then I will buy the car?" this usually results in a "I would but I don't have the time" which results in my saying "I estimate the cost to be 2 hours of my labor and $50 in parts, take $250 off the price and I will buy the car:" The ignition switch is a common probelm but the fix involves a lot of contortions but not much in parts cost. The airbag light might be nothing (just reset using Duramethric or PIWIS) or it might be major. A '98 is 12 years old. The airbag computer sits under the driver's seat. It can easily get wet and contacts can corrode. I would ask them to fix this or take $1000 off the price of the car for you having to deal with an unknown cost repair.
  2. I do not understand why seemingly knowledgeable people want larger and larger rims. It goes against all logic. 1) Larger rims cost more 2) Larger rims weigh more - and its the worst kind of weight you can add to a car. It's called unsprung weight and increases in unsprung weight make handling worse by a factor of 4 over adding weight in the body. 3) Larger rims are less protected from pothole damage 4) Larger rims ride rougher - see unsprung weight above 5) Larger rims will more quickly wear out other suspension parts like shocks, bearings and bushings 6) Larger rims are harder to balance and lose their balance more frequently. There is only one logical reason to get larger rims - if you have large brake rotors that the stock rims will not clear. That's why you see race cars with big rims. Perhaps that's where the general public got the idea. Stick with 18" wheels. Don't be a dedicated follower of fashion.
  3. I suggest showing your dissatisfaction with their ineptitude by changing insurance carriers and insurance agents. I have State Farm and they have a database of features for every car model I have ever bought. They give me the safety discounts without me asking for them.
  4. Everyone knows that the way you spell Boxster has a significant effect on tire wear. If you leave out the "S" you will get 78% of the wear that adding the "S" in your communications provides. Seriously, though, Boxsters come from the factory with lots of rear negative camber. Have yours checked and try to get it set to the minimum (-1.4 degrees will be good). Also have the rear toe set to zero. Is your car lowered? Aftermarket lowered rear suspensions can add to the already high negative camber. Finally make sure your tire pressures are checked frequently and run factory or higher pressures. And don't go to 19" wheels. Extra cost, poorer preformance, less resistance to damage.
  5. Wait for rain, then drive fast. Seriously though, why does the Boxster being a convertible stop you form cleaning the undercarraige at a car wash? Just do the undercarraige and don't wash the rest of the car and don't get the top wet.
  6. Before you spend any money, can I suggest that you try driving the car for a few weeks without any sound system. I really like my music and have many gigs of MP3s on various sources. However in the Boxster with the top down I have no desire to listen to music. The car is very involving and I love hearing the birds, the planes, other cars and the symphony in flat six. We are bombarded by electronic entertainment 24x7. The Boxster is my peace cocoon and a great escape.
  7. I recommend starting at 40 all around and working your way down. You probably do not want to go below 35psi.
  8. The last thing you want to do with a flood damage car is turn it into a track car. Potential for hidden rust in the unibody is way too high.
  9. Not in the US they don't. My 2008 base Boxster came with leather seat surfaces standard. I have never seen stock seats with Alcantera
  10. That's true. But when was the last time you looked at your analog speedo? The gauge is too small and tightly calibrated to be of much use.
  11. There is no reason to swap. You can get the digital display to switch from English to Metric. That includes speed, fuel consumption, tire pressure and outside air temperature. Here's how: SET Basic setting on on-board computer Switching on selection eld “D” Push operating lever forward. Changing the basic setting of the on-board computer Select “SET” with the operating lever. Push operating lever forward. Select the desired function with the operating lever: Reset – Reset all, – Reset average consumption, – Reset average speed, – Reset trip counter Units – Speedometer: km - km/h, miles - mph – Consumption: l/100 km, mls/gal (USA), mpg (UK), km/l – Temperature: Celsius, Fahrenheit – Tire pressure: bar, psi
  12. You cannot get PDK on an '08, only '09. '08 and earlier had a Tiptronic ( a 5 speed, real torque converter automatic) that is inferior in all respects to the PDK. My recommendation is to test drive an '08 manual and then decide. My '08 is def. heavier clutch than my Honda was but not too heavy to be annoying. But I do not have a bad back. Also, I recommend staying away from 19" wheels and getting PASM. The 19" wheels give you less tire sidewall and therefore are rougher riding. PASM in the regular setting is a very comfortable sports car ride. Far more comfortable than an S2000.
  13. Wow. Safety last, handheld cameras on track :-( Glad you had fun and no one was hurt.
  14. I think what you are describing is normal 987 behaviour. Here's what is supposed to happen: 1) If the top is up and the windows are closed - when you open the latch for the top the windows drop about 1/2". When the top is fully lowered the windows go back all the way up. 2) If the top is up and the windows are open - when you open the latch for the top the windows rise about 1/2". When the top is fully lowered the windows go back all the way down. (I don't know why this happens but it does on my 987) 3) If the top is down and the windows are up - when you start to raise the top the windows drop about 1/2". When the top is all the way up and you latch it the windows go back to all the way up
  15. I push latch mine with 2 hands. I never tried a drop as the dealer said not to. I have a 987
  16. You can tell if you have full leather by just looking at the two vertical panels that surround the radio and HVAC controls. If they have stiching then you have full leather.
  17. Quite frankly, I would steer clear of low mileage Boxsters. I understand that unless you run the car relatively frequently some seals tend to dry up. To me, the ideal used Boxster would have between 5 and 10K miles per year every year, full maintenance records with one service per year regrdless of mileage, was garaged and had just one previous owner.
  18. I just started trailering my Boxster. I bought a set of T hooks on the recommendation of several people on several forums. These go in the jacking points and then you secure ratchet straps to them. The idea is you are strapping to the chassis and not the wheels so the car is held down like when its shipped from Porsche. I found this method very difficult as the straps have to be held under tension or the T hooks fall out. It's really a two man job. And even then you have to crawl under the trailer to make it work. We strapped the car down and drove a few blocks until one of the straps popped loose and started dragging. After that I gave up on this idea. 2nd approach seems to work much better. Basically what ericinboca does but only with 4 straps through the wheels. Front straps go straight and rears get crossed. I know a lot of guys use this method with no problems so that's what I am doing. I am slightly concerned about alignment issues with the rear as we pull the wheels at an angle and then bounce the car up and down as it goes down the road. Will this be a problem? Only time will tell. But I have never read about someone who tows with this strapping configuration who has had a toe out problem to make me worry about it too much.
  19. I have an '08 base with PASM and 18" wheels. Everyone who rides in the car feels that the ride is impressively smooth. Were I you, I would get PASM because of your rough roads. However a base Boxster with PASM is a rare beast indeed. Even finding a used S with PASM may be difficult. Probably an '07-08 S with PASM is more findable. The extra power and torque in the S is nice but really I find myself not using the full potential power of my base Box on the street. For street only the extra power of the S would be wasted on me. If you are a track junkie then an S may be worthwhile not only for the extra power but for the bigger brakes and closer ratios of the 6 speed in 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
  20. All years have had at least one reported IMS failure. But it looks like there are very few if any RMS issues in 987s. Also IMS looks like its reported less frequently in later model (not sure if that's because ther are fewer later Boxsters, later model Boxster have less mileage or Porsche actually did something to fix the problem). Bottom line, no model year (except '09+) is immune from IMS. 987s have very little RMS issues. The newer the car the better the chance that you won't have problems.
  21. I bought a Porsche when I got out of college. It was a used Porsche. It was fun. It got the chicks. I drove it hard. I learned all about lift throttle oversteer. I didn't have a garage. I got into a few minor fender benders because I was too young to be patient. I did not have money to maintain it so more and more little things weren't working. The shocks were worn but I did not have the money to replace them. Tires wore out and I bought cheap replacements. The ride got progressively worse and so did the handling but I could not afford to do anything about it. The car developed fuel system problems and would not reliably start. I bought a beater so I could get to work everyday. The Porsche sat more and more frequently. From the fender benders the rear suspension mounting points developed rust. I broke a halfshaft. I had it replaced. I broke a halfshaft. I asked why. The mechanic said there was too much motion in the rear from all the rusted mounting points. I sold the car. It was a huge mistake to purchase it in the first place. Buying a Porsche at 20 is madness. Even if you have the money for the car, the insurance and the maintenance, you will destroy the car in short order form carelessness or bravado. Anyone under 25 should consider their car disposable.
  22. If its a US spec car than 245. The 2005-2006 had 240 then 245 for 2007-2008 and 255 for 2009.
  23. There are a few different issues here. The car manufacturers are required to use an OBDII compatible computer that monitors various engine sensors and reports if they have problems (the dreaded Check Engine Light). The manufacturers are also required to pass emissions both on new cars and that the emissions system will continue to work without maintenance for 100K miles. Most manufacturers have two catalytic converters for each cylinder bank. One is very close to the exhaust manifold (even sometimes inside it ) so that it heats up very quickly on start up. Another is further downstream to catch anything the frst misses. The computer monitors the effectiveness of the cats via oxygen sensors attached to the exhaust system. These are in a feedback loop with the mixture and spark controls to keep the engine running properly. Porsche has positioned oxygen sensors before and after the first cat. There are no sensors after the second cat. Since problems downstream of the second sensor cannot effect it, the aftermarket has realized that the second cat can be removed and the OBDII system will not display any check engine light warnings. This does not mean that removing the second cat will keep the air as clean as leaving it on. Also since the second cat is hidden inside the second muffler many states inspections might not realize that the emissions system has been compromised. I look at it this way, would Porsche have put it there for no reason? Would they have put a second cat there if the car would have passed emissions with one? Would Porsche have purposely reduced the performance of their sports cars and made them sound worse? No, of course not. On the other hand, would removing the 2nd cat cause problems with the motor? No, once we are that far downstream there is nothing the exhaust can do short of plugging it up that could impact the motor. So this comes down to three questions: 1) Will your car pass an emissions test without the 2nd cat? 2) Will removing the 2nd cat void your warranty? 3) Do you think that possible extra emissions are acceptable, environmentally speaking? Which leads to a single, final question: Are all these doubts and extra costs worth the small performance gains and sound improvements?
  24. I have a PASM Boxster and to be honest you can't really see the 10mm difference. As for the spring rates, the base Box PASM springs have the same rates as the stock S so I would say that the shocks would not have a problem with them. But if the reason you want the PASM springs is looks, you are wasting your money (IMHO)
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