petee c

drag: Pedro's Garage sells these mounts in two versions, but you apparently have to be prepared for a little more vibration because the flexane is less flexible that the rubber of the OEM mounts. It may be ideal for tracking. You can certainly make your own, all you have to do is buy the flexane. There are a number of online dealers that will sell you the flexane, and some even offer different "hardnesses" . Regards, Maurice. Anyone have the 'enthusiast' mount? That's the one I have on order. I hope it's not too vibrating...... P

I used to use Scotchguard on my Goretex fabrics (green can). I have a half-full can in the garage. Just wondering if it's ok to use it on the top. My 2001 Boxster S doesn't bead a drop when it rains.... I'm wanting to treat it, and figured if it's ok, I'd use that product since I already have it, vs let it sit and waste away. Thanks, P

Couple weeks ago, I picked up a boxster S from Chicago. I had to get the front tires replaced, because I couldn't get it certified locally. The car also had a bad vibration in the steering wheel when getting up past 70mph. I got 4 new Hankook Ventus V12 tires. The ride is much improved. The vibrations have decreased 10 fold. It could be placebo, but even shifting into 3rd (nagging problem since day 1) seems to be better. The tires and install cost me $1100cdn all in. The shop was happy to come out to pick up the car (hmmmm Boxster? - we'll offer to pick it up) - as I was working, and my wife had the kids, and she hasn't driven the car yet) In hindsight, I should have got the tires replaced before I brought it back into Canada, but being cheap, I thought I could run the rears at least for the summer.

What's the significance of 'renn-'? P

Thanks for the info..... I have a balky 2-3 upshift as well..... I have not driven the car enough to say for sure if it is worst when cold, but it us usually worse when accelerating 'hard', I guess it's causing the mount to move more than the prescribed amount. Thanks, Peter

I'm thinking about one from Cdn Tire that offers 'triple layer' protection..... made with the "Block-it" fabric by kimberley clark. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Au...14-16%2Bft..jsp

Thinking about getting a decent car cover to use outdoors on my Boxster S. We have a cottage, and I might take the car up there when we go for vacations. The driveway is heavily tree'd up there, and I'm a bit worried about tree sap hurting the paint on my 'new' car. Any suggestions for a car cover? Not too expensive please, as I think I might only use it a dozen times / days per year. Thanks, Peter

Hi Rob, Do u mind filling me on the symptoms that u experienced that lead u to the diagnosis of the motor mount? was it completely gone, or just beginnning to go? .. I'll investigate tuning the shifter after looking into the motor mount..... (How long did it take to arrive after ordering?) PEter

Yeah, got a PPI thru Rennology in Chicago area before I finalized the deal.... They discovered a torn CV boot, which was replaced before I got the car, plus a couple of other minor details Tires are worn.... there are a couple wearbars showing on the inboard side of the front tires.... Can't get it certified without new tires... will have alignment checked at the same time... I'll take a peak when the Motor Mount arrives.... P

thanks for the input..... it's sad really... the Honda CRV is 6yrs old and has 160,000km (100K miles), and the 2002 Jetta will hit 100K miles this year.... The Pcar ride is definitely more visceral than either car.... The Jetta is no slacker... with the APR chip, it has a claimed 210hp, and very flat torque curve, rides on 17" 225/45 tires too, beefier antisway bars....

2001 Boxster S with 43000miles. I've had it for a week, driven it a few times (only temp tag, waiting for Ontario Plates). So I'm not too used to it yet, or figured out what's normal, what's a fault. I had a vibration (mostly in the front steering wheel) Thought it might be motor mount, (due to my shifter not always 'schnicking' into gear). However, now after a bit more driving, the vibration is definitely speed related, and gets noticeable at speeds over the 75mph mark, so coupled with the fact that my front tires are worn (won't pass safety) I believe the tires are out of balance and old. A new set of 4 Hankook Ventus V12's coming in a few days. I've got a enthusiast front motor mount coming from Pedro, and hope that will solve a bit of the issues with the shifter (slight vibration when starting the car in the morning, but doesn't happen all the time) I don't get any crunching sounds, or metal-metal sounds so maybe my mount has a torn rubber bushing, but hasn't completely failed yet.... The shifter just requires more force than my wife's 2003 Honda CRV 5 speed, or my 2002 Jetta 1.8T 5 speed. Our other cars just schnick into gear 99.99% of the time, and with just 2 fingers of effort.... the Boxster seems to require at least twice the force, plus more throw to get it into gear.... is this normal? The clutch also seems stiffer on the Pcar then my other cars.... Peter

i've ordered a remanufactured 'enthusiast' mount from Pedro.... going to R&R my Front Mount and see if that gets rid of some of the vibration, and improves the shifting... - get a bit of vibration while car warms up at idle too.... I'm thinking it's a failing mount. - it's a low frequency, medium amplitude rock of the engine..... - very hard to tell, 1st boxster, and nothing really to compare it to. Regards, Peter

I brought my 'new' 2001 Boxster S home this weekend from Chicago. Noticed a few things, which I believe to be related to a motor mount failing. - hard to shift into 3rd during spirited driving, it only goes into 3rd about 1/3 times, double clutching helps. During grandma style driving, shifting into 3rd isn't much of an issue. usually snicks in 9/10 times. - I noticed a vibration in the steering wheel, when neutral throttle or decelerating at about the 3,000rpm mark. The vibration pretty much stops when I am below 2500rpm engine speed, and accelerating past the 3000rpm mark. Would a failing motor mount be an accurate diagnosis? P

USAF_LTG, I would use the standard jackstands that u find in autopart stores.... If u are worried about marring the jack points, then setting the hockey pucks on top would do. alternatively, a 1/4" chunk of rubber pad would work too, however, I can't think of a good DIY source for that. I have the 'standard' 2 ton jack stands, but might upgrade for serious work. My jackstands only go up to about 18" in height. The heavy duty ones can go higher.... I saw a set of stands at pelican parts with the special feet on it, however they were over $100 a pair. I would recommend jack stands over just a bottle jack for safety. (picking up my boxster in 5 days !) P

my strut bearing/mount knock occured at parking lot speeds, pulling into or backing out of parking spots / or backing out of the driveway in the morning.... P

I had strut bearing problems on my VW Jetta 1.8T. the noise is as u describe. I had replaced the strut mounts, but the sound was still there. I finally solved it by jacking the car up, and placing the front on stands. - I then placed the jack under the control arm of the offending side, and jacked that up a bit, so that the suspension was under some tension. Not enough so that the car was lifting off the stands, but so that there was weight applied to the strut mount. - I had my wife turn the steering wheel left to right with the engine off. She could reach in and turn it from outside the car with the window rolled down. I was able to see the strut clicking in the mount while this was happening. - To solve the issue, I ended up just backing the nut off on the strut bearing mount a 1/4 turn. I guess the nut was too tight, and not allowing the strut to move freely in the bearing. I had it tightened to spec according to my 8 yr old (seldom used) Craftsman torque wrench. - On VW's there is a 2nd nut that holds a collar on that I suppose prevents the strut from falling out of the tower. I just tightened this 2nd nut down on top of the 1st one. In reality, your strut will never fall out of the strut tower, unless there is catastrophic damage to the front suspension. I think that shops have problems isolating that clunk is because they can't isolate it on the lift. Once my car was on jacks, and the suspension was unweighted, the sound disappears. Hope u get it fixed. that metal 'sprong' sound is most annoying. HTH's Peter - 8 more days to Pcar ownership.

Thx Loren, Bought a car, but didn't actually check if it has heated seats or not... :rolleyes: Dealer spec sheet doesn't list heated seats.... but u never know.... could get lucky. flight booked, papers' signed..... 8 more days P

specifically, were heated seats standard on those models? Can't find a listing that says yes or no..... Thanks, P

Andy, Don't get me wrong, I understand that there will be higher than normal costs associated with driving the Boxster. I would just like to minimize those costs on my wallet. re: half shaft example My worry is that the outer CV joint on the car has been exposed to grit for ?? period of time. There are no symptoms of it right now, but I've got the dealer to fix the problem before I pick up the car. They likely aren't going to put a new half shaft in it for me. They are likely just going to clean and regrease it. My guess is if it fails, it'll likely be toast (grinding or knocking sound). My half shaft won't fail because of 'excessive g -forces or speed or torque on it', it will likely fail because it was exposed to the elements, and just have wear. In general, it's my speculation that angle of which the shaft 'bends' puts too much flexion (is that a word ?) on the boots, causing them to fatigue. I'm sure that the chinese made Half shaft is just copying the Porsche design. ....Now in terms of quality control, China is still a crapshoot, but from my limited knowledge in the area, it is improving, - proved by the amount of outsourcing that is still taking place to the Far East. P

Just trying to justify my toys to myself (and ulitmately to my wife:) ..... Taking a look at Randall website http://www.iwantaporsche.net/repairs_mods.htm , it makes now sense to spend $12,000 on repairs on a car worth $12000. Who cares about resale value when u're in the hole more than the cost of the car, just in terms of operating expense?. Resale value on a soon to be 3rd owner vehicle can't be all that high to begin with.... Can't wait to drive it. P

Sputter et. al., I did not mean to offend with that title post, however, I have heard the boxster referred to as the "PMP". It is the only one that's in my price range. It however is a nice car, and I believe it is the most affordable (modern) model out there. Still, in (Ontario) Canada, especially away from the GTA and Muskoka, it is a rarity to see a Boxster or any other Pcar. That definitely has some appeal to me. I would like to enjoy this car, but can't justify spending more than $1-2000 / year ( 7 months really of driving time) keeping it on the road. I do my own maintenance on my other vehicles, and this one will likely be the most expensive. If saving money sourcing out parts won't affect the driving experience, then I'd like to pursue that route. I only make a modest income, and taking it to an expensive shop is not an appealing option. I'm already setting aside $500/month to cover a 3% car loan (2-3 yrs) and insurance. I've done most of the service and repairs on our other vehicles, and would like to do the same with the boxster. For example, the current stable: 2000 Honda VFR800 - motorcycle : forks serviced, ohlins shock installed, new Clip ons, heated grips, coolant change, brake fluid change and pads have all been done by myself 2000 Honda CBR600f4 - trackbike : forks serviced, brakes changed and bled, track prepped were all done by myself; soon up for sale, as I don't use it enough 2002 Jetta 1.8T chipped - brakes all around, ignition coils, throttle body repair, strut mounts replaced -again all by myself 2003 Honda CRV - brakes all around, DRL relay refurbed, sway bar end links replaced - again, free labour 2004 Polaris Touring Snowmobile, - summerized, lubed, by myself If OEM parts fail, I usually shop around for a replacement. I mean, the OEM part wasn't that great to begin with - n'est pas? That is my thinking at least.

... I might.... non-OEM axles for other cars are about that price..... plus it comes assembled and lubed with the CV joints already done up..... hmm.......

I'm so close to becoming a Boxster S owner. Dealership is overnighting the documents tomorrow for me to sign, and I'm getting some USD funds ready for a bankdraft. I'm planning to do some of the maintenance myself, and am open to using non-OEM / rebuilt parts to help the operating budget. What are your thoughts on the subject. I have no real allegiance to Porsche. The closest dealerships are 60-70 miles away. I've researched the forums and found the following to be suitable alternatives to Pcar parts.... - revised GIAHH tops for the pre-02 cars -due to glass window - ebay LCD replacement module for the Climate Control - non N-rated tires from Tire Rack / local supplier / Costco My car may have a future rear axle issue.... My PPI revealed that the outer CV joint on the rear outer was torn, and after some haggling the dealership is going to fix it and subsidize half the labor, but if the outer joint fails in a year or 2, I'm thinking about getting a non-OEM rear axle to replace it with.. doing a search on the 'internets' reveals some can axle assemblies can be had for less than $100. Looking for suggestions on reduced dust brake pads, rotors , other maintenance parts etc.

Yep..... still looking for a good 2001 Boxster S..... Dealer vs Indy for PPI Thanks, Peter

- ahh the 'joys' of online shopping....... it's an 01 with 43000 miles. It's been in rev range 1 about 4900 times. none in range 2 - car needs an alignment (is this more difficult on a Boxster than another car?) - Left rear outer CV boot is ripped, gritty inside, prolly ripped for a while. - what are the fixes for this? Is a full axle needed, or can it be cleaned and repacked, with just a new boot? difference in price? - tires are worn, cupped, and old. - climate control unit works, but the LCD is cracked making it difficult to read. - car drives well, and the underside looks very dry. - stone chips on hood, appropriate for it's age - superficial swirl marks (dark colour paint) - passenger side wheels are curbed. - small indent in rear bumper about the size of a quarter, where paint has creased - apparently the radio works, but the computer can't connect to it....? -brake flush due in oct 09. However, I can do this myself, if I can get to the master cylinder. brake pads are in decent shape with lots of life left. - the indie shop questioned the green coolant in the car....... which is kinda strange to me to since in Canada, Dexcool - long life coolants are orange or pink...... What are your findings? - I am going to negotiate a discount on the Pass side wheels being curbed, tires worn, and the LCD on the AC cracked. - I would like the CV Joint fixed (axle replaced, or boot replaced, with at least a 3 month - 6000 mile warranty on the repair) before buying the car..... Peter