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Hey guys, My good buddy at work invited me out to the track this weekend to give our cars a little workout. I've never done a drag on the boxster s, so I wanted to hear some good launching RPM specs on a track. Is 4000 good? Or should I be sitting at the line at 4500, 5000? Just curious what others have experienced as the best result. I'm just going to be running street radials, the factory 18" Turbo wheels with P-zero nero pirellis, no slicks or anything like that, and I'm pretty sure they put some of that glue like substance on the track for extra stick. Lol, no chance I plan to beat or even go up against my buddy though. He's got an SVT mustang with a custom supercharger that would kick the crap out of me (10 second car). :lol: Thanks!

Interesting... question then becomes... Is there any "easy" way to tell whether not I have the Version B transmission already installed without dissassembling the whole cover?

Where'd you end up taking to have the top replaced? The only reason I haven't bought the GAHH glass top yet, is because I haven't found a shop around here that would do it yet. Do you have a breakdown of what you replaced? I'm wondering if I do it, if I shouldn't replace the top motors just a precaution anyways. Also, if you plan to put in Litronics... get em' from Sunset (link at the top of the forums) best price you'll find for em. Plug and Play solution, and easy to connect motor for the up-down feature. Perhaps maybe i'll see you on the road soon :)

So I came across a guy in the sales section, who had a 2001 Boxster S and compared it against my 2000 Boxster S. He converted the engine to a 3.8L and I'm wondering if anyone has or knows if it's possible to do a swap / conversion to a 3.8L in the 00' S. It looks as though he purchased the crate engine new, and then swapped. What do these engines go for now-a-days and where to get? Curious if Sunset can get them, and what they'd charge. Curious if this is even possible? Said he had a 7.8 DME? Not sure of everything else that would need to be replaced to withstand an engine like this. :huh:

Hard for me to tell from the picture, but I'm guessing the "spark plug tubes" are there (they fit snug inside the actual tube, and it's hard to distinguish whether they are really there or not in the first place). In any case, to remove the spark plug tube and see if it's actually there, get a long screw driver (preferably one that's older) that has a nice thick butt (handle) on it. Insert it butt end first into the tube until it's snug. Take a pair of lock jaw pliers and grab on to the silvery shaft of the screwdriver. Try pulling at a 45 degree angle (not straight out) and this should pop the tube enough for you to take the rest of it out with your fingers.

OUT-FREAKING-STANDING! :) Glad to hear it wasn't your engine. AND glad to hear you have a nice long time running engine :) :cheers: :beer: :clapping: :beer: :cheers:

Welcome to Barrington Illinois friend! Lol, I would NEVER take my Box to that Porsche dealership, even if my life depended on it... they overcharge on EVERYTHING just because of the neighborhood they're in. If you absolutely "have" to take it to a Porsche Dealer, Take it to Napelton Porsche of Westmont off Ogden. Much more "realistic" pricing.

Hey guys, Was doing some work on my S over the weekend, had the driver's side door panel off with the airbag disconnected, and the front driver's seat removed and disconnected. Was testing some of the Radio speakers, and had the key on for a few seconds to see if all was working. Put it all back together, reconnected the ABS on the driver side door, reconnected the seat harness etc. Got an airbag light. I have the durametrics, can I reset this light? How do I get the light off?

Yea, I figured from a dead start, it might be a "bit" of a different story depending on the driver. In my own opinion, the factory 5.6 second 0-60 spec is a bit off, last time I was at the track with her, I pulled a 5.2 0-60. Not that 0-60 really counts for much. I really do the love the fact that the upper gears were finely tuned for maximum torque and HP, and that it doesn't just start to greatly decline. My favorite gear..... 3rd....

Lol, if they wanted a lambo, they should have purchased a lambo. In fact those doors are so hot... LAMBO'S DONT EVEN HAVE THEM! :lol:

No this wasn't an unmarked car. Illinois US Vet plates, just like mine, custom paint job, etc. And again, it's not typically the "norm" for me to be messing around on public roads. The guy was just irritating the crap out of me. I highly doubt an un-marked 350z would be throttling to match my speed when there's no one else on the road for 10 miles straight. Literally, he kept taunting me for like a good 10 mile stretch back home.

So, Here I am tonight, cruising home from work at about 70mph nothing special, on the interstate. A 350z with offset rear tires, an aftermarket spoiler, and from what I could tell, a modified EVO like dual exhaust system. I typically don't even mess with people, and I just drive my S from point to point with no screwing around. Anyways, this guy pulls up next to me, taunting me, I let him go for a while, he does it again, whatever. Well after awhile it was getting annoying, and I figured he'd probably smoke me. So anyways, I wait for a straight away, nobody else on the road, he's right next to me. I look at him, give him the 1-2-3, and go. Gear to 3rd, boom, I'm already a length in front of him easy, keep going, by the time it's all said and done, I must have been 10 lengths in front of the guy.... Is that normal?? My 3.2 S is stock, no added turbos, no aftermarket exhaust, just all natural 3.2 S engine. Just from looking up basic HP and torque on his vehicle, it looks like he should have cleared me no problem... but maybe i'm wrong? Anyways, just seemed odd....

G'day mate! Good to see other Australians on here... yes it seems a little problematic sourcing some of the good parts.. but hopefully your thread will continue to yield good advice :) Did you see this post by someone who used aussie Jaycar speakers in the front/dash? http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...617&hl=seat Cool! Yet another bloody Aussie ! I tried the Jaycar speakers as suggested and was not impressed. Replaced them with some JBLs which seem to have a lot more depth and clarity...and more bass. I'm told that 4" MB Quarts DKG110 (a German company) are excellent albeit not cheap. Can also get them locally in Oz but may be cheaper to get them on Ebay out of Germany. Again, If you're looking for a high-end speaker... I HIGHLY recommend the MB Quartz or JL (not JBL) speakers. They are both phonnomenial speakers.

IMHO, I can tell right away... it still appears to be "darker" and has a different shinier "sheen" as the factory ABS plastic pieces. After painting, it's "closer" but still doesn't match in my opinion.

Great News - Bring it on!!! If you can (as close as possible) match the coating of the bezel to the "textured" finish of the existing bits (like the surface of the adapter to fit the air con piece into the bottom console), then a) I'd order an AVIC kit tomorrow and b ) I can't think many people would want the gloss version - I guess we all strive to make it as "stock" as possible. I refinished mine with that rustoleum yesterday, and it still doesn't look like a "match" although it's closer.... I'd think more people would want the "matched" plate vs. the mirror finish. I imagine there would be people like me who would want to swap out their plate for the matte finish as well instead of purchasing a whole new kit... will that be an option?

Any headlight parking lamp bulbs out there that match more closely to when the litronic HIDs are turned on? I noticed when I turn on my litonic bulbs, the parking lamps beneath are still a bit of an amber, was hoping for something more of a match to the HIDs. Parking light =daytime running lights? Try White LED lights, I got mine off of Ebay. I'm specifically talking about the lights on the litronics that turn on when you turn the headlight switch one click to the right. I believe they're some kind of standard bulb.

I agree, matt look is great! In fact the gloss bezel is only thing holding me back from this kit - If the bezel came in semi-matt look (for black interior) then I would buy this kit in a second! Trieu if you're reading..... ;) Guys, I used Trieu's trimplate and painted it with Rustoleam's Textured Paint For Plastic in Black, came out PERFECT! Just out of curiosity... did you have to prime it or clean it with anything first before you sprayed the rustoleam?

All in all how much installation time did that require and how much $$$ did you end up spending? I'd like to upgrade my speaker setup eventually, but it looks like a serious and costly undertaking. For my entire setup, I did the install myself, here's what I paid for the parts: JL ZR650-CSi - $440 MB Quartz PVI-210 - $140 JL TR350-CXI (for Rear Deck) 2 sets - $45 a set - $90 total JL 300/4 Amp - $249 JL 300/2 Amp - $229 Porsche Avic / Alpine Head Unit Installation Kit - $150 Alpine IVA-w505 with P1 Navigation / Bluetooth Unit - $1099.95 JL Audio XC-PCS4-2B - 4AWG Premium Power Connection Wiring Kit for 2 Amps - I paid $89 for the kit with tax, but it was at a place by me going out of business... JL Audio Speaker Wire - 16AWG roll of 100ft - $20 1 Sheet of 3/4" Oak Plywood - $18 1 Bulk Pack of Dynomat Extreme (enough to cover both doors no prob, and plenty for other applications) - $54 I also got the XM adapter, and Alpine Imprint2 Audio Processor, but that's optional stuff - $150 for it all Some other items you'll need that I already have from my tool collection: An electric Jigsaw, or Table Router to cut the door speaker templates A good drill with plenty of bits, I recommend a good battery drill with plenty of torque, but electric works too 1 Canister of Clear Silicone Industrial Stength Velcro Your trusty Bentley Service Manual (big help for wiring diagrams) All forms of tools, metric sets: torx bits, hex bits and sockets, wratchets, phillips screwdrivers, a butane pocket sized soldering iron with fine tip, rosin core solder, flux, wire caps, wire ties, a couple six packs of beer ;), All in all from start to finish on everything, at least 3 days of good solid work. I tackled each section as a project and called it a day... a little bit at a time. All in all let's see... Major stuff listed above - $2728.95 + tools and supplies you'll need (let's estimate for some decent tools assuming you have none) - $250 + labor (i did it myself, but figure in some guy's rate of $35 / hr) - 8 hours per 3 days - 24 hours - $840 So worst case scenario - $3818.95 :) CA-CHING! B) Hell no!! With the top down, you'll never get a good sound, so why bother? I like my Pioneer unit I installed, and I might find some affordable aftermarket speakers eventually. But I will not send that kinda coin on it. No how-no way! :) Actually, On the contrary... I beefed it this way for the pure reason of better top-down sound. I get premium sound with the top down, driving on the interstate. The trebles and mid-range are crystal clear. The only thing it could use an improvement on during top-down highway driving (so as to counteract the wind noise) would be the additional "behind the seat" custom fit subwoofers, which I've already pre-wired the vehicle for. Enter in the NEW MB Quart 10" RSH 254. It's a shallow mount 10" subwoofer that I've already found can be custom fit behind both the driver and passenger side of the vehicle for optimum compartment space and sound quality. In my opinion, the setup was completely worth it, looks stock, and performs optimally.

Any headlight parking lamp bulbs out there that match more closely to when the litronic HIDs are turned on? I noticed when I turn on my litonic bulbs, the parking lamps beneath are still a bit of an amber, was hoping for something more of a match to the HIDs.

Good to hear, and nice to have a fellow "wrencher" on board. In terms of the diagnostic utilities. Check out durametric (just do a google search). It can read codes etc.... to be honest, I'm not 100% pro durametric, since it doesn't allow you to modify or change any settings really. It only allows you to read, and clear some codes. Good for CEL lights and troubleshooting the alarm system (a.k.a the inside infrared sensors). I'd really like to get my hands on a PST2 which is the Porsche Diagnostic and Programming tool. Unfortunately, if you're lucky, you can get a used one for $2000 and upwards. I've seen them as expensive as $5000. The PST2 was replaced by the newer PIWIS diagnostics tool, but... and a big but.... don't plan on getting your hands on that anytime soon, they're upwards of $10k just for a lease. There's some posters on here though who ocassionally sell the PST2. With the PST2, you can actually modify the ECU, program new keys, and a whole bunch of other features that typically can only be done by "bringing your Porsche to the dealer." And i think everyone on this board would agree that the Porsche dealership will charge a pretty penny for most services. When I bought my Boxster S, I right away replaced the transmission with a brand new one and the clutch, and the RMS (Rear Main Seal, which you'll hear a lot of people talk about from time to time). There's a company by the name of vertex auto who will allow you to drop the transmission, and pay for free shipping to their shop where they'll replace it all and get you back on your feet for as little as $2000, which in my mind, was a good deal considering Porsche transmissions are "something special," and other places would charge a fortune for this task. Before you buy your Boxster S, give it a good test run, really work the gears! And if at all possible, make SURE you get the original manuals, and maintainence stamps if they're available. You should also try to get at least 2 keys, since any additional keys have to be programmed by the dealer unless of course, you have a PST2 or PIWIS. Some recommendations for your "planned" upgrades. The 3.2L engine was made with "performance in mind" and as such, replacing the Intake with a CAI, and bolting on a new exhaust system, doesn't really do a lot. In fact I've heard MANY complaints and problems from people with the CAIs that are available out there today. So take that for what it's worth. In addition, if you plan to add any type of supercharger, or turbo... plan again, to pay a pretty penny. Although most are pretty low compression and thus don't damage your engine... again... I've heard many a folk with "leaks" in the system. The Turbo and Supercharger kits that are available, will probably cost you brand new, between $8000 - $12000. In my opinion it's almost "safer" to do an engine swap for a 3.4L or 3.6L at that point. There's another person on these forums by the name of Jake Raby who can "modify" your 3.2L engine and essentially make it bullet-proof and bore and re-build the engine to a 3.6 spec. Around the same price of an engine swap. But the good news with going that route.... you're pretty much gauranteed not to have to ever worry about an IMS failure, as he puts in an overkill solution. I'm sure we could have conversations galore about upgrading the audio system, wheels, body kits etc. But i'll save that for another time. B) Let me know how you're search for a Boxster S goes, who knows, maybe you'll buy mine when it's all said and done j/k :)

Yes routine maintenance is not an issue. You will probably have to get the paper oil filter cartridge from a place that specializes in Porsche parts, but the work itself is no prob. Other things like that too are not yet available at the local auto part store, but I think we will see more availability locally as the number of used 986s grow. A Bentley manual will also guide you nicely through that kind of stuff. Lot of people more qualified to comment on reliability than me. But my opinion and my experience - highly reliable. My 986S is a dedicated track car. I beat the dickens out of it on the track, both motor wise and suspension (anyone who has ever driven Sebring, what I consider my home track, will know the abuse I talk about). My oil analysis comes back with amazingly consistent and limited wear. I have never had a serious problem - wear items, sure, but anything broken has been minimal and mostly attributable to it being on the track. I would lean toward an 03 and 04, the end of the model years for the 986 because they made some reliability enhances over the early years, but this is the kind of detail others on the board can offer more specifics. (BTW - lots of track days in easy reach of Miami all year round) Yeah, I very rarely buy parts for my Audi from the local autozone. For maintenance I get Audi OEM recommended parts from either the dealer or Audi VAG specific online stores like Eurocode and ECS. I'm specifically looking at the 2003 model year. I'm happy to know that they sound like pretty reliable cars. I was concerned when I got in to my Audi that reliability and maintenance would really hurt my wallet, but I was surprised to find that as long as I keep up with the maintenance, she seems to be in great shape even at 80k miles. What are the most common trouble spots to look out for while shopping for a 986? Hi KPC! Welcome to "almost" being a 986 Owner ;) In regards to maintainance and "trouble spots" you should first and foremost be aware of a couple of things: 1) Sunset Imports (which there is a direct link on this website for at the top of the forums) has THE best prices on ANY parts you need or want to replace as an OEM, or Tequipment (essentially upgraded Porsche equipment, like Litronic HID headlights, aero body kits, etc). Gaurantee you'll have a HARD time beating their prices even if you use froogle, ebay, or some other site. So trust me... as someone who likes to "tinker" on my Boxster S, that's the way to go. 2) If you're considering the Boxster, I HIGHLY recommend you get the Boxster S. There's a sneaky and notroiously known "bug" if you will that seems to be much more common with Boxster (2.5 and 2.7L engines) vs. the 3.2 or 3.4 engines. This is the IMS (Intermediate Shaft) problem. The 3.2 engine, seems to be far less common for you to ever have to worry about this, and it's more common on the smaller engines, and lower mileage.... why you might ask? Well that's a little bit of a mystery still, but nonetheless, there's tons of info on it. 3) Another common thing that typically goes after a while, is the AOS (Air Oil Separator) which is a special piece on the Boxsters that separates the Air Mixture from the Oil mixture. Many folks have replaced theres after a while, and while though it can be a bit of a pain to replace (but not a huge pain... took me 3 hours), they tend to go after higher mileage, 35k - 65k? I'm big on "preventative" maintainence, and am pretty anal about keeping my Boxster S in tip-top-shape, so I replaced mine not too long ago just as a precaution. There's also a MotorSports AOS (which is typically used in track cars) which is a MUCH bigger and beefier (and more expensive) AOS (2 distinct compartments) that you can also install on the Boxster S. The installation is similar, but takes a bit more work to get in the confined spaces of the engine compartment. I plan to do this later on, but you don't have to. Typically, people have complained that when they are at high speeds on the track, and go into a sharp turn, the stock AOS tends to crap out a little during the turn and puffs big fumes of white / gray smoke. For my 00' Boxster S, a new OEM AOS cost about $80 from sunset, and I believe the MotorSports one from Sunset goes for about $220. 4) Spark Plugs, Spark Plug Tubes, and O-Rings. Typically at higher mileage, you'll want to eventually replace your spark plugs. I HIGHLY recommend replacing with the OEM spark plugs (which are BOSCHE and go for about $3 / piece from Sunset). I've heard of others trying higher temperature ones, and mixing and matching, and the result has never been good. Also, I replaced all 6 of my spark plug tubes and o-rings (2 o-rings per tube), which are special tubes that the spark plug fits in. Why? Well, all your spark plugs are located on the bottom of the car. 3 on each rear side. So you have to first remove your wheels on the back to access them. The reason to replace the tubes and o-rings is simple. Over time, the tubes can crack and the o-rings themselves can loose their seal, which can cause some oil leaking. Nothing serious, but again... preventative maintainence my friend. Tubes were like 0.50 cents a piece, and the o-rings were less than that. Very cheap, and cost effective way to go. 5) Oil, Oil Filter, and Oil Washer for your drain plug. My recommendation... STAY WITH THE FACTORY OIL! 0W-40 Euro Synthetic Mobil 1 oil. 9.5 quarts (Yes you heard me right... 9.5 quarts). You don't have to change your oil for 15,000 miles, but as again... a preventative guy, I change mine more often... typically between 3,000 and 6,000 miles. In fact, I JUST received 10 quarts of oil, the filter, and the oil plug washer ring from Sunset today, so here's the bill (all from Sunset) $5.18 per quart of oil * 10 = $51.80, Aluminum Seal Ring $0.46, Oil Filter $12.81. Trust me, I couldn't find the oil cheaper anywhere else, and best part is... no Tax from Sunset. 6) Throttle Body Cleaning.... do yourself a favor, get some good carbureator / throttle body cleaner, put the top in service mode, disconnect the air intake tubes, and spend the 30 mins from start to finish to clean your throttle body (inside, butterfly, lips). It's just a good thing to do, and will insure you have normal idleing, and response. 7) Radiator and Front Bumper Cleaning... typically this needs to be done more in the fall when there's leaves all over the place. On the S series boxster you have 3 radiators all behind the front bumper, otherwise a typical boxster has 2. Nothing hard here, just take the front bumper cover off, sweep it out, and clean up any debris around the radiators. Also check the intakes on the right and left side of the car (the air vents), and double check there's no debris in there. 8) If you plan to work anywhere near the battery, run wires for new amps / speakers, etc.... do yourself another favor, Buy the Thumbknurl screw kit (there's a link under specials at the top of these forums). There's two plastic cover panels on the front hood that in my opinion, had very poorly designed screws. In fact, mine were rusted shut. They are the screws that hold these covers in place. It's a 15 minute fix if that. You just pry out the old screws holding in the plastic covers, insert the new special thumbknurl washer/nut, and then hand tighten the new thumbscrew. Very easy, very effective, great design. 9) Drainage holes.... I'm not going to get into a whole bunch of details here, there's tons of information on this, but again, it's good to clean these out every once in a while, as debris can get trapped in them. It's MORE important to clean out the drainage holes underneath your canopy cover, because if those get clogged, chances are, water will eventually leak into your drivers side compartment under the seat, and ruin your alarm system computer (which is located under the front seat. 10) Check your CV boots, especially the rear. I haven't had any issues with this... but there was just recently a brand new write up on how to replace these, and make sure they're in good running order. And that's about it for now. You'll find TONS of info on all of the above I've mentioned on this site. In addition, get yourself a Bentley Manual, and eventually, if you're hard core like me, get yourself the full-set of Porsche Technical Manuals. The Bentleys good for certain stuff, but lacking in others. Again, welcome to Porsche... there IS NO subsititute! B)

Congrats on the new purchase! One thing you'll want to do (and is a good idea as a preventative measure anyways) is to clean out your throttle body. There's tons of info on this site for how to do that, but eseentially, you'll put the top in "service mode," disconnect the air intake tubes from the throttle body, and use some good carburator / throttle body clearner on the entire inside, lips, and butterfly (the piece that swivels if you push on it). There's probably just some black and gunky residue build up is all, nothing serious.

http://www.free-fonts.com/matrix_fonts.html Lol :D you guys are nuts! I'll probably "try" and make something authentic looking as possible, and put that in there. Also FYI.... contacted the dealer, but they said I have to pay $50 because the car hasn't been seen there in over 3 years so they have to order the service documentation on it. From what I researched from my carfax the report, the car was registered as a personal vehicle new with 16 miles on it on 2/11/2000 in Wheaton, IL - so I'm assuming the Westmont Porsche dealer who I called already. Owner 1: The vehicle was service on 6/6/2000, and 6/26/2002 and sold at 8,905 miles. Owner 2: it was then serviced 11/14/2002 @ 14,506 miles, and again on 10/01/2003 @ 24,845 then it was sold again to a dealer on 12/01/2003, serviced on 12/03/2003 @ 24,910 and sold. Owner 3: Serviced again 03/10/2004 @ 30,789, Passed emmissions on 05/27/2004, serviced again 6/23/2004 @ 36,865.... then it says some "service contract was issued by "Service Plan Co. Elk Grove Village, IL" ?? Owner 4: Now here's where things get a little shady... from the 46,335 mark all the way to the 71,000 mark range... theres a whole bunch of service entries where the service "Source" is either "Bentley Downers Grove Luxury Motors" or "Service Plan Co." I did a little investigative work... Bentley Downers Grove Luxury Motors is NOT a certified Porsche serviceing company... and there's entries here for Drive Axle serviced (a bunch of these), engine serviced, manufacturer's recommended maintenance, shift lever replaced (at least 3 of these entries), fuel system serviced, electrical system serviced, cooling system serviced. Etc... all in all 3 sources marked as "Bentley Downers Grove Luxury Motors, and 8 marked as "Service Plan Co.".... I'm not sure what to make of all that. Owner 5: Me

Yea, It's not that I don't know "how" to do the caliper refinishing, it's that I just don't have the time or patience for something like that :) So, I was hoping there was some shop in the area that would do that sort of thing.

Got a couple of questions, and looking for some good shop recommendations in my area that specialize in what I'm looking for. 1) I want to get my brake calipers re-finished. I saw a place on-line that completely strips, and refinishes to OEM quality brake calipers for $100 a piece, but since he's out of state, would require me to remove all 4 brake calipers, mess with the brake fluid drainage, etc. which i don't really feel with messing with. 2) Along that note, I'd like to flush and replace all the brake fluid, power steering fluid, pretty sure the manual-trans fluid is all good since I had a new trans and clutch installed when i first got the vehicle. How incredibly difficult is it to do this myself assuming I've never messed with changing brake fluid before? Or is there a good shop i can use to do this? 3) Not a shop question, but ya know those plastic screws on the door panels that are underneath the pocket lids? They're kind of annoying and strip easily. Is there a replacement screw or something better to use instead of those plastic screws? Something like the "Thumb Knurl kit" (that was an awesome design). Thanks, I'm in the west suburbs of Chicago, near Elgin / Barrington area.