Nurvus

For those of you who have paid for a Zeintop, and never received delivery, there is a new development to investigate: http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=217758#post217758 It says that Zeineke wants to resume production in Canada. The post is oddly worded, and suspect. I bought a Zeintop in December 2008, and received delivery in March 2009. I guess I was doubly lucky, in that the hatch was well-formed, and that I received delivery at all.

Sounds like yours is a DIY kit, like mine. When the top was off, I removed the triangular rubber pieces, trimmed them to seat better, and then re-glued them with super-glue. They are much better now. In my case, the central clamp would not close until I loosened the mounting screws for it. Then I could close it, making a tight seal. After that, I re-tighten the screws. If you have a gap after closing the latch, maybe it is necessary to add a strip of material behind the front rubber seal to close the gap. I'll be in MA in a couple weeks with the Boxster, hope to see your car on the road too!

I also had problems getting the ceiling piece to stick, with contact cement, bondo, epoxy all failing. What finally worked was 3M automotive double stick tape. I have not tried it in high heat, however, because I remove the top in the summer (and will do so shortly). I was not referring to wind noise, but rather engine, axle, and rubber-on-road sounds, all of which I actually like. When I intially fitted mine I did have some wind noise in front, but that was cured by adjusting the front center clamp to tighten the front seal. On yours, is something is sticking out, like one of the rubber pieces? Loren, at this point the thread is a "review of an item" ... and the item could be considered a "Porsche item," I think.

As one of the few Zeintop owners in the US, I find that quite interesting, and pretty shocking! Where does the Bose system interfere with the Zeintop? Is there no possible compromise between some sound quality loss and installation of a top you must like [at that price, you should]? Impossible to remove the interference temporarily? One of the funny things about the Zeintop is that engine and road noise becomes a little louder in the cabin with the top on. That said, you should be able to find a buyer on one of the forums. Try 986forum.com and porsche pete's boxster board. I have seen many posters remarking that they would like one, but at a discount. Good luck selling it, but I'm a little disappointed that I might never see another one in the northeast [i'm in New York].

I just had the steady-red problem on the key fob for my 1998 986. Did as you suggested, Mark, and now the light is off! The key, by the way, snaps right open using a jeweler's screwdriver [couldn't find mine, so I used a chisel!] Only difference is that I only disconnected the battery for about a minute.

Having just removed the convertible top structure from my 1998 base Boxster, I wanted to share one point that might help someone. Apparently some 986s have screws in addition to bolts connecting the structural base of the soft top to the car. Maurice's car appears to have one screw on each side. In my case, there were TWO such screws on each side, and man did I wrestle with it before noticing this. So to save someone else this experience, I attach a photo showing the screws on the passenger side, which appear inside the green circles. The location of the three bolts, which had been removed already, is shown by the pink arrows.

I did this low-cost/no-cost gps mount today. Using a form fitted block of bondo reinforced with a plate of 1/8" aluminum, I attached the gps to the upper panel of the dash just to the right of the emergency light button with some velcro. It's fully removeable, except for the fuzzy part of the velcro. which could be peeled off if necessary, and is pretty much invisible. First picture shows the result. Next picture shows a wad of bondo in a plastic bag, after I form fit it using the gps bracket. I cut off the excess from the bondo on the bandsaw, then screwed on an aluminum plate. Next mounted two #4 screws onto the plate for sliding on the gps mounting bracket, then spraypainted the whole thing black. The rest was 2" wide peel n stick velcro from a sewing store. I added some peel and stick thin rubber for the bottom. I like how the power cord naturally runs out of the way now. The high-mount of the gps is safer than one at radio-level, but not as good as windshield mounted. It stays in place very nicely and is simple to pull off and tuck away.

My friend has a black Carrera S with 19" lobster forks in black and it looks stunning. I don't have a picture of his car, but it is nearly identical to the one pictured here: ROFL at that picture ... it's worth painting your wheels if it gets you drive-up service to your personal jet and a slender blonde grabbing your a$$!!!

Here are a couple solutions for those who have mechanical problems with the top, and/or cracks in the rear plastic window AND have little or no money for repairs/replacement. Issue 1. My 1998 986 had nearly all of the top mechanisms removed when I bought it. The transmissions, pushrods and cables were gone. Iinitially, I bought replacements of all these on ebay, intending to re-install. But I have since found that it is almost as easy to operate the top manually, and I have done so for almost a year. Moreover, it is safer in that there's no mechanism to fail and cause a warped clamshell, an occasional occurrence. I just grip the very back of the clamshell, right above the brake light, and pull it up and back. With the rails for it greased, it moves very smoothly. Then release the center catch and pull the top back, doing the Boxster chop; it folds nicely. Then the clamshell drops back into place easily. Since we have to get up to do the chop anyway, it's not much more trouble this way, it's just less cool looking. To put the top back up, reverse the process, except you must make sure the windows are down or doors open when closing the catch. Issue 2. My rear plastic window also has cracks on the side, as is nearly inevitable after many harsh winters. I intend to get it replaced this winter, but until then, I have glued in patches of black nylon material [cut from an unused overnight bag I found in my closet]. I glued patches on using 3M windshield cement, the very sticky gooey black stuff used to glue windows into cars; applied using a caulking gun. See photos. It's not perfect, but it looks better than electrical tape, and postpones repair at very little cost.

I installed one of those maxspeed motorsports MAF sensors about 1000 miles ago on my 1998 Boxster, and my CEL has recently lit up again, after being off for the 1000 miles. Car is throwing codes of P1123 and P1125. This may or may not be due to the MAF sensor. I also installed a new K&N air filter then, which people say can lead to CEL. I'll need to perform a few tests, and in the meantime hope that the light goes out on its own.

I sympathize with your situation. In the opinion of some [including me] Porsches get better with age; Porsches never were limited to the rich and there are many happy owners who could/would never spring for a showroom Porsche. I'm house poor but found a Boxster that is giving me a lot of fun. I've seen some affordable 996 series 911s out there too, but I much prefer the mid-engine configuration. A huge part of the expense of Porsche repairs is the labor cost; the $80-120/hour specialist mechanics. If you DIY, you not only save those costs, but also will learn a lot. And if you purchase an aftermarket part that is unsatisfactory, it is not a big deal to replace it, because you already know how. Porsches are relatively easy to work on, especially with RennTech and other helpful sites. Once you download a service manual, and save the tech sites in your "favorites" Porsches are not much more difficult to work on than Hondas. Used parts. There are numerous Porsche dismantlers in the US, and a couple in Canada. Look on ebay occassionally for cars being parted out. There are many parts being taken off low-mileage cars, so for some repairs, you can do great. That said, to minimize the risk of Boxster engine failure [a catastrophe for the budget minded], I would only use OEM or equivalent quality on the engine. And the highest quality oil and gasoline. Aftermarket lights, tires, brake pads & rotors, even wheels all can be OK. I did a post here on an ebay MAF sensor that seems to be working, knock on wood. Of course there is some garbage on ebay, but in my experience, most of the ebay stuff is OK; read the seller's feedback carefully. Most Porsche parts are not magical and can be copied. Unless you are racing, track or street, I really think there is no or minimal risk.

There is a way, but it requires a bit of luck, and is arguably a little sneaky. I was able to do it on my 1998 Boxster, kind of by accident. First, do a Carfax.com report on the car, if you haven't already. You will learn a lot right there. Study it, and think about all the information you find there, and think of any and all questions it raises. The carfax will tell you the dealer where the car was first purchased, and very likely a dealer where service was done. My carfax did. I then called the service department of the dealer where my car had been serviced for most of its life. A friendly person answered. He told me that due to customer confidentiality, he could not disclose the service information. I said, of course I understand. But then, I asked, "could you please tell me whether the car's engine was ever replaced? That is all I really need to know." He then read over all the service records and mileage for each visit, reading out loud for his own concentration and said, "nope, the engine was never replaced here!" I got pretty much the whole service history that way!

Mike, There's a terrific thread on Boxa.net entitled "Zeintop arriving tomorrow" in which three people describe their experiences of ordering and installing their Zeintops, along with great photos. I'm now adding to that thread as I describe the process of installing a DIY kit here in New York.

Slots, thanks for the suggestions! It really is appreciated. Do you have any photos of the new window on your top, preferably close-ups of the inside and out? That would tell me a lot. The more I think about sewing the new plastic on while leaving the old plastic in place, then slice away the old plastic later, the more it makes sense to me. I'm assuming you sewed the new plastic onto the top from the inside of the top -- is that right? If so, did you remove those approx. 1" wide cloth strips that run around the inside perimeter of the window? I plan to remove the entire softtop structure in a month or so, when I am expecting to receive delivery of a Zeintop hardtop for the car. I'll tackle the window job right after the hardtop is installed. Unfortunately, I do not live in San Francisco, but in New York. But, as you suggested, I found a sailmaker in Stamford, CT willing to sew it in for $150 or so. So thanks for that idea!

Update, and a test that might prove useful to anyone considering an aftermarket MAF sensor. On Friday the aftermarket MAF sensor arrived from MaxSpeed motorsports, mentioned above. I attach a couple photos comparing the original MAFS and the aftermarket one. They are identical except for the part numbers missing from the aftermarket MAF sensor, no doubt for infringement concerns. And the green O-ring is a bit darker. Installed the aftermarket sensor, and then disconnected the battery for five minutes. I then drove the car agggressively on a nearby fun-run, up Rt. 22 alongside Kenisco reservoir. Stopped for lunch, and then, after only 10 miles, the dreaded CEL came on. Sad, but didn't let it spoil our first top-down run the first really nice day this year! Next test. I located some properly colored blue/white wire from an old car radio. Soldered it crudely onto what was left of the wire for contact no. 5 on the wiring harness [see first photo in post #1 above], then stripped back enough factory electrical tape to connect to the other end of the original wire. Put on some baby blue heat shrink tubing. See photo. No CEL until about 65 miles -- then it came on. Then, at about 150 miles, CEL went off. I checked, and the solder appears to be holding on the wiring harness. Will update this post as we go along, so it might provide a semi-scientific test of a relatively inexpensive MAF sensor.

I have purchased the replacement plastic from TAP plastics in CA [as mentioned on the Juniinc thread]. It was about $30 shipped. I intend to sew it in later this spring, and I'll report on the project with photos. It's almost impossible to stick a needle through this plastic, so I intend to line it up on some plywood, then carefully pre-drill each hole with the tiniest drill I can, following the exisiting stitch lines, then brush-coat the stitching with Seam Seal, or equivalent

Topless, this car has had a few system lobotomies and cheapo repairs. For example, the mechanism for the top was removed -- transmissions, pushrods,etc -- I've bought replacement ones. But actually the manual system is not bad -- no risk of malfunction, not much more trouble, in that one must get out to the boxster chop anyway. Oversize battery was put in, broken hood release not replaced, etc. :angry: Right now my guess is the CPU was getting a signal of overly hot intake air, so the wire was cut. Why it had to be cut completely off is another mystery. Car runs great so far, but haven't tried it in hot weather yet! :o Loren, I see you just posted again, so thanks again. Next time I access the engine [too cold today] I'll hunt around for a stray blue/white wire, and try to splice it/solder it together somehow; sometimes the contact tongue can be removed from a wiring harness and a new wire clamped in. The revs over 4500 sound good to me, but maybe could be better!

Loren, Thanks so much for the information!!!! :renntech: Interesting. According to the diagram you posted, the snipped off wire is "MESSORE SIGNAL (+)" and it's a Bl/White wire that is missing. That's the number 5 contact for that wiring harness --- there are tiny numerals in the plastic, on both the male and female sides of the connection. All the other two-color wires match up in color and position. I'll do some reading, studying and head-scratching to try to figure out what a "messore" [definitely does not say "message"] or "MESSDRE" is. Regards, Jack

Background. My car is a base, 1998 2.5 5-speed with 87k; I'm the third owner. Last week, my check engine light [CEL] came on. I had driven the car about 3,000 miles with no CEL prior to this. The car has been running and performing great, feeling like the full 200 hp and getting about 22 city and 30 highway mpg. My nearby Porsche shop was kind enough to quickly hook up their analysis computer, and inform me that the CEL activation was caused by the Mass Air Flow Sensor [MAF]. They did not provide me with the code that led to this conclusion. Following the advice of the always-helpful Renntech.org, and the Mike Focke treatise on the subject, I was able to remove my MAF sensor, spray it with MAF sensor cleaner, and re-install it. It had looked like new, and was not at all dirty. I made the CEL go off, as instructed, by disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds. But after a few miles, the CEL came back on. It seems to be running same as before. I decided to order an aftermarket MAF sensor from Maxspeed, a company in upstate NY with a good feedback record on ebay [$137 shipped]. I am hoping this will bring me back to CEL-off, but have some fear that the problem is elsewhere. But in the course of opening, inspecting and wiping dirt off the engine, I found these three mysterious items that didn't look right. I went through the service manual regarding all three but could not find them there. Mystery 1. When I went to disconnect the MAF sensor's wiring harness, I noticed that one of the five wires in the harness had been snipped completely off, with only about 1mm left inside the harness! See photo . There is no other trace of this wire remaining. Of all these mysteries, this one is the most troubling ... partially disabling the MAF sensor to allow more toxins into my catalytic converter?? Can anyone guess why this was done, and what effect it might have on the car's performance? Mystery 2. The next photos show a hose to nowhere, near the cap for power steering fluid. Something's not right. What is it for? Where does it belong? Is it meant to dangle? Is it a vent for the power steering fluid reservoir? Mystery 3. While cleaning off the engine, the electronic object in the next photo came loose. It snapped back into place on the passenger-side intake plenum, but the underside appears otherwise not to be connected to anything. What is this thing for? Is it a thermometer? Any responses would be much appreciated! Of course I'll report if/how the aftermarket MAF sensor works. Much obliged.

http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll216/j...nt=rollbar1.jpg

The price of the zeintops has dropped considerably in the last year, I believe primarily due to the collapse of the South African Rand against the dollar. The company is located in South Africa. Most of their production costs [labor, fiberglass] would be paid for in Rand. The Rand went from about 7:1 to 11:1 vs. the USD in the last year. I imagine the global economic slump is driving down the price as well, due to a drop in demand. They'll sell one unpainted for $2200 now. Add shipping, import duty the parts needed, and having it painted locally, it's about a $3200 project now. The website says they now have the tops available for the 987. I'm getting one for my 986.

That leather site is cool! Thanks for that. Latex paint actually sticks well to leather. And I have some primer tinted to Boxster Red as well, which makes it adhere even better. My seats had been previously painted and were bad again, so I primered and re-coated them. I've done this on black leather car seats before with great results. I use the paint for other interior parts as well. Getting lots of compliments. If it holds up, I save $1000 for replacement skins/seats. If not, I'm out $10. I attach some before/after photos. I think I'll just paint the insulation itself, then lash it to the rollbar with wire ties. But can't do the work in this weather! "I wrote a letter to Porsche in Georgia and asked their expert opinion whether tall people have a risk of injury from the rollbar. No answer so far but it has only been a week." I really doubt Porsche will ever write back... but please let me know if they do! An admission would make for a very nice piece of evidence at a products liability trial against Porsche by me [or by my widow].

I have the same problem, except it's 5 degrees left, not right. My car is a newly-acquired 1998, so I do not know the complete history. The leading theory is that when an alignment was done, the wheels were aligned, but this caused the steering wheel to be set in this off position. It's more work to do an alignment properly, with the steering wheel centered. I took it to two Porsche specialist shops, one in MA and one in NY, who both said that the car is safe to drive, and the alignment on the car is good, but re-alignment would be needed to get the steering wheel correct again. For now, I'll just live with it ...

Just to update, I have temporarily taped on some Home Depot pipe insulation. Based on testing it with my head [without risking an extremely embarrassing head injury], it will certainly help a lot in the event of a rear-end collision, by augmenting the stiff padding in the rollbar. John S, the plasti-dip is a good idea; but I'm going to cover the pipe insulation with leather, then lash it to the rollbar with a couple clear plastic cable ties. I have a quart of latex paint photographically matched to my interior color [boxster red; also from home depot], so I might paint the leather to match. And it sounds like you are experiencing the buyer's remorse I initially had. If you're like me, once you get used to it, and see how many smiles this car can bring, you'll feel better. As Shawn points out, there could always be a worse collision, but this foam would protect my cranium in the most common rear-end collisions. Shawn, how did you put your seat up "a notch or two"? How can that be done? Or do you mean you just do not recline it into the rollbar? I would strongly recommend not flipping this car [duh], and the roll bar extensions are probably a wise long-term solution.

Another experience, and a few suggestions. I also new owner of a 98 Boxster that has water problems [the car, not me]. The foam padding under the carpets is almost impossible to dry completely. I believe the purpose of this padding is to protect the computer under the driver's seat from water. Here's what I've done so far. First, without removing the seats [given warnings of problems when reconnecting the seats], I tore out the soaked padding from behind the seats [two small areas] under the carpets there, and replaced the padding with folded-up sections of an old bath towel. The towels under the carpets will soak up water in the event of future water incursions, and can be easily removed and dried inside your house. It looks fine, but of course this area does not show. Next, I also had soaked padding under the carpets in the driver's footwell. On a rare day of decent weekend weather, I pulled up left edge of the carpet [after removing the frame around the fusebox, then replacing it], and left a hair dryer in there for many hours. It is much better now, but STILL not completely dry. The problem here is that the padding is in THREE layers - a sandwich of mushy foam, then hard styrofoam, then more mushy foam, then the carpet on top of that. The water gets trapped in these layers of mushy foam. I have decided to remove all of this foam sandwich, then dry it and reassemble it. I might replace the lowest layer of mushy foam with more old towels. Then I'll clean and touch up any rust, then reassemble the foam and re-insert it. If it gets wet again, I'll be able to just slide the padding out. As to the drains. My local Porsche mechanics tell me they cleared out a front drain that was clogged; I will test for leaks AFTER the front floor is totally dried out. As for the rear, I dried out the floors; and blew air through the drains under the clamshell through the foam; they seem to work. Yet in a heavy rain, I got some water in the towels behind the seats. I'll try the suggested inspection under the wheel wells. In another forum, a poster found a plastic clip that was stuck in one of the rear drains. I requires perseverence! Fortunately, I am able to keep the car in a public garage, out of the rain, and have a crappy company car to drive. I also picked up a car cover in case of emergencies. To our Norwegian friend: I suggest you get the water out ASAP, because, once the water unfreezes, it can get into many other areas. Can you use a friend's heated garage for a day? Also, do you still have the computer wrapped in plastic? Seems to me that this could trap moisture inside.