ukchris

I took my car to the dealer this weekend to have a window problem diagnosed (confirmed). When the passenger window i goes up there is a sharp "crack" sound as it stops. As I had suspected they confirmed it was the regulator and have ordered a new one (under warranty). I don't know if this symptom is true in all cases but, if it helps, a broken regulator in my case was fairly obvious. My car is a 2003 Boxster S by the way. Chris.

I think you'll be happy with them, I know lots of people who swear by them. these were intended to be atemporary measure at the end of last summer when I started driving with the roof up but as I got used to them I figured there were other places the money could go! :o) The meet was in Connecticut in May, arranged through PPBB.

I was planning on doing the same then while in Walmart came across a couple of small convex mirrors, I think they were 99 cents each. I stuck them on the outer edge of each mirror and haven't felt the need to replace them yet. As with any blind spot solution they take a little getting used to but for the price are well worth a try. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea... Chasing Boxsters while being chased by... Boxsters... Porsches, Porsches everywhere... Pre-run Boxster Meet Chris.

I read a message today that an air bag light was caused as a result of the passenger seat being too far back and an angle that caused it to lift a little. Apprently the moved the seat and it never came on again. YMMV Chris.

I have the stalk on my desk and the connector. It looks like: Pin # - Color - Cluster Pin Pin 1 - Blue - C17 Pin 2 - Black - Fuse B7 Pin 3 - Yellow - C4 Pin 4 - Brown - C1 Hope this helps. Chris.

Do a module search, go to the Instrument Cluster, Coding, scroll down and you should see this: Chris.

It should be noted that to use this for air bag deactivation (with a child seat) the feature must be enabled in the car computer using a PST2 dealer computer. Without doing so the switch will generate an error and the air bag light will be illuminated. You cannot do this "hack" without having the dealer activate it (or someone else with a PST2). If you already have the airbag bar installed and are switching to a different seat (without the buckle) you should be able to replace the bar with a switch without any computer changes. As above, all disclaimers apply. Chris.

From what I remember there may be two places in the computer where cruise needs to be activated, I think one in the DME and one in the cluster, were both switched on? Just a thought.

I don't think this rain is ever going to stop! A friend of mine North of Boston sprayed his silver recently, decals, clear coat etc. They look great and seem to be holding up just fine. I think he sprayed them on the car but can check if needed, I think he just masked it off and sprayed away. Chris (North of Boston)

First of all I think a disclaimer is required, what is presented here is just a summary of testing and results, if you decide to follow any of this then you do so entirely at your own risk, do not make any modifications to your car or its safety systems unless YOU are confident, I don't accept any responsibility if anything goes wrong. So, on to the more interesting stuff. The passenger air bag deactivation bar has had me wondering for a while, it didn't seem it could be that complex. It's a teo pin connector so at first I though it would be just a switch that could easily be replicated, at a recent tech session we found out otherwise. Someone had the bar installed and we confirmed that until it was activated in the computer the air bag light was on, the key here is that the car *knew* it was connected so it must be more than a simple switch. After a little digging (and a little help!) the wiring diagrams revealed what was inside, the wiring inside the buckle is as follows: So basically the circuit is duplicated (redundancy?) and consists of a coupld of resistors, the switch bypasses the big resistor enabling the car to identify the switch is present as well as if it is activated or not. With a little refresher course on Ohms law the circuit can be replicated with a few dollars at Radio Shack as follows: So, solder all this together in a project box, clip the wires in under the seat and it will disable the passenger air bag in the same way as the deactivation bar / buckle! Here is my prototype for testing: Now... a few people I have discussed this with raised very valid safety concernes about if it is worth risking an alternative, these are very valid issues that I wouldn't dismiss but I would mention the following points: 1. The car does a self test to identify the switch is in place and operational, if it fails in any way the air bag light will illuminate. 2. When activated the car indicated that the air bags have been disabled by flashing the air bag light for sixty seconds when you turn the ignition on. 3. Although I have tested the circuit as shown above I'm contemplating making it the same as the buckle with a DPST switch as I suppose it gives greater redundancy. This is just a prototype, I'm trying to get a matching connector so it would slip in the same way (the clips just aren't going to do it for me!). Again, I stress, this was an experiment, it in no way recommends you do the same or gives any guarantees. If you choose to follow what is outlined here you do so entirely at your own risk.

I did it on my 2003S, it was a breeze. The only significant issue is that without doing some wiring you will not see anything. You'll need to pop the cluster off, stick the wires in (may as well do all 4) and run them to somewhere accessible. You don't have to add switches or the stalk, for the first three months I just had them coiled behind the colsole. You can operate the OBC by grounding the different wires which is plenty to turn on the temp display. I currently have two switches in the dash "horseshoe" controlling mine but next week my new stalk set will arrive, then I'll be doing the cruise hack and switching OBC control to the stalk. One difference from normal, I plan to wire the "down" switch for the OBC through a switch so I can choose if I want to use it for OBC or for muting my radar detector. All features of the OBC can be used without the "down" switch so I wouldn't lose any functionality. Chris.

Charlie, my stalk assembly just shipped so it should be here soon and I'll be preparing to do this hack. I was wondering if there was any wisdom you might share or things to watch out for. Any references to the guides you found most useful, comments on routing the wires, anything really that would help make the process go more smoothly would be most welcome. Congratulations on getting it done! Chris.

After changing the order type did he recode it and then do another control module search? I don't think you can enable it until it has been recoded and the module search has been repeated. Chris.

Try it then post, don't post then try it... doh! It seems the lights come on by applying 12v to the outer connectors on the switch, not the two momentary contacts, as such it looks as though I should be ok after all. I'll try to install them tonight to confirm! Chris.

I have a few spare dash switches so I thought I'd experiment with a couple of them to control the OBC. Wiring them up seems fine, they act essentially as two momentary switches which gives me full control of the OBC, what I'm wondering about is getting them to light up with the dash lights. I sanded the black off (the switch is white underneath) and resprayed them with a simple icon, my plan being to hook in to the light power from another switch so they'd illuminate, this seems to be a potential issue though. To operate the OBC the control wire needs to be grounded - no problem there, I just connect the ground to the common connector and the switch wires at the sides. The problem though is with illumination, from the diagrams I found on the web it appears that the switch is illuminated by applying 12v to the common connector, is this really the case? If that is so I strongly suspect I don't want to apply 12v to the OBC control wires, as such is lighting my switches going to be a no-no? For other people using a dash switch to control theit OBC did you get the backlight to work too? Thanks in advance, Chris.

1. This is my list so far: Stalk 996-613-219-10-ewc 2 connectors 999-652-972-40 and 999-652-973-40 (one of each) 11 wire connector ends, you solder them on other wires .24 Right upper cap for without headlight washers 996-613-508-10-a05 Lower one is 996-613-505-10-a05 Right side rubber cap with 2 holes 993-552-573-01-01c I think I need to add to this the stalk cap for OBC (as I don't currently have the OBC stalk), the rubber gasket/grommet thing for the OBC stalk and the wires for the OBC stalk (I already have OBC wired to the cluster). 2. Removing the wheel The guides online look non-trivial but not too intimidating, seems that disconnecting the battery is the main thing to make sure the airbag doesn't deploy.

Woo hoo! Great news! One question Richard - does this imply that the only wiring necessary is from the stalk to the cluster? Thanks again, Chris.

Ditto --- I have a Boxster 03S Tiptronic and am also eagerly awaiting news on how these other installs go in anticipation of tackling this soon, also on the lookout for a stalk!

I'm looking at adding cruise to my 2003 S Tiptronic, I was wondering if any of you could answer a fwe questions: 1) Is the stalk more than a set of three momentary switches or is there more to it? 2) Does anyone have a spare stalk with cruise (I would expect it'd be a three stalk of course!) 3) Has anyone done this on a Tiptronic and/or a 2003 S? Thanks! Chris.

The PC is in the front trunk, there's a nice big grommet behind the battery that is perfect for running cables. It is in a case that is small enough to sit (for now) in the pocket on the spare tire cover. It is powered with a 90W Opus power supply with integrated shutdown/startup controller so it fires up when the car starts then shuts off shortly after switch off. The Xenarcs are nice screens, 7" VGA has come a long way in the last year or two. Chris.

Do you happen to know if it is possible or practical to replace the antenna? I happen to like AM radio and even after the "hack" the reception is quite poor. I'd consider relacing the antenna entirely if it were possible, maybe even with a body mounted one. Chris.

One comment on the phone connector (or lack of)... I have an O3 US car and when I went looking for it couldn't find it either. It turned out it was run tight around the console brackets and tucked under the carpet at the very back (where it is fastened together with velcor). Easy one you know where to look but for a while I was convinced my car didn't have the connector. I'm not suggesting you have overlooked it, but people that aren't certain may get lucky if they look under the carpet! Chris.

I can't remember what sort of plug it was but from picture four in my photos here http://lawlai.com/album/thumbnails.php?album=13&page=1 it looks like you may be right, certainly doesn't look like the euro connector. But this is the AM antenna - does that matter? Do they share the connector? I thought the FM antenna was in the windshield glass. I think if it were me I'd get the adaptors and connect behind the head unit, it's much easier and they're only $20. Chris.

IMHO the problem with the Mac is the lack of software - there really isn't any decent GPS software for the Mac which is probabky the single biggest benefit in having a computer installed. I went with a PC instead, it's installed in the front trunk running off a DC-DC power supply and connected to a motorized 7" VGA screen in the dash. Pretty much everything is driven by the touchscreen but there's also a small keyboard in the glove box if needed. Screen closed: Screen Open: Screen Running GPS: Assembly and installation wasn't hard but requires a pretty good knowledge of PC's, overall cost was probably less than a standalone GPS unit. The only down side is the lack of a decent way to get sound in to the MOST head unit - I have to rely on an FM Modulator to play my MP3 collection and get voice directions. Chris.

The Bentley manual can be pre-ordered from Amazon or Walmart for about $65-$70. New Englanders might also like to know that the guys from RainyDayMagazine are organizaing a technical session presented by Bentley at their location in Cambridge, MA, probably in early January. Details over at PPBB, there may also be a group buy on the book. I have no affiliation, just sharing the info. Chris.