spiral

Hi All,

First week of ownership with a facelift 03my (manual)boxster, its my gf daily drive and weekend fun for us both. Always see her off in the morning, watched her start it again this morning and noticed some blue smoke on start up! first time i've seen it all week! Is it something to be concerned about?

Car has full PSH and has done 55k, runs sweet as etc!

Bit worried! (no warranty!)

My car is an '03 as well. Does the same thing if it sits for a couple of days between use. As long as it only smokes for 30 seconds or so and then stops, it's normal and nothing to worry about. From what I have been told a failing AOS will smoke badly, and for a lot more than just the first 30 seconds or so.

Yeah, this is common to all Boxsters. I'm not a mechanic, but I've read other posts that say it's because the engine is designed with hydraulic lifters, and some oil settles on the lifters when the car is turned off. When you turn the car on, this small amount of oil burns off. Also, don't be alarmed if you hear a slight tapping (tick, tick, tick, tick) coming from the engine. This is the lifters as well. Some Boxsters do it more than others, but it is also typical of the engine design. I didn't notice it on my 2000 base, but when I upgraded to a 2001 S I noticed it straight off. When I found out that it was normal, it doesn't really catch my attention anymore.

I was thinking Garmin 660 but maybe there is something better.

I have a TomTom as well, and like it well enough, although I haven't tried other brands. I pretty much based my purchase off of reviews. I've heard good things about the Nuvi as well. One of the main differences between brands is the software interface, so it would be to your benefit if you can find somewhere to try out a couple different brands to get a feel for how easy it is to program and access different functions. If I was looking for a new GPS, I would ask myself some of the following questions:

How much, and what type of info can be displayed on the main screen? Current time? Estimated time of arrival? Current speed? Compass direction? Current street being traveled on? Next turn direction? Next street? Distance to next turn? Controls to alter map view (zoom + and -)?

Is the info laid out in an easy to read fashion?

Do I like the look of the map views? Are they easy to read?

How easy is it to carry out different functions? Programming a route? Programming multiple waypoints? Programming detours? Finding points of interest close to current location and also far from current location? Manually searching a map?

I'm always amazed at how powerful my little TomTom is, and how many things it can do. There is no way I could memorize all the ways to use it, so for me it is important that it is relatively intuitive. Sometimes it may take me a minute or two to figure out how to do a certain function, but I haven't had to refer to the manual since the first time I read it.

Good luck.

Hello,

I have been having same problem (as that Paul had) with my 02 Boxster S and I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Thank you Paul and everyone else for the suggestions that would mention to the dealer to avoid extra work charged. Does anyone know how long is the warranty for the xenons? I bought mine in October 2001 (2002 model).

I'm having the exact same problem on my '01 S. Please post the results from your trip to the dealer.

I am researching on what choices I have (current products, threads that I pulled up from search listed many "obsoleted" products).... to match the whiteness of my litronic....

There are really not much H6W bulbs available....

And then... what H7 should I go try?

Any recommendations?

For the H7's, I use the Osram silverstars (european version). They are even brighter than the Sylvania silverstars (which are basically the U.S. version - Osram and Sylvania are the same company). You should be able to find them online somewhere. The don't have the fake blue tint, they are just really bright.

When I locked my Boxster the other day, I noticed that Central Locking button/switch flashes for about 10s and then goes off. Is this normal? I searched here and reviewed the owner's manual but can't find anything. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I haven't noticed it before and there have been 2 or 3 times lately when my car's unlocked when I could swear I had locked it.

I think it's normal. I just noticed the same thing on my '01 the other day.

My 2001 Boxster S has the US M030 suspension. I would like the lower center of gravity and look that the ROW springs offer. Are there any negative drawbacks to just replacing the US springs with the ROW springs? Are the US 030 struts and ROW 030 struts actually different, or is it just the springs that are different?

Thanks in advance for any info, Spiral

Is there any way to remove the front headlight lens to clean the inside?

I would not recommend the dremel method. I tried this and it left a bunch of residue from cutting the plastic.

I just purchased the aerokit II side skirts for my 2001 Boxster S. They did not come with the installation kit. The place that sold it to me said it just uses double-sided tape and metric fasteners you can find at the hardware store. I called Brandywine Porsche and they said the install kit is $140 and also has some "metal strips" to support the aerokit.

Does anybody have any experience with this?

Do I need the metal strips?

Are the fasteners unique to Porsche, or can I get them at a hardware store?

What kind of double-stick tape should I use (will the foamy kind be too thick)?

Thanks, Spiral

I currently own a 2000 Boxster with the factory litronic headlights installed. In the next week, I will be purchasing a 2001 Boxster S that has the standard halogens. Is it possible to swap the headlights? I know I will lose the auto-height adjustment of the litronics because the 2001 Boxster S does not have the servos, and that is fine with me.