Air bag light and ignition switch.

[twsarch]

I am shopping for a used Boxster. The seller of a ’98 says the airbag light comes on intermittently. Any thoughts? They also say the return spring in the ignition switch is weak and you have to rotate it back by hand after starting, no big deal for me but it would be good to know if this is an easy fix or not. Thanks

[1schoir]

I am shopping for a used Boxster. The seller of a '98 says the airbag light comes on intermittently. Any thoughts? They also say the return spring in the ignition switch is weak and you have to rotate it back by hand after starting, no big deal for me but it would be good to know if this is an easy fix or not. Thanks

Both are common problem areas on Boxsters and relatively easy DIY fixes, with the airbag light being the more involved fix.

The airbag light can be turned off and reset only with a PST2, PIWIS, or Durametric unit (the first two are Porsche OEM diagnostic tools). The cause is usually bad seat belt grounds or corrosion of the connections at the seat belt buckle. Porsche sells a kit to retrofit beefier grounds and gold plated connectors. Before you do anything there, read the codes. Codes in the 40 range (41, 43, etc.) will indicate seat belt fault. Other less likely causes are the clockspring assembly behind the steering wheel or, even less likely the airbag control module.

The electrical portion of the ignition switch is a $10 part and you only need a tiny screwdriver and contortionist skills to replace it in about 30 minutes. Do a search here, or go to Mike Focke's website for instructions: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/ignitionswitchreplacement

Regards, Maurice.

[renzop]

I am shopping for a used Boxster. The seller of a '98 says the airbag light comes on intermittently. Any thoughts? They also say the return spring in the ignition switch is weak and you have to rotate it back by hand after starting, no big deal for me but it would be good to know if this is an easy fix or not. Thanks

Well, if you haven't bought the car already and are still interested in it, here's what I say when people tell me its an easy, inexpensive fix: "If its easy and inexpensive, why don't you fix it and then I will buy the car?" this usually results in a "I would but I don't have the time" which results in my saying "I estimate the cost to be 2 hours of my labor and $50 in parts, take $250 off the price and I will buy the car:" The ignition switch is a common probelm but the fix involves a lot of contortions but not much in parts cost. The airbag light might be nothing (just reset using Duramethric or PIWIS) or it might be major. A '98 is 12 years old. The airbag computer sits under the driver's seat. It can easily get wet and contacts can corrode. I would ask them to fix this or take $1000 off the price of the car for you having to deal with an unknown cost repair.

[twsarch]

Did not buy this one, still looking