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Okay, does anyone know what the difference is between the brake pad retaining kit on the rear brakes and the front brakes? The look pretty much the same to me, but for some reason the rear ones are twice as expensive as the front ones!! Is that to counter the fact that you swap rear brakes on a 2:1 ratio to the fronts, so they wanna make sure they still get some cash out of you? ;) So, have Pelican Parts got it wrong, or are they really worth twice as much? Thanks! Shash PS - I ended up not going on my trip, that's why I'm doing it now!

These people are claiming to have cross-drilled rotors for the 986 (non-S): http://www.evoms.com/p_box%20brake%20upgrades.htm So, who would like to bet that this supplier is "misinformed"? It looks like a pair of Zimmermans to me - and the price seems to support that theory... Thanks! Shash

Hi all, Anyone know where I can get a ttf font file for the Boxster font (*not* the blocky PORSCHE font - I need the scripted Boxster font!). Thanks! Shash

Thanks Jeff... So it appears, pretty accurately, that Zimmerman are NOT the OE suppliers for Porsche anymore, and many (unscrupulous or misinformed) vendors claim that they still are so they can pedal their wares... As for SHW, I guess we'll find out if we can get aftermarket rotors from them... Maybe in the meantime Brembo are the best source for a "quality" rotor, although a lot of people seem to be having no problems with Zimmerman - even with heavy on-track use. Still, some good concrete statistics for Zimmerman failures (even better would be vs OE vs Brembo vs AP vs etc) would be useful... Thanks! Shash

Simple Green is a US-brand though - don't think you'll get it in Madrid... I'd be a bit wary about aiming a power washer over the engine - even steam cleaning can cause electrical issues. There are a lot of electronics which don't like to be wet, so be careful. Just use a cloth, water, a degreasant, and some hard work, and it should get things a little clean... Just be careful around electrical connections. Thanks S.

Hi all, Since I'm about to change pads, I've decided to do some other things too (notably change the rotors too - for same-size, preferably cross-drilled). I've seen that a lot of people seem to like the Zimmerman rotor upgrades, but I was wondering if anyone had actually heard of any failures using these rotors, especially the cross-drilled ones? I'm not sure how Zimmerman construct these (can't find a manufacturers website for them!!), and whether they drill or cast the holes... Also, it seems to be "general knowledge" that some German automakers use Zimmerman for their OEM rotors - notably Porsche and BMW - but does this mean that their aftermarket rotors are built to the same OEM quality standard? Or do manufacturers only use Zimmerman for their "low end" rotors, and someone like Brembo for their high-end rotors (effectively implying that Zimmerman aren't the best quality)? Ultimately I will be using the car for spirited AND lots of track driving, so I don't really want the rotors to end up cracking on me... I've heard that Zimmerman does heat treat their rotors for stress relief, and also chamfer/radius/countersink the holes to remove sharp edges, but this is unconfirmed (and looking at a rotor I could only tell if they were chamfered, but not if they were heat treated)! The other concern I have is that, although I don't want to spend huge amounts on rotors, the Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors are pretty darn cheap (generally around $112/each)! So, I'm not sure if this reflects on the quality at all... Anyway, comments/suggestions welcome! If someone has a website for them, that'd be great too! Thanks! Shash

Hi guys, My wear indicator just came on so I need to change the pads. Looking at the pads it looks like the rears have plenty of meat, but the fronts are a little low. I am about to leave for a 2500 mile round trip, so this is pretty annoying (although I guess it's best it happened before we left!). Anyway, I'm in the bay area (near San Mateo) and I just want the front pads. Which pads should I get and where can I get them fast - no time for mail ordering (I leave Sat AM)? I called the dealers just to see what they have, and they want stupid money for standard pads... Front Sensor In-Stock? Total Carlsen $142.96 $18.14 Yes $194.03 all in Rector $143.03 $24.34 Yes $207.53 all in Sunset $87.49 $10.18 Yes $107.85 all in Sunset are obviously the cheapest (by almost half - dealers around here should be locked up for extortion!), but they are in Oregon - which is a problem. I'm thinking of not getting the wear sensors since most people don't use them anyway. I'd like some aftermarket pads, but nothing too expensive - just equal-to, or better than, OEM. When I start going to tracks here (later in the summer) I'm probably gonna get some Pagid Orange for track-use-only. So, any recommendations?? Thanks! Shash

Yes, it's true that after disconnecting the battery your ECU will lose all of its adaptive programming and reset back to defaults. However, it shouldn't be that bad. I've disconnected my battery many times (as I've done on many Motronic-based adaptive learning ECU's), and it's never that bad - I hardly notice it. After a few miles things are definitely better - but thats mainly because the ECU has adapted to my driving style. The adaptive learning lets the ECU optimize based on your style - and thats mainly for fuel-efficiency or performance (depending on how you drive). The engine should never be seriously bogged down after an ECU reset. Give it a few miles though and see if the ECU learns to even things out. In your case the ECU might be reducing output (retarding timing, etc) to smooth things out for you, and the defaults are too advanced. In that case you might have other issues that are not apparent after the ECU learns to smooth things out. I'd get your ECU codes read at some point to see if there's any other issues. What year is your car? When's the last time a service was done? Thanks! Shash

Hi, Have you checked for ECU codes? You could try completely disconnecting the battery for a little while and reconnecting. This will reset the ECU. Thanks! Shash

Hey Jeff, Thanks for that... How different is the pre-2000 986? They look very much the same (in general layout)... I think I need to get myself some ramps that will hold the car up higher than my jacks will go - one guy I know had some ramps that he could drive on and put the car about 5ft in the air - that would be great... Thanks! Shash

Uhh, where's your switch gone, Jeff?? S.

My gas gauge shoots up after filling up... but mine is a 1999 non-S... Dunno what another 2002-S would do! You shouldn't really be testing the acceleration of the car until warmed up - hope you aren't flooring it while cold! ;) Thanks! Shash

Valve lifters and valves are totally different things... You started this post saying that he'd replace the valves at $1300, and now he wants to replace the lifters for $880... Sounds to me like he has no clue as to what the problem is. Has he worked on Porsches' before? The Flat-6 makes some unique sounds - hopefully he's not mistaking them for a valvetrain issue. Are you experiencing any problems driving the car? The valve lifters, while still a lot of work, doesn't need the head to be pulled from the engine... However, I doubt he could do it in-situ as there is not much space! Does he know where the engine is? ;) Just sounds a little cheap for the work being proposed by a garage... Get a second-opinion from another garage (that specialises in Porsche)... Thanks! Shash

No comments anyone? This must come up, especially you guys who have done engine swaps already (at least the insurance part)? ;) Thanks! Shash

I've moved the AC controls down to the very bottom (just above the batwing) and am putting a Parrot Rhythum-n-Blues CD Player with built in Bluetooth Phone options. In the upper slots, they are both vacant, and I am putting a 7" VGA touch screen monitor in the hole, and an aOpen Mini Windows PC behind it with DVD Player. The PC will have GPS Navigation, DVD Player, CD Player, MP3 Player, iPod connectivity, and will be have a perminant connection to the OBDII port beneith the drivers dash for diagnosis on the fly. Here's how it looks so far. The rest of the components are coming in this weekend. Is it me, or does it look like the climate control panel doesn't fit quite right in that bottom slot?? I can see some gaps around the side? Thanks! Shash

Hey Jeff, I'd like to see directly underneath (from the position you're in in that picture) starting from the front engine firewall right back to the exhaust. The higher the resolution, the better... Ideally I want to see everything in one go, but the more pics the better! Graeme - Thanks for those pics - they're great, but I need some more detail further back! Thanks! Shash

Hi all, I know a few people here have some 3.4L swaps and the like, and I know that California requires an inspection by a Referee to ensure that the engine fitted is newer than, or same year as, the original, and that all the OEM emissions systems such as catalytic convertors, EGR, etc, are all working, but I was wondering how far you can go... If you were to do, say, a complete engine swap, replace all internals, and switch to high-flow catalysers, and other "serious" modifications, could you get that legally done if you meet all the current legal emissions limits? The "Referee" method apparently just does a visual check of everything and then a simple emissions test - but that wouldn't be enough if you had a lot of custom work done (especially as apparently that Referee just sees a bunch of everyday cars that have failed emissions tests day-in, day-out - not exactly a specialist)! One could argue that since he/she isn't so specialised, as long as your work is very professional and uses a standard engine as a base, has a valid Engine Number, you've installed all the standard emissions devices, and you meet the emissions limits, they'd probably be none-the-wiser about the extra work you've done - but that could be seen as "cheating" ;) The amount of people that do serious custom work, are they simply illegal in California, or can you (undoubtedly for a hefty "fee") get a one-off legal certificate? The other question is insurance... Can they understand something like this (even if you do a "simple" engine swap to 3.4L), or do they just put you under high-risk and increase your premium 10-fold assuming you can now outpace a Bugatti Veyron? Comments appreciated ;) Thanks! Shash

It's most likely the shaft diameter. M22x1.5 means Metric 22mm diameter by 1.5mm pitch. The nut itself will be much bigger - 32mm sounds about right... Thanks! Shash

Just from listening to the clip, it sounds like big-end bearings... However, it's hard to tell without doing further tests. As Loren suggested, remove the belt and run the engine. If the sound is still there, it's the engine. Do not rev the engine hard (like you did in the clip) - you'll only make it worse. The sound was audible at idle, so if you remove the belt and start the car, and hear the sound at idle (or up to maybe 2Krpm), the problem is within the engine. It may or may not be repairable. It will be expensive either way. You could get a replacement engine from, for example, www.911pcar.com (there are others too, but they're one of the biggest I've found). You'll need to factor in labour costs, etc. You can do it yourself if you are a good mechanic - else get someone else to do it. Good luck! Thanks! Shash

Hi all, Has anyone got any good pictures of the underside of the 986? I need pictures from the engine back. If someone has a good high-res pic of everything in one go that'd be great (so if the car was up on a car-lift or something). Thanks! Shash

It was the bowden cable that connects to the mechanical lever in the sill. This is where I got the idea from: http://www.986faq.com/7-0/default.asp#009 I did the third item - took less than 10 secs to locate the cable, and pull on it carefully (there's a lot of slack on it so you can get a good grip). Hood was open in under 30 secs... (actually quite a security risk on US Boxsters that don't have battery backed up alarms - never store anything in the front compartment!!!) Thanks! Shash

I just got these - so far performing better than the Pirelli P-Zero's before... Thanks! Shash

The alarm will sound as soon as you open the bonnet (since your's is a UK-spec car, you should be able to get to the cable from the passenger side wheel well)... Then if you disconnect the battery, the alarm should stop (although a UK-spec car may be different - if it's Thatcham-approved it probably won't stop going off!). Wait a few minutes, reconnect the battery, and (hopefully) that'll reset your alarm and let you use the remote key to unlock the car. When I reconnected my battery after 10 days of no use, my keyfob worked straight away, so hopefully yours will be the same! However, if your car does have an alarm battery backup, then it might not work... Good news is that UK law requires the alarm to silence after 2 mins anyway! ;) Alternatively, wear some very soft clothing and try and climb over the car from the rear (no weight on the roof though), and see if you can reach the door lock... Need to be very careful not damage anything - if you can get a small girl to do it that will minimise the weight! (unless you are a girl - I can't tell from your nickname, and you didn't leave a name!!) Thanks! Shash

The radio is meant to stay on after the key comes out - usually for about 10 seconds or so. Then it turns off. If during that 10-sec period you turn the radio off manually, next time you put the key in the radio will not turn on automatically. I've noticed that the radio seems to turns off quicker if the door is opened immediately after pulling out the key - but that might just be my perception ;) The radio should not turn itself back on automatically until you put the key in the ignition and turn it. Thanks! Shash

I'd be very surprised if you need to spend $3000! I'd stick with the Boxster though - those SLK's aren't anything compared to a Boxster ;) If there are some major issues, take it back, and then buy another Boxster some where else. I take it you didn't buy the car from an OPC (Official Porsche Centre - i.e. Porsche main dealer)? If you did get it from an OPC, then have them fix the issues or threaten to return the car! Thanks! Shash