geoff

When I bought my 2001 Boxster, the dealer recommended changing spark plugs at the 30K mile service, even though for the 01 model year Porsche upped the spark plug replacement interval to 60K miles. Now the maintenance interval on Porsche's web site for the 2001 model says to change the spark plugs every 48K miles for the 2001 to 2004 models. Go to http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesands...nanceintervals/ and then click on the Download PDF link to get Porsche's current recommendations. It's interesting that Porsche is now quoting a 12K mile oil change interval, whereas when I got the car the official word was every 15K miles. For some reason, they don't seem to publicize this anywhere! The fuel filter now has a 48K mile life, which I missed, so I guess I'll just wait a few more miles and have it done as part of the 60K mile service as originally planned.

If anyone actually did something like this to a Boxster, they would probably have to remove the carpet from the front trunk. TP's "vettster" picture still has the carpet, a clear sign the picture is a fake :D

I think this only works on early model Boxsters. I have a 2001 and this functionality is no longer supported in the A/C unit. The A/C control is sourced from Audi. I'm not sure if it also works on the early Carreras or not. None of this appears to be officially documented anywhere, and from what I read it was pieced together by various folks over the early years

I've got an '08 Cayenne S. It came with 2 quarts of Mobil 1 0W40 from the dealer. They said when those were gone to come back for more. Service guys told me some engines drink lots of oil. I didn't add any oil until well after 4K miles. From reading Cayenne sections on some of the other online Porsche forums, some Cayenne V-8 engines do use at least a quart every 600-800 miles. Others don't. Maybe it's the luck of the draw. I don't think it's to reduce emissions. Do you really want an SUV that's faster than your Boxster? We've also got an '01 Boxster and '05 Carrera. You will like the Cayenne if you enjoy your Boxster :)

I did a little more research on this tonight. This site is amazing :renntech: and there is no question the cost to be a contributing renntech member is the greatest bargain in the Porsche world! 996 TSB 4/03 6110, Rattling Noises From The Cabriolet Top, dated May 23, 2003 addresses this very issue and describes the old and new parts. The new piece, which includes the cap, eliminates the rattling noise on the cab top by the windshield frame. Loren - thank you again for adding a search capability to the TSB library! I have the whole 986 service manual set, and the Boxster spec for tightening the self-tapping screws on the centring pin on the roof frame is 7Nm (or 5 ftlb) (again a big "thank you" to Loren for pointing out the complete workshop manual set was available from Sunset for only $200). It looks like the same screws are used with the 996, so 5 ftlb should be the right tightness. Interestingly enough, I found a nearly identical TSB for the Boxster, and my car (an '01) DOES sometime make this awful rattling noise, which I always assumed was from the top cables. I think I might consider adding the Boxster updated part to my order from Sunset if it's not too late, to try getting rid of the rattling noise!

How old is your battery? If you just replaced your alternator, did it kill your battery at some point? If your battery won't reliably hold a charge, your dash could light up like a Christmas tree

Or maybe it's because the Boxster has been out over 10 years and there are enough out there to finally make rebuilding (and improving) the engines worthwhile? Not to mention the value of the Dollar relative to the Euro these days. In the UK the Porsche new car warranty is only 2 years, and places like AutoFarm have been doing rebuilds for several years already (see http://www.gormanms.com/docs/boxster_motor_myth.pdf which is referenced in the boxsterspec thread in my original post). My take is that Boxsters (and 996s) are getting older, the resale value on older Boxsters is relatively low compared to the cost of a replacement engine (i.e., less affluent Boxster owners than in the past), so the economics are changing to the point where when the engine grenades, you either essentially walk away (dealers offering $3 or 4K for the dead car), put in a Porsche remanufactured engine, or now go with something possibly a bit more robust. Or do what Mr 986fix did and fix it himself. Over 100,000 Boxsters sold and they're all getting older. Look at all the aftermarket engine part and service suppliers for the air cooled 911 motors out there, now that they're no longer in production Porsche cars.

I had similar symptons when my alternator started dying. Dash light came on, then more until it looked like Christmas, then my car died. My '01 Boxster was just out of warranty and I was shocked at how expensive an alternator could be! In retrospect, I should have yanked it out and taken it to an alternator shop instead of buying a Porsche remanufactured alternator. Because the alternator going bad killed my battery, I ended up replacing my battery afterwards. I was told the electrical systems on these cars run off the battery and the alternator charges the battery while driving

Thanks for taking the time to look and confirm what I suspected. I called Sunset this afternoon and indeed the -01 parts have been superceded by the -02 revision, and the cap is not available separately. The -02 revision came out in the 2003 model year, and I'm assuing it has the cap as an integral piece. Sunset price is $29.85 each side, they are in the US, and since the parts were revised they recommended replacing both sides to make sure both sides match up when closed (probably unnecessary, but cheap insurance). Loren (or anyone else who might know) - do I just unscrew the two torx bolts to replace, and what is the proper torque for retightening the bolts?

For a friend's '99 cab. Gray leather dash with dark wood. Wood is cracking from sitting out in the sun. Dealer has messed up twice trying to order parts, replaced the wrong parts and cracked perfectly good pieces. Here's what it looks like now, with the cracked wood piece highlighed: Is this part number 4 in this figure, described as side vent, rootwood dark, leather, left (part number 996-552-984-02-C51? Should the dealer be having an impossible time finding this part??

A good friend with a '99 cab showed me his top tonight when he came over for dinner and asked me what he needed to do to fix it. I've got a Boxster, and the top looks a little different from what I'm used to. The passenger side looks OK, but the driver side looks like part is missing. When the car is driven, there's a bit of wind noise above the driver's head because the top doesn't seal completely. Here's the driver side: and here's the passenger side: Do these latches just come out by unscrewing the 2 torx bolts? From the old Porsche online PET, it looks like this is the part labeled 8 (centering journal), and part #9 (cap) is what fell off: Part 8 is 996-561-605-01 (left side, right side would be 606) and part 9 is 996-561-705-01 (left side, right side would be 706). Did I track down the correct part numbers? Do I just replace part number 9 that fell off, should I get both parts 8 and 9, and is it advisable to replace both sides if one has a problem? When I look at the retail prices, it looks like the -01 version of both the centering journal and the cap have been superceded by an updated -02. Should I just help him replace both with all new updated pieces? Since the parts have been superceded, do I have to replace the centering journal with the updated part to be able to use the new cap?

I just saw there is now a US company that says they can rebuild Boxster engines. See http://www.flat6innovations.com/ Some of the 914 guys seem to think they have the expertise. See http://www.boxsterspec.com/index.php?showtopic=993 for some discussion on what they're doing I have no affiliation with them, but am fascinated technically with what they seem to have done to potentially improve the life of my Boxster when (if) the engine goes south. Thought some others here might be interested. I'll be interested to hear if anyone uses them at some point and what their experience is

Look at Will a Motorsports AOS work on a Boxster?

A few years ago, vfxbox borrowed my shifter adjustment tool and started to make one for the B&M shifter - see http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...amp;#entry46389 You might want to see if you can contact him and find out whether he ever got it working I think you can get everything aligned with the stock shifter, in terms of cables, etc., then swap in the B&M without messing with the cables and everything should work OK

Maybe you need to talk to a different dealer, or find someone close by with a PST2 or PIWIS who can enable the OBC for you. My dealer did it for my on my 2001 Boxster. As far as wrong instrument cluster, see http://www.brackenrig.net/OBC_Hack.htm and look at the the section on 2002 cars. Is this what your dealer is talking about? The wiring and connectors changed in 2001, so make sure the instructions you are using are for the correct model year. Starting in 2001, you don't need to cut/splice any of the VW wires Maybe TP is saying it can't be done so you will buy one of his DVDs

The $1K or so includes 4 shocks, 4 springs (left/right, front/rear) and front/rear sway bars, plus one or two doodads for connecting everything together. For Porsche parts, it's a bargain

Thanks for posting the tech bulletin. I know why it's not in the US - the line "In the event of the complaint "Blue smoke emitted by engine", a modified oil separator for the positive crankcase ventilation is to be retrofitted." would have caused almost every Boxster to already have one installed. :lol: From reading the bulletin, it sounds quite doable on the Boxster. I originally saw the Motorsports AOS referenced on the Cayman Club, and then the PCA tech Q&A has a non-answer on the subject, then I saw it referenced again on 986forum. The PCA tech Q&A said it wasn't a motorsports part and could be ordered by any dealer. The last time I called Sunset to order parts, they quoted me around $490 for the part, and said they could get it. I think I'll wait until mine needs replacing before I decide what to do about it.

I've seen reference to the Porsche Motorsports air oil separator elsewhere (Porsche part number is 996 107 926 00), but have never seen anything conclusive on whether it will fit on a 986, or what's involved in making it fit. Supposedly it is more robust and has dual chambers. It's also massive relative to the stock AOS, as well as being more expensive (like in the $500 range). Anyone ever try this or have any idea if it will work on a Boxster? If it does work, then Porsche really does have a cure for smoking :D

This makes it very easy and costs $4 at Harbor Freight - Right angle screwdriver

2008 model year is a facelift, so probably nothing significant for the next several years. New engines (direct ignition) and new headlights. I'm very pleasantly surprised at the mileage I've been getting with my '08 S - upwards of 20 MPG on the highway per the OBC on a few occasions. Window sticker says only 19 on the highway. I don't think the earlier V8s did as well

Carlos - congratulations on your upcoming upgrade to an enjoyable job and being paid to hang out around gorgeous cars all day! Have you started to plan any Porsche work-on-car days or tech sessions at your new place of employment so those of us here in So Cal aren't quite as jealous of all the Nor Cal events?

What was interesting is that the Porsche announcement indicated that Magna Steyr will not just take over assembly, but also take on some development work for Porsche as part of the deal. Porsche used to do design work for other car manufacturers, and now Magna Steyr does design work for Porsche! BMW used Magna Steyr to design and build most of the BMW X3, and supposedly will be shifting X3 production to the US in the future. Really makes car branding in the future confusing! What is also interesting about Magna Steyr is they are scheduled to assemble the Aston Martin Rapide, which will be a Porsche Panamera competitor. I can't wait to see the build quality comparisons when all the cars are in full production.

Take a look at the CTEK 3300 battery charger users guide All the CTEK manuals are at http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Support.aspx The Porsche battery maintainer is essentially the CTEK 3300 with the Porsche name on it and the cigarette lighter plug adapter as standard. A bit of price difference too. The AGM charging mode is the colder temperature charging setting, not the motorcycle setting. It's 14.7 volts and 3.3 amps. See page 8 of the manual for battery types and settings

Softronic supposedly has the capability to revert to the original Porsche firmware if there's any problem. I've heard good things about them on some of the other Porsche boards. You could check on rennlist or 6speedonline. Scott Slauson (PCA Boxster tech lead and Porsche mechanic) is one of the key people in the company

I have 3 battery maintainers - the original Porsche black charge-o-mat, the Deltran Battery Tender Plus and a new CTEK 7000. I use them all. The newer style Porsche charger/maintainer is the same as the CTEK 3300. The Battery Tender and the CTEK chargers don't come with the cigarette lighter adapter - you have to buy that as an extra. The CTEK 7000 is a little fancier than the 3300. If you buy the CTEK 3300, it's about half the price of buying the Porsche branded version Any "smart" battery maintainer will work just fine. You want one that stops charging when the battery is "full" and will go into maintenance mode. Plugging into the cigarette lighter is the easiest. The original Porsche one, Porsche or unbranded CTEK ones, or the Battery Maintainer are all decent quality and I can't tell much difference in terms of battery staying fully charged when not driving a car for several weeks. I found Amazon has the best prices for a retailer for the CTEK ones (just don't expect any customer support), and you can order through the Renntech Amazon store under the Special Offers menu at the top of each page. If you buy the CTEK one, make sure you buy the "comfort connect" cigarette lighter adapter and not the old style. Also, if your car is parked outside, make sure you get something that is waterproof and will stand up to the elements When I bought our new Cayenne recently, I asked the salesman about solar powered battery maintainers. Audis used to come with them, but don't any more. VW part number 1C0 915 687 is a 170 mA solar cell based battery maintainer that you can use to maintain your battery if there's no power outlet available. Apparently that's what VW uses (or used to) to keep new Beetles' batteries charged while on the ship to avoid dead batteries upon arrival in port