'05 Boxster S - Weird Problems

[Barbourman]

Hi Renntech Forums - first time poster here.

Back in June, I decided to fulfill a dream of mine and buy a Porsche. I looked long and hard and settled on a great deal I found at a reputable Tulsa dealer. Single-owner Metallic Black 20,000 miles 19" Carrera rims/tires Boxster "S". I got it at such a good price that I just knew I could drive it for a while and even make a few bucks on the sale whenever I got my feel of it.

Well, I did become addicted to the car. I did not want to sell it. Everything was going great. Now... 6 months later... I have noticed a few strange quirks/problems. I would love some feedback from you experienced Porsche enthusiasts, please. I'm at a loss, as I did not purchase the aftermarket warranty.

Issues listed below:

1 - I noticed this problem relatively soon after purchase, if not prior to purchase. When cutting the wheel as sharp as possible while moving forward or backward, it hangs up on something that feels as if the tire is hitting the inside of the wheelwell (which is why I originally dismissed it, thinking the tires were too big to turn as sharp as possible). Turns out, it is not hitting the wheelwell. I had a mechanical friend check it out, without taking anything apart, and he thought it was the ball joint at first. Then he put the car on the lift and ruled that out. Anyways, this is very noticeable and goes "clunk, clunk, clunk" while moving really slow and turning sharp. You can definitely feel it.

2 - Also very soon after purchase, I was closing the convertible top and noticed that it was somewhat difficult to shut the roof latch to lock in place. Well, I got it shut, very tightly, which I found out later that it had stretched some part of the assembly. It now typcially does not want to fall into place when shutting. It is very easy to reach outside the window and guide it into the rubber gutter window guard when closing the top, but once again, it is an issue.

3 - Just yesterday I was getting gas on the way to a Christmas party. Pulled up next to a beautiful top-end 911. I wasn't paying attention nor notice that my doors were locked, because I was checking out the nice car. When I pulled the door handle to get out of the car, since it was locked, it only unlocked the doors. Well, I pulled too hard and it make a stretching-clicking sound. Now the door handle does not snugly fall back into place. Also, the window won't always self-adjust back into place once the door's shut, because the car knows the door handle is semi-open. Did you know that the window will force back into place once you hit 35mph? It does.

There is more that has gone wrong with this car. I don't want to list all of the problems because this is already lengthy enough (thanks for reading this post).

Any ideas/comments/info/suggestions/experiences for any/all of the above screw-ups? I thought German engineering was more solid than this!!

Thanks for any help,

Barbourman

[Nontechmike]

I'll do the easy one. Your first point - you can stop worrying as they all do that. Its to do with the geometry of the suspension and there is nothing wrong, Your other 2 points are more difficult and I'll have to leave that to someone more knowledgable than me.

Regards, Mike

[Barbourman]

I'll do the easy one. Your first point - you can stop worrying as they all do that. Its to do with the geometry of the suspension and there is nothing wrong, Your other 2 points are more difficult and I'll have to leave that to someone more knowledgable than me.

Regards, Mike

Thanks. Feeling a bit better already.

Something else I forgot to mention is the rare rattling of the engine on a very cold startup. I know something has to be wrong there. Its a head-turner as much as the body of the car itself.

All this said, I still love the car.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Barbourman

[1schoir]

Hi Renntech Forums - first time poster here.

Back in June, I decided to fulfill a dream of mine and buy a Porsche. I looked long and hard and settled on a great deal I found at a reputable Tulsa dealer. Single-owner Metallic Black 20,000 miles 19" Carrera rims/tires Boxster "S". I got it at such a good price that I just knew I could drive it for a while and even make a few bucks on the sale whenever I got my feel of it.

Well, I did become addicted to the car. I did not want to sell it. Everything was going great. Now... 6 months later... I have noticed a few strange quirks/problems. I would love some feedback from you experienced Porsche enthusiasts, please. I'm at a loss, as I did not purchase the aftermarket warranty.

Issues listed below:

1 - I noticed this problem relatively soon after purchase, if not prior to purchase. When cutting the wheel as sharp as possible while moving forward or backward, it hangs up on something that feels as if the tire is hitting the inside of the wheelwell (which is why I originally dismissed it, thinking the tires were too big to turn as sharp as possible). Turns out, it is not hitting the wheelwell. I had a mechanical friend check it out, without taking anything apart, and he thought it was the ball joint at first. Then he put the car on the lift and ruled that out. Anyways, this is very noticeable and goes "clunk, clunk, clunk" while moving really slow and turning sharp. You can definitely feel it.

2 - Also very soon after purchase, I was closing the convertible top and noticed that it was somewhat difficult to shut the roof latch to lock in place. Well, I got it shut, very tightly, which I found out later that it had stretched some part of the assembly. It now typcially does not want to fall into place when shutting. It is very easy to reach outside the window and guide it into the rubber gutter window guard when closing the top, but once again, it is an issue.

3 - Just yesterday I was getting gas on the way to a Christmas party. Pulled up next to a beautiful top-end 911. I wasn't paying attention nor notice that my doors were locked, because I was checking out the nice car. When I pulled the door handle to get out of the car, since it was locked, it only unlocked the doors. Well, I pulled too hard and it make a stretching-clicking sound. Now the door handle does not snugly fall back into place. Also, the window won't always self-adjust back into place once the door's shut, because the car knows the door handle is semi-open. Did you know that the window will force back into place once you hit 35mph? It does.

There is more that has gone wrong with this car. I don't want to list all of the problems because this is already lengthy enough (thanks for reading this post).

Any ideas/comments/info/suggestions/experiences for any/all of the above screw-ups? I thought German engineering was more solid than this!!

Thanks for any help,

Barbourman

Barbour:

I agree with Nontechmike on the answer for number 1.

For number 2, take a look at this write-up called "When the Top Edge Does Not Fall into the Guide Channels" and you should be able to cure that annoying problem: http://sites.google....e%26replacement

Number 3 is not an uncommon problem, but you have to post a few more details on the behavior of the window, e.g., do you get the same (non-) response from the window whether you pull up on the outside or the inside door handle, etc...

From your partial description, it sounds as if the bowden cable behind the door panel that is attached to the inner door handle may have broken/frayed or become disconnected. If that is the case, you will have to remove the door panel to investigate and repair, replace or reattach the cable. Do a search here for door panel removal instructions.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited December 9, 2010 by 1schoir

[Barbourman]

Thank you for the link for #2. I will attempt to fix this weekend.

As for #3, the problem is not the window. The problem is that I opened the latch too far while the door was locked and did something to stretch it to where it will not go back in place. The door still opens and shuts, but the latch doesn't look right. I have attached a pic of the offending door handle. You can push it with your finger and make the window lock in place. Let go with your finger, and the window may adjust back down. Hope that helps. And thanks again.

[RFM]

Looks like a broken spring, you will have to remove the trim to take a look what's happen inside.

[Bama]

Do you happen to have Bilstien PSS9s installed on the car. #1 sounds like a missing washer thats supposed to be transfered from the stock strut.

[Barbourman]

Do you happen to have Bilstien PSS9s installed on the car. #1 sounds like a missing washer thats supposed to be transfered from the stock strut.

I didn't install them, and I don't know if the original owner did. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Barbourman]

I'll do the easy one. Your first point - you can stop worrying as they all do that. Its to do with the geometry of the suspension and there is nothing wrong

Hey, I know its been a month or so, but I was wondering if anyone could supply an informative link as to this common Porsche trait? If it happened every time, I could just write it off, but there are some days where I can't replicate the issue (kind of like losing your sickness symptoms as you sit in the emergency waiting room).

[Barbourman]

I'll do the easy one. Your first point - you can stop worrying as they all do that. Its to do with the geometry of the suspension and there is nothing wrong

Hey, I know its been a month or so, but I was wondering if anyone could supply an informative link as to this common Porsche trait? If it happened every time, I could just write it off, but there are some days where I can't replicate the issue (kind of like losing your sickness symptoms as you sit in the emergency waiting room).

Geometry of the suspension, yes. More specifically, the camber angle. If you were to cut the wheel completely in either direction and get out of the car to observe, you would notice that only about 30% of the inside tire is on the driving surface. This also holds true for the Boxster's sibling, the Cayman.

New tires, new asphalt, warmer temperatures, etc. will improve grip reducing the amount of skid. So, on those cold days, or on that old parking lot, you will experience "skipping" if the wheel is sharply cut at a low speed. Perfectly normal.

Glad that this is cleared up!