Hey guys,
I bought my 02 boxster with 50k miles on it about half a year ago. I bought it when I was 18 years old and I'm still largely ignorant about the technical aspects of ownership.
I have spent about $3,600 already replacing the headlight assemblies (one was cracked and they both looked terribly yellowed/foggy), replacing the convertible top, replacing the brake pads, replacing the rear tires, and touching up paint.
Recently the temperature gauge started blinking. Someone incorrectly told me it was tire pressure monitor :/
The temperature light would flash intermittently, slowly. I ran it slightly hot for probably two months, and one day white smoke randomly spewed out of my exhaust while I was driving. The temperature light blinked like crazy for the first time. I drove less than 20 minutes this way before I parked at home and left it there to be towed the next morning.
I brought it to a non dealership mechanic who said the thermostat FAILED, which caused the engine to overheat. The headgasket got blown/cracked and needs to be replaced. I guess I just got unlucky that the thermostat failed in the first place?
Upon inspection he is also telling me that I need to replace my water pump which intermittently leaks a little bit (or so he says) and my serpentine belt. My question is, if I actually need to do that, why did the dealership not tell me when they initially inspected it less than 10k miles ago?
So does this all make sense to you all? The car only has 60,000 miles at this point but it is over a decade old.
I am getting the following done:
- Thermostat replaced/fixed
- Head gasket replaced/fixed
- Serpentine belt replaced
- Water pump fixed
- Brakes have been squeaking, he says if he does the work he'll fix that for free with a simple application of some kind of lubricant to the brake pads
- Front right headlight has been loose and actually FELL OUT once, he is going to do a quick fix to make sure it doesn't fall out. Again, this is free instead of the Porsche dealership's alternative of fixing it by replacing the holster/chassis of the headlight compartment for about $400ish
This is going to cost me $2,100. Does that sound like a good deal? Are all the repairs necessary? The repair costs so far have been kind of overwhelming, considering that I've spent close to $6,000 in less than half a year of ownership!
Cheers!