Some new owner questions -- seeking feedback
 

First up, I've been hanging out here a while even though this is my first post. I appreciate the excellent feedback and advise which I hope has lead me to make a quality decision.

Here's my new ride (and first p-car):

2002 Boxster S. 12K miles. Fairly loaded (PSM, Cruise, Sport package, Heated Seats, etc.). The car was in excellent shape (I couldn't find any flaws) and drives great. After a successful PPI (good brake pads, tight steering/clutch, "clean" RMS, etc.), I made the purchase.

:cheers:

Now I want to get off on the right foot with maintenance, so I'm seeking feedback on my situation & what folks recommend I do.

The PPI did reveal some dry rot on the front tires. They are original to the car and will be replaced. The rears have been replaced somewhat recently and I plan to keep them for another 10K miles (or who knows). Any issues or suggestions on this? Any concern with newer tires on the front?

Second, the PPI showed some that at one point a mouse has made a home in the air filter (front hood - cabin filter?). We'll get that replaced. The individual who I bought the car from bought it certified about 15 months ago, so at that time we deduce that a lot of maintence was done (brake fluid, oil, etc.). So, my real question is based on my current situation, what to folks recommend? I am thinking about the following:

1 - New front tires.
2 - Oil, Brake fluid change
3 - Cabin filter

What else typically needs to be replaced on a 6 year old low mileage car? Fuel filter? Any hoses in particular risk? Battery is newer.

Any other maintence or suggestions for me? I do want to figure out how to clean the leather (seats, etc.). Even though I plan to Lexol, but if anyone has a suggestion to pretty up the inside of the Boxster to "showroom" condition I would welcome the suggestion.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Thanks!

Mike

maybe a coolant flush, brake/clutch fluid flush?

I would change the oil, brake fluid and inspect the cabin/engine filter. If they need to be replaced do so. The engine oil should be replaced yearly regardless of mileage and every 2 yrs or so on the brake fluid. Without documentation you can't be sure what was replaced/serviced and what wasn't, so I would play it safe and make sure all your bases are covered. Replace the front tire with the same brand/model used on the back.

hi' - congrats on the car ! sounds like you got a good one!

make sure your coolant cap ends with serial .01 (if not its a 20$ upgrade), you could also check the actual tank for hairline cracks - this is very common on 6 year old boxsters... I happened to my car and ended up costing me a new water pump also + a scary experience with a a lot of coolant dropping from my car !

if you do not have any oil drip whatsoever I would only look to filters and make sure to change all oils and important fluids :)

Things you can 'expect' to cause problems within a few years could be the MAF (try cleaning first) and the AOS they tend to cause problems... search the forum about this, this is very well documented in case you don't already know everything about this :)

Enjoy the car as much as possible :cheers:
Personally I am looking hard for a black hardtop for my car so I can bring it into the winter season.

Regarding leather I can really recommend ColorPlus.com

They sell a excellent cleaner which got the darkness out of my seats. I then applied their soffner and wasnt expecting much as my seats allready felt 'soft' but I was very surprised to experience they got a lot nicer. My next step is their leather color which is mixed from original Porsche color codes to match - I have savannah and I really hope this can perform a small miracle and bring the savannah color back to life... it's a bit expensive though but well worth it!

Another interiour upgrade I really like is a new style steering wheel. If you have the old style 4 spoke wheel, upgrading it to the 3 spoke really made a difference for me.

I don't like the alu packages much (too plastic) of course that is an option, I have seen people who do the paint job themselves with better results imho. One alu upgrade that many prefer is the alu dial bezels or white dials - both cheap.

Painted center console to match the color of your car perhaps ?

www.design911.co.uk has a pretty big selection of Boxster interior and exterior upgrades - my next will probably be new exterior air vents.

And please post pics of the car :)

I can't post pictures becauser I'm too busy driving it to stop and take some photos... I can't belive how much I like this car! I will get some pictures put up shortly.

Thank you (and the other posters) for the initial feedback.

Mike

Your right, need some pictures:

Hey Mike,

Welcome. The car looks great. If it doesn't have floormats, you should get a nice set before you grunge up the light colored carpet.

Where are you in Jersey? I grew up across the bridge in Philly.

agreed! very nice!!! :cheers:
i've got that carpet color and i've got floor mats. make that your next purchase as new mats increase your hp by 2 points :D :D :D

I'm in Chatham, NJ. I bit further north.

Regarding carpets -- I will pick them up right away. Not sure what happened, I suspect that the prior owner tossed them instead of trying to clean them.

Update:

Well my glorious September has turned a bit cloudy so far here in October.

The Boxster did marvelously for a while, but its started to run a bit "ragged" over the past week. No doubt I've driven it more in the last month then at any other point in its life. At first I thought I was imagining it, but I am not. The CEL hasn't come on, but I'm sure it will if I keep driving it (which I'm not).

I suspect an AOS issue. I occasionaly have a little more smoke at start-up than anyone could consider "normal". Also at start up, the idle is a bit irratic. While driving the exhaust isn't quite right. IF you lift your foot on the throttle, there is an exhaust "burble" as you de-accelerate. This is likely a throttle body issue -- hopefully caused by a failed AOS. I say hopefully, because I've been able to read on this forum about a failed AOS and the symptoms to know that its a relatively easy fix.

I was hoping to be proactive and stay ahead of these things -- oh, well.

I've made an appointment to bring it into a dealership for a check-up & we'll see what's up.

Also, funny smell & "snap/crackle/pop" in exhaust. Suspecting a dead cat too. Need to work on root cause.

By the way, my 7 year old was horrified about the dead cat.

Mike

Very nice ride! I still love the black! You're about to learn a lot about Zaino with that color! Welcome aboard and enjoy!

Mike,

Have you considered that the converters might be bad. They will cause the car to be sluggish as hell, idle poorly, make noise and smell bad, like sulfur. That might explain why you don't have a CEL as the converters are downstream. Just a thought...

The car had a minor code for a knock sensor. The dealer thinks that it was caused by some bad gas. Oh, and the heat shield is "tingley" when hot, which is also fairly normal.

So, this ended up as $109 for the dealer check up and $9 for a bottle of Techron. Both of which I gladly paid.

I also got very firm instructions to fill it with tier 1 premium gas and run it hard. I'm happy to oblige.

The car feels like new tonight, so I'll assume they're right...