I'm getting my car tomorrow morning!

[LoveBunny]

Ahh, I know I'm going to have a heart attack if I scrape up these wheels. I got a tire/wheel warranty, but it does not cover if I'm a bonehead and tear them up parking. I'm trying to get used to how the passenger side mirror angles down when the car is in reverse. As annoying as it is when I am backing up in a normal situation, I think it might really be a good thing for paralell parking.

My friend's dad used to baby his 928 and always parked it on an end spot at work. One day somebody side swiped it. so I guess you can never be too careful.

I thought it was probably best to not keep the clutch depressed like you say, but thanks for clarifying it. It's been years since I owned a car with a manual transmission, but I do seem to recall my dad telling me that when I had one.

I guess it's good that I've only stalled it once so far. Years ago I had a 944. When I had a migraine one day I got my friend to drive it. She killed it five times before she finally got it rolling.

[LoveBunny]

Originally Posted by Sloan

The new car looks fantastic - congratulations! Having just gotten my Boxster about a month ago after years of anticipation, I share in your excitement.

Enjoy it!

I'm in the same boat. I've been wanting one ever since someone I knew got one about five years ago. For the past couple days I've been kind of keyed up all the time and have trouble concentrating on my work because I'm thinking about my car so much.

And I must have seen at least 3 boxsters today driving to and from work, one that was driving behind me for a while. I normally don't see that many. Maybe they are sort of like dogs and start to pack together.

[angman]

Congrats on the car Lovebunny!

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

The clutch should not be depressed unless you are actively changing gears. This means that your foot should be off it when you are sitting at a traffic light. Same goes for coasting to a stop or down a steep hill ... don't depress the clutch while you brake to a stop. It's best to depress clutch, put tranny in neutral, release clutch, and brake simultaneously to a stop.

Randall, are you sure about this. I thought putting the car in neutral while coming to a stop is a complete no no. I think technically its illegal to have the car in neutral whehn on the road here in Vancouver, BC (I could be wrong since my drivers written exam was done over 16 years ago). Being in neutral is dangerous as you won't be in gear if you need to avoid accelerate to avoid an accident etc. I rode a few motorcycles before as well and its even more imortant to be in gear on a bike as you never want to be rear ended by an idiot driver behind you.

Does holding the clutch in actually wear it down? I thought it only wears when you let it slip during engagement of a gear.

[LoveBunny]

I never heard about it being illegal to have your car in neutral while on the road, but it could be some law I don't know about. My mom keeps telling me it's illegal to drive barefoot, but I do it all the time. BTW, it is impossible to drive this car in heels, just in case any of you were considering trying.

[peakpro]

Originally Posted by LoveBunny

Well, I have to say this is the first time I went to the mall and looked for parking spots far away from the entrance. I had space all around me. Plus I had to pee really bad and didn't want to wet my pants in the car.


Today I stalled in traffic like a big idiot. Some guy was behind me blowing the horn and that dang key being on the left side kept throwing me off and I kept turning it the wrong way to restart it. I'm still getting used to the feel of the car and I'm still a little nervous with it, I guess like when you have a new baby or something.

super66, I thought my side vents were going to be black instead of silver, but I think they look okay silver. Maybe I'll change them eventually though.

Same here...first time I stalled I was looking on the right side for the key...people blowing horns....i turned on the cruise control by msitake and didn't know what the dashboards lights were for...

was laughing my head off..

[super66]

lets not talk about stalling....and then the fricken car is so quiet.....I stalled it downtown and didn't even know....and then I had to get used to turning the car off to the left first....then restarting it....it was my first manual car so I couldn't even drive with the radio turned up for months

alright LB, I think they woulf look great....I hesitated on that mod and the clear side markers at first.....but the clears were the best 20 bucks I spent....

and my car had a slurpee thrown at it the 2nd night I had it....awesome....and I scuffed my rim like a moron....awesomer....

[LoveBunny]

At least I'm not the only one that stalled like that. I was actually sort of across two lanes of traffic too so I held up two lanes of angry drivers. I had the radio on so I kept thinking I had the car restarted but really I just kept turning it off again.

I hope nobody throws a slurpee at me!

I did have a little scrape the first day I had it when I pulled into a parking lot that was steeper than I thought. I think I must have scraped the underside of the front spoiler because it's not visible, but it sure was loud.

[senna21]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Hey, don't forget to take it easy on the right foot through the break-in period.

Your car will thank you later, and despite several claims to the contrary, be sure to do an oil change in the next 600-750 mi., it may be the best maintenance money you'll spend.

Don't drive at constant speeds or RPMs and avoid excessive idling 'til you hit 1k on the Odo.

Not to get too far off topic but this has been disproved and is certainly an old wives tale where Porsche's are concered. Porche's been doing a hard break-in for many decades why should she not continue?

[hjkim550]

Congratulations LB!

I was looking at your old thread to see when you would pick up your new ride. BTW, very nice pics... Lil was right about you. The car and your dog is nice as well.
The rims are fantastic.... same as the ones on the Cayman Design Edition 1?

I was pretty excited last May when I finally picked up my car after searching for 4 months. I cannot imagine how excited you are. I have had my car for close to a year now. You have to ask the veterans in this forum but I still have a great time when I take her out for a drive (current weather is not exactly cooperating). Unfortunately, I have had a few dings from idiots who went out of their way to park next to me as well as a scratch near the left rear trunk from a well meaning friend who was trying to put my golf clubs away at a tournament. (Oh, well)

Now you just have to start searching this forum for your next mods and look at all the posts by Perfect Lap to help you keep your black Boxster gleaming.

Enjoy!!

[LoveBunny]

I just looked up a picture of the Cayman Design Edition 1, and yes, they appear to be the same wheels. They are the 19" turbo wheels. I had only seen them on a Cayman when I ordered them but I'm really happy I went with these. Not only do I like the way they look but I like the feel of them.

I'm sure I'll get my share of dents and dings. I'm already planning to actually cut the bush in my driveway that sticks out too far and I NEVER do any landscaping, so that's a first for me. Nor do I ever wash my car, but I think I might just have to start.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by senna21

Not to get too far off topic but this has been disproved and is certainly an old wives tale where Porsche's are concered. Porche's been doing a hard break-in for many decades why should she not continue?

Because the owners manual says not to.

I know there is a school of thought out there that says to rev em high and hard from the get-go, but most of that came from a fabled article on breaking-in rebuilt engines and the article was specifically about motorcycles - http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm .

When the car is new, it's not just the engine which requires break-in. Wheel Bearings, Brake Pads, Rotors, Alternator, AC compressor, Waterpump, even the Belt Pulleys all develop wear patterns in the first several hundred miles. Done right, and it'll minimize repair costs down the road.

I rebuilt the engine on a '63 E-Type about 10 years ago. Once installed and ready to go, I used an electric drill to bring up the oil pressure and once the gauge read 25PSI, we started it, wedged the accelerator to 2800 RPM and let it run for 20 min., then dropped the oil, all per the advice of the leading Jaguar engine Guru in the country. It was broken-in after that point and never hiccup'd once in the 30 k mi. I drove it before selling it. The new owner and I are friends, and he's put another 25k on it without any trouble. But, that was a rebuilt engine, the rest of the car's mechanicals were already broken-in.

People can do what they wish with their cars, no doubt. But, the list of people developing engine problems due specifically to following the manufacturer's break-in recommendations is pretty small.

[hjkim550]

Hey Lil,

Can you educate me a little bit more if you have the inclination and time? Sorry LB, this is definitely off-topic of your hot new ride.

Why the oil change at 650 - 700 miles? I have had brand new Hondas which recommended that I keep the new oil to at least 5,000 miles as it had supposedly "specially formulated" break-in oil that was to help with the break in process. I know I am comparing apples to oranges but why change the oil at 650? Metal fragments, impurities, new motor problems?

Thanks,

[LoveBunny]

I don't mind going off topic. I'm curious about this too.

[hjkim550]

Originally Posted by LoveBunny

Nor do I ever wash my car, but I think I might just have to start.

LB, Never?

Before you start washing or detailing your car, I would search this forum for tips regarding washing and detailing from Perfect Lap. With my previous cars, I haggled and always added free car washing at the dealership as part of my deals. Anytime the car was dirty I just buzzed into the dealership and in 10 mins... clean and pristine car.

However, (hope I am not telling you something you already know... if you know already, just ignore the rest) our P-cars have different clear coats and will scratch if you let those bristles or dirty towels scrape all over your car. I do not know if you ever owned a black car before but not only are they beautiful when properly detailed, they show all kinds of flaws easily. Also, detergent on our convertible tops are not very good for it. I was offered and given free car-washing for my current Boxster. Unfortunately, they use an automatic car-wash and I have not taken it there.... they will just scratch it up. Perfect Lap and others on this forum offer very nice tips on keeping your black car shining like liquid with minimal work.

p.s.... the amber side lights have to go. I was able to pick some up from e-bay for $24 and $15 for a pair of silver coated amber lights. Yup, some clear side lights and your car will be perfect.

[LoveBunny]

So I guess that means I shouldn't run it through the car wash at the Shell station. I'll check through the posts for tips on keeping it clean and healthy. I wish I had a garage, but unfortunately I don't, so I can't avoid it getting dirtier than a lot of cars might get.

[husker boxster]

Sundry thoughts...

Break-in period - my salesman said to keep it under 4K rpms for the first 2K mi. He sells a lot of cars and should know what he's talking about.

Break-in oil - I asked if it had break-in oil and the salesman said no. According to him, it could go the entire period before changing. But you guys have me thinking about changing it. What's $90 for some extra security?

Automatic car washes - avoid them, even the touchless ones. Your car is too low for them and you can damage suspension components (I learned this from experience on my old Box). PLUS, you will nick your wheels going through the track. You don't want to do that to your fantastic wheels.

Enjoy your car LB.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by hjkim550

Hey Lil,

Can you educate me a little bit more if you have the inclination and time? Sorry LB, this is definitely off-topic of your hot new ride.

Why the oil change at 650 - 700 miles? I have had brand new Hondas which recommended that I keep the new oil to at least 5,000 miles as it had supposedly "specially formulated" break-in oil that was to help with the break in process. I know I am comparing apples to oranges but why change the oil at 650? Metal fragments, impurities, new motor problems?

Thanks,

Well, you should follow the Mfgr's recommendations. These are usually well thought through as there's no profit in it for them tell you things that are harmful to your car, especially with today's expanded warranties. Note I said Mfgrs., not necessarily Dealers.

Yea, you got it. Most of the wear to internal parts has occurred by 700 mi. If you sent that Oil for Blackstone analysis, you might find it the most negative report in the life of the car. If you strained the oil, or cut open the filter, you'd probably be able to see some of this metal. Admittedly, this is Old School, but it also makes sense.

Special Break-in oil is usually not necessary. Rebuilders typically use Dino oil for this break-in period, supposedly, not being as slick as a synthetic, it allows the parts to wear-in better.

While I use Dino Oil for an engine break-in, when I have done rebuilds, the reason is not to better break-in the motor, it's just that Dino oil is much less expensive than synthetic. I am Lil bastard, but I'm also a Cheap Bast*rd too...

There are other reasons to take it easy the first 1k mi. or so, as I listed in my last post. But, a couple other things too. A car is an assemblage of many parts - literally thousands of them. When a car is new, all these parts are as yet unproven.

Waaay back in 1970, I bought a Saab Sonnet III - my 1st New car! I had really wanted a 240Z, but the Dealer premium made it about $600 more expensive than the Saab, doesn't seem like much now, but back then, it made a difference.

Anyway, I get everything sorted at the Dealer and drove away. About 3 mi. later, I was turning a corner and the right front wheel just flew off. Not just the wheel, but the whole wheel carrier.

Turned out it was a defect in the casting - so rare that Saab bought the car back from me and shipped it back to Sweden for analysis. Fortunately for me, I took my check and went right to the Datsun Dealership and got the 240Z I had really wanted in the first place.

My point being, if I had gone Tear-Ass*ng out of the Dealership, when this part broke, I might have injured myself or others, the fact that I took it easy meant that only the car suffered.

But you are new to the car too, and that can make a difference. Take time to get to know the car before you start pressing it's limits. We've seen several 'new' owners here have the car get away from them in the 1st few weeks of ownership because they're not used to a car like this.

[LoveBunny]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

But you are new to the car too, and that can make a difference. Take time to get to know the car before you start pressing it's limits. We've seen several 'new' owners here have the car get away from them in the 1st few weeks of ownership because they're not used to a car like this.

Very true. I'm still not to the point where I'm just comfortable driving it and don't have to think as much about what I'm doing. I'm getting there, but I'm still getting used to it. I hope one of my wheels doesn' t fly off though!

[turbo23dog]

All the best on the new ride. X100 on the wheels too.


Rich

[YKS 971]

Good luck. Like the wheels alot.