New Bosxter Owner... With problems.

[jcsaus]

Hey All,

New to the site and new owner of a 1998 Boxster, (110k km) 68k miles, and When i bought it, she was fantastic, drove like a dream and all the rest that draws us in.

But now after 1 months, im having problems with my right window, it doesn't open that inch or so when I open the door, as well as I'm having some troubles with the roof; Some times it works, sometimes it doesn't. Which is quite annoying if its open and rain is close.

Also, the boot has a mind of its own, it pops open in, a what seems random to me.

The car came with 12 months warranty from an external warranty company and as far as I know it covers most things, but I was wondering if anyone had a rough idea as to what was going on? and how much it is going to cost me? As I'm slightly mechanically challenged I dont want to go to the Service centre and be taken for a ride, and get ripped off.

If anyone has any other advice about performance upgrades imparticular, or anything to a knew owner, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks alot, and looking forward to the convos.

James.

Melbourne, Australia

[rick3000]

Welcome to the Forum!

It sounds like an ignition microswitch problem to me. The switches tend to go bad after a while and cause all sorts of weird problems. It is a fairly simple fix, and the part is only $30-40 US.

[Burg Boxster]

James -

Welcome and congrats on your new to you Boxster.

I highly doubt it's the ignition. Sounds more like you have a couple of common issues which all reared their ugly head at the same time.

Passenger door window...
Does the window not drop when pulling from the inside handle, outside handle or both? This will help to determine if it's just the door microswitch issue (which one specifically) or the window regulator. Sounds like driver's door is ok, correct?

Top not functioning...
There are multiple causes for this. Most common would be the emergency brake switch. Is the e-brake light coming on when you pull up the handle and the top won't work? If it's not coming on, it's a simple switch which should be replaced. In a pinch you can pull the handle up multiple times, fast, slow, all the way or part way to try and get it to light up.

If the light is coming on, then the next most likely place is the microswitch in the windshield header (where the conv top latches when up). A simple test here is to have the car running and put your finger in the latch hole the top locks into (there will be a metal cover you'll push in and fell slightly click). Now, roll your windows up all the way. Remove finger from hole. Do both windows drop? Test repeatedly - do windows drop each time? If so, should be good here as well.

Finally, the next most likely culprit could be the relay for the top in the footwell. It's the only double sized relay. When the top won't open or close, try to tap on it a few times to see if this actuates it.

There are a couple of other possibilities but these are the more common ones so please test or let us know more of the symptoms or results to test above.

Boot opening...
B/c we have a language difference, what specifically are you calling the boot? Front hood/trunk cover, rear trunk/hood or clamshell for the convertible top. On a '98, front hood is 100% manually driven/opened. Rear has a manual release as well as electrical/remote from key fob actuating a motor. Clamshell is mechanical but driven in unison w/ the convertible top. Please explain more.

Sounds like you have a good warranty which should cover most of these issues. As such, you should only have to pay the deductible if any on the repairs. If your warranty doesn't list the above as covered, then not to worry, most of us have seen these issues before and give you instructions or links on how to fix it yourself...even if you're not 100% comfortable w/ tools.

Please let us know the answers to the above and we can help you further so you don't get taken advantage of from the repair center.

[RandallNeighbour]

Trust me on this piece of advice:

Don't mod the car for a couple of years. You will need the cash for repairs... unless the PO replaced the struts, wheel bearings, control arms, brake disks, coolant tank reservoir, primary radiator fan, and the list goes on.

If I were you, I'd get the car picked over very very carefully every two months by an experienced Boxster mechanic (not just a porsche guy, but someone who knows boxsters) to drain that warranty for all its worth.

100k boxsters are really expensive to keep running. I know. I own one.

[Lil bastard]

SERIOUSLY... I'd listen to Randall! Unfortunately... HE KNOWS!!!

[teacher]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Trust me on this piece of advice:

Don't mod the car for a couple of years. You will need the cash for repairs... unless the PO replaced the struts, wheel bearings, control arms, brake disks, coolant tank reservoir, primary radiator fan, and the list goes on.

If I were you, I'd get the car picked over very very carefully every two months by an experienced Boxster mechanic (not just a porsche guy, but someone who knows boxsters) to drain that warranty for all its worth.

100k boxsters are really expensive to keep running. I know. I own one.

Now that I paid off the car, I was thinking about mods...now, I serviced my car big time and all that...when can I expect the next failure? *lol* half funny, half serious, my 2001 Boxster has 57,000 miles...and I even had all leaks addressed. Tell us all about your experience in your car. My car? I would not trade it for the world, esp. given that I put all the $ into it...just curious
BTW, I put in a half quart of oil after 500 miles, is this normal? what is the normal time between adding oil? Thanks

[Jaxonalden]

Originally Posted by teacher

"...BTW, I put in a half quart of oil after 500 miles, is this normal? what is the normal time between adding oil? Thanks

The rule of thumb is 1 qt in 1000 miles, your good to go.

[FTD]

Congrats on your great car and welcome to the forum.

Regarding oil, I have never needed to add oil between changes, but I have an '04 and that may be a difference. Dunno. However, one tip I learned is to keep the oil level about .5 quart below full, especially if you are tracking it. I concluded this on my own after 'an experience', and discussed it with a driver in Porsche Club Racing and he said he did the same thing.

Have fun!

[Paul]

In regards to the window, if after you force the door open, you can then push the window down an 1/2 inch by hand, you need a new window regulator.

Here's a great how to:

http://www.bombaydigital.com/boxster/projects/window/

[jcsaus]

Thanks all for your help, I sent the car in, and as expected, 'Burg Boxster' you were right with the passenger door window. However I didn't have time to check out the top, tho when I asked which switch was the culprit, and apparently it was the rely in the footwell.

In terms of the boot (rear trunk) all that was wrong was the trunk release cable was a little bit tight, and caused the boot to open with any bump. So problem was fixed for $55 aus.

Randall, thanks for the advice, the dyno was done for me free of charge so i'll have a look, cant hurt. But I will take the advice given and hold out for a little while, but I'm not to sure i'll be able to with stand the urges for that little bit of extra hp...

I have asked my mechanic (who came highly recommended from Porsche) to go over the car as finely as possible and grab everything that can be covered under the warranty and let me know what else needs to be done or could be done before anything escalates to far.


All up, including a service, it cost me $645aus Including an AirCon leak fix, and top up, minor service, brakes shaved back a bit (to stop squealing) and all problems spoken about previously.

The service was $375aus

The roof wasn't covered in the warranty.

So all in all, not to bad... Little bit scared to see how much anything on the dyno is going to cost hahaha.