just bought a boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

michel(houston) · 12-30-2008, 05:19 PM

hey guys.. i m new to this forum... i have a nissan 300zx TT, and just got a black boxster (non-S) with 33k miles, in top notch condition.. i had not even driven it for 20 miles when i saw coolant squirting right next to the rright rear wheel.. so i wait for it to cool down, call the towing , and go to a mechanic.. he knows nothing about porsches ( me neither) , and after none of us knew how to reach the engine, we put some coolant and the surprise is : no leaking at the garage.. he said that one of the hoses might be leaking.. i talked to the dealer 1000 miles away and he swore that the car had never leaked..
my question is : what do i do now? do i buy a warranty from warranty direct ( they are asking for 2400 for 13 k miles) and take it to the dealer? do i just drive and wait to see if it overheats? do i take it to another porsche specialist and see what he says?
i mean i have not even driven the car for 20 miles !!

is this a common problem.. again excuse my ignorance but never had a porsche and don t know much about it ..
thanks
michel

12-30-2008, 05:38 PM

welcome aboard - sorry to hear about your car!

one suggestion - some states have laws that protect you from this...might be worth checking our states dmv site...you might be covered??

Quote:

Originally Posted by michel(houston)

and after none of us knew how to reach the engine, we put some coolant and the surprise is : no leaking at the garage.. he said that one of the hoses might be leaking.. i talked to the dealer 1000 miles away and he swore that the car had never leaked..
michel

tboyer · 12-30-2008, 05:46 PM

Hey Michel, welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about your bad luck. Unfortunately many used Boxster's are sold with some "hidden" issues, the coolant/expansion tank located in the trunk including the hoses and water pump are common reasons for leaking coolant. The leak may be under the carpet in the trunk. Click here for a post I started with a similar issue

Regarding the warranty, we had some traffic on that topic today, click here to view traffic

rick3000 · 12-30-2008, 10:05 PM

Welcome to the Forum!

I am sorry to hear about your car, but I would not be too concerned. Within a week of getting my car I had a vacuum leak and the dealer had to replace a hose. What had happened was the guy who traded it in hadn't driven it for a few months before selling it and the coolant had crystalized. Since then I have had no serious problems, just common stuff, like having to replace the seat belt buckle switch.

fasterjames · 12-31-2008, 09:06 AM

Sorry to hear about your shock. Happened to me too after a 60K service, lost about a 1/2 gallon of coolant. Was it a steady stream of coolant as if your Boxster lifted its hind leg?

If so then you probably don't have a big problem at all. What 'probably' happened is that someone opened the coolant cap to check it but didn't put it back on straight. Very common. If not threaded just right and the motor gets hot it will shoot coolant by the right rear wheel after you shut off the motor.

There has been at least one cap upgrade by Porsche. Sometimes the old one leaked similar to what happened to you. Call a dealer to make sure you have the newest style.

If this happened while driving you probably have a more serious issue like the coolant tank is leaking.

Congrats on the new car, you will love it!. Also don't get too hung up on the problems you see on the message board. It will take away from the incredible experience of owning your Boxster.

ISUnorth · 12-31-2008, 08:56 PM

Doesn't sound like it is leaking but rather overflowing. The overflow "exits" by the right rear wheel. I had this happen to me soon after I bought my '02 this spring. I tried the cheap fix first and bought a new cap. No problems since.

rzucchet · 01-01-2009, 07:32 AM

Had the same experience with my '03. Read a few posts on this forum and decided to get a new coolant cap. No issues since.

It may be your problem is a bit more serious, like a cracked coolant tank, or something else, but the cap is the culprit most of the time, and it's a simple fix. Good luck!

djomlas · 01-01-2009, 12:51 PM

the first and cheapest problem would be a new cap, check the ending number and report back, happened to me as well, new cap and $12 later, all good.
theres a thread in DIY section where there is a coolant flush set of instructions with pictures.

tboyer · 01-02-2009, 02:54 AM

Buying tip of the day; expansion tanks that are dulling and appear yellowish are very close to being either cracked and not leaking yet, or leaking and hiding the result in the trunk.

Of course you can see the difference between an older tank and a newer. The top tank looks yellowish and worn out, the lower tank looks clear and intact. I've purchased 2 Boxsters with yellowish tanks, both needed replacement within 1000 miles of ownership.