New In the Club...

[BLK-300]

Hello Everybody...

Two weeks ago I became a happy owner of 1998 Boxster 2.5.

I used to ride motorcycles, but 6 may 2010, I lost a friend of mine in a motorcycle accident, as he died in my hands I can not ride any more. Therefore wanted to swap one hobby with another.

I was looking at various cars, Audi TT, BMW Z3, SLK, CLK, but non of them could give me the feeling I was after. Suddenly Porsche Boxster popped up for sale. I went to see and fall in Love. It is not the most powerful car, but the way it handles, and the sensation it gives while driving it is unbelievable. So, I bought one. as already said it is 1998, 2.5L, with 71000 km.

I am new to this forum, this is why introducing myself, and open for any comments, recommendations, suggestions how to improve, tune, make more beautifull, upgrade with accessories and etc.

[Burg Boxster]

Welcome to the 986forum!

So sorry for the loss of your friend and completely understand why you would make the swap after that experience.

You'll find a great group here and lots of info on how to modify your Boxster to maximize it's performance. To maximize yours, sign w/ the local PCA chapter and get involved in the numerous Driver's Ed and AutoCross events.

Enjoy your new ride

[BLK-300]

Can you tell me one thing, all these talks about the Engine blow. Is it real story and what can be done to avoid this.

[Burg Boxster]

[crack - and the can of worms open]

Ok, here's my take on the whole thing, which is sure to create another lengthy debate but here it goes.

Like any car, the Boxster has some weak points and some strong ones. Remember though, on the internet everything tends to be a 'big deal'. Specifically regarding your question, yes there have been some motors that have blown. Again, just like any other car. The rub here though is a 'new' crated motor from Porsche (w/o any assistance $$) will run ~ $13-20k. Not a pleasant thought, obviously. Once you're out of warranty, regardless of mileage, there doesn't appear to be much rhyme or reason as to who Porsche offers assistance to and who they don't. I suspect dealer and brand loyalty plays a very big part but who knows.

Now, no one knows the real incidence b/c, shockingly, Porsche ain't telling. Sometimes the failures happen to garage queens, other times to those driven daily or driven hard at the track. Some have north of 100k on the clock, others under 10k. There are some cars here and on other forums that have over 250k on the clock and have never had issues - other have had issues w/ two separate Boxsters. Go figure.

So, some people want you to believe the incidence rate can be as high as 20%. Surely if it were even 1/2 of that the USDOT, NHTSA, FTC, CPSC, AG, Ralph Nader, etc. would be ALL over PCNA & PAG. Say for instance how they are w/ Toyota these days for what so far is turning out to be driver error in the unintended acceleration reports / accidents.

What are the issues? Well, there are a few more common ones - d-chunk failure, porous block, slipped sleeves, RMS and of course the dreaded IMS. I leave you to do a search for definitions of each.

So, what can you do?

Aftermarket Warranty:
Well, if you think an aftermkt warranty is a good idea, feel free to get one. Personally, I do not and prefer to self-insure. If you want to go this route - DO TONS OF HOMEWORK as the majority of these companies quickly go out of biz or find every reason in the world to exclude your claim. Again, lots of research...

IMS retrofit: [bigger can of worms opening]
There is a company (on the forum here so I'm sure you'll come across) that makes a 'retrofit kit' which claims to be beefier and better than the OEM IMS. You can have one of these put in if you like, and some have. Otherwise this topic has been discussed ad nauseam but to my understanding this aftermkt new/improved/revised part does not have any long term/high mileage independent results verifying it's claims to be better than OEM. Again, research and make up you own mind.

Bottom line, stay on top of the maintenance - regular and preventative. I would recommend parting ways w/ the Porsche recommendations on oil changes in 2 parts. One being frequency - even though the sump is 9+ qts, treat it like most other cars and instead change it every 5,000-7,500 miles. Secondly, especially if you have any RMS weeping, switch to a heavier grade oil (and possibly as some others have - something other than Mobil1).

Otherwise, the best advice is: drive and enjoy your new car. And do it often. The Boxster is an awesome platform for both driving and for wrenching on. Get a Bentley manual for it so you can do a lot of maintenance yourself - it truly is one of the easiest platforms to work on.

FWIW - Here's are some very comprehensive / concise sites w/ tons of links and/or instructions for maintenance and mods on the Boxster:

Pedro's Garage - DIY Projects

Pedro's Garage - Technical Articles

Mike Focke's Boxster Page

Incidentally, both of these gentlemen frequent this forum often and are always willing to gladly help out other Porsche, and specifically Boxster, owners.

Again congrats and enjoy your car.

[jmatta]

Change your oil frequently (5-6000 miles), use at least 5W40 good quality synthetic and drive it good and hard. The cars that "seem" to have the most problems are driven at low RPM and lugged in gear. Hopefully you have maintenance records with your new ride; if any doubt, install the LN IMS bearing and forget about it.

[Lil bastard]

BB and JM pretty much summed it up.

One point, for the early cars (such as the one you are looking at), IMS issues are pretty rare.

These cars were built before Porsche modified the bearing arrangement. Perhaps not totally immune, but much more of a rarity than the later cars.

Cheers!

[BLK-300]

Guys, thank you very much for the comments...

i just experienced very bad thing. i was driving about 120 km/hr in the third gear. and suddenly my clutch died. Got it to the workshop. There is no dealer in my country.

When I have more time, will tell you about reasons, consequences and cost of repair.

[Mike_Yi]

For future reference:
non-Dealer shops

[Mark_T]

By died, do you mean you preseed the pedal to the floor and it stayed there? If so, there is tons of information here on dealing with it. If you're lucky, like I was, it is just a ruptured line.

Mark

[jcb986]

Originally Posted by BLK-300

Guys, thank you very much for the comments...

i just experienced very bad thing. i was driving about 120 km/hr in the third gear. and suddenly my clutch died. Got it to the workshop. There is no dealer in my country.

When I have more time, will tell you about reasons, consequences and cost of repair.

Glad too see your driving a Porsche for what it is made for...SPEED. Maybe you should have PPI inspection to see if anything else can fell.

[BLK-300]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

By died, do you mean you preseed the pedal to the floor and it stayed there? If so, there is tons of information here on dealing with it. If you're lucky, like I was, it is just a ruptured line.

Mark

Actually yes, then it popped up, but while pressing I could not change the gear. If I stop the car, and turn it off, then I am able. When I press clutch put in the gear and realease the clutch the car is not moving. Luckely, I have found a person in my city, who knows Boxster and how to fix it. I was told most probably it is clutch disk (Ferado, don't know the precise name in English).

I have found clutch kit, on ebay for about 350 USD, from SACHS.

Also, I read here about the problem which my car has. This is idling problem. When I drive at a low speed, less then 10 km/hr, before turn or at traffic light, sudunly RPM's go down and cars is stopped, so I have to restart it, and now problem.

As I understood, and I was told, this could be 1. Air filter. 2. Fuel filter. and injection system needs to be cleaned. I am ordering the filters, and will try to clean the injection system as well. Will report on the solution.

Is there anywhere the Bentley Manual for free????

[backman_z]

Welcome.

Sorry to here about your friend. I can understand you selling your bike after something like that. I had a Honda Magna. Low rider bike with the racing engine Lots of fun. I sold it just before my wife got pregnant. She was concerned about the safety issue and didn't want to be a single mom. I sold it to make her happy.

Now, I have a Boxster instead, I call it Roxanne - it is my other woman, so to speak. Love it. If I could trade Roxanne back for my bike, not a chance. Love the car way more.

Sorry to here about you troubles on the new car. Hope it works out for you.

Show us some pics of your new ride.

[Gougoushu]

BLK,

I guess you are in Georgia as in Tbilisi, not Georgia as in Atlanta.

Ebay is a good way for you to obtain parts. Be sure to look in ebay uk, ebay deutschland, etc.

These cars are not that difficult to work on. Sounds like you found someone you trust. If you are not a mechanic, anyone you know who has had success on other cars will be able to figure out most things.

I downloaded the manual from Boxa.net. Not sure it's still there.

[BLK-300]

Yes, I am - Georgia, Tbilisi, to be more precise, I am from Batumi (Second big city in Georgia on the Black sea coast).

I didn't have enough time to take picture of the car. This is the only one on the day I bought it and drove home.

Two weeks after the purchase... I planned to go on my first long trip (from Georgia to Turkey on my Porsche) and show it to the Service there. But the clutch failed on the way to the border ;(..