What did you do with/to your Boxster today?

[palmhero]

I removed all push rods, V-levers, and ball-end rods. Back lid and convertible top are now manual. The whole operation is a lot faster than with an electric motor. You unlatch the roof, get out of the car, raise the lid, lower the roof (neither of them is any heavier than a briefcase), lower the lid and that's it. 10sec maybe, and not minutes like the automatic mode. Observing the damage done to the V-rods... I can safely say this mechanism can not work well. It uses excessive force, applying it to a super fragile soft top. If it's working on your car, good - but it's only a matter of time till the electric motor breaks your roof, bringing a very costly $1000ish repair. Yes, that also usually happens... when rain starts.

[pilut2]

Originally Posted by palmhero

10sec maybe, and not minutes like the automatic mode.

If yours was taking minutes - then there was something seriously wrong. The published number is 12 seconds, which seems accurate.

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by palmhero

I removed all push rods, V-levers, and ball-end rods. Back lid and convertible top are now manual. The whole operation is a lot faster than with an electric motor. You unlatch the roof, get out of the car, raise the lid, lower the roof (neither of them is any heavier than a briefcase), lower the lid and that's it. 10sec maybe, and not minutes like the automatic mode. Observing the damage done to the V-rods... I can safely say this mechanism can not work well. It uses excessive force, applying it to a super fragile soft top. If it's working on your car, good - but it's only a matter of time till the electric motor breaks your roof, bringing a very costly $1000ish repair. Yes, that also usually happens... when rain starts.

So many things wrong, here...

Auto top takes about 12 seconds, not minutes (plus you don't have to get out of the car).
I can safely say the mechanism does work well. Mine is 20 years old and still works perfectly. Doing regular maintenance and lubing things helps.

I'm glad you like it, because that's what matters.
No way I'd trade my beautifully working electric top for manual.

[Zzorro]

Originally Posted by palmhero

I removed all push rods, V-levers, and ball-end rods. Back lid and convertible top are now manual. The whole operation is a lot faster than with an electric motor. You unlatch the roof, get out of the car, raise the lid, lower the roof (neither of them is any heavier than a briefcase), lower the lid and that's it. 10sec maybe, and not minutes like the automatic mode. Observing the damage done to the V-rods... I can safely say this mechanism can not work well. It uses excessive force, applying it to a super fragile soft top. If it's working on your car, good - but it's only a matter of time till the electric motor breaks your roof, bringing a very costly $1000ish repair. Yes, that also usually happens... when rain starts.

I turned mine to manual mode like you did because the rod ends had broke, damaged the drain pans and the messed up my CLU (previous owner). Luckily it starts, runs and drives great, and getting better with all the TLC I'm doing. I still have many electrical gremlins I need to get sorted out (alarm, FOBs / auto locks, electric windows won't roll down etc.). Qumulus on here rebuilds the CLUs with great success and I intend to have him repair the CLU when I get around to it. That should address most of the electrical issues.

While I agree that it's pretty easy to get the top up and down in manual mode, I would have liked to have kept it in auto. It's on my list to rehab this function eventually. But not a priority at the moment.

[palmhero]

it will destroy the car again. I can show you how much damage it did to very heavy duty parts. This thing in insanely overpowered in 986.