New to me 2000 Boxster - what to do out the gate (maintenance)
 

OK, so i picked up a really great condition 2000 Boxster base with 64k miles and a 5 speed transmission. I got a really great deal on the car knowing that the tires needed to be replaced and the brakes all needed to be done.

So, i brought it into my local porsche mechanic (highly recommended by several local folks) and they completed a PPI and a code check. In addition to doing the tires and brakes, they said i should do the following:

-Antifreeze flush/change
-brake fluid flush/change
-investigate an oil leak (not sure what this will uncover)
-replace spark plug tubes and spark plugs
-60k service (including oil change)

I had mentioned replacing the IMS with the LN bearing and they said if i do that i should just replace the clutch as well since it'd be the smart move (labor cost wise).

My initial thought was to go ahead and do it all, but then i realized that the bill was approaching $5k.

I don't want to skip anything that they recommended, but i brought up the IMS bearing, they didn't.

Am i past the point where i should really be concerned about the IMS? Instead of just having them proactively replace it and toss a new clutch in while they are at it, should i just plan on replacing the clutch and IMS at 75k miles? That would cut the cost by over 50%.

Really, i just want to get out and start enjoying the car - not have it sit in the hsop for the next two weeks (if i have them do everything).

Thoughts?

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

I would try to knockout a few of these things yourself. You will need some tools that will go a long way with this car. Buy a low profile floor jack, (HF lightweight works fine recent discussion on this forum) a good torque wrench and some extensions will help knockout the spark plugs. (Be prepared to contort!) Couple of tricks on this forum for doing the tubes. Oil change is not too bad either with more of the right tools. Coolant flush, well might as well change out the problematic water pump also. I chose to have that and the Ixx done at the shop. Brake bleed should also be done by you if you can. Buy a Motive Power Bleeder and that makes the job easy minus jacking up the car. When the car is in the air for the oil change, check to see where the leak is coming from. If its from between the tranny and engine, take a picture and report back at once!!!!

I would also recommend cleaning the radiators. Good video on you tube for info on doing this. But your next step should be posting pics!!!! Or this post is all a falsification! :D:D:D

I think you should definitely change the oil, brake fluid and the spark plugs and investigate the oil leak. Regarding the other jobs, you might be able to defer some costs for a while. There is a trade off in that you increase the risk of something going wrong as discussed below.

I expect that the largest expense will be replacing the IMS and clutch. Your 2000 Boxster should have a dual row bearing which has the reputation for being more durable than the single row bearings. While this may indicate that you can delay this job until the car really needs a clutch, it is a gamble since the bearing could fail at any time without warning. As an alternative you could install an IMS Guardian which would give you a warning and is less expensive.

I have about 90k on my 2000 and will be changing the plugs later this summer. At 60k I had only one cracked tube, so I'm not sure that replacing all the tubes is necessary. However, the labor will not be that much more since they will be doing the plugs.

I had to change my water pump at around 80,000 miles in the fall of 2013. You could consider waiting to do the anti-freeze flush until it is time for a new water pump. I had the original coolant in my car and it was not causing a problem.

Your tolerance for risk and your experience may differ from mine. Also, I don't know whether you have the time or inclination to work on your car, but with the exception of the IMS and clutch all of the jobs on your list are within the skill level of a decent mechanic and there are many DIY resources available on this and other sites.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice so far - i'd try to tackle some items myself, but work and a new baby are keeping me pretty occupied.

I'm happy to have the shop do everything - i'm really just debating whether i should just have them do a clutch replacement and IMS retrofit for the sake of it, or if i should hold off until closer to 75k miles when i planned to do the clutch (it feels fine now).

Me? I'd wait on the IMS and do it later with the clutch. But I'd hedge my bet and send an oil sample to Blackstone now -- and see if any strange bearing metals show up. That test results will also give you a baseline as you start your ownership.

All of the work recommended is reasonable for the mileage, but $5K is way too much. My indy would do all of that for closer to $3K

In addition to all of the above, change the tranny fluid using only Porshe OEM oil. Check the CV joint boots, inboard and outboard for cracks and also to make sure the boot clamps are tight. The factory clamps are worthless. Grab the boot and try to twist it at each end. If it moves, you need to replace the clamps. Just use worm type coolant hose clamps. They work fine.

Thanks again for the advice - i stopped by the shop this morning and will have them do everything but the IMS and the clutch - that can wait until 75k miles.

They said this was a good move since they felt the clutch was fine and more than likely this Boxster has the dual row IMS bearing, so i shouldn't be as concerned since we've made it to 64k with no issues.

I'll post some pics when i get it back...

Welcome to the forum!

You sound like me 3 years ago. My 2001 Box base had 30k miles then. Now has 43k miles.

I have had the cv joints refurbished
Had installed ims guardian. Cheaper than replacing ims. Clutch was fine.
Am replacing water pump. Old one is fine!
Just annoying stuff. See my entry in the thread about "water drip" for other niggling items. The car has been the most fun car I have ever had although I spend about $2k a year on it. That's normal. Nothing catastrophic !

Somehow I just don't see myself buying a brand new Porsche.....

Cheers, Guy.

runjmc, your indy would replace the clutch, IMS bearing, tires, plugs, spark plug tubes, brakes and brake fluid flush/change, coolant flush/change, leak repair and 60K service (which includes the serpentine belt) for $3K????????????? Wow!

Care to recommend your indy shop to us?

First, congrats on getting your Boxster!

With 64K miles I'd also replace the water pump, in fact I'd think about replacing it every 35K miles or so. Probably a good idea to install a 160 F thermostat at the same time.

At your first oil change you want to cut the oil filter open and roll it out to see if there is any metal in it. Also check the bottom of the oil filter housing. Other things to look at would be swapping in a new filter housing (due to weak bypass spring on old one) or going to the LN-E filter adapter, and a magnetic drain plug (LN-E).

I'd also recommend having the AOS changed. These things apparently go bad all the time and if it fails you risk a hydo-lock which at high RPMs can cause engine damage.

IMS bearing - As far as doing it now or doing it later - that's up to you. If the bearing goes bad and your chain jumps, BOOM. You'll need an engine. If that oil leak is from the back of your engine (between engine and tranny), I would do it now, don't wait). If you don't have an oil leak from the back of your engine, and/or it's not making loud chain sounds, I'd probably wait until you have the clutch done and have them put in the Flat-6/LN-E ceramic bearing. Make sure your shop has the proper tools to do it (must be pressed in, not tapped in). With a 2000 you should have the dual row bearing, which has a better track record than the single row bearing (but they still do fail).

Do you mind sharing the asking price? No need to tell us what you actually paid.


Here's my view of the IMS. Replace it.

My indy has a very competitive rate of $85 an hour. By my math the IMS is a one day job. Granted it a long day. The point is to reset the clock with a new bearing. Since tthese swaps became possible about 5 years ago, I've yet to see someone come on here, or any of the other Porsche forums, and complain that their engine went down after putting in a fresh bearing. Yet there have been plenty of threads by people who put it off (after replacement bearings became available) and lost their engine.
It's an expensive job, my ran about $3K. That's ~700 for LNE bearing (there are cheaper alternatives that will do the job, like the Pelican unit), $800 for the flywheel (no point skipping this), and the rest was labor. We also replaced the RMS seal with the Cayenne version, serviced the CV boots (both sides were torn by 70K miles), I think the book rate for that is two hours, well worth it.

As far as the waterpump. First, make sure you're on the latest cap from 2004 (it's blue). This is a $20 part that can open the door to engine failure if you keep one around for too long. Also, I flushed the coolant at about 50K miles (don't mix cheap coolant with Porsche pink coolant by topping it off). In retrospect the smarter move would have been to replace the coolant tank altogether, twice the cost but much better for engine longevity. I ended up getting another 30K miles out of the original water pump which seems typical but when it comes to the cooling system of a modern Porsche you have to take the airline maintenance view, best to replace these specific parts ahead of schedule and flush the coolant every two years. All that other stuff like suspension, wheel bearings, bla bla, you can delay without it royally biting you in the arse.

I was reading within the last couple of months about a car going down after receiving a new bearing .
Here or pelican , I can't remember and haven't the inclination to search .

Needless to say , lots of people sleep easy after buying the ln engineering bearing .

Since I bought mine I have absolutely no worries about driving the car .

Now I mention it , I really should start thinking about installing it .
It will go on the todo list , after the lap timer and hard wired go-pros .
:D

I just thought of another fairly cheap thing you want to change, the coolant overflow cap.

Part no: 996 106 447 04

Very important that the part number ends in 04 (latest version). Part number may or may not be printed on the top of the cap. Check your current cap and if it doesn't end in 04 (or doesn't have a number on it), I would change it.

$28.18 from any Porsche dealer (they stock them) or Pelican, Suncoast etc.

Be careful when screwing on the new cap - its easy to get it on cockeyed and you'll start spewing coolant out the overflow hose if you don't get it on right.

Also, about coolant - I would only use the Porsche stuff. It seems expensive ($48/gallon) but it's full strength. When cut 50/50 with water it's really $24/Gallon, which is about the same or just slightly higher than buying a name brand like Prestone 50/50 at Walmart.

Just noticed the follow up question my post generated. For my comment I was including:

-Antifreeze flush/change
-brake fluid flush/change
-investigate an oil leak (not sure what this will uncover)
-replace spark plug tubes and spark plugs
-60k service (including oil change)

and the IMS and clutch....not tires or brakes which it sounded like the OP was not included in the $5K"bill". My indy is Mcilvain Motors is Tempe. I was providing a very high level estimate only to make the point that $5K seems high and he may want to shop that around before taking it as gospel.

Related to Mcilain, several others have already commented that Scott has great rates and service. He charges $80/hour and is very conservation in his estimating of hours...

Thanks for the clarity - my $5k estimate included the tires and brakes. Taking away the IMS and Clutch, my new total ended up being $2600. Not too bad in my opinion...

@ Perfectlap, what Indy Shop in Jersey do you use? Just Curious....
Thanks!

I love these threads....By the time they have you fixing everything thats NOT broken, you might as well just go buy a brand new Boxster.
:)