another PPI FAIL !! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

mfm22 · 10-11-2016, 07:12 AM

OK , This is not fun ..
this Boxster S was very presentable and all original ... too original
Tires old - expected that
Battery was bad - knew that ... But Alternator was NG
CEL - didn't see that - misfires - needs tubes & tuneup

didn't get to issues that I thought were there - catalytic converter etc

Got a quote from Porsche dealer for Alternator - $2480 !! wtf can't be ? asked him at least twice - $2480 even if I found a shop to do it for half it's crazy

never mind how much they wanted for tubes & tune up !

thstone · 10-11-2016, 07:38 AM

Ignore dealer repair estimates - they are insane.

That's a DIY repair that will take a morning of your time and less than $500.

Here's the instructions: Pelican Parts Boxster Alternator Replacement

Same for the plugs, spark plug tubes, and coil packs - 1/4 the cost of a dealer and 1/2 the price of an indie shop.

Jgkram · 10-11-2016, 07:57 AM

Absolutely ignore any dealer quote they truly are insanely high. Find a good indy shop that you trust for the items that you are not comfortable with or equipped for and let them handle those. Everything else is a diy and learning experience. How do I know? As a very mediocre mechanic I have replaced WP, plugs, tubes, O-rings, fuel filter, engine mount, air filters, cleaned radiators, flushed transmission, brake fluid, etc. and have never worked on cars much before owning the Boxster. Find the best you can and then take a chance like everyone of us has done. Good luck.....

78F350 · 10-11-2016, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfm22

...Got a quote from Porsche dealer for Alternator - $2480 !! wtf can't be ? asked him at least twice - $2480 even if I found a shop to do it for half it's crazy

never mind how much they wanted for tubes & tune up !

For $2480, I could buy a round trip ticket and motel for the night, install a good used alternator for you, and and visit my step-brother's brewery for a few cold ones. You in?

...and sorry to hear about your trouble. Seriously though, after pulling out the alternator a few times, it's a 20 minute job and good alternators are affordable:

dghii · 10-11-2016, 06:26 PM

So...
A PPI that discovers the items your did is not a fail, its a success.

Bad tires should not be a PPI find...too obvious in most cases to see well prior of a PPI.

CEL with misfires..what exactly are the codes? My car threw an occasional O2 sensor code (once every 3 months to a year) for over 5 years before it happened frequently enough to annoy me and warrant the $75 repair. The CEL codes could be a deal breaker or nothing big at all.

Most times on this board, folks that have a 'bad alternator' actually have a bad voltage regulator (OEM Bosch part ~$50) that is attached to the back of the alternator. This is a 1 hour job for those of us that had never done it before.

If you still want the car, negotiate based on your new knowledge. If not, move on.

rexcramer · 10-11-2016, 07:24 PM

$2480 isn't all that bad when you realize that they are charging you north of $1600 just for the alternator.

It is a lot of money, when you can get one from Autozone for +/- $180 and X/O yourself in less than an hour.

I had a dealer quote me +/- $600 to replace my passenger side mirror that stopped working. Turned out it was just unplugged. I pulled the trim piece off and plugged it back together in less than 10 minutes. Problem solved, money saved. Cue the perma-grin

Look for the local PCA chapter and make some new friends. They could/can be a huge resource for you going forward, i.e. trusted indy mechanics, private sellers, etc.

mfm22 · 10-12-2016, 04:42 AM

I changed an alternator in my delivery van $109 from auto zone time -20 minutes
I could not wrap my brain around that $2480 quote

anyway , it just seemed like car was not well cared for in the last few years
Oil level was low - never a good thing . I suspect the cats were bad as well
so ..as the saying goes 10k for a boxster = 20k

I'll keep looking - out of state as well

78F350 · 10-12-2016, 05:26 AM

You have probably already seen the ad, but you may want to consider JAAY's car. It does not quite fit the full description of what you are looking for -it has some modification, but it appears to be well sorted out, and cared for. Maybe between your top dollar and his bottom dollar, you guys can meet.
http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-sale-wanted/62302-3-4-1999-base-black.html#post512044

Boxtaboy · 10-12-2016, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 78F350

You have probably already seen the ad, but you may want to consider JAAY's car. It does not quite fit the full description of what you are looking for -it has some modification, but it appears to be well sorted out, and cared for. Maybe between your top dollar and his bottom dollar, you guys can meet.
http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-sale-wanted/62302-3-4-1999-base-black.html#post512044

Agreed, you'd be getting a Boxster with a 911 engine. Plus, I know Jay personally, have seen the car in person, and can vouch for his character. He's a good guy.

Racer Boy · 10-12-2016, 07:11 AM

I don't know, those are all minor items that the PPI uncovered. You can use that knowledge to bargain with the seller to perhaps get them to come down in price.

I just replaced my alternator, the cost was $170 from a local auto parts store. Tubes and plugs are easy, normal maintenance items.

You'll never find a used car that is perfect, the purpose of the PPI is to show that the car doesn't have any hidden-to-you major problems.

kk2002s · 10-12-2016, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfm22

...anyway , it just seemed like car was not well cared for in the last few years ...

I think this says it best
Not cared for and not driven 2 biggies
$2480 for an alternator. This is why I only go to the local Porsche dealer on Sundays when no one is around to rob me blind
DIY $2480 into a Boxster and you could check off a lot of preventative maintenance items
Don't count tires and brakes, every car has to deal with them

Keep up the fight and join the addiction

mfm22 · 10-12-2016, 05:50 PM

I'm reconsidering car ,shop didn't get a chance to check the noise that I thought may be catalytic 's. But I just have to figure into cost.

Agree on tires & brakes usually are needed in this case they're not bad
Tire tread is good. Date cites are fro 09. Could be worse
Brakes are down 50%. Meaning they still have 50% (trying to be positive

)

cas951 · 10-12-2016, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfm22

I'm reconsidering car ,shop didn't get a chance to check the noise that I thought may be catalytic 's. But I just have to figure into cost.

Agree on tires & brakes usually are needed in this case they're not bad
Tire tread is good. Date cites are fro 09. Could be worse
Brakes are down 50%. Meaning they still have 50% (trying to be positive

)

Maybe reconsider raising your budget a little and look at cars that have been maintained properly? It will sure save you a lot of headaches. Lower priced cars tend to have a lot of things that needs to be addressed.

dghii · 10-12-2016, 06:52 PM

Gosh, I'd hate to think how my 2000S would fare in a PPI.
Mismatched tires, front bumper has been resprayed, wear on interior pieces, no IMS upgrade or clutch work.....

Guess since nobody would want it, I'll keep it had continue to drive and enjoy this essentially trouble free car everyday as I have the last 8 years.

thstone · 10-12-2016, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfm22

... anyway , it just seemed like car was not well cared for in the last few years

This is fairly common with cars that are somewhat expensive to maintain - owners aren't willing to spend the money to do repairs since they aren't likely to recover the costs in resale value so the list of deferred maintenance items gets longer and longer. Unfortunately, most sellers won't tell a buyer about the list of repairs and maintenance that they have ignored or skipped.

Your goal as a buyer is to find as many of these issues as you can and take them into account as part of your offer. You're not hammering the seller on price which is simply asking them to sell for less because you ask it. Instead, you are saying that there are costs for repairs and maintenance that need to be taken into account since the car isn't in perfect running order and the price should reflect the condition of the car to reasonable degree.

All I'm saying is that top condition cars can demand top dollar and poor condition cars should be correspondingly priced.

flouese · 10-13-2016, 02:51 AM

I took my 99 to the local Porsche dealer in Jacksonville, FL and walked away with a $15,000 estimate. Yes, I wrote 15 with 3 zeros after it. I took the car to a local indy repair shop , they looked over the PPI report and threw the BS flag on a number of "problems". My favorite was the serpentine belt was worn and cracked, when in fact the belt was brand new. Note to self, "self, stay away from the dealer unless absolutely necessary".

Anker · 10-13-2016, 03:29 AM

We bought our 2004 Boxter S from an indy shop that had maintained it from new and are having a few minor "problems" fixed under warranty right now. Extremely happy with our decision and absolutely thrilled with the car. I am going to handle what I can myself and have the indy shop take care of the rest. Only when desperate will we take it to a dealer. Next month its going into winter storage, no salt and wet for this baby!

Anker

Adrian Thompson · 10-17-2016, 04:04 AM

Don't get an alternator from Autozone, Pep Boys, O'Reilieys etc. I've had zero luck with off the shelf 'rebuilds' Even a supposedly brand new not rebuilt Bosch unit had a faulty regulator. Instead find a local place that rebuilds yours. I did that for about $120. You can swap the alternator in a couple of hours yourself. Not hard at all.