German Technology

[Larrymal2]

Pros: technology is state of the art. I used to sell German Molding Machines for expanded polystyrene ("STYROFOAM") and they were the fastest, energy saving, and produced excellent cycle times. I worked with some of the best German technicians in Germany to understand how to repair these machines.

Cons: Very technical and customers had to have a maintenance person with higher than average skills to troubleshoot. That equals $$$

Now that said, I had the luxury over the past few days to experience maintaining my 99 Boxster. I replaced the failed water pump, bought the 163°F thermostat w/ housing (avoided having to buy the "Porsche" thermostat removal tool), serpentine belt, air filter, spark plugs, and the left front cooling fan.

Conclusion: If the pulley on the water pump was approx. 3/8" smaller diameter you would actually be able to put a socket on all the bolts instead of dealing with an open end wrench. I found it is much easier to use the wrench in the picture vs. the wet noodle flexible socket adapter for the lower right front bolt.
I used the clamps in the picture for the coolant hoses instead of the one recommended in the manual. I already had them in my tool collection.
The cooling fan electrical circuit is way over complicated. I watched a youtube video and it was great for troubleshooting and I have the Duretech? scan cable and program.
I was surprised of the amount of plastic push pins that hold the car together.
Overall I lost 4 lbs do to sweating my butt off in the 85/85/75(85°F/85% humidity, 75° dew point) Atlanta weather. I bought all my parts through Pelican and the best parts is they have an Atlanta warehouse so I received my parts either next day or 2 days. I also saved probably mega $$ doing it myself and got a lot of self satisfaction doing the repairs.
All said and done, she purrs like a kitten, runs cool as a cat, and me and the wife are going to take it for a Victory ride this weekend.

[kk2002s]

WP and thermo are pieces of cake.
AOS, Expansion tank and motor mount. You will get a real appreciation of German engineering

Always keep in mind, the engines were on a stand when this stuff was bolted on, probably by a robot arm

But you have the right idea, enjoy the pride of working on these cars and save the $$$$. You'll need to so you can rebuild your tool box

[Ciao]

I was inspired by German engineering (cars, homes, roads, etc) spending 5 years in Europe and 2 in Germany. The Asian are also doing well (Honda and Toyota), but mechanically, I think German vehicles are superior.

[husker boxster]

I like a good DIY job, but within reason. My plan early last wk was to change the motor mount on my CSS in prep for Indy DE next wk. The instructions on Pelican looked reasonable. However, they do the work with both radiator hoses off but say it can be done with them on. I put the CSS on jack stands, take the panel off, and then crawl underneath for a look. Dang, it looks tougher in person than on the Internet. Call Woodhouse to see what they would charge to do the job with my parts. $185. Done! My time and busted knuckles are worth that much, even for this retired guy. Take it in 2 days later. Get a call a cpl hrs in and they say they can't get the mount out w/o taking 1 of the hoses off. Wanted to know if I was OK with that, as the pink unicorn fluid would add to the exp. Sure, go ahead. So now I have the mount changed (the old one was toast), and have some new antifreeze coursing thru her veins. $246. Still worth it.

As Clint says, a man's gotta know his own limitations.

[Racer Boy]

I have worked on German laboratory equipment for years, and have to say that the whole thing about superior German engineering is a load of crap. In general, the German engineers will over-complicate a design, to no real benefit. The equipment itself is similar to our cars, with nicely finished metal work, but the plastic parts are sub-par.

As far as the Boxster goes, some of it is nicely engineered, and is surprisingly easy to service, but other parts (IMS bearing, window regulators), not so much.

[thstone]

Congratulations on the DIY work! It is always very satisfying to complete a repair, know that it was done right, and save some $$ along the way.

In terms of Porsche DIY, I have found that the Boxster is in the middle in terms of complexity and difficulty. The most complex and difficult model that I've worked on is a 944 Turbo. Way, way, way over engineered. The easiest is my 911SC daily driver. Simple and straightforward.

[Geof3]

The motor mount will absolutely come out with the hoses intact. Takes some creative rotating but can be done. I’m the the Stone on this car. Not TOO crazy to work on. Biggest issue really is the limited access and space. It makes some of the jobs that should be relatively easy much more challenging.