Maintenance recommendations?
 

I'm new here. I have a '98 Boxster. Just turned over 40K Miles. I've owned it for many years and never took it to a dealer, and don't intend to. I've replaced the ignition switch, and I need to do the window winders. (I have changed the oil too.)

What other recommended maintenance do you recommend? I assume it's time for belts, but what else? I'm assuming there are lots of little special things that only you guys know about.

I'm a skilled auto restorer, but the Boxster has always been the one car that I didn't have to restore, so I never touched it. But it's getting dusty under the hood. I do have the Pelican Project book.

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum.

Just use the forums search function: 986 Forum - for Porsche Boxster Owners and Others - Search Results

Regards, Markus

Pay attention to the Porsche maintenance schedule. 15, 30, 45, 60k mile services etc...

The 15s are smaller services, the 30s are larger services. I'd probably start with a 30k service especially if you haven't done it. Also look at tires. Depending on their age they may need to be replaced. After that, changing the oil at least once a year, 5000k mi max should be your norm. Hopefully you've been doing that anyway?

Welcome to the forum. Great resource.

Gear lube changed
Coolant flush
Brake fluid flush
Replace thermostat
Replace waterpump
Replace spark plugs
Replace serpentine belt

That will keep you busy for a while.

I can't believe my "new" car is almost 20 years old. It really got me thinking about things that need replacing from simple age, not miles. Thanks for the replies!

Wow, that is extremely low mileage for a '98. I hope you have been doing annual maintenance. Letting these cars sit can be worse than putting a ton of miles on them. I would definitely do a full inspection of the car, especially anything rubber or flexible that could have hardened (coolant hoses, serpentine belt, etc). When I purchased my '99 in '07 it had gotten less than 2k miles per year, and I had some initial issues related to the car sitting around too much, like fuel that had crystalized in the fuel line.

You can find a recommended maintenance schedule here:
Maintenance Schedule - Porsche Boxster (986) FAQ

My biggest concern was the sound the engine makes on start-up after sitting for a while. Clearly it's the sound of an engine that the oil has entirely drained out. A few years ago I started using Royal Purple oil which works better at clinging to the engine parts for long periods. Now the start-up is not so traumatic for the engine.

Otherwise, I think it's time for complete change out of rubber parts, fluids and a few other things suggested here. Thanks for the info!

In case you haven't already seen these, the tech articles we have on the Porsche Boxster can be helpful: Porsche Boxster 986/987 (1997-2004) Technical Articles | Pelican Parts

Also, to maintain any older rubber parts of your car's exterior (they might be drying out as well), you might want to take a look at Gummi Pflege Rubber Protection, which many of our other forum members have recommended.

Good luck!