What Model year is to New
 

So I was thinking, what model year of Boxster / Cayman / 911, is to new for the DIY'fer to work on, I
have heard from 2012 or 2013 and on..Bc of the diagnostic equipment, So I thought I would ask the Pro's ,..Thank's Frank

Please define “work on”

That was my thought too. There's a lot of basic maintenance that you can do on newer cars. Most have procedures or sub-$500 tools that you can reset intervals and do diagnosis. Mechanical parts are still mechanical parts. Grassrootsmotorsports.com is happy to flaunt their Cayman that they bought with a bad transmission and fixed with under $100 dollars in parts. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/2014-cayman/

I guess I mean when you need diagnostic equipment for say doing brake work where you need to reset your anti-lock brake systems Bc you changed pad's and rotors or flushed the system..or set the timing on a engine that needed some repair or general maintenance say changing the timing chains and pad's,..etc.,..Iam sure there is a model year where the Durametric system can't duplicate the porsche equipment the dealer uses to diagnose issue's on the newer car's.

So, not really a 986 Forum question.

Ok,..what forum should it be ..I know this forum the best..? and I presume forum member's have newer than say 2008-2010 boxster's

Obviously the newer you go, the more intrusive and obstructive things become. Sure, the basics generally remain doable, but here are a few examples of obstructions:

In the 981 / 991, you can't replace the battery the traditional way - remove it, go to the parts store, exchange it for a new one, install the new battery. If you do it this way, you'll end up with a dash light that only Porsche can extinguish because the battery is out for too long. So for this model and newer, you have to go to the parts store, buy the battery, swap the new for the old in a few min to avoid the light, then return to the parts store with the old battery. Now takes 2 trips to the parts store, but easier and cheaper than having the dealer touch your car.

PDK flush - you'll get 85% of the fluid out if you drain it yourself. Take it to the dealer and they'll hook up their computer which can then open a valve that will release that final 15% of the fluid. If it was my car, I'd be happy with the 85% and just do the flush more often than recommended. But I need that 100% on a wheeler dealer car, so off to the dealer for a $900 flush. And if you have an 09 or 10 PDK, you have to buy the trans pan as Porsche decided to incorporate the filter into the pan. Thankfully they changed that in 11 and it's a replaceable filter in the pan, not part of the pan.

The 987 / 997 began to show a Maintenance Due reminder dash light. It comes on 30 days beforehand and counts down ea day. I used to be able to take my car to the dealer and the service mgr would take it around back, reset the light, and bring it back around. Gratis. Then one day he said it was $35! He said they charge everyone else that amt so he had to charge me too. I guess, but that was the last time I had the dealer do it for me. Bought a code reader / code clearer for $110. With 2 987s in my stable, it wouldn't take long for it to pay for itself. It's just a simple alarm based on the date. I use it on all my wheeler dealer cars so customers have 1 yr before it will pop up.

These are just a cpl items that interfere with the shade tree mechanic. Porsche (and all manufacturers) are trying to make it more difficult for shade tree and independent mechanics to work on their cars, as they make it a requirement to have their computer plugged in to accomplish many items. In private conversations with JFP about Porsche's computer, he said you can lease their computer for an annual price of $25K AND it won't have all the features of the dealership model. I was inquiring because I thought it would be handy to be able to code extra keys. I'd have to do a crapton of keys to offset the annual cost.

Or you can click on the link from our new forum friends selling their cheap Chinese knockoffs. I'm kidding of course, as that is very dangerous for numerous reasons.

986 is the way to go…
 

….After the 986, everything becomes much harder to work on yourself.

2004 was the last year with an actual oil dipstick.

2004 was the last year with an actual spare tire.

2004 was the last year before all the computer reset business.

Go on You Tube and search “981 oil change, 718 oil change” and look at what a nightmare just an oil change has become.

Fifty cent brake light bulbs, simple computer, easy to access everything makes the 986 the easiest Boxster to work on.

Thank You,Gentlemen,..That's what I was hearing, Fortunately, I love my 02" 2.7 ! Thank's Frank