Top Stopped Working
 

The top on my '99 was working fine until yesterday- no funny business at all. Now, when I push the button, absolutely nothing happens: no noise, no movement, etc. The windows still come down when I unlatch the top, but nothing after that. Any suggestions of how I might diagnose and fix the problem would be appreciated!

Also..... my key has stopped working properly. I have replaced the battery, but the buttons still do not work. When I unlock the door by hand, sometimes it does not recognize the key and acts as though it is a valet key. What is the most efficient way to replace a key (ie. not $500!)?
Thanks in advance!

Older key fobs lose their stiffness in and around the case. I replaced the batteries in my 98 and then placed a small bit of styrofoam padding inside before snapping the case back on. I found this fix on-line and it seemed to work fine. My keys still only work within 10-15 feet of car, but they work.

Not sure about your top. I use the infamous red-clip with my top down and one day tried for quite some time to get the top up until I noticed the red-clip was still installed.

Key:

A key (blade) costs about $30, and the head with the remote is somewhere around $70, IIRC. A dealer should charge about 1hr labor to program the key.

The top - Is your parking brake idiot light coming on under your instrument cluster? THE most common problem with the top not operating at all is the parking brake switch failing. The top will not operate if the parking brake is not set, and if the switch fails, the controller doesn't know the brake is set.

Thanks guys, that helps to solve both problems! I checked the dummy light, and when you actually start the motor the light is out- before I had just been doing it with the key in the on position and the light stayed on- is there someplace I could look to find out how to replace the switch?
Thanks again!

A new, unprogrammed two-button remote head is about $135 from Sunset in Oregon. Blades can be purchased from them for under $20.

Do not buy a remote key head off eBay if it does not have the barcoded hang tag on it and you can read the part number and your dealer tells you that's the right one for your model year.

The Bentley Repair Manual for our cars shows how to change the top switch. Not a bad thing to ask Santa for this year if you own a boxster you plan to work on yourself.

I had the same top problem. Able to "fool" the switch by putting the top down before actually starting the car, to ensure the brake warning light was on.

Get a new top switch. They are a cheap part. Buy 2 ;) Spend some time removing the center console to unplug bad switch that is under the parking brake lever and install a new one.