Picking up first Boxster

[Coffinhunter]

I am going to be picking up the beauty in a couple of weeks.

A 2003 Boxster S with approx 26,000 miles. The car is/was my mom and step-fathers and has been meticulously kept. Before I pick it up they are going to flush the brake fluid (I understand needs to be done every two years) and change the oil. The tires are just a couple of months old. They also replaced the battery last October. They have used nothing but tier 1 gasoline. Needless to say the car has been babied.

My questions are:

1) I don't have a Porsche dealership real close by (About an hour away), and was wondering the best place to get the oil changed. I don't have a place to do it myself.

2) Since this car was not driven a lot, is there anything I should look for? I will be using it as a daily driver.

3) Any other maintenance issues I should be thinking about?

4) The car is all original, anything else I should know?

I feel like a giddy school girl waiting for the pick up.

Thanks in advance!

[Highlow]

Get the oil changed at any local shop (the one that you normally go to). Just make sure to buy the oil and filter yourself at autozone.

Other than that, all you need to do is drive it like you stole it.

[mikefocke]

Are there any Porsche owners in the area you could ask about the oil change? I used to bring parts to my local quick-oil-change place that did about 6 P-cars in the area. Buy the filter, crush washer by mail and have the good oil in qty 10 qts per change. Change every 4k or 1 year whichever is first. I'd get the car to the dealer and do the 60k service (yea, I know 26k but the car is also 9 years old). How old are the tires (meaning date of manufacture)?

Read the owners manual several times.

[Frodo]

You will be getting close to your 30,000 mile maintenance point, the main service of which (oil/filter change) you are already looking into doing. Most or all of the other items you can do yourself if you have the time, some tools and the inclination. You can do a Search and find out about the 30k maintenance. Here's a couple places to start:

http://mysite.verizon.net/resqir1s/PorscheMaintenance.pdf

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/20785-30k-mile-service.html

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by Frodo

You will be getting close to your 30,000 mile maintenance point, the main service of which (oil/filter change) you are already looking into doing. Most or all of the other items you can do yourself if you have the time, some tools and the inclination. You can do a Search and find out about the 30k maintenance. Here's a couple places to start:

http://mysite.verizon.net/resqir1s/PorscheMaintenance.pdf

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/20785-30k-mile-service.html

I guess I should have been more clear. My Step-Father is having their Dealer do the full service before I get it, so it is just the future services I am wondering about. I will be putting on more than the 26,000 miles/9 years he has been doing.

Thanks for the info!

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

Are there any Porsche owners in the area you could ask about the oil change? I used to bring parts to my local quick-oil-change place that did about 6 P-cars in the area. Buy the filter, crush washer by mail and have the good oil in qty 10 qts per change. Change every 4k or 1 year whichever is first. I'd get the car to the dealer and do the 60k service (yea, I know 26k but the car is also 9 years old). How old are the tires (meaning date of manufacture)?

Read the owners manual several times.

Don't know any of the Porsche drivers around here personally, but I think I will introduce myself to some that I see around.

The Tires are just a few months old (I believe he put them on in October).

I plan on eating/sleeping/breathing the manual for a while.

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by Highlow

Other than that, all you need to do is drive it like you stole it.

Since Father in Law is upgrading to a 911, he is gifting it to me.....so......I am stealing it

[RobbieKnobbie]

To find other pcar enthusiasts, and learn about what's local to you, consider joining the PCA (Prosche Club of Americe).

www.pca.org


Beautiful car, by the way.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Since Father in Law is upgrading to a 911, he is gifting it to me.....so......I am stealing it

Congratulations, what part of FL are you in, & please explain your chosen nickname?

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

Congratulations, what part of FL are you in, & please explain your chosen nickname?

I am in Spring Hill/Brooksville area. North of Tampa.

Nickname goes way back. It is from the Stephen King "Dark Tower" series of books. I use it on almost everything....

[opus69]

One thing about the oil change shops my mechanic expressed concern about was that the techs almost never use a tork wrench. He said his experience was that they frequently over tighten the oil pan drain plug. This really is an easy do it yourself job. You can save a lot of money over going to a dealer for oil service.

[fivepointnine]

dont mean to be "that guy" but with the low miles and lack of driving that car has had, the 1st thing I would do is a LN IMS bearing!

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by fivepointnine

dont mean to be "that guy" but with the low miles and lack of driving that car has had, the 1st thing I would do is a LN IMS bearing!

Since this is my first Porsche.....why? What does that involve?

[Highlow]

Originally Posted by opus69

One thing about the oil change shops my mechanic expressed concern about was that the techs almost never use a tork wrench. He said his experience was that they frequently over tighten the oil pan drain plug. This really is an easy do it yourself job. You can save a lot of money over going to a dealer for oil service.

Very true. However, the plug itself is made from a very soft metal so it is the first thing to break and it only costs a few dollars to replace (ask me how I know).

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Since this is my first Porsche.....why? What does that involve?

What does it involve? Pulling-down your muffler, removing the transaxle, removing the clutch, removing the flywheel, then drain the oil:


Putting your motor at TDC, locking the crank, locking the cams (special tool), pulling the chain tensioners, then ripping-out the IMS Bearing using this tool.



So the IMS looks like this.



Then installing the new bearing using this tool and a hammer.


Then putting things back together, and put new oil in the motor!

This is just a short general description but will give you an idea of what it's about

There are a few good write-ups on this task that you need to fully understand if you do it yourself.

[Taipanic]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Since this is my first Porsche.....why? What does that involve?

The IMS bearing is the Achille's heel for the M96 motor - if it goes bad it will destroy your engine ($15k+ to replace). The LN replacement ($2-4k) bearing is cheap insurance that your engine doesn't grenade. They also make the IMS guardian, which will detect when your original bearing is going bad.
Other hot issues are the water pump and the air/oil separator. I suggest you read up a lot on this forum and the others, better understanding of your car will make your ownership more enjoyable. Nice car! I'm sure you're going to love it!

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Taipanic

($15k+ to replace).

Just a note to say that M96 engines can be replaced for $4K-$7K.

[opus69]

Originally Posted by Highlow

Very true. However, the plug itself is made from a very soft metal so it is the first thing to break and it only costs a few dollars to replace (ask me how I know).

My mechanic noticed I had replaced the original plug with a magnetic plug which is harder material and he was concerned that an oil change shop could damage the pan by not using a torque wrench. I do all the changes myself and torque just about everything so that was not an issue.