Had a battery light issue, and you guys were right, it was the voltage regulator...
But in as much as all the pulleys/rollers were exposed on my 02 S I decided to take advantage of a few rainy days... I put on a Reman Bosch alternator. Also took the time to replace the upper and lower Idler Rollers and the Tensioner. Slipped on a new belt and took a 50 minute spirited road test. The car is running great and while all of that wasn’t necessary, I’ll have peace of mind for a long time to come and the sense of accomplishment is priceless!!

Installed the GT3 front brake ducts, interesting to find that I only had 1 original duct in place.

And I installed the new and improved rear stress bar, details to come...

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Upgraded the front speaker and installed the poor man’s rear speaker system
 

After installing a new stereo in my truck, I suddenly realized how woefully underpowered the stereo in my 01S was. My uncle (PO) installed a Pioneer HU with only stock fronts and bass units in the doors. Very anemic sound and very little bass coming from the doors. So, I picked up a set of Alpine SPS410 for the fronts that were disintergrating and added a set of Pioneer TS-G460 (4x6) for the rears. I modified the rear storage unit per the threads here. The pioneers fit just right, very little room left. Found a garbage can to make into a grill and installed the wiring to the back of the HU. Not too hard, few hours of work today.
Now this car thumps, even without replacing the door bass units. The 4x6 rears put out a lot of bass for little speakers and the alpine fronts were definite upgrade to stock.

I can hear the highs now with decent bass. Thanks to all of the poster that put up all of the awesome instructions here for the replacements. Couldn’t have done it with out you. :cheers::dance::dance:

Oil change, and brake fluid flush.

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Changed out leaking water pump, installed new low temp thermostat and got the car back on the road after a long hiatus which involved a motor replacement, 173+K miles for one with 84K on it. Wife cut the money off, so this had better last for a long time!

Graphics & Pastidip
 

Got tired of looking like every other Arctic Silver 986 so I gave a vinyl Boxster decal and Plastidip a try. My advice is, do NOT use the Glossifier. My finish was perfect flat black with crisp edges and no runs and then came the Glossifer which cheapens the look in my opinion - and added a couple of small runs. The only good news is it is easy enough to remove so I'll probably run this for a couple of months and then re-do the stripes if I like them. Otherwise, I'll take them off. Decal was $80 and Plastdip was $15 a can and it only took 1/2 can per side, so 1 black and 1 glossifier. But again, I would skip the gloss next time. Was it worth the $100? I think so - it was a good learning experience and the car now looks different than the rest.

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Not too sure about the R8 stripe, but the logo looks great! Where did you get the logo decal?

Logo was from https://designstuffonline.co.uk/vehicle_graphics/model_make_specific/index.html They allow you to create any text you want, so instead of the typical "Porsche" I went with "Boxster" because it seemed a little less pretentious. Not to mention the two words have the same amount of letters (7).

Edit with pro-tip: After having done this once I would NOT pre-spray the car and decal with water (see (https://designstuffonline.co.uk/guides/how-to-apply-car-decals.html) The decal just wants to slide off during install, which is why the decal is slightly lower than I wanted it originally. I did the other side without water and was done in 5 minutes.

Oh the joys of trying things for the first time. That learning curve is painful ;)

Applied waterproofing to the soft top. AS tires go on next week. And that's about the extent of my 'winterization.'

Installed the freshly powdercoated Carrera Light wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires.

Love them!

Installed ceramic pro coated wheels and new Conti TS830P winter tires. Car claybar'd and detailed.

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My favorite wheels!

Not sure about the 4S, but the 3 series tired suck. Less that 15k out of my last set.

Saddest day of the year
 

Put the Boxster to bed for it's winter hibernation. :( This is the latest time of the year that I've put her away having had a very pleasant 2 weeks of nice driving weather but the temps are about to to start falling next week.

I'm crossing my fingers that the winter will be mild and short and I can get her back on the road in early March.:cheers:

Decided that rather than trying to address whatever is wrong with my newly purchased '03 S cylinder #5 while it was in the car, I would pull the motor and have a proper look.
Head comes off this weekend.
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Otto

Went for a 4 hour fall drive. The old boxster performed fantastic. Eventually I'll get around to looking at why the Check Engine light is always on. :-)

Replaced the front stoppers; New Rotors, Sensors and ECB Red pads.
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Replaced the coolant expansion tank and then drove it like I stole it :D

didn't do a damned thing with my boxster today ...

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My 2003 S last ran on July 6th when the IMSB went before I got on the track at Mt. Tremblant. Friday I learned that my engine case is next in line for Nickies at LN Engineering and confirmed that it will become a 3.6 liter engine. I hope to have my car back between Thanksgiving and Chirstmas!

Are those grouse hunting German Shepherd? My llewellin setter enjoys riding in the boxster.

not sure yet! my mom passed away recently and i am now the keeper of her two feral (albeit purebred) hounds. i've been taking them grouse hunting (what's hunting but a long walk with a gun?) and they are proving hyper intelligent and well adapted to the role. they don't retrieve worth a hoot, however (yet) which would be helpful as a wounded grouse is hellish to find when it goes to ground.

I replaced the amber headlight corners with smoked coloured ones.

Replaced the air filter, and cabin air filter. Next servicing the transaxle with Red line 75w90, Mobile 1 for the engine, and new fuel filter.

Next week is driver side window regulator, two center caps on the wheels, short shifter, door switch (cause I am there and not taking it apart again), new floor mats, and fuel filler hinge and spring. :cheers:

I haven't done anything with the Boxster in the last month. She just sits in the garage like this. I don't put it up for hibernation for the winter as I will drive when the roads are clear.

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BUT
I got one of these and any free time to drive has been on this. These things are fun. I thought the Boxster put you in touch with the road, but this is a whole other level

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Managed to knock this door sill guard off, double sided tape was weak/gone.

On the fence about putting it back on, leaving it bare or finding different sill guards.....

What say you all?....

Thanks.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9dfcd41757.jpg

Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

Whatever you do, you really don't want to go naked there as it'll get nicked up very quickly. At very least use a PPF like Xpel to protect the area.

Personally, I like them on 9x6 and 9x7 body styles as they're era correct. Not fond of them on 9x1 et al body styles though which look better in black or w/ CF of course :eek: Others I'm sure will disagree.

Good luck :)

I'd say since it appears in good shape to just put it back on....but then again, I like my sill guards. ;)

Put it back. I have the same, and like the look.


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Put the car up on the rack to do an oil change, and spark plugs. While up there I made a discovery.

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why would some one change out the IMS bearing and the clutch, yet not address the CV boots. Definitely baffles me.

Added a half quart of oil, as is tradition every 1000 - 1200 miles.

I finally got my 3rd oil report back. Everything came out great!

Heater Core has small leak - Smoke coming out of the dash vents when car gets to normal temp. Called mechanic don't want to do it myself.

Had to top off coolant this morning to get to work.

Heater core is easy! Look up the instructions, you'll want to do it yourself.

Last ride
 

With nothing but snow and Cold in the forecast I took the boxster for what may be the last run of the season. Back in August some chick ran a red light and totaled my beautiful Cadillac SRX. I've been looking for a replacement ever since. Today I took the boxster over to the other side of the state to check out a lead. It was a waste of time junk car. At least I had a nice 330 mile cruise in the boxster before the white skit comes. Hopefully I can find another caddy pretty soon

New steering wheel and some shiny lights! My new wheel is a DCTMS. Love it, got some extra leg room as well. Reinstalling the airbag is a PITA! Getting those bolts to line up and not cross thread requires some serious patience, wow. Love the new LED's went with blue in the doors, and cool white every where else. Love the look!!

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Finished my 996 gauge swap. At least the cluster/dash part - just have to connect the cable to the oil pressure sender.

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Put it into winter storage. Did all the stuff in my pre-storage checklist thanks to the great info in this wonderful forum yesterday. Removed the battery and took it home and put it on a maintainer. The little green flashing light is a constant reminder of the days until it gets installed again (134 days!) and winter is behind us.

Larry (the bald eagle)

Installed 3-spoke wheel. Finally. :ah:

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I installed Ben's short shifter. It was pretty easy and didn't take very long. What a difference it makes, though! It feels precise and solid and natural. I didn't realize just how much slop I had in the original shifter until now.

Got a roll of two sided tape and hang that bad boy back on.