New owner needs advice on upgrades
 

Hi all, first time Porsche owner. Recently purchased a used 2002 base Boxster, 17" rims.

In the near future I will be looking at upgrades and preventive maintenance and I need advice on the best places for the best prices on quality parts. Im fine with OEM, used and refurb stuff. Dont have a mechanic yet but thought Id ask owners for advice first. Ill be needing things like a new shifter and boot (want the stock look), new "Boxster" trunk emblem, new aftermarket rims, passenger side wind guard (the honeycomb looking plastic insert). Plus, eventually, a new stock clutch, aftermarket air breather (or is it called a cold air intake?), new filters obviously....stuff like that. So, where do you get your parts? Do you insist on Porsche or do you do OEM? Thanks, any advice for a new owner is welcomed. I accepted higher maintenance costs is the price you pay for such a fun car but then I also like to ask around to see if Im spending too much before I start replacing things. Thanks.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...psca041a1d.jpg

New owner needs advice on upgrades
 

Pelican parts. Congrats on the car it looks great!

As Jake said ^^^, Pelican Parts (who also owns the 986Forum) is a great resource.

Parts can be found here:Pelican Parts - Porsche Boxster (1997-2004) Parts and Accessories

The DIY instructions for just about anything can be found here: Porsche Boxster 986 (1997-2004) / 987 (2005-2008) Technical Articles | Pelican Parts

Also, buy Wayne Dempey's book, 101 Projects for Your Boxster.

Thanks for the info thus far. Heres a couple of specifics to my situation, followed by a few questions.

Picked this up with no maintenance history besides a clean Car Fax, runs very well and its got a brand new clutch. 99k miles so Im assuming a full tune up is in order. Thanks for the step by step instructions btw, will make DIY much easier Im sure. A couple of questions...

How can I tell if the previous owner put synthetic motor oil or Dino oil? I read the entire guide on oil changing and the advice for the scenarios but, unless maybe I missed it, Im not seeing what to fill with if you dont KNOW what type oil is in it now. I had read that this car tells on itself if things fail (or is beginning to fail), like lights on the dash and such, is that true and is it standard equipment on even the most basic model? I have no fault lights of any kind on my dash now.

The "B" in the Boxster logo on the trunk is partially broken and Im a Type A personality really bad so that whole logo must be replaced. Do I just peel off this old logo with my fingers? Should I use anything to loosen the existing adhesive? What do I use to clean the old adhesive off the paint and what adhesive do I use to attach the new one?

Also what auto wax does everyone use? Do you wax your boxster by hand or by machine? Concerned about swirls and wasnt sure if I should stick to hand waxing it myself.

Thanks again.

You really need to spend some time reading and searching the forum. There are lots threads that answer these questions. Another idea is to google your questions. That will send you to a couple other good forums. Great resources.

Nice car, too!

You may want to do a search and then re-think the cold air intake. There is really nothing to be gained and you may even compromise your performance.

I'd suggest you spend a few evenings reading back through the forum, primarily the "general" and "performance" sections. You will gain much insight and guidance on where and where not to spend money. Using the search button will help you to avoid asking common questions that have already been asked and answered countless times.

For instance, please don't ask what kind of oil or tires to buy, why your right rear fog light doesn't work, or what that pointy probe-like thing is in your right front intake grill, otherwise we will know that you haven't done your homework.

The emblem question is a good example. A search would have told you that you use dental floss to work the old emblem off and you clear up the residue with rubbing alcohol or brake cleaner. The new emblem is self-adhesive. Consider the cleaner de-badged look. Sure makes polishing the trunk lid easier!

Welcome to the forum! :cheers:

Oh, yeah, you asked about wax - this is what most of us are using:

Best wax for Boxsters

Although, some of us prefer this one:

Mitchell King car wax

It really comes down to personal preference. Check out Johnny Danger's reviews.

Will do. Ill do much more research. Thanks to everyone for the patience and I guess my questions are a little premature, sorry about that.

Yeah actually I was asking for advice on how to determine what oil is in it now. I found this on another forum but Im not sure how accurate it is... "take one drop from dipstick and burn it if it smells like popcorn or soybeans its synthetic."

And I realize the engine is older but Im also going by this I found in the oil changing guide, "if synthetic oil was the only type of oil that your engine has seen, I usually recommend sticking with it." But Ill research a lot more...

Not at all - gotta start somewhere! I was just using oil as an example, btw. I did see that your question was about what type you have and not what type to buy. Wasn't meant to be a shot. :D

Skip the performance upgrades. Costly and very little gain.
Install the IMS Guardian for your dash. And try to find out who did the clutch maybe they were wise enough to replace the IMS bearing. If they didn't find another independent Porsche specialist. I would take the car in for a full diagnostic to check out the cooling system. It would be good insurance to replace the water pump if the car is still on the original and mileage is over 60k. Replace all the caps, coolant, oil and fuel.
Take a sample of your oil and send it in to Blackstone Labs (since you have no records).
Start putting some cash into a maintenance and repair fund.

As far as wax. Give it a once over with a clay bar, I usually do this while washing the car. Follow up with a paint polish to strip away any
thing the clay bar didn't pick up, it also has mild abrasives to round out the edges on swirls. Follow up with a sealant to fill the swirl channels and protect the paint. Wait six hours for it to cure and top with either natural carnauba wax like S100 for a wet shine(but only lasts a couple of weks) or try a synthetic liquid wax that will last over a month. I clay bar and seal with each season. I like the Griots Garage product line because its available in store at Advanced Auto. Their green and blue tiwels have a long nap weave which is the least likely to marr the paint. But if you order online try autogeek.net and get 1Z for leather, it's the best of I've tried.

It is not an option on synthetic or not synthetic. The only answer is synthetic. So assume it has synthetic already in it. Now you need to decide which synthetic to use when you change the oil. Plenty of threads on personal preferences in oil - they usually end up in holy wars.

When you change your oil, be sure you have a LARGE pan to collect the oil as these hold 8 qts. And be aware if you have the large pan with the 1" diameter hole in the middle, get a different pan. That hole is too small for the volume of oil coming out and very quickly oil is spilling over the side of the pan and onto your garage floor vs going into the pan. I went to my favorite home improvement store and bought a 3'x4' pan used for mixing home batches of concrete.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new car.

Given the age, mileage, and largely unknown history, I would not recommend ANY mods until you live with the car for awhile and better identify what it needs. At a minimal you should determine the status of, and address as needed the following:
- Tires
- Brakes
- Water pump
- Coolant Tank
- Colant cap (latest version)
- AOS
- Plugs
- Coils packs
- Air filter
- Serp belt
- Cabin filter
- ALL fluids (transaxle, brake, clutch, coolant, etc..)
- Bonus (front end component inspection)

The above alone can set you back many thousands. As mentioned, knowing whether the IMS has been replaced is important, BUT if you have a new clutch you missed the opportunity to cost effectively address the IMS and given the milage replacing the IMS is a questionable investment and secondary to the above.

^ Ditto on those links. I was too a new Box owner last fall. This board is a huge resource of info. If you're mechanically inclined then a Bentley manual and a Durametric cable would be a smart investment.

Congrats with the new ride.

If I may.....

I have never wasted as much time, money, and mental energy on anything other than trying to re-fix some hastily made decision on this car.

Time and time again I have asked for advise, gotten a general consensus, found something different on the shelf that I can get today without having to order and wait, and without doing any research as to why this is not the best option, spent cash to do this now.

When it comes to parts, OEM or name brand only, ever, period. There is a reason those rotors are $95 each cheaper than OEM. There is a reason the Porsche water pump is more. (I went name brand on that) In the parts world, name brand or OEM gets you more for that extra cash and when working with a high performance car, you need that quality the extra cash gets you.

Then there's tools. There is a reason guys recommend a $60 brake bleeder over the $180 that doesn't fit your needs but is on the shelf. Read the Bently manual AND the Pelican 101 book. Each is worth it's weight in gold. Takes these folk's advise!!!

Slow down. Don't rush anything. Don't scratch your newly painted rims (you fool!!!) or skip using a torque wrench on everything. Adjust the rear E brake pads right before reassembly. Do it all one time.

You guys are great and your time and input is greatly appreciated.

There have been several surprises in this thread and as a result many of my initial ideas have gone out the window. The biggest is cosmetics and any performance upgrades, of any kind. Beyond a clay and wax job all expenditures will go for parts, tools and books for the foreseeable future.

Spoke to the mechanic and sadly it doesnt sound like the IMS bearing was done. Just a clutch kit installed. Prices I got from another mechanic for an total inspection is $155. IMS bearing was $3000 and a water pump about $2200, both prices include part and labor. Only other mech in my area, that Im aware of, is Sunset in Beaverton. With those kind of prices Im better off learning the books and internet guides and replacing stuff myself as funds for parts and tools permit. I have insurance that covers me for most mechanical failures in the next 36k miles but with a $3000 limit it sounds like one failure would toast that coverage. Off I go to research OEM parts prices and Ill get the initial inspection done in the next week or two and report back.

A Porsche waterpump was about $450 with gasket and Pentofrost. Took 4 hours. One odd socket helped.

No disrespect to the forum owner, but if you're in Portland, I'd just go to Sunset Imports for parts. Great service and prices has been my experience with them.

Both quotes sound high to me. I had my IMS, clutch, and flywheel replaced then added a coolant flush and radiator cleaning for $2400 last year. I had the water pump and thermostat changed (and, yes, the coolant flushed again (remember when people said not to do things too quickly)) for $1200 this year.

Also, if you're doing coolant work, be sure to address the radiator cleaning. They trap an amazing amount of debris over the years.

as for the trunk emblem, it costs about $60 to replace with an aftermarket one, and since there was a "no emblem" option for the Boxster, you will not hurt anyone if you decide to just remove it. I removed mine and found it actually seemed to widen the view, an optical illusion of course but I like the look.

As for removing it, take a length of 12-15# fishing line and walk it under the emblem, it should come up fine. I have been told that dental floss will work too. If you have a heat gun, that will work too, just don't burn the paint. The residual glue is a ******************** to get off, naptha, mineral spirits, reducer, none of them worked. Do not use acetone or lacquer thinner, it will eat the paint. When I removed mine I used a head gun and a hard plastic scraper to get most of it off, then rubbing compound and a good polish to get it all off. Be careful, or you might end up getting a trunk lid repainting.

Yeah... Right. Lol...

I can offer this advice, stay away from Mothers Detail spray, it's crap. The SoCal Wax Shop has a Signature and Venom line that I use on both the 986 and the 530i, both black and they look amazing when done.

And no, they aren't $37,000 :cool:

I paid $1k for the water pump. My indy charges $85 an hour.

$3K for your IMS quote includes the new clutch which you already have so you can discount that.

An experienced Porsche shop can do the IMS in a day, maybe you'll need a new OEM flywheel $600 (I think) if it wasn't replaced, you can opt for a less expensive IMS bearing (Pelican) so I'm guessing $1,500 all in. The point is to replace the original bearing which is the one that nearly always fails. An IMS failure on a second bearing (Pelican or LNE) seems very rare if a proper inspection was done beforehand to determine if the original bearing had already compromised the engine.
While you're at it service the axle boots and replace the RMS seal.
Although some guys have done the their own IMS bearing swaps with no special tools or experience taking down transmissions, it's not a good choice for a DIY job.
The cost savings does not provide a good risk reward proposition.

wait a minute... 8% failure rate is nowhere close to "Nearly always fails"
maybe I am reading what you meant wrong.

I'm not going to say the IMS is not a problem, but if 92% don't have a problem, well......

Granted, there are a % that have been replaced before any failure, what that number is I have no idea, but I would bet a dollar it nowhere close to 90% or nearly all

Will I get mine replaced, most likely when the clutch is done, its good PM at that point, but I don't lose sleep over it

Well I have to admit its a concern for me and I have no one to blame but myself. I might luck out but after reading the replacement procedures I realized I am hearing the slight mild rattle when I first start my engine. Its my first Porsche and not only did this issue not come up in my research (again, my fault) but I also didnt know it was unusual or indicated a problem. Its pretty mild and the engine sounds and runs so good at all others times I (again rookie) wrote it off as a quirk of no consequence. Ive not heard it while driving as the guide suggests is also possible. I did buy the car with the understanding that if my mechanic found any major mechanical issues they would be corrected and the lot does have a long and very good reputation. Since this is such a critical issue I will be bringing it in to my mechanic sooner rather than later. An interesting side note, I did learn from that guide that 2500 rpm is not recommended and considered chugging, my last sports car was nowhere near this caliber. Interesting that I am learning the car from in front of my computer and you great folks, go figure. It will be interesting to see what my mechanic has to say but the procedures to replace it are in depth. I read them all and while the guide is good its a pretty heavy duty thing to do myself.

Happy to report that this car got a clean bill of health and was obviously well taken care of. I was told that the sound I hear on start up is just the engine oil that settles when it sits long enough, makes sense as I dont hear it except after its sat overnight. I did have a chance to look at it on the rack, amazed the engine its leak free and the underside is so flawless. Not bad for $9k. Since theres no way to check the IMSB short of dropping the tranny I will be changing the oil shortly and then again in 2000 miles plus adding the IMS Guardian when Ive got the extra dough. Ill save a sample of the oil and send it off, gotta research "Blackstone Labs." Not a clue who or what they are besides what the name implies. I think cabin and intake air filters should be done immediately also, just cuz. Thats where Im at and I will be driving it around just in time for the Rose Parade. Clay and wax job will be in the next week or so, Ill get some pics up when thats done. Thanks again for all the input on my questions, delighted to say thats its far more input than I expected. BTW this was a lease with pretty comprehensive but vague maintenance for the first five years of its life (according to carfax), it was then returned to the dealership and sold at auction. Was Porcshe proactively replacing the IMSB on 2002s between 2002 and 2007? If so it might have been replaced during that lease? The second owner owned it 7 years and put 25k on it.

Sunset's amazingly low prices are not available to those living in the same state or who walk up to the parts counter to buy parts.

However, if you live out of state or can have a buddy receive them and you drive to his place or have him reship them to you, it's a killer deal. 10-15% over hard cost for Porsche parts!!!

BTW - Porsche hasn't "proactively" replaced anything inside the engine block on our cars! They refused to even acknowledge the rear main seal leaks and then the intermediate shaft bearing failures for the longest time, hence the class action lawsuit.

Mine made a grinding or 'chain dragging' sound at startup only. Then sounded fine all day. The WP was scraping the sides of the impeller against the block. No real leak.

You have to remove belt and feel for any play whatsoever, then start car with no belt. If no noise it likely is play in the WP.

I meant that I have never heard of a failure on a car AFTER an owner proactively switched to a new IMS bearing. We've heard stories of a handful but none of those have surfaced in blogs, forums or magazine letters to the technical editor.

Also, take no comfort in any Porsche statistics ( or non-Porsche stats). None of those statistics are complete, they often only include the failures Porsche was alerted to -- an undetermined number failed out of warranty and the ownets dealt only with independent dealership. Neither did the law firm (to my knowledge) that handled settlement disclose the total number of claims they handled. Secondly, the Boxster is not a daily driver for a large % of owners, many of the cars have been sitting and stewing. They are then sold to new owners who drive them more frequently and compromised bearings are not replaced which end up failing. The point being 90% of all Boxsters are not driven and cared for the same. 90% of all Boxsters can probably endure a certain amount of abuse from oil starvation or contamination, but once the bearing exceeds that threshold the previous coin flips have nothing to do with the current coin flip.
Also it's simple engineering logic, a sealed bearing playing a critical role in keeping your engine in tact will not last forever nor is there any benefit in keeping it in there indefinitely.

BTW, if you replace the water pump, replace the front engine mount. It's right there and worth doing at the same time.

and vise versa!

Fair enough. Your logic makes sense. I thought I might have misread what you were saying

I do agree that the IMS is a problem, just that its not all doom and gloom.
Like I said, when my clutch get replaced, and I have 60k on it now, so I expect it will be in the next 12 months, I will proactively replace the IMS bearing.

In the meantime, it miles of smiles :)

Yeah, this scenario is pretty much me. According to the car fax the last owner put 25k on it in 7 years of ownership. I however will be driving it for fun and as a daily driver. The oil condition when I bought it is "40%" so I would suspect between the two previous owners it was well cared for but its days of sitting in the garage are pretty much over. It will be loved and well-maintained but it was purchased to drive.

I agree not a doom and gloom issue. But its not something you should put off if there a question marks about the previous owners driving routines and how often they changed the oil. We have a member on here who has over 300k miles on his Boxster and is still on the original IMS. But he drives the car every day long enough for the engine to come up to temp and he keeps very strict dealer service.

I go with Pelican Parts which so happens to own this forum. My local stealership is so much more expensive so I go with OEM from Pelican. I am just about to put my order in for a new waterpump and thermostat.
Cheers, Guy:)

Second hand car and wondering if the wiper arms are installed correctly. These are shots of the wipers in the off position, is this the proper position? They look too high to me but as a first time owner I have no idea.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps1578d7ba.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps5cbb69ba.jpg

Meant to post this in my thread but it looks like it went to you personally, sorry about about that.

^ No that's wrong. Unscrew them both, push them back in their right position. They should hit in the lower blacken area of your windshield. well mine does anyway

I think the best upgrade I've done ever on my 986 is a complete and NEW suspension system. Struts, bars, springs, links, everything (<$2000). Now feels and drives like no other Boxster of course lol

Thanks a lot sir.

As luck would have it a opportunity to replace the IMS bearing has presented itself. Though the car lot replaced the clutch prior to putting the car on the lot and did not take the opportunity to replace the IMS bearing at that time. However, the car immediately has developed a rear main seal leak that the lot will pay, in full, to correct. Mechanic said something about a tech order for replacement of bolts and something else on the rear main seal so I actually feel pretty lucky this developed so quickly and the lot is catching the tab.

Obviously this is a great opportunity to replace the IMS but I dont know if the car has a dual or single row, and I certainly dont want to spend $700-$1900 on a kit if I can help it. I would also like to order this kit in advance to work starting on the rear main seal. So, in a question from the 'too good to be true' category, should I just order the Pelican kit for $165 and feel safe and secure that my IMS will be good till my new clutch needs to be replaced????? I mean, if Im reading it right that kit will fit no matter what I have now and is a fraction of the cost, why would I NOT want to go with that kit? Is there anything else I should be ordering at the same time to make sure the mechanic has what he needs and Im covering the 'might as well do this too' parts???? On a budget here obviously but if the cheap kit is advisable that gives me a little breathing room for other small parts for now. Any input is appreciated.

BTW installed Michelin AS3s on all four corners today and, get this, the tires on the rear had good tread but were made in 2004! Yeah, needed new tires. Still obviously breaking them in but it made a big diff in the ride. Had model year 2013 Proxies on the front and model year 2004 "Ultra HRP" on the rears, now matching AS3s, feels like a brand new car!

2002 would be single row.

A simple question you better ask before letting someone tear into your engine is if they've done an IMS replacement before? I don't have the procedure dedicated to memory but I believe you need a few specialized tools for locking down camshafts and extracting the bearing. If this is their first and they don't have the tools, I'd serously consider not having them do it. It's not complicated but if you don't do it properly, you'll end up with a really messed up engine. Do research on Jake Raby's website or look for videos on YouTube and definitely ask questions of your mechanic before you let him loose on your car.

No has has never done an IMS. I was just going by my gut instinct as he seemed very professional in appearance and demeanor, competent and his 5 bay shop is friggin spotless. I realize its still a leap of faith but I got a good feeling about him the moment I met him.

I will have him take a look at the technical guide provided by this site, seems to me that guide is better than most and is something he can reference before and during the procedure. Reading through the guide I saw, "There is a special tool available from Porsche to assist in removing the cover, but it's really expensive and not really necessary." And with the bearing itself there is the LN puller/counterstay for $339. Does anyone have this LN puller that would be willing to rent to it me? Paypal payment in advance kinda thing.

So far the parts list Ive come up with is:

Pelican IMS kit
M6 bolts for the set screws
Cam shaft end plugs
Axle boots (courtesy of Perfectlap in post #21)
*Possibly the LN puller
*Flywheel, hope not but maybe.