got rear ended - trying not to total - exhaust alternative to OEM?

[ol doc gully]

Hi guys,
I'm actually posting on behalf of my dad who has a 2001 boxster 2.7 (non-S), manual. He got a great deal on it with super low miles and has meticulously maintained it. Thing has never needed anything but oil and tires.

He got rear ended in a bad way. He's ok but the cost of repairs (by a dealership) is estimated at over $10k. State law mandates that anything over 75% of the value totals the car. Repairs include a transmission housing (only $933, presumably mount tab for exhaust?), $4,462 worth of exhaust parts, and the rear bumper - along with misc lights and fittings etc.

I am not there to take a look myself, but does it seem viable that there is no frame damage in this? I'm working on getting pictures from him. The 'transmission housing' makes me nervous along with a part listed as 'RT susp crossmember bracket' included with $933 transmission fix.

Assuming no frame damage, he would like to get it fixed as its worth more than $10k to him and he knows its well maintained and has anoethr 100,000+ miles in it easily. They want too much to buy back and try to get a salvage title not worth the hassle so we're either going to get a lower repair estimate or take the money and leave it.

he is currently trying to find another (non porsche dealership) shop for a quote. does anyone have a recommended shop in the huntsville alabama area?

TL;DR:
So in order to get repair costs down, exhaust seems like an easy target at $4462. it has one catalytic converter (99611302306) listed "LT" and one muffler and misc adapters, mounts, and supports.

How many cats are on these cars? looking at pictures there is one attached to header but i believe another before the muffler correct? because costs go up considerably if we're talking about replacing the headers, so would like to avoid. also due to the circumstances its not likely feasible to put an "offroad only" exhaust system on. do 'cat back' systems for these cars typically start after that header/cat pipe? is that likely what im needing here? i can give detail part numbers cited for repair if that would help

I'm largely looking at the PSE (but interested in any other recommendations - im sure he would prefer quiet), but honestly anything that doesnt sound terrible, wont flash codes and is in the realm of $2000 is a major win. Fabspeed keeps popping up more than anything, any comment on that system?

HUGE THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
(will get pictures ASAP)

[BYprodriver]

You can get good used oem muffler & manual trans for $300 + install labor. You didn't state mileage but I say if the car drives straight & normal now then it's worth keeping. If any part of the body is bent it will be very expensive to get it back like it was.

2000 & newer box has 4 cats but you can replace the rears with pipes easily & won't light the CEL. Fabspeed is great quality but $$$. Search this forum for more options & info.

[ol doc gully]

great to know we can just replace the rears and not worry about a CEL - exactly what i needed to be sure of, thank you. so this would be anything listed as a 'cat back' correct?

honestly, since its at a shop and its my father, the inconvenience of used comes with a price tag of probably $2000 on its own.

what would you recommend as far as whats available off the shelf? slightly louder than stock OK, performance gains not a must, but no drone and under $3k price tag.

[ol doc gully]

and to answer your question, yes, mileage is low, something like 60k

just found a picture that makes me nervous. seems like this plate covers the full underside of the car and mounts suspension etc. hope this was not damaged, or is this likely the piece referenced as far as transmission housing/suspension crossmember bracket?

[BoxsterSteve]

doc,
PM Woody on here... He goes by itsnotanova, and he parts out Boxsters.
Check the classifieds, he apparently has a real collection and could probably help you out with factory parts to get you rolling again.

[Nine8Six]

Sorry to hear ol doc :/ Lucky your dad is fine. Same happened here last summer to one of our friend however his neck and shoulders are still giving him grief today. Pretty bad smash, lost control in the rain and rear end himself in a concrete wall :/

Question for the pro here; in a case like OP, is it fair to assume that if the driver/passenger doors opens normally, then there is no structural damage to the car?

[JayG]

What state are you in?
You can't remove cats and pass smog in CA

IIRC, Raby said he had a stack of CATs for just about any Porsche

[flaps10]

That transmission housing is a puzzling statement. It could just mean the magnesium casting at the rear end of the transmission that the exhaust system hangs from. If so then head to ebay and find one for cheap.
If it means that the actual transmission housing is damaged and needs replacing the total cost will be much higher (and probably not worth it, since you can obtain a good transmission for not much money).

[husker boxster]

Without pics, we can only speculate...

There are LOTS of expensive parts in the back of a Boxster. And it doesn't matter where you have the estimate done, they're going to be basing their cost on the price of new parts. You're going to be caught in a conundrum - you can find used parts that will keep repair costs down, but some shops may not want to use them.

You might start entertaining the fact that you may have to write off your Boxster. Do you really want your dad driving a car that needed $7500 worth of repairs?

[mikefocke]

Good grief there are Porsche specific junk yards that can impact the cost if you can get the car out of the dealer's clutches and into someone who will use used parts.

Salvage Yards that Advertised in Panorama and/or Excellence

Part Works of Chicago 1-800-366-9147

Silver Star Recycling Rancho Cordova CA 1-800-783-4911 www.silverstarrecycling.com

Dart 1-303-296-1188 Porsche Service, VW Repair, Audi Maintenance, BMW Repair : DART auto Denver

Oklahoma Foreign 1-800-462-2446 Oklahoma Foreign

20th Street Auto Parts Phoenix AZ 1-800-999-4911 Porsche Corvette Mini Audi Used Auto Parts for Porsche-Corvette-Mini-Audi - 20th Street Auto Parts Arizona 1-602-258-2020

PartsHeaven Hayward CA 1-800-767-7250 Partsheaven New, Used, Rebuilt Porsche Parts

Easy Emeryville CA 1-510-633-EASY SF Bay Area Porsche New & Used Parts || EASY - European Auto Salvage Yard

dC Automotive Rocky Mount NC 1-800-579-2410 DCAuto


Others known to specialize in Wrecked Porsches

LA Dismantlers 1-818-PORSCHE Official Porsche Website - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

986online.com- Boxster Home -Porsche Boxster Parts And Accessories

Autobahn BMW & Porsche Parts Dismantler

Forsche-land.com

A link to a multi-source part finder

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

[boxxster]

10k is really not as bad as it sounds for a boxster. Parts prices from the dealer are astronomical and that quote likely includes labour which is also very expensive at the dealer. If you buy used parts and shop wisely I wouldn't be surprised if you could put all the parts together for like 2k, if that. Oh and for the sound you're looking for I'd probably just get some test pipes (if you can't find the cats at a reasonable price) and a stock exhaust. Top speed has a price for forum members that is a fraction of the cost of the fabspeed pipes. OEM exhaust shouldnt be too hard to find either - lots of people took theirs off in favour of aftermarket ones.

Best of luck.

[ol doc gully]

Originally Posted by flaps10

That transmission housing is a puzzling statement. It could just mean the magnesium casting at the rear end of the transmission that the exhaust system hangs from. If so then head to ebay and find one for cheap.
If it means that the actual transmission housing is damaged and needs replacing the total cost will be much higher (and probably not worth it, since you can obtain a good transmission for not much money).

Indeed, this is what worries me the most. Price on the part is $900 though and dealership didn't seem concerned so I presume its not a truly integral part of the trans, sounds like it is likely just the mag housing at the rear of the transmission for exhaust to hang from. This is a separate (bolt on) piece?

[ol doc gully]

Originally Posted by boxxster

10k is really not as bad as it sounds for a boxster. Parts prices from the dealer are astronomical and that quote likely includes labour which is also very expensive at the dealer. If you buy used parts and shop wisely I wouldn't be surprised if you could put all the parts together for like 2k, if that. Oh and for the sound you're looking for I'd probably just get some test pipes (if you can't find the cats at a reasonable price) and a stock exhaust. Top speed has a price for forum members that is a fraction of the cost of the fabspeed pipes. OEM exhaust shouldnt be too hard to find either - lots of people took theirs off in favour of aftermarket ones.

Best of luck.

Thanks, and yeah he just took it to the dealership that's done all his service, certainly not the most cost effective route. Total cost isnt really a concern as insurance will be paying, we just dont want it totalled. So, and im having to read through my dad's words, who is technically inclined but not quite adept at automotive aspects like this, but it sounds like we only need to cut out a couple grand and we are OK as far as not having to total it.

I'll start poking around for a stock exhaust but like I said, he's quite old and not interested in much trouble and I'm not local so convenience (aka off the shelf) is a big plus.

Thanks a lot guys, I really needed the reassurance since I can't put eyes or a wrench on the thing.

[VGM911]

Originally Posted by ol doc gully

....my dad...has a 2001 boxster 2.7 (non-S), manual. He got a great deal on it with super low miles and has meticulously maintained it. Thing has never needed anything but oil and tires.

If it were me, I wouldn't have an interest in launching "heroic" measures to save what is, after all, a rather common Boxster, as opposed to replacing it with another Boxster that is newer to avoid the contingent liability/cost of a possible IMSB replacement (or a possible engine replacement if you experience an IMSB failure).

Would it make sense to you to take the insurance money and put it towards a newer car that doesn't have an IMSB (2009 or newer), or....a pre-2009 car that has had the IMSB already replaced? Just think of the peace of mind you'd have, and just think of the work you'd save!

[itsnotanova]

Hard to say until we see some pics, but it doesn't sound that bad to me. A lot of spec guys break those suspension parts racing without any real ill effect to the chassis. This guy rolled his 3-5 times doing 75-100mph and he's bringing his back from the dead. So anything is possible. Of course it wouldn't make much financial sense to spend too much on a car that's only worth $12k on a good day. My advice would be to start calling around your local wrecking yards to get prices for parts you might need.

[ol doc gully]

Originally Posted by VGM911

If it were me, I wouldn't have an interest in launching "heroic" measures to save what is, after all, a rather common Boxster, as opposed to replacing it with another Boxster that is newer to avoid the contingent liability/cost of a possible IMSB replacement (or a possible engine replacement if you experience an IMSB failure).

Would it make sense to you to take the insurance money and put it towards a newer car that doesn't have an IMSB (2009 or newer), or....a pre-2009 car that has had the IMSB already replaced? Just think of the peace of mind you'd have, and just think of the work you'd save!

I've made the same argument. He's quite (perhaps overly) attached. But if insurance can/will repair without totalling theres no need for any heroic effort. However, I'm not familiar with IMSB failure? Please elaborate?

[VGM911]

Originally Posted by ol doc gully

I've made the same argument. He's quite (perhaps overly) attached. But if insurance can/will repair without totalling theres no need for any heroic effort. However, I'm not familiar with IMSB failure? Please elaborate?

I've been through what your father is going through....I totaled a Boxster and when the insurance adjuster got up to $10+ thousand, he stopped figuring what it would cost to repair it. So I replaced it with another Boxster, but that's another story.

The IMSB is a reference to the intermediate shaft bearing.....it's the achilles heel of some early (pre-2009) Porsche Boxsters, Caymans, and 911s (all of which share the M96 engine). If it destinegrates, the pieces will travel through the engine and pretty much destroy it.

There is a wealth of information about this problem on these boards, so you can do a search on the subject. One thing you should keep in mind: we don't really know what the actual failure rate is. Some say 5% of the engines will have this problem, and some say the number is closer to 10%. No one knows for sure.....not even Porsche itself.

Good luck in whatever you do.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

Hey Woody. Is this Carl Amond's shop? I was just there today picking up a wheel for my Boxster. Thanks for the tip!

TO

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by VGM911

: we don't really know what the actual failure rate is. Some say 5% of the engines will have this problem, and some say the number is closer to 10%. No one knows for sure.....not even Porsche itself.

We are little over 300 members in the Pcar club here (just in Shanghai city) and the majority falls in this group of pre-2009. Seriously, we've never seen, never heard of an IMSB failure. In fact when you raise this ISMB thing here these guys are all looking at you like you are from planet lost. Same on the China-wide pcar forum (your PCA equivalent), never seen it being discussed. Interesting to see how figures differs from other regions.

Must the heavy smog found in air here that helps lubing of our bearings

[VGM911]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

Must the heavy smog found in air here that helps lubing of our bearings

Your smog problems in that part of the world are indeed legendary! Come back to North America for a breath of fresh air.