Am I spending too much on my boxster?

[Lando]

Originally Posted by rick3000

If you want something more in depth, a good starter DIY, take the front bumper off, clean the radiators, and reroute your front trunk release cable behind the front tow cap for easy access if the battery ever dies.

I bought a 2003 Boxster S in April with 58K on the clock and this was one of the first projects I took on. This car had always been garaged by the previous owner so I was surprised at the amount of debris trapped between the condensers and the radiators. The tutorial I was following recommended rerouting the trunk release cable which saved my bacon a few weeks later when I accidently closed the front trunk after disconnecting the battery while installing a Kenwood amp and GPS head unit. Just about the time the swear words were leaving my mouth, I remembered the release cable reroute. I popped off the tow cap and the loop in the cable was right there!

Since that time I have replaced the water pump (which appeared to be fine), installed a new motor mount bushing which was showing signs of rubber deterioration, new serpentine belt and new coolant. The total for all of this came to about $300. I wonder what the dealer would have charged me?