Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-28-2016, 12:29 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 77
Hello, from Singapore

Hey guys,


very nice to chance upon this forum while googling.

background:

a little introduction about myself.. i recently bought an obviously pre-loved/abused 986 (1998) 2500cc TipS red boxster in singapore (mileage about 180,000 km)

singapore is emphatically the most expensive place on earth to own a car. to buy a car, you first need to bid for a permit and this permit can swing from 10k to 80k USD. and the permit will only last for 10 years, upon expiry you will need to buy it again for another 10 years. yes thats right. currently, this permit is at 41k usd.

a new 718 boxster-s today cost 260k USD and will only last you for 10 years.. (body depreciation a year is 26k USD at least)

as you can imagine, porsches are extremely rare in singapore given its steep price. this 986 is bought used at a fairly reasonable price... but i didnt know what lies ahead (read on...)

First Repair
when i bought it over, the seller promised to fix (via his mechanic)
- soft top (1 of the metal ?arm is broken)
- get me a second key with on/off toggle (he only has 1 set remaining)

in addition, the mechanic offered me to change a few items. he said it is optional but better to replace at one go. he didnt even quote me the price but proceeded to swap out some parts and bill me, just like that -->

approx 1USD $ = 1.36 Singapore $


i was shocked. this is my first car but really, is this price even normal for porsche 986?

i went to compare the parts at design911, pelicanparts and the prices quoted online are so much cheaper ... i had no choice but to pay because my car is with him and this mechanic is the intermediary to ensure the seller make good of his promise to fix the soft top


Second Repair
during this time i was busy with work and could not test drive my car. my mechanic took it for a test drive and he realized the boxster overheated,

new problem found: radiation fan broke on one side. he fixed it and the seller had to pay *because i havent even driven it yet*

Third Repair
alas the time has come for me to pick up my precious ride. i drove it home that day and within half an hour, while stopping at a traffic junction, suddenly when i accelerate, the car would simply not move! there was no gear engagement! i had to tow my car back to the mechanic and they found that my ?ATF coolant box had broke and leaked. they ordered a replacement for me at seller's expense and did a couple of through and through ATF flushes. it took a week but they manage to get clear (and not milk) ATF output again..

i was concerned about gearbox damage but my mechanic told me all should be fine.. his view is that there would invariably be some damage but negligible.


Forth Repair
after the coolant box repair, i went back to pick up my boxster for the weekend. the mechanic told me to watch out for problems and let him know if anything's not alright

while driving, i realize the steering was so stiff i almost hit onto walls and oncoming pedestrians! i sent it back to the mechanic after 1 day and he found out that 1 of the hoses that ?transmit power steering fluid had broken..

in addition, my car died on the road thrice.

my mechanic diagnosed that the car died due to ?overheating because the radiator is ?choked and he flushed it/cleared it out again.

in addition, he replaced the hose that transmits power steering fluid.





all these happen over a span of 3 weeks. during these 3 weeks, i got to drive for around 2 days haha.

now im still without a car. the main reason im posting this is because i read up alot about porsches, flat 6 and 986 and im very keen to continuing renewing the pesky 10 year permit for this car and use it as my daily ride.

i want to learn more esp how to order my own parts from design911 and other stores and get some other mechanic who can install all these stuffs for me.

in singapore, it is hard to meet other 986 owners.. so, here i am!



hope there will be no more 5th repairs. fingers crossed!


Last edited by perspectivism; 09-28-2016 at 01:02 AM.
perspectivism is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 12:54 AM   #2
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 77
Some lingering questions i have:


1. I am getting Fuel Consumption of 5.5 KM/Litre (thats 13MPG only)... what could be the problem?
- while i understand singapore is mostly city driving, with a lot of accelerate and stop due to the numerous traffic lights we have... that should be something wrong, right?

2. I suppose if i buy parts from design911 and other online stores, i can just bring it to my mechanic to get them fixed right? and i would only have to pay them labour fee. i definitely would be on the look out for another mechanic who would be willing to do this.\

3. IMS? What IMS?
- i read up so much about IMS bearing failures online but when i asked my mechanic, he doesnt know anything about ims. mind you, this chap services a lot of porsches, ferraris and other exotic/expensive cars in singapore. i wonder what could be the reason?

Last edited by perspectivism; 09-28-2016 at 01:01 AM.
perspectivism is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 10:36 AM   #3
Registered User
 
stelan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Austin
Posts: 395
welcome, a 98 does not have much problems with IMS bearing as they are stronger/bigger than 2000 and later ones, those prices are shocking, wow.
If you can buy your parts from suppliers overseas and learn how to wrench in your car you will save tons of money. it is just a car and they are all serviceable and fixable to some point.
stelan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 10:46 AM   #4
Crib
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Posts: 80
Garage
Ouch, ouch and ouch.... sorry and ouch (4 hits).


1. Really dependant on driving - this car will drink some if driven that way.

2. You should either teach yourself to do some stuff on your own, or at least change your mechanic. Your story is filled with unprofessional parts. If you bought a really cheap car and they were transparent on faults etc then it is of course your risk on doing so, but it sounds more like they have been covering some stuff here.

2b. Regarding buying parts and bringing to a mechanic i'd say it would be a matter of their business model. If their margin is within the work or parts, it should be a bit of both. But it should be reasonable for all parties, win-win as always, and if it aint you should debate it.

3. Now you REALLY need to change your mechanic. If they dont know about the IMS it's no discussion about it. They might know stuff about cars, but not nearly enough about Porsche to be working on your baby. The IMS itself is a bearing that have had numerous debates and discussions due to it's habit of braking in X% of the case.

IMS readup for you: https://www.oregonpca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ORPCA-IMS.pdf

Best of luck!
Crib is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 11:13 AM   #5
Registered User
 
barkinfool's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 153
Garage
Feel your pain! I lived in Singapore a couple of years and the company car hand me down was a Saab that had once caught on fire -- it was never right. Wondered what type of company would select to buy a car from the polar region to be deployed on the equator.... The cost of auto there is just appalling no matter what you drive....

I agree with the others that your mechanic needs to be changed out. I also think IMS is the least of issues you should worry about. Try to find out if there is an independent mechanic who is well-respected. Given the island is small, I would think that finding a reputable Porsche mechanic is not too difficult. Is there a Porsche club there? I also have done more car repair jobs on the 986 than any other car I've owned, and I am no mechanic. Given the mass transit you have there, it shouldn't be too big of a problem should you not finish something over the weekend. It is actually pretty fun to work on the car & this forum is tremendous to help support you if you get a little confused. You should buy Wayne Dempsey's 101 projects book -- you can get a sense of it by going to Pelican Parts and looking at their technical projects. But to start, I do think that you need to get some pro help to get it to a decent starting point before doing stuff yourself. Hope this is helpful.
__________________
Barkinfool
'02 Boxster S

Last edited by barkinfool; 09-28-2016 at 01:15 PM.
barkinfool is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 04:55 PM   #6
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 77
Thanks fellas for the kind replies. I feel very welcome here already.

It really is difficult (near impossible) to spot a fellow 986 here in Singapore.

Oh yes, my previous owner 'upgraded' the Rims to 19". Is that a cause of concern? Does it worsen my Fuel Consumption significantly?

Sent from my Mi 4i using Tapatalk

Last edited by perspectivism; 09-28-2016 at 07:36 PM.
perspectivism is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 07:22 PM   #7
Registered User
 
oldskool73's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 335
Those prices are crazy, even by super inflated Australian standards!

My first service was also expensive, but to be fair the mechanic's not going to spend ages scouring online for the best prices like I would, they just order the overpriced official Porsche parts from their regular dealer and charge it on to you with a markup.

I now buy everything online from Pelican or eBay and do the easy stuff myself (e.g the charcoal cabin filter is a 10 minute job with 1 screw, and shouldn't cost you more than about $30!), or take the more complex parts to my mechanic and just pay for the labour.
oldskool73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 07:37 PM   #8
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldskool73 View Post
Those prices are crazy, even by super inflated Australian standards!

My first service was also expensive, but to be fair the mechanic's not going to spend ages scouring online for the best prices like I would, they just order the overpriced official Porsche parts from their regular dealer and charge it on to you with a markup.

I now buy everything online from Pelican or eBay and do the easy stuff myself (e.g the charcoal cabin filter is a 10 minute job with 1 screw, and shouldn't cost you more than about $30!), or take the more complex parts to my mechanic and just pay for the labour.
Thanks man.


Are you referring to activated charcoal filter.. the one I was charged for $378?

I really would like to learn how to do all these minor servicing myself next time. Anyone knows where to get some reading materials?

Last edited by perspectivism; 09-28-2016 at 07:44 PM.
perspectivism is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 08:02 PM   #9
Registered User
 
oldskool73's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 335
Yeah, they don't say which filter but I'm guessing because it's activated charcoal they mean the cabin filter, this one :

1997 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible - Air Conditioning & Vents - Page 1

Changing it is easy, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjDE6GCXwSg
oldskool73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2016, 08:04 PM   #10
Registered User
 
oldskool73's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 335
As for reading material, just buy the 101 project book :

1997 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible - Books & Technical Documentation - Page 1

So far I've only really done a couple of oil changes, replaced all the filters and replaced the brake pads, but the book's already saved me several hundred $'s in mechanic fees!


Last edited by oldskool73; 09-28-2016 at 08:09 PM.
oldskool73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page