GT3 Bumper question.
 

Can someone tell me if the GT3 front bumper was an option for the boxster ? It apparently fits several models. Saw one listed for boxster as factory original part and am interested. Is $900 a fair price new? Thanks.

after further research, i guess was originally for 911..but sold as part of aerokit 2 for boxster..sound right?

$900 is about right for a Factory GT3 bumper. From the windshield forward the 911 form 1999-2001 uses the same body panels and headlights as the 1997-2004 Boxsters.

thanks perfectlap

therefore does the 997 & 997 GT3 share body panels from the window forward with the 2005+ boxster/cayman?

thanks!

no I don't think so but the 997 Turbo and 987 have nearly identical interiors!
Some have been griping in auto magazines about this.

dont do it
 

Hey the guy who is selling them on ebay for $900 using "buy it now" is ALSO selling them via bidding starting at $100. Two days ago I got one for $511. It is shipping to me as we speak.

I watched another auction a week ago and it went for $652 IIRC.

Wait for him to put one up via bidding, and you almost for SURE won't pay $900.

and YES you owe me!! :cheers:

Please let us know when it arrives if it is an OEM polyurethane GT-3 bumper, or if it is made of fiberglass. A lot of these folks on fleabay sell the cheap fiberglass replica versions that will not give upon minor impacts.

I also put in a bid for the gt-3 bumper last week. I was under the impression that he closed the bidding because he did not get a fair bid. Then i took a look at his other products for sale and saw that he was looking for atleast $900. $500 is a steal of a deal........

I have read some post here, where people have been saying something about cheap fiberglass products.....is it that bad? I have no idea about what is good material and what isn't. Will the paint/shine still appear on the fiberglass bumpers in time....or is it just easy to crack.....

so is $900 a decent average price for a fiberglass bumper........

$900 is horribly overpriced for an inexpensive material like Fiberglass.

I bought a first rate Miata aero kit from Racingbeat.com (RX7 and Miata tuners) and I don't think anyone section was more than $400. And that's from a company with very high quality control standards. Their Fiberglass unlike 99% of that available in aftermarket world usually requires little if any shaping/sanding.
No matter if its from Racingbeat or another quality maker, fiberglass will NEVER fit as well as OEM parts. Polyurethane is made from a mold and probably lazer cut for a fit that rarely deviates more than -1mm. The aftermarket fiberglass really depends on the guy making the piece on that particular day. So its much more time intensive and has the big drawback of being very easy to crack with as little as a -5mph impact. The bodyshop will also charge you their usual steep fees to prep fiberglass so it will nullify any savings vs going with factory parts.

The guy selling the GT3 factory bumper is probably the same guy I got mine from (Dayton @ DPS Motorsports). Anything below $900 is a good price but I doubt he'll be selling many at $500 again, probably a good way to draw attention to his auctions through forums like this one.

here's a great example of fibgerglass with a terrible fit.
http://i19.ebayimg.com/01/i/08/71/fe/c5_12.JPG

If I bought a real GT3 bumper, is it just a matter of paint and replace? No other parts or changes?

the place I bought mine from is "German oem parts". It is represented as "New Original Porsche OEM " with the provided Porsche part number. I would not have bought anything else, for the above mentioned reasons. He seems to be selling a few of them, as I watched one auction go to to $652, and he had several on ebay for $900 with buy it now or best offer. I tried a best offer of $500 to see how low he would go, and he came back with $750. I didn't bite, and sure enough, he started another auction starting at $100. That is the one I got for $511. It BETTER be OEM polyurathane, or it goes straight back for a full refund. It hasen't arrived yet, so we will see.


Interestingly enough, I just looked on ebay and he does not have any current auctions/buy it nows listed. I wonder if he sold all the ones he has.

Basically, follow the link in the cleaning out the radiators thread and you'll be able to mount it yourself if you have a lift or jackstands. TriGem2K did this and reported no problems AFAIR. I thought it would be very difficult looking at the instructions its not hard at all just takes some time to pry out the fasteners from the wheel wells. I looked at the Porsche Electronic Catalogue print out and there were a few retaining strips (in case of impact) that were unique to the 911 but not a concern unless you plan on playing bumper cars.

I'm not sure how a GT3 front bumper would look like without skirting since its bigger (wider and longer) than the stock Boxster front end.

Thanks, this helps alot. I do trust Dayton at DPS, and would most likely buy my gt3 bumper from him. They have very good pricing. I bought my side skirts from DPS at a fair price. He even sent me the wrong skirts and was happy to exchange them for the right ones at his cost.

Pecivil make sure to post back when you get the bumper.....i'm really excited for you...lol....everytime i look at my car, it seems to be missing something......GT-3 front bumper.....dam! i'm going to have to wait until the summer, unless i win an auction that gets me that bumper for $500....

I did mine in my garage with just the jack that is inside the spare tire. Total install took 1hour. It actually took 20mins to put it on and the other 40 just in adjustments. You can actually raise and lower the bumper any way u want with the bracket and screws behind the bumper. I was anal and had to have a "perfect" fit.

good work^ The bodyshop I stoped by wanted around $200 to remove the old and install the new. What a mistake that would have been..

No way, I wouldn't pay more than $50-$75 to have it installed by a "professional".

Pay me $200 for my airfare and ill install it for free!

:cheers:

i bought a boxster 996 turbo look bumper from essential styling and what a load of ****************e!

I paid £700.00 and had it for 4 days and it was ****************e, he wouldnt have it back so I sold it on ebay for £200 and got bad feedback, stay clear from that place!

hey pencivil
 

how did the GT3 bumper from the ebay seller work out? was it factory and did you install yourself?

still waiting for it to arrive. It is shipping from Virginia and I am in California, so it will take a awhile. I will post when it arrives.

received the GT-3 bumper yesterday, exactly as described. Stock Porsche part.

Hey a heads up. this bumper is back on ebay. i'm not the seller or making a dime on it. but i love this bumper and suggest that anyone looking should get it.

i put in a bid of $500. i didnt win. seller wants $700. not a bad deal. hopefully he's still around in the summer next year, as i really really want this bumper. just can't justify spending $700 right now on a bumper with the car in the garage stored.

Kronix, do you have a link for that bumper?

Never mind... I just found it :)

Hey Randall here is the link

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Porsche-Genuine-GT3-Bumper-for-Boxster-and-996-NEW_W0QQitemZ230044912171QQihZ013QQcategoryZ36475Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i gave an offer of $400.00 (just to feel him out). I was going to offer him $500. he declined my $400 and counter offered.....saying that he had four guys who he has counter offered $700.00. i think you could even offer him $600, and should be able to get it.

good luck

pecivil-pictures please
 

hey pecivil,

post pictures after you install. thanks.

Kronix,
Yes that is the same guy I got mine from!! It is the real deal. Go for it!!

Do note that there's no center cut out to accomodate the Boxster S's additional radiator. You gotta do this yourself. That's something I'm not confident of doing so gave this a pass.

Anyone got an idea how easy it is to cut the center opening out?

The front bumper is supposed to be matched with the rear Aerokit II spoiler for aerodynamics purposes. I've the rear spoiler but am hesistant to put that one for fear it may upset the balance without the front aerokit bumper to match.

I'm wondering whether Porsche is just giving us a load of BS so that they can make money by selling both as a set. Or it does not matter much.

Yes, I do head down to the track few times a year so high speed stability would be necessary.

There was a thread on PPBB about this today but they're down at the moment. Basically a guy said it was very easy to cuto out with a dremmel, the area is already recessed so you even have a guide to follow.

There as also some suggestion thay there may be a bumper with a cutout as the 996 Tip has the third radiator, or maybe Poirsche dremmel it out :D

i'm under the impression that that piece is an extra cost or just comes with the bumper. so if you have an S, you would remove it, and if you don't have an S, you would put it on, so that its not empty looking.....

here's a pic!

If you get the bumper, you really need to get the matching side skirts. I just bought an OEM GT3 bumper and the matching OEM side skirts. I can't take the wing that goes with the kit, so I went with a wing like KronicSpeed has and the rear bumper diffusers. I am currently searching for a painter in the DFW area to lay down the Guards Red paint, but I do plan on installing everything myself. I think the Gemballa wheels will go quite nicely with the aerokit.

Thumper,
Were you surprised to find that your clear headlight corners were smoked? I was.

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed when I opened the box and saw that they were smoked vs. clear. I think clear would've looked better. I think I may bite the bullet and go for the full litronic conversion next year after the smoke subsides off of my credit card.

Not quite I'm afraid. Like to mentioned, if you've an S, you will need to cut out the center opening yourself. I've asked the seller, German*something*, and he confirmed this.

Plus, if you don't have an S, you could add the oil cooler. I have mine cut out and have the receiver part of my Escort Passport SRX radar detector mounted in the opening for that ultra stealth installation.

How does the car handle at speed > 100mph? The only reason why I'm getting the Aerokit II front bumper is bec I want to install the rear Aerokit II spoiler. There has been a lot of talk that the rear needs to be matched with the front, & vice versa in your case, to have an overall balanced aerodynamics effect. If one has only the rear, the downforce will be greater behind and may cause instability to the front.

If anyone reading this has installed the Aerokit II rear spoiler without the Aerokit II front bumper, do let us know whether you've experienced any front end lightness during high speeds :)

Re: your smoked corners...
 

The reason the corners are smoked and not clear is because they are matched to the smoked side marker lights. This is the way they came for the 986 series Boxsters. The 987 series' side markers came clear, and I think that is what you have put on your car (either that, or you bought non-oem side markers from ebay) which is why your side markers don't match the oem 986 smoked corners). Also, the smoked corners match exactly with the smoked lower part of the headlight lenses on the 986, so if you were to buy the real oem clear headlights or the hid litronics, and have clear corners, it would look funny (half smoked, half clear).

IMHO, if you have the halogen headlamps with the lower part in amber/orange, it looks better if you just leave the lights as is, and not install the smoked corners because it draws even more attention to the fact that the ambers don't match the smoked part. Just wait to get an all amber free look from the clear headlights or the litronics.

http://i10.tinypic.com/2a98tci.jpg

The corners and the side markers are OEM pieces. I plan on upgrading to litronics sometime next year and it'll all look just fine then.

I know yours are OEM pieces. My post was refering to ohioboxster's question to you. On his car, his side marker is clear, not smoked.

bump,

Just read on Rennlist that DPS Motorsports received a big shipment of GT3 front bumpers. I'd make him an offer between $650-$900 and see what he says.
The usual list is $950 but maybe the prices are coming down now that its an older part (unlikely). He also sells the sideskirts usually. I think he offers painting of both. Wish I had opted for that.