Care and feeding of my new Boxster S?
 

I should have my Boxster S by January sometime.

I have a great guy who clays the car and waxes it, so I don't need help or advice on keeping the paint pristine.

It will be garaged. Driven 2-3 times a week.

I was thinking about one of those clear bras that are warmed and put on the paint, to protect from paint chips, rocks, etc.

Any other advice on what to do / not to do is greatly appreciated.

And any info on taking it easy the first 1000(?) miles would be appreciated as well.

I plan on keeping the car 15 years, as I did with my last car.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Michael

You will get lots of feedback on this one.

Do a thread search on Clear Bra and engine break in period.

Good luck

Many believe Porsche breaks the motor in at the factory and the 2000 mile "break in" period is for the driver not the car!

I have 55000 miles on mine and it has never used any oil at all between 15000 mile oil changes.

Drive the car hard it will last forever, baby it, or let it sit, and it will punish you.

The clear bra is a personal preference but having one on a current car for almost 5 years I passed on my Boxster when I bought it. It is visible and gets more so as it ages. There will be small wrinkles here and there and they become more apparent with age. I'm taking the one that's been on my other car off soon, it now looks really bad. I do have a few very small nicks in the hood of the Boxster but I'm the only one who sees them and it's only when I wax the car which I do every other week. Like yours mine is only driven a few times a week and not in the winter. When the nicks really add up I'll have the front end painted.

I intend to keep the car for at least 10 years as well. For that reason I avoided all of the gadgets like PASM, Sport/Chrono, PCM, adaptive seats, etc. Those items get outdated quickly, break, seem to have quirky problems and are very expensive to replace.

As for the break in I would follow it as best you can but there will certainly be times when you exceed the 4200 rpm limit or whatever it is duing the break in and accelerate beyond it without the oil warmed up. The latter is the big concern in my opinion. Don't really push the rpms until the oil is warmed up. I made a point of going on a couple of long highway trips during the first 3k where I could vary the rpms, accelerate quickly, drive in 6th, etc. My car runs like a dream with 3500 miles on it. The clutch and shifting are perfect and the throttle response incredible. Everything definitely loosens up on the car which led me to conclude that avoiding really pushing the car during the first couple thousand miles is worth it in the long run. I think the worst thing you could do though would be to let it sit in the garage and just use it for quick trips where you really push it without letting it warm up. This car likes to warm up and then be driven. A thoroughbred.

"Drive the car hard it will last forever, baby it, or let it sit, and it will punish you."

There is no data or evidence to support this contention. Quite the opposite.

Hammer your car and it will reward you by breaking down. Take it racing and you will need a budget for many many parts.

This is not a human body, it is a collection of moving metal parts, all subject to stress, wear and friction.

Now, changing the oil every 7500 miles is a good step for long life.

I would also use Red Line 5W-40 engine oil, the best out there in my opinion.

Good luck.

Don't know the quality of 1JB's old clear-bra installation and what material was it made of, but I have only praises to say about mine (installed in May). People never know I have it until I tell them about it. I think it helps that I minimized the amount of visible edges as much as possible. I covered the whole hood, front bumper and front fenders to where they meet the doors. Only visible are two 3" edges on each side right below the windshield -- as they don't make rolls wide enough to cover the hood in its entirety. Really easy to maintain and clean. Just wash with soap and spray with Plexus. Bugs, dirt, etc wipe off really easy. I can only hope that I'll be as happy with it years from now but no one can tell.

Do follow the break-in procedure religiously. It will be in the manual. I bought mine in May now at 3000+ miles (driving it only on weekends) the car starts to really loosen up. The engine sounds smoother, revs easier. I never crossed 4200 rpms during the first 2000 miles. Crossing it after that was like driving a different, new car. You will LOVE the car. :)
Z.

My installation was of the 3M Clear Bra by an authorized dealer/installer of pre-cut materal for an Acura MDX, deep red color. It looked great for the first couple of years but has shown a marked decline over the last year. It was installed in 2002 and the car is garaged most of the time. It has become slightly more opaque at the edges and in the tiny wrinkles that were present here and there. On the mirrors it is particularly noticeable and looks pretty poor at this point. I am confident however that my paint will look good as new when I take it off. I'm not knocking the product but my experience has been that it does show signs of age which is to be expected I would think. Installation cost was roughly $800.00 US.

On another note, another product I installed at the same time as the Clear Bra were the Stonguard headamp protectors. These were barely detectable up until the past year or so as well when there was a noticeable breakdown of the adhesive visible through them. Many small bubbles and "orange peel" was apparent on the adhesive side. Pulled them off and the headlamps look good as new. Again, I'm not knocking the product but it also showed definite signs of age as would be expected. So I would anticpate having to replace the bra every few years but the cost is still less than repaint of the front end. My logic in not doing it is that in 5-7 years I'm going to have to replace the convertible top too and will have the whole car repainted then as well. I just love the look of a perfectly Zaino'd car with no bra. My 2@s for what it's worth.

1JB, were there wrinkles on the clear-bra at the very beginning or did they start to appear with time?
Thx.
Z.

There were just a couple of tiny wrinkles when they installed it in a couple of spots. Virtually all of the wrinkles disappeared after a couple of weeks but a few minor ones did not. Unless you knew they were there though you wouldn't notice them.

I'll tell you one thing for sure though you will have real peace of mind driving your car with the Clear Bra installed. The first time I got behind a truck that was kicking up dirt on the highway in my new Boxster without the bra I quickly ended up a half mile back in the right hand lane wondering if I should have had the bra installed.

Couple of things I do for my car:

1) Apply Ragg Top to the top to help protect it from the 'elements'
2) Apply a leather conditioner to the seats on a regular basis (every 4-5 months)
3) Break-in period is 2000 miles, keep RPM under 4000 (some say 4200)
4) Stand in the garage and stare at it alot

Have fun! You will love it :D

I have owned 14 Porsches since 1974 and have floored them every time I have driven them and shifted near redline and have never blown a motor. I have torn down some of them at 100,000 miles and could still see the cross hatching in the cylinders and the bearings tested within Porsche's service limit for used bearings. BTW I have always loosely followed Porsche's recommended oil change intervals including 12,000 miles or 6 months (IIRC) on my 1975. I have driven them coast to coast and on tracks and in the twisties for hundreds of thousands of miles.

There's some evidence for you!!!!

In regard to oil changes do you think you are smarter than Dr Porsche? Is Redline on the list of approved oils in Porsche's latest TSB?

BTW I agree about racing, it will use up the car, but driving the car on the streets the way Porsche intended (warm them up, have fun) based on my experiences will not harm the car. Leaving it sit, flooring it when cold, shifting at low rpms WILL harm it.

Yeah drive you car often becasue my 1999 boxster only has 13000 miles and i had to fix my rms.The dealer said it was becasue it was driven to often.
have fun and drive. :)

I recommend doing the first oil change at 1,000 miles. Then every 7-10K or once per year.

Ah, how?


Your experience is your experience. It doesn't translate into fact though, simply what you tell us happened to your cars.

I will stand by my statement based on the laws of physics. Hammer your car regularly and you will pay the price, esp with these fragile engines we know have in our Porsches/

BTW-Dr Porsche is long dead and I can't see how he somehow provided input into oil change interval recommendations. that we see today.

I don't know if Red Line is on the Porsche approved list and frankly don't care. It is one of the few Group 5 synthetics in the world available for our cars and it is flat out a better oil than M1, though M1 is quite good.

If you really believe M1 can be run in a Porsche for 20K miles and that will help the car last longer, so be it.

It is your car, do what you want with it. I would not do that, not even with Red Line.

[QUOTE=Brucelee]Ah, how?
I will stand by my statement based on the laws of physics. Hammer your car regularly and you will pay the price, esp with these fragile engines we know have in our Porsches/
[QUOTE]

I don't agree with the whole "fragile engines" thing Bruce. Some of the older M96 engines had some slipped sleeve issues and intermediate shaft failures but the newer versions I think are pretty solid. Porsche has also changed to a different RMS that is more robust and less likely to leak, though they still do happen on occasion. I think that the M96 engine is a very good engine that will serve most owners well. For every engine failure out there I bet there are hundreds that will never have a problem. I think that running this forum has jaded you a bit and you think that everyone of our engines/cars is a ticking time bomb which is simply not the case.

[QUOTE=Adam][QUOTE=Brucelee]Ah, how?
I will stand by my statement based on the laws of physics. Hammer your car regularly and you will pay the price, esp with these fragile engines we know have in our Porsches/

Very well stated, Adam! Thank you!

"I will stand by my statement based on the laws of physics. Hammer your car regularly and you will pay the price, esp with these fragile engines we know have in our Porsches."

I've only been to one DE event so far but after seeing heaps of 20-30 year old Porsches ripping the track lap after lap after lap, I wouldn't exactly call them "fragile".

"1) Apply Ragg Top to the top to help protect it from the 'elements'
2) Apply a leather conditioner to the seats on a regular basis (every 4-5 months)
3) Break-in period is 2000 miles, keep RPM under 4000 (some say 4200)
4) Stand in the garage and stare at it alot"

This is excellent advise. I use Ragg Top and the Zaino leather products. Great look at great smell for the leather.

I also take the recycling to the garage several times an evening and stare at the seductive beast sitting next to the old newspapers, Corona bottles and milk jugs. Then it's time to return to the house, open another bottle of Corona and start the process all over again. :cheers:

" I think that running this forum has jaded you a bit and you think that everyone of our engines/cars is a ticking time bomb which is simply not the case."

Certainly, this could be true, we do hear about alot of engine issues here. I am sure that at least some of them are contributed to by "spirited driving." Still, if I were to frequent a Lexus SC400 forum or Chevy V8 forum, I would be hearing more about 300K mile engines and the like, so I guess it depends on what we are comparing to.

It was admitted that racing is very hard on a car and would end in premature death. That statement is suggesting something very clear.

My point though is that there is no data that I have ever seen that would suggest that a key to long lived engines is to hammer them on a regular basis. In fact, the longest live engines on record tend to be run within somewhat narrow RPM ranges and are not subject to extreme acceleration and decelerations forces.

These engines would be in diesels (trains and trucks) and aircraft engines.

This makes sense. Simple physics would dictate as much.


__________________

My concern about your Redline recommendation is that if it is not a Porsche approved oil, it may void the warranty on a new car.

Of course Dr Porsche is dead, I used it as a generic term. BTW I have had dinner with Peter Porsche several times and he autographed the inside of the hood of my Boxster.

Porsches are driven daily in Germany at 6500 rpms in high gear for hours with no ill effects. Porsche has warned US drivers several times to drive their cars harder. If fact one of my owner manuals states that at least once each time the car is driven and after it is warmed up, to floor the car in first gear to at least 5500 rpms.

You said there is no evidence, I gave you evidence and perhaps you called me a liar. I'll stay on the high side and assume that is not true.

Bottom line drive the car the way it was intended to be driven (think Autobahn) and it will last a lot longer than a babied garage queen. If not, at least I'm having FUN!!!

As you wish, and I don't think you are a liar.

I would love to hear the Porsche engineer's explantation of why the car is going to last longer if you "floor it once a day" vs. driving in a more moderate fashion.

Using this logic, race cars would last forever.

Alas, they last a very very short time even though they have few miles on them.

Such is life.

Peter Porsche (say that 10 times fast!) signed your hood...that's pretty cool! :) Is he a grandson or great-grandson?

I don't think the Autobahn is anything like it may have been in the past. All my friends that trvel there say it's backed-up & congested just like many USA highways. And when they have a crash...it's awful.

Race cars are usually designed for power with little regard to longevity, so they do fail sooner.

Racing our cars usually results in behavior that's different than spirited driving on the street. On the track, many of us miss shifts, grind gear boxes, over rev when down shifting, flat spot tires, and other insults that would not happen on the street.

Trust me if you are not getting arrested while driving your Porsche, you are not driving it hard enough to effect it's longevity.

Hans Peter is a grandson.

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/engine/all_redline_rpm_vs_reliability.html

This is rather technical but on point on the subject of engine speeds and longevity.

Based on your theory, all cars in Germany should require more repairs than the same model in the US.

Is there anyone from Germany on this board?

"I have owned 14 Porsches since 1974 and have floored them every time I have driven them and shifted near redline ... "

Well, let's see ... that boils down to a little over two years per car. I submit that hardly qualifies as "long term useage", on a per-car basis.
I agree you can beat the crap out of just about any car, Porsches included, for two years, and the chickens won't be roosting on YOUR shoulder.

From what I have read, and heard, European-owned and driven Porsches are renowned for being junk-heaps compared to US cars, specifically because of the way they are typically driven and somewhat haphazard maintenance.

Anecdotal data is always interesting, and provides good argument fodder, but in this case I remain unconvinced.

But most of the time I've owned at least 2 and once 4 at the same time!

I bought my 2001 Boxster new more than 5 years and 55,000 miles ago....

If you go on Google and simply type in "piston speed engine longevity" you will find tons of different data to suggest that overall, increased engine piston speed kills longevity.

The engineers can verify this quite easily.

I am NOT telling you not to drive your car hard, simply suggesting you not justify it with a "its good for the car" story.

It is not.

Where is Minn Jim when you need him?????????????

No issue with the piston speeds, but most wear is caused by the first 30 seconds after start up, in comparison very little wear occurs after that.

Also I have read oil studies that show that new oil causes more wear in the first 3000 miles, after that wear levels out.

Hi,

"I try to get out, but they pull me back in..." ;)

Nowhere is it written that it's good to intentionally abuse machinery. The harder you use it, the faster you'll use it up!

An engine and drivetrain is a symphony of moving parts. Step up the cadence, and you inevitably shorten it's lifespan. There are only so many cycles that these various parts are designed to achieve, push beyond this threshold, and the machine will breakdown short of the anticipated life cycle...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

My point all along is that it is better than leaving it sit, flooring it when cold, and shifting at low rpms. My way works or I am the luckiest Porsche owner of all time.

And I am not driving the car hard, just they way Porsche built the car to be driven. Try it you'll like it, Porsches are not to be worshiped, just driven.

"My point all along is that it is better than leaving it sit, flooring it when cold, and shifting at low rpms. My way works or I am the luckiest Porsche owner of all time."

I certainly never suggested that THESE practices were wise. Nor would I worship any car. I was simply taking issue with the "driving it hard is better than driving it moderately" school of thought.

As I said before, drive it like you stole it.if you so choose. Simply don't believe you can cheat the laws of physics. Stress kills engines!

Also, you CAN change your oil too frequently, but 7500 miles is NOT too frequent if one looks at the used engine analysis that are available. Depending on the oil, some are shot by then.

M1 is usually gone by 11-12K. Red Line will usually make it to 15K but then, why risk it with your $15K engine?

Thanks for coming out of retirement Jim!

"But most of the time I've owned at least 2 and once 4 at the same time!"

Probably a good idea. That way, when you've beaten one to death, you still have a couple more to fall back on.

Seriously, however, it is a testament to Porsche's engineering that they CAN be submitted to, shall we say, heavy service and still provide the reliability for which they are famous.

Hi,

Yea, only to succumb to RMS failure...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Let's not foget the infamous "catastrophic engine failure!"

My neighbor is still worried about her second engine.

The RMS problem is petty bickering. Just pop a new one in during the next clutch job!!

If my 2.7 blows, if will give me a excuse to install a 3.6!!!

You guys all should sell your cars, you're afraid to drive them!!!

BTW our local club did our fall tour today, it covered 198 miles of back roads, sometimes in the rain. All 30 cars shifted near redline and ran wide open throttle for hundreds of stops and starts. Our cars all came back covered with mud, cow manure, dead bugs, and smiles. BTW I got 21 mpg.

Porsche says 15,000 mile oil changes, they know best, all of Europe has been doing it for decades, Americans have been brain washed.

I've been having fun since 1974, are you having fun, or just drooling over your garage queen?

Boy are these cars fun in the snow, should be time for my hardtop and snow tires soon!

Brucelee said:

"I was simply taking issue with the "driving it hard is better than driving it moderately" school of thought."

I've never said anything that conflicts with this statement. I've been saying driving it the way it was intended to be driven is better than leaving it sit, abusing it before it's warmed up, and shifting at low RPMS.