New Boxster owner - my story, lessons learned.

[ccarlisl]

Right now I'm waiting to hear from the local dealer with the diagnosis. But if they don't have any good news, I may have to contact the other dealer I bought it from. I'm just so unfamiliar with this situation; nothing like this has ever happened to anyone I know. I'm not sure if I should expect help from some entity like Porsche or the dealer or am I simply SOL since I bought the car as-is?

Well thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. I'll definitely look into some of these things.

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by ccarlisl

Right now I'm waiting to hear from the local dealer with the diagnosis. But if they don't have any good news, I may have to contact the other dealer I bought it from. I'm just so unfamiliar with this situation; nothing like this has ever happened to anyone I know. I'm not sure if I should expect help from some entity like Porsche or the dealer or am I simply SOL since I bought the car as-is?

Well thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. I'll definitely look into some of these things.

Likley you are SOL. Check your documents and then check DMV and Consumer Laws in your state.

Report back, maybe we can help.

[tboyer]

Awful, sorry you have had such bad luck. Good luck and keep the pressure on all involved parties.

[ccarlisl]

Just got off the phone with the service manager and he said it was the water pump! The water pump!

He said that for whatever reason, the water pump locked up and shreaded the belt into a million pieces. That's obviously why she overheated and it would also account for the noise I suppose.. but I've NEVER seen coolant look like that before. I swear it was oil. Even the tow truck driver thought so. I don't get it. I asked him if he was sure we were talking about the same car. Do you guys think this sounds right? Could the failure be in any way related to the 60k mile service they did about 2 weeks ago?

Anyway, he said they couldn't find any oil anywhere and there shouldn't be any other damage. So it's gonna cost me another $1200 for a new water pump installed (that includes a 10% discount apparently because I just spent $6k there). Whatever. I guess I should be pissed that I'm having to pour even more into this car but to tell you the truth, I'm relieved

I'm freakin' ecstatic actually. Thought I was gonna need a new engine.. I bet you've never seen anyone this happy to see their water pump fail and have to spend over a grand having it fixed! haha

[Brucelee]

Antifreeze does NOT look anything like oil. Hmmmm.

Certainly, clean AF doesn't. Did they change the AF at the 60K, they should have.

$1200 for a water pump sounds mighty high to me.

Wow. I can get a new timing belt, water pump, and fan belt installed in my Lexus for half that.

[ccarlisl]

Turns out my friend's brother-in-law is a service manager at another Porsche dealership in the state, so I spoke with him today. He looked it up in his system and said a new water pump, coolant and the belt with labor only came to $900. I wonder if they're charging me for the tow? I thought it would be complementary if I got the service done there. Guess I better call back tomorrow to see what all the quote included.

I'm not gonna make a big stink over a few hundred dollars but I'll be a little irritated if they're trying to take advantage of me. Especially after they business I gave them a few weeks ago. I would how much that would have cost at the other place...

[ChrisH027]

This sounds like the SAME problem I had, one hour after I purchased my Porsche, mind you!

Was driving nice, heard some wierd noises, then a boom, and the needles rocketed.

My AC Compressor had no coolant or something, caused some things to lock up...when it was all said and done I needed a new serp belt, crank shaft pulley, and some other odds and ends....$2000 for parts and labor.

[tboyer]

Same problem, I've had 2 Boxster's BOTH needed water pumps within 1500 miles of ownership. 60K+ on both

Replacement was a bit over $1000 each for water pump, gasket, and labor. I saw a DIY posted here awhile back, doesn't look complicated. If I lose another, I'm doing it myself, I pay myself in

[blue2000s]

I've been tempted to buy one of these with a metal impeller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-996-986-BOXSTER-S-CARRERA-2-4-Water-Pump_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33604QQihZ022QQite mZ350046618740QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Plastic components have their place, submerged in a fluid while under constant loads is not one of them.

[ccarlisl]

wow, interesting stuff.. sounds pretty common. I'm feeling much better now but now I fear that after the car's fixed and I get it back, I'll always be worrying about the dreaded IMS failure that I thought this was. I was doing some research and it sounds like the faulty part wasn't introduced until '01. Does that mean that my car is immune to this problem?

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by ccarlisl

wow, interesting stuff.. sounds pretty common. I'm feeling much better now but now I fear that after the car's fixed and I get it back, I'll always be worrying about the dreaded IMS failure that I thought this was. I was doing some research and it sounds like the faulty part wasn't introduced until '01. Does that mean that my car is immune to this problem?

You drove an Rx-7 right? Constant analyzing and consideration of every seemingly strange noise should be second nature.

There were changes that make IMS more likely in later models, but I wouldn't say it's unheard of in the earlier cars.

[ccarlisl]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

You drove an Rx-7 right? Constant analyzing and consideration of every seemingly strange noise should be second nature.

It was *never* my daily driver..

[slaminatl]

I just had a similar experience. Couple of days ago my driver side "comfort open / close" feature stopped working, ie the way the window goes up / down a fraction when you open the door. I call Porsche, they tell me it's either the regulator or the micro switch. If it's the latter, my certified Porsche warranty covers it, otherwise it's a $550 job. So I take into the dealership this morning, and while I'm there they remind it's coming up for a service, so I say ok, go ahead and do it. That's another $500. Then I get a call an hour later, to say that they've noticed 2 of my CV Boots are broken / leaking (I'm not a mechanic, so forgive me if I've got the terminology wrong). That'll be another $900, as guess what? My warranty doesn't cover those either. So in short, that's a total of about $2000 that I didn't think I'd be paying out until a couple of days ago. Kind of a bitter pill to swallow given, I've only done 6K in the car since I bought it, and it was supposed to have gone through Porsche's certification program....

[LoveBunny]

Ouch. I don't see how the warranty would cover one switch and not the other. That makes no sense. Have you tried taking it to an independent shop to have it looked at?

[slaminatl]

Originally Posted by LoveBunny

Ouch. I don't see how the warranty would cover one switch and not the other. That makes no sense. Have you tried taking it to an independent shop to have it looked at?

No idea why that's the case. The regulator is subject to normal wear and tear, which usually results in exclusion from the warranty. That coupled with the CV boots (I'm having all 4 replaced given the high cost of labor and the cars 40K mileage) have made me realise that maybe Porsche's certified warranty ain't that great. I did ask them to detail the car for nothing, given my displeasure at paying 2k out of the blue, to which they agreed. Hey, it's better than nothing!

[eqs]

Insofar as dealer prices go I've found that they are high. Try to find another dealer with better prices or an independent or two that specialize in Porsches. Finding another source or two is always a good option if you need another opinion, and this also helps to keep everyone honest and competitive.

Good independents can do a lot of the work for a lot less in some cases as the dealers for the most part follow their charted rates religiously. I probably will continue to go to the P-dealer until the factory warranty expires, then we'll see. If they're fair, I'll stay, but they start playing around, I'll go.

Anyways, sorry to hear about all the problems, but if it's any consolation, I had 2 PPIs done and a DME download, and warranty replacements were needed a month later anyways. Sometimes PPIs can be a false sense of security.

I would go back to the guy that sold you the car and if they have a good reputation, they will look at your situation and try to help you out in some way. As I've noted before, 2 dealers tried to sell me P-cars with flaws - full well knowing they had flaws - but they didn't tell me. I had to do my own sleuth-work to find out what was wrong.

So pressure the guys first that sold you the car, then the dealer charging you those higher than anticipated costs. Only you can look out for #1.

Good luck

[23109VC]

I read this thread and it makes me worried about buying a used boxster.

some of you guys got hit with some pretty big bills on your boxster.

are these expenses normal? on a 60-75k mile car - is it "normal" to get nailed with 6000 in bills overa year period?

if that's "normal" i honestly think i might pass on a boxster and go for a newer less "prestigious" car, like an s2k. the boxster is my first choice, but i'm on a budget and don't wnat to be nickel and dimed with repairs. i'm only 35...maybe i shoudl wait for a porsche until my kids are out of the house and i actually get to keep all my money for myself! :ah:

or are these "horror stories" and not the norm?