RedBarediver

26 minutes ago, fizz said:

There is a lot of man maths due thats for sure and i need to consider all alternatives.  considering i've just spent over £2k on a full suspension refresh all this car needs is an engine to drop into it. I would need to find out how much someone would be prepared to give me for the car as it stands (very proudly on new suspension!) vs being able to source and drop a replacement engine into it. 

A replacement engine from a reputable breaker would be my suggestion. If you have room in the garage you could always take out the old engine and fix that at your leisure - IF it's viable.

I see engines on eBay all the time for not bad money.

28 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

You going to be converting to 6v electrics next?  

No chance. 

And besides, my Beetle was a modern(ish) 12v...

Just got a call from my local Porsche dealer. The relay for my wayward roof has arrived. So, after work this afternoon I shall start fixing it again. Hopefully this time for good.

10 minutes ago, Norbert said:

Once you experienced the comfort, there is no turning back.  

I agree 100%. In fact I drive the car now without the centre console all the time. It looks a little weird and unfinished but it's way more comfortable. It also looks rather retro and reminds me not so much of older Porsches, but more of my 1975 VW Beetle interior

10 minutes ago, Scubaregs said:

Did the person see your interest for the carpets here on the forum, or elsewhere?

 

Pretty sure it was here as I am confident I didn't mention it elsewhere.

But, I am happy to report that he has now been in touch and we will sort it out amicably I'm sure.

13 hours ago, Menoporsche said:

Couldn’t they just design a couple of tabs and slots into the edges so they naturally interlock? Assuming they’d be covered by carpet anyway. 

They could do I am sure, but I am paying them for printing not designing. If they did improve the design and it failed somehow later on they would have to reimburse me. No sense for them to undertake extra unpaid work and then be out of pocket.

10 hours ago, Araf said:

Fek it.  I know it wasn't Wish, Simon or me, so name them, and tag them so they can give their side.  If it becomes a slanging match between the two of you, I'll deal with the fall-out then.  Make sure you report back if the problem gets resolved - which I can only think would be by the return of the money by faster payment.

Thanks. I have given this some thought and if I have no response from him by the end of this week I'll take appropriate action so I get reimbursed. I don't want to be known as the guy who starts a slanging match. Like I said I am happy for him to give his side of the story -  I took screenshots of our interactions in case he decides to delete the conversation - but on sober reflection it might be better to keep this private for now.

11 hours ago, Araf said:

Dealers should NOT be doing business on here, unless they are sponsoring the forum or contributing financially to the forum.  This did come up over a few beers, last night.  People should be sharing information on the forum out of the goodness of their hearts and not in order to expect a special status within the forum.

I agree with this 100%. I don't mind dealers doing their business but as you say they should be contributing in soe way at least and not just promoting their business. In this instance he saw that I was interested in carpets for a colour change and reached out to me on Facebook Messenger - we had previous dealings that I decided not to pursue at the time for different reasons - and the whole transaction and conversation etc took place via Messenger. Now he is ignoring my messages. Probably hoping I go away so he can keep the money because he didn't insure the shipment (this is speculation on my part). He probably feels aggrieved that he now has to pay money from his account when he sent the items - not his fault it never arrived. Who knows how people think?

Again, I must stress that I am not attempting to bring him into disrepute and I obviously have the whole exchange between us saved for the record. If by the end of the week he is still ghosting me I shall open a case online. 

Thanks again for everyone's input so far. It has helped me clarify my thinking about this.

I'm pretty sure the transition between the two elements look so visible because it hasn't been glued in yet, just put together to show me how it looks. Once I have glued the two bits together and sanded it down I'm sure it will look a lot better.

3 hours ago, RedBarediver said:

Just heard back from the guys printing mine. They weren't happy with how it was turning out and stopped printing at 50%. They suggested that they print it in two pieces and it would then require less support (I presume they mean material thickness). Told them I am fine with however they want to do it as long as it fits together well enough. I'll probably end up covering it with carpet in any event.

One thing I noticed is that we will still need the little piece in front of the gear shift to close it all up nicely. I thought this would cover that but it doesn't look like it.

They just sent me a picture of the completed console. They also suggested that I glue the two parts together and think of covering it with some carpet (which I planned to do in any event). The finished product looks good. I suppose I can even leave it as is and just spray it with a vinyl paint or something but I would prefer carpeting the whole thing to look more OEM.

I'll glue it together after installation and leave it a few days or so to cure before covering with carpet.
Oh, and the gap in front of the gearshift will be covered

2 hours ago, CRC said:

Have you checked the operation of the B pillar microswitch? It's pretty easy to get to and, from memory, just requires a small 8 mm spanner to undo one awkward nut, then the cover pulls off. The B pillar micro switch switches the control voltage from the double relay unit "to earth" (NPN system in the control world), so it's pretty easy to test.  The earth point is under the passenger's seat.

I had that whole thing off last week when I did the interior colour change and it all looked fine (the roof was messing me around already before I did the colour change so it's not something I did then).

2 hours ago, CRC said:

I hope the new double relay solves your problem.

So do I...

49 minutes ago, Topbox said:

I must cordially disagree with that statement. 

No worries. We're all entitled to an opinion.

Just heard back from the guys printing mine. They weren't happy with how it was turning out and stopped printing at 50%. They suggested that they print it in two pieces and it would then require less support (I presume they mean material thickness). Told them I am fine with however they want to do it as long as it fits together well enough. I'll probably end up covering it with carpet in any event.

One thing I noticed is that we will still need the little piece in front of the gear shift to close it all up nicely. I thought this would cover that but it doesn't look like it.

57 minutes ago, Topbox said:

Annoying, because this type of thing always casts suspicion on completely innocent parties. Without trying I can think of two members here who may be involved in this transaction. Unfortunately, one has to wonder what the other party may have to say about the OP's behaviour as we only have his side of the story. Not good, hopefully a happy and successful resolution will occur.

I agree, you only have my side of the story. Whether I name and shame or not, I am more than happy for the other party to give you his side of the story. Everyone deserves to be regarded as innocent until proven guilty. I am doing my utmost level best to treat him fairly. I am hoping that in reading this post he recognises himself, and realises that his behaviour has fallen short in this instance. And do the right thing.

Part of the reason I am hesitant to name the person is because I do not want to tarnish his name for what could be an isolated incident, and for all I know, a completely innocent reason.  And I also do not want to start an unnecessary bunfight over something as inconsequential as £150. Sure, I can use £150 as much as the next guy, but I would rather be treated with respect. If he cannot refund me then all he needs to do is reach out and let me know why not. if he needs the money because his dog just had puppies or whatever, then fine. But I also don't think it's on to ignore someone you had an agreement with, took money from and did not deliver what you agreed. Besides which, if you were going to send someone an item that you had received payment for, wouldn't it make sense to insure it? That way if it doesn't turn up, you refund that person and claim the insurance. Everyone is happy and neither of you are out of pocket.

If it casts suspicion on completely innocent parties then it means that either a) these other parties are not as innocent, or b) you already have a doubt in your mind about them. There is nothing I can do about that in either situation.

13 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

Very reasonable post.  I think most of us are not interested in a public argument, just a satisfactory solution for both.  Hope it happens.

I am not interested in having an argument with this guy - public or otherwise. All he needs to do is to stop ignoring me, and respond to me privately so we can resolve it amicably. 

4 hours ago, TV8 said:

 I bought something of someone on here and said bits were ok but didn’t last. I tried a couple of times to let the person know in case it was a bad batch. Completely ignored even though I had not asked for replacement or refund. 
If I was in your position, I would see if the member is active on the forum and give him the benefit of doubt if they have not been on for a while. If they are active on here and ignoring you, then tag away for public response. 
 

I plan to give him till the end of this week and if he is still unresponsive I shall take the next step. I hope it's not needed but I am also not a pushover for anyone who thinks he can just take advantage of my good nature. 

If pushed the wrong way I am a very awkward customer. As a previous employer found out during legal proceedings that still make me smile

42 minutes ago, Boxob said:

https://www.9apart.co.uk/product-page/porsche-boxster-986-97-99-hood-roof-control-relay

£184 inc VAT delivered. I was quoted £225 by OPC but when I told them I could get it new from 9Apart for much less they dropped their price to £182!  Would be worth challenging them if not too late.

Too late unfortunately as the money is already in their account. No matter though. It is what it is. As long as the blasted roof operates properly.

For what it's worth if anyone is looking for one Steve Strange came back to me and he dos have a second hand one. Unfortunately I can't return the one I ordered from Porsche or I would have grabbed his.

18 minutes ago, Bike Loon said:

I think you have been way more paitent than I would have been.

 

Name and shame I reckon

I really don't want to. I reckon the community is small enough and I don't want to create a bad feeling about one member amongst the whole group for something as insignificant as this. 

However, it really is not that insignificant. We all need to be able to trust each other.

Anyone I've ever dealt with will tell you that I am happy to do business based on a handshake. My word is my bond and I have never promised or undertaken to do something and then not followed through. All I expect from other people is the same and I am willing to take anyone's word. Until he proves his word is not worth anything. Then, I take an entirely different approach and won't do anything unless I have it in writing with a cast-iron guarantee.

I took the car out with the roof down just now and about five minutes into the drive I noticed the roof warning light on the dashboard had turned off. I stop, put the roof back up, dash light remains on but maybe I didn't move it far enough. I go get milk and get back in the car. Put the roof down and once the roof stops moving the dashboard warning light turns off by itself. Happy days. I drive back home wondering if the warning light will turn off when I put the roof back up.

Alas, no. One of two things could be wrong now as far as I can see - 1) either the relay is fine (it's not) or 2) there is a bum microswitch. There is also a third option - namely that I just need to adjust the roof travel a bit more, but I doubt that's the case. If all it needed was to be adjusted a bit more so that the microswitch closes then the warning light would turn off when I latch the roof, and it doesn't.

I'm still going to replace the relay and I guess then we'll see.

Exciting times.

I have a bit of an issue with one of our members. A while ago when I was looking for black carpets to do the interior colour change a very well-known member offered me a complete set of interior carpets for a very good price. He and I negotiated and once an agreement was reached, I paid him promptly.

He took 3 weeks (21 days) to get the carpets out of the car and get on the way to me. Not great seeing as he didn't have to wait 21 days for the money, but I understand people have lives etc. Also, I was busy doing other things with the car, and he is well-known on here so I wasn't concerned. Bearing in mind that I had to chase every time to find out where he is with the process of removing and sending the carpets.

Eventually one box arrived a month after I had paid him. This had a few bits in which was useful, but which I couldn't use until I had gotten the main carpet in the car. No worries, I am a patient man. The next day a little label arrived in the mail via Royal Mail that was stamped "Found loose in the post". Reached out to him and he stated that the main carpet was not sent via Royal mail but rather via UPS. Okay fine. He said that he would check and get back to me. A week later I chase again. He says he'll check. A day later I chase again. he has been out but he'll check and get back to me.

5 Days later my patience is starting to wear a little thin (I told you I'm a very patient man but even I have my limits). I go back to him (again) and say that I think we have to accept the parcel is lost. He'll dig out the Tracking Number and see where it is. If it is lost he'll refund me in full. I go back and say that it's no worries. I have been able to use one or two bits from the box he sent so if he just refunds me for the carpet that's fine. (If I was him I would have insured the package and by now have pocketed the payout).  Another 9 days go by and I chase again. He says the UPS man "thinks" he saw the package at the depot. Again, he says he will refund me in full. I respond and say that he can just refund me for the main carpet which I had to buy elsewhere.  

Two days ago I send him another message saying I haven't seen a refund yet, and no response from him. 

I am giving the man the benefit of the doubt because he is well-known on the group and I don't want (or like) to give negative feedback and to be fair maybe he hasn't seen the messages yet, but it seems very much like he is trying to ghost me. I don't understand why you would p1ss all over your business and your name for the sake of £150. For crying out loud if you're that hard up for £150 speak to me and I'll probably write it off out of the goodness of my heart.

But ignore me and I am more than happy to tell people to avoid you. All for the sake of £150... Like I said if he's that hard-up then fine, speak to me and tell me (but I doubt he is that hard up - this is a Porsche group after all.)

I reckon I'll give it another week or so and if he still ignores me and still hasn't refunded me then I am afraid I have no other option but to name him and warn everyone else to steer clear.

9 hours ago, phazed said:

Are you sure it’s the relay?

A couple of reasons I think it's the relay;

1) With the original relay installed the roof motor doesn't stop running and just continues until the rams go into free play,

2) there is corrosion on the relay from where it must have gotten in some water.

Even if it's not the relay I would want to change the relay in any case as I am sure it won't last much longer. Once they have corrosion started then it's pretty much game over. If not immediately, then imminently.

Most tellingly, the relay I received from Steve Strange turns off the warning light on the dashboard. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything else. Won't run the motor. Then, when I plug in the old relay, it operates the roof but the dash warning light won't turn off.

It could be that one of the microswitches are messing around (if any then I bet it's the one behind the B-pillar) but I won't know until I get the new relay installed.

In fact, thinking about it I doubt the new relay would have turned off the warning light if one of the microswitches were bad. Just a hunch.

Did the oil change yesterday and cut the old filter open. No metal flakes in there. In total about 9 or 10 tiny bits of plastic, which are probably from the cam chain guides. The largest piece was probably about 1mm in diameter. 

All in all I reckon it's quite good for a car with over 108,000 miles on the clock.

Tomorrow I plan to install the OBD port properly. I would have done it today but I was busy cleaning the Alfa. I did manage to take the Boxster for a run with the roof down - in this weather it would be criminal not to - and the car ran absolutely beautifully.

Very pleased. As soon as the relay I ordered comes in on Tuesday I'll install that and then hopefully I can get the roof sorted this week and do a brake fluid flush next weekend.

5 hours ago, ½cwt said:

Have you asked Douglas Valley if they have one from an early car or did you just select from what they had listed on eBay?  I assume you'll send the wrong one back tot hem for refund as you are permitted to do.

I have asked but they don't have any advertised so I doubt they have one. And yes, I plan to send the other one back for a refund.

24 minutes ago, RedBarediver said:

Hi all,

On the off chance someone has one lying around in the shed...I am looking for a roof relay for an early 986 (mine's a 1997). The part number is 986.618.111.02

I got a relay from Douglas Valley Breakers but it is for the later cars so is a 986.618.199.00. It fits and I can see it works because it turns off the roof warning light on the dash that has been on since my roof issues began but that's all it does. The roof does not operate with it - at all.

Alternatively if you know of a workaround I'm happy to give that a go too. I have an iCarsoft for Porsche if I need to clear codes or something.

Failing that I guess I'll have to fork over another £200 for a new relay...

Screw it. I went ahead and ordered a replacement from my local OPC. They were the cheapest at £188 excl VAT. 

Hi all,

On the off chance someone has one lying around in the shed...I am looking for a roof relay for an early 986 (mine's a 1997). The part number is 986.618.111.02

I got a relay from Douglas Valley Breakers but it is for the later cars so is a 986.618.199.00. It fits and I can see it works because it turns off the roof warning light on the dash that has been on since my roof issues began but that's all it does. The roof does not operate with it - at all.

Alternatively if you know of a workaround I'm happy to give that a go too. I have an iCarsoft for Porsche if I need to clear codes or something.

Failing that I guess I'll have to fork over another £200 for a new relay...

5 hours ago, Daboy3000 said:

Depending on your cars age there are two gear/motor systems, they changed them for the facelift I believe, so you should have the old one. 

It's very simple to get to them to replace or align them if you are a little bit handy, you just undo a few bolts, disconnect the cables from the motor at the back, under a black cover.  Use a drill on the end of the cable to manual turn it until the gearboxes on each side are aligned (marks on each side to see alignment). The put it back together. 

You wouldn't try and fix one as its probably broken teeth or something, you just replace with a used one. It's going to cost you a fortune at a Porsche specialist.  I believe the banging is because the motor is slipping to prevent it from tearing things up.

 

Yes, banging sounds when the roof is operating are not good. I'm actually surprised they let it go out of the workshop like that. Surely, any self-respecting place would call you and explain the issue, and then explain what it needs to be fixed - and what it is going to cost. These guys charged you £1,700 and didn't do the job properly. If I was you I would reach out to them (cc in their directors - you can find their details on Company House) and complain until you're blue in the face.

As @Daboy3000 says these roofs aren't rocket science. I messed around with mine and even though I had never worked on it before I got it to operate smoothly and more or less equal on both sides. I believe (and hope!) that the relay I bought from Steve Strange will make the roof work properly again. At the moment unless I stop running the motor it will just continue and jump off the gears again. I won't lie, @TROOPER88 helped massively with tips and encouragement. You should reach out to him and at least get an independent opinion on what is wrong with it and what it needs to be fixed.

For a Porsche specialist to let the car out the door in that condition and a a shrug of the shoulders is extremely poor.

3 hours ago, Daboy3000 said:

I have had a message back from the printers saying that if they used ABS there could be some defects in the printing process and asked me to go for PET-G instead.  I declined as it was almost twice the price.  Once I get my refund I will try again and select a different company to print it.  @RedBarediver have you selected Imagination 3D Fashion SRL as you printers too?

Yes, same guys and said the same to me (they're an outfit in Romania) and charged me an extra £22 for PET-G. I figured I'm in this deep now an extra £22 isn't going to break the bank. If it is better than ABS and the item is good then I think I'll be pleased. At the price I paid it's still less than 10% of a Porsche console delete kit. I have gotten used to driving without that centre cubby and I must say I prefer it.