RedBarediver

Well, this morning I had an opportunity to use this charger in anger for the first time. My trusty daily driver struggled to start once or twice for some reason. I could hear the battery is not as strong as it usually is but thought that it would still be strong enough for a second or third attempt. After the third attempt the battery was so weak that the dash lights would go out when I turn the key. I whipped out the little jump pack, connected it up and tried again. Amazing. The thing swung the starter like a brand new battery and had it going in just a few turns of the engine  Very pleased customer here I have to say. I also have to point out that my daily driver is a 1.9 diesel Alfa so I am pretty sure it will have no issues starting the Boxster if it ever needed to. 

I'm keeping that thing topped up and in the car that's for sure.

16 hours ago, JonSta said:

Having been driving around with the ebay cheapie on for a few weeks now I have to say - 

I considered the switchable one £1000 + a complicated fit but I'm glad I didn't bother. Although the one I have (cost £160) is said to be a dronebox I've got no drone with mine whatsoever. Toodling around town it's a bit louder than a stock one but not much. When you get on it there's a nice wail  that is quite loud but not OMG. The only thing I think not in it's favour is that both sides are completely separate. I think it would probably sound a bit 'nastier' with a balance pipe inserted in there somewhere. I know a guy that can do that and at some point might give it a try. For the money I'm thinking it's a steal.

I have the same dronebox (£159.99 off eBay). Mine has a noticeable drone around the 2,300 to 2,700 rpm mark but at higher revs it sounds great. I once had the owner of a 2012 Boxster pull up next to me at a traffic light after following me a few miles and the first thing he said is that the exhaust sounds great  he was amazed when I told him it's an eBay cheapie. Because my car is a 5 speed manual I tend to drive around 3,000 rpm on the motorway (no drone) but I must say around town the drone does get a bit much, My wife hates it

2 hours ago, TROOPER88 said:

That makes sense then. Did you fit a white switch last time?

Yes, I did. It probably wasn't the greatest quality to be honest. I got it off Design 911 for less than £20.

31 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

I have replied to your PM,

The above is actually a very early switch as it happens. Could be a discrepancy on the D911 site.

The very early one's are white and a different fitting to the later cars AFAIK. 

What year is your car?

Mine is a 1998. One of the first ones. No idea what the original reg was as mine came with a personalised plate.

1 minute ago, TROOPER88 said:

PM me your address and go from there.

 

If it works, you owe me a 🍺 

Just saw this

This is the second most expensive on Design911 which hopefully means it's good quality.... The guy at the Porsche dealer just now tried telling me that you can't buy the switch separately and you can't change the switch because it's moulded in place.

Hogwash. That may be true for the later models but definitely not for the first generation Boxster. I reckon I'll get this one and give it another go.

Just now, TROOPER88 said:

I’ll have a sportsman’s bet with you that your issue is the switch.

Have you got a spare to try?

If not, I can send you one 

Thanks mate, I really appreciate the offer. I do think you're right. Everything I have read online states that when the steering lock starts to go the key is stuck and doesn't want to come out. No one anywhere says that the key coming out easily and the electrics not turning off is a steering lock issue. I paid less than £20 for the switch last time so I am pretty sure it's the switch (probably a crappy part). I'll see if my local Porsche dealer has one and get it from them - unless you know which one of the ones that Design911 sell is actually decent quality?

1 minute ago, ½cwt said:

or second hand as Paul @TROOPER88 suggests.  He has worked on hundreds of 986s as he repairs, services and fixes them for resale.  Most of these wear or life limited parts he has done many times.

Thanks. Luckily this is not my only car so I can take it out and have a good look at it and take an informed decision on new/ used/ just the switch before replacing . In fact, I may do that.

5 minutes ago, ½cwt said:

Go to checkout, part price then with delivery (free in this case) and VAT, see below.  A good rule of thumb is that the screen price against the item on D911 is about the total price you can get it directly from Porsche.  For non Porsche items they are more competitive but always shop around.

 

Oh wow. I guess the best would be to go to the Porsche dealer.

I was thinking if I should replace the steering lock or not as the symptoms I am experiencing doesn't really seem to be steering lock related. Everything points to the electrical switch in the rear of the unit having failed again. The key is not getting stuck in the ignition and it isn't hard to get out. It is sometimes hard to get into the ignition but is easy to take out. The barrel doesn't close (for want of a better expression) when the key is removed so the radio remains on. I jiggle the key in the top part of the ignition and then it seems to close and shut down everything. The other symptom is that the key is hard to turn - this is the main reason I am changing the whole ignition steering lock. I am not sure if there is anything actually wrong with mine but I changed the switch some time ago and I honestly can't remember if the ignition was then easier to turn or not. 

I figured I would rather just go in there once and do the whole thing rather than having to go in again. The barrel is definitely being changed over - the Porsche dealer wants over £300 for a new barrel....

It looks to me like the £215 is VAT inclusive. with D911. Pretty sure I will be charged £177 excl VAT at the local Porsche dealer. If the £177 is VAT included then I'll have to celebrate by getting a few beers in after the work is done

Decided I'll just change the whole ignition steering lock to prevent this happening again. With this in mind I checked Design 911 (£215.13 with free delivery). Local Porsche dealer £177 probably excl VAT (I forgot to ask). If VAT is added then you're looking at about £212 so much of a muchness really.

Looking forward to spending Friday taking it all apart. Let's hope I can get it back together in one piece again...

I changed the ignition switch earlier in my ownership and that was fairly straightforward even if it was a little difficult to contort my podgy frame under the dash. Now however the key barrel is starting to act up. Noticed it a few weeks ago when it was difficult to get the key into the ignition, Ignition has always been slightly stiff to turn but never an issue with getting the key in or out. Now I can get it in and out easily enough but when I remove the key the radio etc stays on. It eventually goes off if I just leave it but it's clear to me that I am going to need to get in there and do some repairs. I have read the ignition replacement sticky topic and I am REALLY hoping I don't have to go through all that. For one, I don't have the tools to take off the steering wheel etc.

I also don't particularly want to fanny around with the immobiliser etc. Mechanically I am okay and can find my way around most things, but car electrics is a bit of a mystery to me. A few questions to those of you that have done it:

- how easy is it to take out the barrel (the bit where the key goes in) and clean it?
- is it worth trying to clean it or am I just going to completely c*ck it up?

I don't mind buying a new part and fitting it myself as long as I can still use the same key. And as luck would have it Mid Sussex Porsche is not too far from me so I should be able to get hold of the bits I need fairly easily.

Any advice will be gratefully received

Well, I have ordered one of these HotSnap jumper packs (£55.39 delivered). Reason is because I tried starting my wife's 916 Spider this morning and the battery is dead. I do have a Halfords jump pack but....that has discharged through lack of use. So, now I'm waiting for the Halfords charger to recharge and decided I am not going to do this again. Use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount. Will let y'all know when it arrives and if it's as good as they say.

Out of interest I checked whether this car is still up for sale with the same details...The seller has now amended the advert to read that the car has done 163,000 miles... The guy really knows how to make you want to buy his car doesn't he?

I bought mine with a personalised plate on the car. Didn't even realise it at the time until my wife pointed out a few weeks later that it spells Boxster (well sort of) - R30 XST.

To be honest I couldn't really care less about the registration. If it didn't have the personalised plate on it I would have just kept whatever it did have. I am much more concerned about spending money where it will make a difference and keep the car mechanically sound for as long as possible.

1 minute ago, Paul P said:

I am more put off by the grammar, spelling and use of capitals more than the car details, but if you have a new "BUISNESS VENTURE" and you are willing to consider "OART EX CHESPER CAR IF IT HELOS" then I don't really want to buy anything from you, if you can't take 15 mins to create an ad, then do I really want a car that you have owned for 4 years?

 

54 minutes ago, dunks said:

It's a bit like the ad's you see saying 1000's spent, or new clutch, suspension etc etc, but the receipts showing it was 5 years ago 

Exactly. Advert says new engine which creates the impression it was recently replaced - but looking into it you can see it was installed in 2005. Not saying he's deliberately being vague but it does raise questions in my mind. I have no issue if someone wants to say that a new engine was installed but then put the details like installed in 2005, done 60,000 + miles since then without an issue etc etc etc. That's absolutely fine.

My Boxster is a Cat S after an argument with a truck on the M25. IF I do sell it one day I'll make sure to put all the before, during and after repair pictures in the advert so people can make an informed decision. Anything else is just a waste of everyone's time.

I agree. This doesn't have the feeling that someone really cared for it. Notwithstanding what the seller says. I'd rather give it a miss.

44 minutes ago, CMA said:

Doesn't read dishonest to me, just someone not great at wording an advert and you reading too much into how it's written and what's not written. Have you spoken to them? It says he has lots of paperwork, if you're interested best to view in person and read the paperwork, question him on the history and contact the previous owners as they will be listed on the paperwork and see if it ties up to the story, then you can really judge if he's dishonest or not.

Fair comment. I am not really interested in his car but I take your point. Seeing it in the flesh (so to speak) and meeting him may make me change my mind.

On 12/29/2021 at 3:18 PM, Pordave said:

Good tip.

It may seem crazy to put forward a canine product to squidge up water, but a Groomers aquasorb does a good job.

push seat right forward, lay the doubled aquasorb on the carpet near rear bulkhead and push down into between rear firewall and carpet and then stand on top, pull out, wring out and repeat. You get loads out.

I ordered one of these towels as well. Always handy to have in the car and in any case I can use it when we go diving too. Two birds with one stone

27 minutes ago, BBB said:

These are much better @RedBarediver. You can reuse them after drying them in the microwave.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KEPLIN-Dehumidifier-Reusable-Automotive-Condensation   

 

Thanks for the tip. I looked at a few options along the same lines but the little Tesco ones were what I could get hold of yesterday without having to wait for delivery. I think I'll order two of these and keep them in the car until the carpet is dry.

It is starting to dry out (very slowly). At least today is a dry day so I managed to open the garage at both ends and the wind is blowing nicely through it. Dropped the Boxster's roof to help the airflow inside the cabin and pulled the driver seat forward to help circulation. The passenger side is dry at least (small mercies).

I have also put one of these (Keep It Handy Dehumidifier 2 In 1 450Ml - Tesco Groceries) in the cabin last night with the windows closed and this morning the steering wheel leather felt a bit less damp so maybe it helps. I also have another of these in the garage to help with the general dampness.

I'm currently thinking about a 996 again - not planning on selling the Boxster, but would love to add a 996 to the stable. I'm not worried about whether it's Cat N or even Cat S, as long as it was properly repaired and well maintained etc. Looking at a few on Autotrader to see if I can spot a bargain and I run across this:

1998 Black Porsche 911 3.4 996 Carrera 2 Tiptronic S 2dr for sale for £14,500 in STOKE-ON-TRENT, STAFFORDSHIRE (autotrader.co.uk)

This guy advertises the car as having 63,000 miles on the clock when the odometer clearly shows over 121,000. To be fair, it looks like it got a new engine etc in 2005 so maybe it's done 63k on that engine? The guy does say it has a new engine etc etc etc. However, a new engine in 2005 that now has 63,000 miles on the clock isn't exactly a new engine that was put in last week, now is it?

I don't know. To me he comes across as dishonest. Makes me wonder what else is he massaging the facts about.

Just now, iborguk said:

If you've not got the seats out yet you may find that pushing the seats all the way forward and placing something like a small Tupperware box under the foam on each side to raise the foam off the floor plan may help airflow when drying (just make sure any water can't roll forward towards anything under the seats). 

That's a great idea. I'll let the dehumidifier run overnight and get in there tomorrow morning. Hopefully I can get the car out of the garage (if the rain holds off long enough) and fiddle about in there. When I put it back in the garage I may just put the dehumidifier on an extension lead so I can place the whole unit inside the car rather than just have it stand in the garage.