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2000 Porsche Boxster - SOLD and GONE! 😥


SiC

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Hello Boxster, I didn't think it would be this long before I was back. Looking at the dates of the last post, it seems to be nearly three months. Went to both check on the car and pull the battery out to put it on charge.
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However the battery is completely flat now. Unlocked the door and a forceful pull got it open. As no power, the windows can't drop themselves out of the window seal.

Battery lives in the bonnet. Never mind now the door is open, at least the bonnet release is a mechanical unit unlike the electrical ones in the later cars. ...Except it turns out that locking the door also locks the bonnet and trunk. Balls

Google finds that on later cars there is a metal terminal in the fusebox that you can connect to, so you can power the release catch. Not on older ones though.

Porsche at the time came up with two ways of opening the bonnet. First is to take the front wheel off, wheel arch liner and then pull the emergency release cord. Secondly is following this bulletin.
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Going to go back over to the storage tomorrow with a bit of wire and a power supply. Hopefully that will allow me to coax it open.

I've requested a CTEK battery maintainer as a Christmas present! Hopefully it won't have fubarred the battery too badly allowing it to get so flat. I don't believe Peter replaced it that long ago either.

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If you remove the front undertray, which is fairly easy, you will see the pull chord that when pulled manually unlocks the front boot.

I left the chord in the right place and in perfect working condition when I last refitted the front bumper. 

Good luck getting it sorted.

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4 hours ago, Peter C said:

If you remove the front undertray, which is fairly easy, you will see the pull chord that when pulled manually unlocks the front boot.

I left the chord in the right place and in perfect working condition when I last refitted the front bumper. 

Good luck getting it sorted.

Useful to know thanks. Is it possible to get the undertray off without jacking it up? I'm not supposed to do any car maintenance without prior permission as part of the contract of the car storage. (I suspect due to planning and insurance reasons)

I'll try connecting up the fuse with a power supply first as hopefully that will be easier and quicker if it works.

4 hours ago, Kiltox said:

Does it really not have the slide out terminal in the fuse box?!? Wow. 

No unfortunately that was only on later ones. However I believe the later ones had an electronic hood release. Mine is mechanical and would have been fine if I left the car unlocked.

4 hours ago, Kiltox said:

Oh the alarm is loud btw.  Even louder if you set it off inside a single garage

Yes I've set it off a couple of times when it's done the electronic shutdown thing after a week non use! I always forget if I need to do clockwise or anti clockwise on the door lock to turn it all back on. At least the key fob does turn the alarm off though and quickly!

1 hour ago, cort16 said:

Should have bought a Z4 m8

Don't have a dustpan big enough... ;)

Funnily enough I was looking at my cars today and admiring them. Under the dim light of a garage is very much like being in many museums. All the imperfections get hidden and they look shiny. 

If the Boxster didn't need a whole bunch of work doing, I'd be tempted to swap that out with the Laguna for a couple of weeks. As it does, I want to move first so I can do the majority of the work myself. Not only to save money but also to give a YouTube thing a go and will be useful content subject to start on. 

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5 hours ago, Peter C said:

If you remove the front undertray, which is fairly easy, you will see the pull chord that when pulled manually unlocks the front boot.

I left the chord in the right place and in perfect working condition when I last refitted the front bumper. 

Good luck getting it sorted.

Thank fuck I didn’t buy this off you.

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1 hour ago, Maurice Marina said:

Seriously?

Yes, I am serious. Why?

Battery is my own doing. The farmer locks the main gate in the evening and when I put the Boxster away I was running the risk of getting locked in. So I didn't disconnect the battery as I was in a rush. I meant to go back sooner but life took over time. Didn't expect to get locked out like this because I didn't know that Porsche locked the bonnet catch when the car is locked. It's just a thing they do. 

Could be worse, it could be a Aston Martin Vantage. They corrupt their immobiliser if you let the battery go flat like this.

It needing top mounts and coolant cap + reservoir replacement? TADIS. When I bought it, the top mounts were fine. 2000 miles later they're letting me know they're on their way out. I don't drive excessively hard as my wife complains, but I do like to have fun around the corners so I don't potter about. Just general wear and tear.

@Kiltox bought his Boxster from @panhard65who, being a mechanic, made bloody sure it was mechanically top notch when he sold it. Not only doing the clutch but also going over with a fine tooth comb while he could have it on his lift. It was also his car for a fair bit before he sold it and ironed out any problems. However the top mounts on it went just as Kiltox picked it up. Like I said TADIS.

These are high maintenance cars. My mum's Cayman has been truly looked after since she bought it brand new 12 years ago. Also doesn't drive the car hard at all. However it needs a good grand spending on it every two years on different bits and pieces. They are a Porsche after all!

Except at least the part prices (if you don't buy genuine Porsche) are very reasonable and readily available. Much more reasonable than say something like an XJS/Bentley/etc. Just because these cars are cost the same as a second hand Focus, it doesn't mean they cost the same as one to run and keep in top notch.

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That’s weird it’s so hard to get to the battery when the battery is flat . It does sound like a bit of a flaw I wonder if 911s are the same given they share so much?

i had similiar with a 5 series that has the battery under the back seat .

i couldn’t unlock it even from the key so couldn’t get the battery or open the bonnet . I could open the boot and managed to climb in and with a long stick pushed up lock button on the door through the ski hatch .

i took the battery out and you guessed it, the door locked again but this time I’d left my stick in the car.

fucking cars 

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The 986 Boxster is pretty much identical to the 996 from the dashboard forwards. So they suffer the same problem. It's weird that Porsche took so long to come out with the fusebox terminal though. Maybe because they decided it wasn't a problem at first, then it was and they didn't have the budget to sort it then? We have to remember Porsche wasn't doing anywhere near as well back in the 90s, unlike now. 

Possibly it might also be that their thought is that if a customer had this problem, it'll just go back to the dealers on a truck anyway. Then the dealer can take the wheel off and use the emergency release cable in the wheel arch. I guess then it probably happened that tow truck drivers won't move it without putting the tow hook in. But that tow hook lives in the bonnet area! Jacking it up for the emergency release may not be practical, depending where the car is.

Both the TT I had and our A4 have the battery in the boot. They both have electric tailgate releases too. Which reminds me, I ought to check the key still works in the door on the A4. They tend to seize up if they never get used. As most modern cars only have one door lock, you're mega screwed if you need to use it. 

This all wouldn't have been a problem if I just left the car unlocked. There wasn't even much need to! It's in relatively secure storage and there is nothing of value in there.

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25 minutes ago, cort16 said:

i had similiar with a 5 series that has the battery under the back seat .

i couldn’t unlock it even from the key so couldn’t get the battery or open the bonnet . I could open the boot and managed to climb in and with a long stick pushed up lock button on the door through the ski hatch .

i took the battery out and you guessed it, the door locked again but this time I’d left my stick in the car.

Just released that this is exasperated by the fact that cheapskate BMW like to have the folding function of the rear seats as a paid option!

It does only seems to be German cars with this sort of design oversight bullshit. I guess in their minds, letting a car battery go flat is neglect on the owners part, thus their fault and they don't need to design for it. 

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19 hours ago, SiC said:

Google finds that on later cars there is a metal terminal in the fusebox that you can connect to, so you can power the release catch. Not on older ones though.

There is one in the car I think as my mates R reg Boxster has one, which is earlier than yours. Under the steering column in the fuse box there is a red pin. Pull out the pin, attach the jump live to it and the negative, well to a negative. Should allow you to get to the battery.

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99% sure my fusebox looks like this one with no pin to pull out.
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Maybe your mates car had a new fusebox fitted at some point in its life? I wouldn't be surprised if Porsche discontinued this style and only fitted newer design fuseboxes if they were replaced.

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15 minutes ago, SiC said:

99% sure my fusebox looks like this one with no pin to pull out.


Maybe your mates car had a new fusebox fitted at some point in its life? I wouldn't be surprised if Porsche discontinued this style and only fitted newer design fuseboxes if they were replaced.

Possibly then. I was round there a few months ago and we had to do that to get in. Might've differed by model too as I've asked him and he thinks that 2.5s were maybe manual? Or it might've depended on what shizzle they had lying around the factory that particular day.

Good luck.

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Fuse box
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Plugged in my magic cable I made from Renault wiring offcuts
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Plugged in a bench supply
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Switched on
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Alarm goes off. Pushed button on key fob to turn off.

Popped bonnet
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Siren goes off now! Key fob didn't seem to want to turn it off, so I just disconnected the power supply and let it whimper itself out.

Anyway bonnet is now unlocked and opened.
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The prize.
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  • 3 months later...

Booked in for an MOT tomorrow. 

Nothing really to report as the car has been in storage for half a year pretty much. Only ongoing issue is that coolant is getting somewhere out of the cooling system. Pretty sure it's the coolant container - which I have a new one to go in. Just having the time and effort needed to do it. Only really a problem if the car has got fully to temperature and the thermostat kicks in. I think the system is pressuring due to being hot and leaking out a split in the container. TADIS. Temperature gauge reads normal.

Top mounts need doing but I'm hoping they're good enough to pass the MOT as is for now. I intend to send it to a Porsche specialist down in Devon for a proper sort out. Doing top mounts will mean a 4 wheel alignment is needed, so want to use someone who knows what they're doing with these cars. Have been warned that the bottom arms sometimes need doing when the tracking is done, as it all seizes up. 

Could also do with an Aircon regas. Works but noisy. Likewise the ignition switch needs sorting as banging on the dash gets tiresome after so long. 

MOT should be ok but I'm a bit nervous. Mostly that it sat idling when MOT'd, which may boil the coolant off a bit too much. 

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19 hours ago, Peter C said:
What’s wrong with the ignition switch? I’ve never had any problems. In my custody the Boxster sailed through every MoT. As you haven’t done many miles I’m sure it will be fine tomorrow. 

 

Can't remember if I've said on this particular forum but this is currently what I have to do to get the Steering Column to lock:

If you don't do that, the ignition stays partially on. Mostly the airbag circuit and radio as that turns off only when the key is removed. But obviously causes power drain.

About 1000 miles ago the ignition key was getting stiffer to turn but always would engage the lock when the key was removed. After being in storage for over 6 months, it has gotten worse from not being used. It does free up after a couple days continuous use, but still doesn't always.

All Porsches from this era and right into the Cayman/997 years had this issue. Well documented on how to fix here:

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/86-ELEC-Ignition_Switch/86-ELEC-Ignition_Switch.htm

Often it's the electrical portion on the back that fails and causes the problem. There is a redesigned ignition lock assembly too, as that can fail. Actually more likely the lock assembly, but changing the switch is only a 15 quid part and half hours DIY fiddling.

Lock assembly is a bit more work but still not that hard. More expensive part at ~£180. The lock itself can come out, so you don't need to change the locks.

As it's the cheap option, I'm going to try changing the ignition switch portion first. Already got the part, just need time to fit. Also the fact you can still thump the lock with your fist to engage it has made it less of a priority than other car related jobs.

Certainly not a big job and it's much easier than it would seem. Especially to other cars.

My biggest concern is probably that if we go into lockdown tonight, it won't get done for an indeterminate amount of time! I drove it up to the garage and left it with them, so at least they can do it when they get a chance. No idea if car garages are essential services?

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Boxster passed thankfully. Rear tyres advisory which is fair. They're getting to the point soon that the date code is 5 years old anyway. Plus would nice to have matching Michelin Pilot Sport 4 all round too. 

Unfortunately all my tools are in storage still, so I can't even do any work to fix the issues on it while in lockdown. :|

Going to need a few pennies spending on it to get it completely top shipshape again - service, new coils fitted, coolant tank, top mounts and realignment basically. But then will be a 100% sorted, 20 year old car. 

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Small, really uninteresting note and almost not worthy of bumping this thread (!), is that I have had the Boxster for a year on the Monday just gone. Just over 4k miles in that time - mostly last summer. Double the annual amount that PeterC did in it! ;) :D

Hopefully I'll manage to do the same again this year. Not looking hopeful so far though...

Wanted to do a roadtrip to South of France in it this summer. Certainly not looking terribly likely right now. 

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Just now, SiC said:

I have no idea what EURO level the Boxster conforms to. I guess EURO3?

When you apply it asks for certain details from your log book and sorts it for you. You need to scan and send a copy of it (a bloody small copy as well, was the longest bit of the application for me), takes about 10 days for it to come through. I'd guess you'll get an orange 3 sticker (my motorhome has a yellow 2). For the 4 quid or so it costs it gives you a talking point even if you never go.

Application form is fully in English, if you click on the links you'll need brush up your frog.

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  • 2 weeks later...

That is exactly what I want to do with mine. Going to get a second hand exhaust and DIY it. Don't want an aftermarket exhaust as most aren't oval. For me, the standard Boxster oval exhaust is a design feature I want to keep and something I'm surprised they lost on the Boxster S. Maybe I'll also put exhaust bypass valves in, as having it noisy all the time can be a bit annoying. 

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