Porsche Boxster Maintenance

"Dakotahound" (dakotahound)
10/26/2019 at 17:36 • Filed to: Porsche, Boxster, Porsche Maintenance, Porsche Boxster

Performing general maintenance on a Boxster is very satisfying. Throughout my life, I have done many types of maintenance and repairs on my automobiles ranging from simple oil changes to swapping an engine and transaxle (OK, it was on a VW, but that still counts). At first, I was a little intimidated by the Porsche.

Dipped beam and side marker.

Over the past month, I have replaced both side markers and the left low-beam bulb (Porsche calls it the “dipped beam”). These are fairly simple tasks, but I would never have figured out how to do them without YouTube – the procedures are not intuitive. For example, replacing the low-beam bulb requires the use of a special tool. The tool is included in the Porsche tool kit. I have seen it there, but did not know how or why it was used.

When searching for instructions on YouTube, however, be sure to “get a second opinion.” Some of the videos were incomplete or incorrect, and following them would have caused damage to the part.

So far, the Boxster has not needed any major repairs, but I am becoming more confident in my abilities, and more confident in the logical Porsche design.

DISCUSSION (23)

DipodomysDeserti > Dakotahound
10/26/2019 at 17:53

“ the procedures are not intuitive. For example, replacing the low-beam bulb requires the use of a special tool.”

“ and more confident in the logical Porsche design.”

Dakotahound > DipodomysDeserti
10/26/2019 at 18:15

Yes, I k now, the procedure is not immediately intuitive. After seeing it done, and then doing it myself, it is logical, and clever. The tool was supplied with the car, and there is a diagram in the owners manual, but seeing a video makes it clear.

For Sweden > Dakotahound
10/26/2019 at 19:25

I just saw a nice Boxster for sale in my area, and now I see this

Why are you doing this

Dakotahound > For Sweden
10/26/2019 at 20:11

It is a 2006, and I have only had it for a little over a year. It’s my daily driver and it still generates a smile on every ride .

f86sabre > Dakotahound
10/26/2019 at 22:39

My buddy has a 2014. It has an engine mount warning light, needs front brakes, a replacement door panel that is a known problem and the rear view mirror wiggles. He was quoted approx. $8K by the dealership. No joke. He and I have built a LeMons race car. We are not afraid.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Dakotahound
10/26/2019 at 23:14

I’ve had 2 986s. One was very reliable, had it for a few years. The second one had no end of problems, sold it after a year.

I still want another one ha.

Stef Schrader > For Sweden
10/26/2019 at 23:31

Buy the parsh.

BUY IT.

osunick > Dakotahound
10/27/2019 at 00:43

Probably what you should have said for clarity is that removing the headlights requires a special tool. This special tool makes headlight removal, and bulb replacement much easier than it is on every other car.

dieseldub > Dakotahound
10/27/2019 at 00:56

Good stuff. I work on a lot of VW/Audis and if you’re ever not familiar with a job, absolutely time to consult the factory repair manual.

The Germans are notorious for some difficult designs, but they often throw you a bone, either there’s a special tool o r a trick that makes the job much easier than you initially fear, it’s just the matter of having that information before diving in.

It's not that they're exceptionally difficult, they're just sometimes not intuitive until you get really familiar with a brand's methods.

Dakotahound > f86sabre
10/27/2019 at 06:04

That does seem very high. I have actually had some good experiences with the Porsche dealer in Orlando. My window controller was not working properly. It is suppose to lower the window about an inch when you touch the door handle, and then raise the window when you close the door. It i s computer controlled, and a little beyond my expertise. The Porsche dealer fixed the problem, and then performed a full inspection of the vehicle which included replacing a lot of seals and gaskets. They pointed out some things to look for in the future, but did not pressure me into fixing them immediately. The entire service was about $400.00.

Good luck with the repairs.

Dakotahound > itranthelasttimeiparkedit
10/27/2019 at 06:08

So far, there have been no major problems with my 987.

Apparently (at least, this is what I have read), the 986 model had a 7% IMS bearing failure rate. By 2006 (the start of the 987 model), Porsche had fixed the problem, and the failure rate dropped to under 1%. Most people, however, still remembered the IMS problem so, by 2009, they changed the design and eliminated the IMS bearing.

Dakotahound > dieseldub
10/27/2019 at 06:22

Yes, you and osunick explained it more concisely . Without referring the manual, and possibly a video, repair tasks seems daunting. Once you learn how to use the special tools, most repairs are somewhat simple.

Poor_Sh > Dakotahound
10/27/2019 at 10:18

Samesies. I never did any work on my previous cars which should have been cheaper and easier, but I wanted to and have a garage now and I save lots of money doing my own maintenance. Mistakes are costly though.

Dakotahound > Poor_Sh
10/27/2019 at 10:55

Other than oil changes and spark plugs, for a while, I did not do a lot of automotive maintenance or repairs. Then I bought a old 1963 VW van. It is one of the easiest vehicles to repair and it raised my confidence level . I even replaced the engine with a 1976 Super Beetle engine (by myself, in the driveway - my wife wo uld kill me if I tried that today ) . To be honest, maintenance on a lot of newer cars intimidates me a little .

Blackbeard Ben > f86sabre
10/27/2019 at 20:14

An engine mount warning light? As in it warns you when the engine mount(s) need replacing?

f86sabre > Blackbeard Ben
10/27/2019 at 21:24

It has some kind of active engine mount.

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-turbo-models/drive/dynamic-engine-mounts/

Blackbeard Ben > f86sabre
10/27/2019 at 22:52

Leave it to Porsche to not only come up with that, but actually implement it in a production vehicle.

Cé hé sin > Dakotahound
10/28/2019 at 10:56

Over the past month, I have replaced both side markers and the left low-beam bulb (Porsche calls it the “dipped beam”

So would I. In fact I’ve never heard of dipped headlights being called anything else.

Mark Wemple > Dakotahound
10/28/2019 at 15:33

He should have explained that the tool allows the entire headlight assembly toMNslide out and makes replacing a bulb a piece of cake. Most modern cars are a nightmare there. So, yeah, thoughtful. Plus Porsche includes the tool. You don’t have to pay extra for it

Ash78, voting early and often > Dakotahound
10/28/2019 at 16:55

As a general rule, I always try to skip YouTube and find enthusiast sites — usually chock full of good DIY writeups. This is far more obvious once you realize you can print them out, take them to the garage, and get them dirty.

It actually makes me really sad that a lot of car and auto DIY is on YouTube now (and nowhere else). It just makes things hard to search, hard to print, and most of all — hard to know you’re even looking at the correct writeup for your particular car. I find myself starting/stopping/forwarding videos constantly just to find what I need.

I many cases, a single pic is a lot better than having to watch someone do it. The videos have their place, they’re just oversold. Because people can make money on them, I assume...

Dakotahound > Cé hé sin
11/01/2019 at 16:03

I have always heard them referred to as just low-beam. “Dipped beam” was a new term for me.

Dakotahound > Ash78, voting early and often
11/01/2019 at 16:08

I agree that “a single pic is a lot better than having to watch someone do it.” One thing that was really good about the video, however, was hearing the loud click that is produced when unlocking the hea dlight assembly. I would have been afraid that I broke something if I had not heard it in the video.

Ash78, voting early and often > Dakotahound
11/01/2019 at 16:43

Totally get it. That tactile feedback is hard to articulate. In most of my DIY efforts, I’m always using too little force. The stuff that breaks is usually totally unplanned collateral damage. Murphy’s Law...