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| Another problem.. soft top.... MarcW - 8 years ago |
At the carwash today and noticed some drops of water on the *inside* of the rear window. A bit of experimenting found the water leaking through the top just ahead of the rear window about in the middle of the window.
BTW, this is a replacement window sewn in -- after the old window cut out -- I can't recall how many years ago but it has been maybe 5 years and could be more.
It doesn't look to be the window proper leaking but I suspect the top (rubber sheet underneath the canvas) is leaking. I can see some signs the window may be pulling a bit in places and I suspect this tension on the top in places has opened up a hole. The techs tell me a sign the top rubber sheet is getting bad -- well, a sign other than water getting into the cabin -- is the surface of the canvas top is no longer smooth. This is from the rubber underneath deteriorating. I do not see this so the rubber sheet is still I think in pretty good shape. Except, of course, where it leaks.
The car sits outside and while there is not any rain of any consequence to worry about during the summer the word is this winter will be one of those El Nino winters with the promise of a normal amount of rain and the possibility of a real wet winter. I have a hardly used Porsche outside car cover for the Boxster but that is so much trouble to put on the car and then remove especially if the weather is bad.
I can park the car under a car port but then my 996 Turbo has to sit out in the rain. It is a hard top but the engine compartment gets wet as rain goes through the engine compartment lid louvers. In some cases the engine is wet enough the serpentine belt slips upon engine start or the engine even misfires. New coils would probably cure the misfires -- I intend to have these replaced probably before this winter -- but I still prefer to avoid exposing the engine and engine compartment to any more moisture than I have to. The car came with an indoor cover which I never use and would not be ok to use outside anyhow. I guess I could get an outdoor cover. Since I use the Turbo less often especially in bad weather that's not the end of the world to keep it covered when it is exposed to the elements.
Regardless of the temporary work-arounds, bottom line is I think it is time for a new top for my 2002 Boxster.
A complication is because my local dealer has lost its 3 most senior techs all in the last year or so I'm reluctant to turn the car over to the local dealer to have this job done. (There is the Walnut Creek dealer and the Fremont dealer and even the Burlingame dealer but the nearest one -- Walnut Creek is 25+ miles away from me.) But I will touch base with the local dealer SM next week and see what he has to say. He might have an indy top shop that gets used for these jobs. (The highly regarded indy top shop in Santa Clara CA -- the one my sister used some years ago to get a new top fitted to her BMW 328 and which was a really good job -- is tempting but the shop is nearly 50 miles away and as a result inconvenient: I have to take time off from work to drive there and drop the car off and arrange to get a rental car and then of course take time off from work again to drive down and pick up the car and return the rental car. There is also the question is this shop still highly regarded?)
I've toyed with the idea of installing a hard top but I wonder about the availability of one and the cost. My WAG is the cost would be a large fraction of the cost of a new soft top and there is the inconvenience when servicing the vehicle and the added weight.
The aftermarket tops with the glass window don't interest me.
Since I never hardly ever put the top down the plastic window lasts a long time and I like the look/shape of the factory top and the large rear window. The view out of Ithe car is not the best anyhow and a smaller rear window is not the direction I would go with window size.
So, I will stick with the factory top with its plastic window. The question now becomes where to get this job done. I have at least a couple of months of I hope continued dry weather to work this out.
BTW, this is a replacement window sewn in -- after the old window cut out -- I can't recall how many years ago but it has been maybe 5 years and could be more.
It doesn't look to be the window proper leaking but I suspect the top (rubber sheet underneath the canvas) is leaking. I can see some signs the window may be pulling a bit in places and I suspect this tension on the top in places has opened up a hole. The techs tell me a sign the top rubber sheet is getting bad -- well, a sign other than water getting into the cabin -- is the surface of the canvas top is no longer smooth. This is from the rubber underneath deteriorating. I do not see this so the rubber sheet is still I think in pretty good shape. Except, of course, where it leaks.
The car sits outside and while there is not any rain of any consequence to worry about during the summer the word is this winter will be one of those El Nino winters with the promise of a normal amount of rain and the possibility of a real wet winter. I have a hardly used Porsche outside car cover for the Boxster but that is so much trouble to put on the car and then remove especially if the weather is bad.
I can park the car under a car port but then my 996 Turbo has to sit out in the rain. It is a hard top but the engine compartment gets wet as rain goes through the engine compartment lid louvers. In some cases the engine is wet enough the serpentine belt slips upon engine start or the engine even misfires. New coils would probably cure the misfires -- I intend to have these replaced probably before this winter -- but I still prefer to avoid exposing the engine and engine compartment to any more moisture than I have to. The car came with an indoor cover which I never use and would not be ok to use outside anyhow. I guess I could get an outdoor cover. Since I use the Turbo less often especially in bad weather that's not the end of the world to keep it covered when it is exposed to the elements.
Regardless of the temporary work-arounds, bottom line is I think it is time for a new top for my 2002 Boxster.
A complication is because my local dealer has lost its 3 most senior techs all in the last year or so I'm reluctant to turn the car over to the local dealer to have this job done. (There is the Walnut Creek dealer and the Fremont dealer and even the Burlingame dealer but the nearest one -- Walnut Creek is 25+ miles away from me.) But I will touch base with the local dealer SM next week and see what he has to say. He might have an indy top shop that gets used for these jobs. (The highly regarded indy top shop in Santa Clara CA -- the one my sister used some years ago to get a new top fitted to her BMW 328 and which was a really good job -- is tempting but the shop is nearly 50 miles away and as a result inconvenient: I have to take time off from work to drive there and drop the car off and arrange to get a rental car and then of course take time off from work again to drive down and pick up the car and return the rental car. There is also the question is this shop still highly regarded?)
I've toyed with the idea of installing a hard top but I wonder about the availability of one and the cost. My WAG is the cost would be a large fraction of the cost of a new soft top and there is the inconvenience when servicing the vehicle and the added weight.
The aftermarket tops with the glass window don't interest me.
Since I never hardly ever put the top down the plastic window lasts a long time and I like the look/shape of the factory top and the large rear window. The view out of Ithe car is not the best anyhow and a smaller rear window is not the direction I would go with window size.
So, I will stick with the factory top with its plastic window. The question now becomes where to get this job done. I have at least a couple of months of I hope continued dry weather to work this out.
| Re: Another problem.. soft top.... Al in Melbourne Beach - 8 years ago |
Marc,
I don't know what year your car is, but I put a 2003 glass window top on my 2002 base Boxster and it was a fairly simple job. I bought mine from a wrecking yard in NJ and had it trucked to FL. Total cost of around $1000. The visibility is a little restricted from the original but WAY better than the aftermarket tops. I put it on myself with a lot of help from Maurice:
[pedrosboard.com]
and
[sites.google.com]
If you don't want to DIY, a good top shop should be able to do this.
Al
I don't know what year your car is, but I put a 2003 glass window top on my 2002 base Boxster and it was a fairly simple job. I bought mine from a wrecking yard in NJ and had it trucked to FL. Total cost of around $1000. The visibility is a little restricted from the original but WAY better than the aftermarket tops. I put it on myself with a lot of help from Maurice:
[pedrosboard.com]
and
[sites.google.com]
If you don't want to DIY, a good top shop should be able to do this.
Al
| Re: Another problem.. soft top.... ff42racer - 8 years ago |
I used these people for my top. They are famous around the bay area for top quality work. They had a top in stock when I had it done.
[www.franzinibros.com]
[www.franzinibros.com]
| Update on soft top... MarcW - 8 years ago |
I stopped in at the dealer today. The head tech -- who is now behind a desk -- told me he did maybe 10 Boxster tops but it is not a job he'd want to do now. He said it is a job that one needs to do over and over again and regularly to stay in top form (no pun).
He advised me to take the car to a well known top/upholstery shop in Pleasanton. I remembered the one where I was advised to take my car for the new rear window and named that shop and that is the one the guy had in mind. He said the shop does Porsche tops a lot and can do a good job for me.
The factory Porsche soft top kit comes with everything other than the top drive hardware which is ok. It comes with new canvas (and I can get the same color -- metropole blue) and new rubber sheet and all the small hardware/fasteners, etc. The top will fit the same, look the same, behave the same, last the same as the top that came with the car. I like that.
The original top has lasted 13+ years and this is being parked outside year 'round all the time exposed to the elements. I keep the top clean and the canvas though faded a bit is still in good shape. I have gotten my money's worth I think.
Monday I'll call the Pleasanton shop and see first if maybe the top can be salvaged but at the the same time I'll get a price to have a new Porsche factory top installed.
But there is another problem...
At the dealer I spotted a bright red Cayman 2.9l car, MY 2014. It is on the showroom floor though it is a used car, with just 11K miles on it. The car is optioned well. PDK, sport button, A/C with auto climate control (dual), power seats, good headlights and other things -- some stereo/electronics which I care nothing about. No PCCB's which I was looking forward to having in my next Porsche. The car has 19" wheels/tires which is big but the tire size/aspect ratio are such that the tires look to have more sidewall than the 18" tires on my 996 Turbo and nearly as much sidewall as the 17" tires on my Boxster. Brakes have a small lip but just as important are not discolored. The body condition is excellent.
The only knock on the car is it was a rental. There was a CarFax report in the glovebox and I looked at this report and noticed the price was approx. $1000 below "market" based on entries in the report so I read the report and found the car was registered to a rental agency in southern CA, probably one associated with a dealer.
The car comes with a warranty though I don't how long it runs. Low miles and a warranty and PDK which means the car was not likely abused like it is possible to abuse a rental with a stick shift. If I want I can get a readout of the DME overrev counters, engine run time, and if possible/available the number of PDK launches the thing has been subjected to.
Price on the car is listed at $58K. I have not done any research to get a feel for how optimistic this price is.
And there are two more problems in the shape of 2 new 2015 Cayman's with 2.9L engines. One in agate grey the other in sapphire blue. Both are optioned about the same with PDK and about the same options as the red car has. Both are priced at $65K. I have no idea what negotiations can get this $65K down to.
The temptation is there to find out though. I've always said the best Porsche is the base model. Lowest price and better value and less expensive to service and repair and insure. The base Boxster has been the best car I've ever owned. The engine in the base model is the least stressed engine. In fact the same applies to the entire car's drive train.
I don't know. I probably will dampen down the desire to buy another Porsche and just get my Boxster fixed and continue to use it for my DD needs and the Turbo for just enjoyment/pleasure driving.
But still... tempting. Very tempting.
He advised me to take the car to a well known top/upholstery shop in Pleasanton. I remembered the one where I was advised to take my car for the new rear window and named that shop and that is the one the guy had in mind. He said the shop does Porsche tops a lot and can do a good job for me.
The factory Porsche soft top kit comes with everything other than the top drive hardware which is ok. It comes with new canvas (and I can get the same color -- metropole blue) and new rubber sheet and all the small hardware/fasteners, etc. The top will fit the same, look the same, behave the same, last the same as the top that came with the car. I like that.
The original top has lasted 13+ years and this is being parked outside year 'round all the time exposed to the elements. I keep the top clean and the canvas though faded a bit is still in good shape. I have gotten my money's worth I think.
Monday I'll call the Pleasanton shop and see first if maybe the top can be salvaged but at the the same time I'll get a price to have a new Porsche factory top installed.
But there is another problem...
At the dealer I spotted a bright red Cayman 2.9l car, MY 2014. It is on the showroom floor though it is a used car, with just 11K miles on it. The car is optioned well. PDK, sport button, A/C with auto climate control (dual), power seats, good headlights and other things -- some stereo/electronics which I care nothing about. No PCCB's which I was looking forward to having in my next Porsche. The car has 19" wheels/tires which is big but the tire size/aspect ratio are such that the tires look to have more sidewall than the 18" tires on my 996 Turbo and nearly as much sidewall as the 17" tires on my Boxster. Brakes have a small lip but just as important are not discolored. The body condition is excellent.
The only knock on the car is it was a rental. There was a CarFax report in the glovebox and I looked at this report and noticed the price was approx. $1000 below "market" based on entries in the report so I read the report and found the car was registered to a rental agency in southern CA, probably one associated with a dealer.
The car comes with a warranty though I don't how long it runs. Low miles and a warranty and PDK which means the car was not likely abused like it is possible to abuse a rental with a stick shift. If I want I can get a readout of the DME overrev counters, engine run time, and if possible/available the number of PDK launches the thing has been subjected to.
Price on the car is listed at $58K. I have not done any research to get a feel for how optimistic this price is.
And there are two more problems in the shape of 2 new 2015 Cayman's with 2.9L engines. One in agate grey the other in sapphire blue. Both are optioned about the same with PDK and about the same options as the red car has. Both are priced at $65K. I have no idea what negotiations can get this $65K down to.
The temptation is there to find out though. I've always said the best Porsche is the base model. Lowest price and better value and less expensive to service and repair and insure. The base Boxster has been the best car I've ever owned. The engine in the base model is the least stressed engine. In fact the same applies to the entire car's drive train.
I don't know. I probably will dampen down the desire to buy another Porsche and just get my Boxster fixed and continue to use it for my DD needs and the Turbo for just enjoyment/pleasure driving.
But still... tempting. Very tempting.
Just to recap - you noticed the Cayman while you were looking into getting your Boxster's roof replaced. The Boxster is a convertible, which you've loved, and joyfully driven, for about 1 billion miles, give or take.
You have a fixed roof 996T
Does the Cayman's roof drop in 12 seconds, like that on a 981 Boxster?
Marc, you see where I'm going with this, right? Unless you're thinking of trading in the 996 on the Cayman....
You have a fixed roof 996T
Does the Cayman's roof drop in 12 seconds, like that on a 981 Boxster?
Marc, you see where I'm going with this, right? Unless you're thinking of trading in the 996 on the Cayman....
*NM*
| Re: Cayman MarcW - 8 years ago |
Quote
Roger987
Just to recap - you noticed the Cayman while you were looking into getting your Boxster's roof replaced. The Boxster is a convertible, which you've loved, and joyfully driven, for about 1 billion miles, give or take.
You have a fixed roof 996T
Does the Cayman's roof drop in 12 seconds, like that on a 981 Boxster?
Marc, you see where I'm going with this, right? Unless you're thinking of trading in the 996 on the Cayman....
You assume the top down feature of the Boxster is important to me. You assume wrong. While I have loved and enjoyed driving the Boxster all these years and miles I have not dropped the roof for years. Top down driving holds no attraction for me. I mainly bought the Boxster for with its Porsche badge I thought it would be a good car - and it has been, it has been the best car I've ever owned -- and because it had the engine located midship plus it offered good cargo space where the other mid-engine cars -- that I could afford anyhow -- didn't offer much beyond a small glove box. Were the Cayman available when I shopped/bought the Boxster I would have instead bought the Cayman. So do not want another Boxster.
Sure the car has a lot of miles on it but I see no reason to get rid of it as long as it runs good. So, that said, I am sort of thinking trading in the 996 Turbo for the Cayman. The Turbo still has some trade in value.
If I do this then I get a newer new car with the mid-engine location and the fixed roof which I prefer.
If I do this.
Big if.
What I think I will probably happen -- at least for now and the near future -- is I'll talk myself out of buying another car, another Porsche, and just stick with what I have.
| Re: Cayman Roger987 - 8 years ago |
the top-down aspect of the Boxster was only one element of why I suggested you not part with it. Rather than it being a negative, I regard your many years, and many miles with your Boxster as a very good thing. You've taken exceptionally good care of it, and it's rewarded you in kind. I think you'd really miss it, irrespective of its being a convertible.
My sense, and I could be wrong, is you're not as attached to your 996. Hence, my suggestion that if you are going to part with one of your two Pcar's, for a Cayman, the 996 might be the one to trade. I suspect the Cayman would give you great joy.
My sense, and I could be wrong, is you're not as attached to your 996. Hence, my suggestion that if you are going to part with one of your two Pcar's, for a Cayman, the 996 might be the one to trade. I suspect the Cayman would give you great joy.
MikenOH - 8 years ago |
Quote
MarcW
I stopped in at the dealer today. The head tech -- who is now behind a desk -- told me he did maybe 10 Boxster tops but it is not a job he'd want to do now. He said it is a job that one needs to do over and over again and regularly to stay in top form (no pun).
He advised me to take the car to a well known top/upholstery shop in Pleasanton. I remembered the one where I was advised to take my car for the new rear window and named that shop and that is the one the guy had in mind. He said the shop does Porsche tops a lot and can do a good job for me.
The factory Porsche soft top kit comes with everything other than the top drive hardware which is ok. It comes with new canvas (and I can get the same color -- metropole blue) and new rubber sheet and all the small hardware/fasteners, etc. The top will fit the same, look the same, behave the same, last the same as the top that came with the car. I like that.
The original top has lasted 13+ years and this is being parked outside year 'round all the time exposed to the elements. I keep the top clean and the canvas though faded a bit is still in good shape. I have gotten my money's worth I think.
Monday I'll call the Pleasanton shop and see first if maybe the top can be salvaged but at the the same time I'll get a price to have a new Porsche factory top installed.
But there is another problem...
At the dealer I spotted a bright red Cayman 2.9l car, MY 2014. It is on the showroom floor though it is a used car, with just 11K miles on it. The car is optioned well. PDK, sport button, A/C with auto climate control (dual), power seats, good headlights and other things -- some stereo/electronics which I care nothing about. No PCCB's which I was looking forward to having in my next Porsche. The car has 19" wheels/tires which is big but the tire size/aspect ratio are such that the tires look to have more sidewall than the 18" tires on my 996 Turbo and nearly as much sidewall as the 17" tires on my Boxster. Brakes have a small lip but just as important are not discolored. The body condition is excellent.
The only knock on the car is it was a rental. There was a CarFax report in the glovebox and I looked at this report and noticed the price was approx. $1000 below "market" based on entries in the report so I read the report and found the car was registered to a rental agency in southern CA, probably one associated with a dealer.
The car comes with a warranty though I don't how long it runs. Low miles and a warranty and PDK which means the car was not likely abused like it is possible to abuse a rental with a stick shift. If I want I can get a readout of the DME overrev counters, engine run time, and if possible/available the number of PDK launches the thing has been subjected to.
Price on the car is listed at $58K. I have not done any research to get a feel for how optimistic this price is.
And there are two more problems in the shape of 2 new 2015 Cayman's with 2.9L engines. One in agate grey the other in sapphire blue. Both are optioned about the same with PDK and about the same options as the red car has. Both are priced at $65K. I have no idea what negotiations can get this $65K down to.
The temptation is there to find out though. I've always said the best Porsche is the base model. Lowest price and better value and less expensive to service and repair and insure. The base Boxster has been the best car I've ever owned. The engine in the base model is the least stressed engine. In fact the same applies to the entire car's drive train.
I don't know. I probably will dampen down the desire to buy another Porsche and just get my Boxster fixed and continue to use it for my DD needs and the Turbo for just enjoyment/pleasure driving.
But still... tempting. Very tempting.
I drove one with the PDK and thought it definately enough HP to be fun to drive and the chassis is even stiffer than the Boxster.
5% off was pretty much the norm when got ours in 2012. IIRC, Porsche's financial year ends 7/31 (or at least is used to before VW acquired them) and they always seemed anxious to do deals at the end of the year.
My buddy just purchased one as he is putting a spec Boxster racer together..... same vintage as yours... $1000.
I always thought the curves with a hardtop look better than the curves of the soft top. I always thought they goofed a bit on the lines as it looked to "squat" for me. To each his own.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Pics of my Boxster with hard top
I always thought the curves with a hardtop look better than the curves of the soft top. I always thought they goofed a bit on the lines as it looked to "squat" for me. To each his own.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Pics of my Boxster with hard top
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