Here's a successful DIY

So I was wiping my car down the other day when I get to my headlamps and then notice that sections of the black rubber seal/gasket that sits between the headlamp and fender have deteriorated and turned into gooey mush. When you touch it, the black rubber rubs off onto the fender and leaves a mess you have to clean off. I can also see the leading edge of the seal so mushy that it is about to fall off. You can't see it in the pic below cause I cleaned it up already, but you can see what seal I'm talking about. Anyway, thought it would be an easy fix, as I figured Porsche must sell just the gasket as a replacement- yes it turns out, but only for the Cayenne and 981 headlamps! No love for the 986! Dealer says you have to buy a whole new Litronic headlamp (in my case), at $1700 to get a new seal!

So a little internet searching and I see that some people have called wreckers for this part, and they have charged $150 for one seal! You can almost buy a broken/used halogen headlamp for that price which is what some have done as well, but who knows if that seal is still good. Others have jury rigged some foam window seal in there. While it looked ok, (but still not OEM), I don't like that the foam will soak up water when it rains, and also that the shape of the tape is not rounded like the factory seal. Any possible Technogasket for this problem?

I looked into it some years ago when the first gaskets started deteriorating.
It would be an extremely costly reproduction because of the complexity of the mold.
I haven't given up completely and I'm working other angles.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Let us know once you have figured out a good solution! Porsche charges $55 for the Cayenne headlamp gasket, so I'm sure there's some profit potential there with all those seals rotting away on the 986/996 series of cars.

…to fix a rotting rubber gasket. How very "Porsche."
This kind of gouging makes me loathe this company.

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MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

Quote
frogster
…to fix a rotting rubber gasket. How very "Porsche."
This kind of gouging makes me loathe this company.

Or I can simply buy a Cayenne or newer Boxster (981), and then I can have the pleasure of paying Porsche $55 for one new gasket!

Maybe you can melt it into shape. Let us know.

[www.sunsetporscheparts.com]

[986forum.com]

Thanks...I saw that, and it's def an option, but I don't like how the foam will absorb water, and how it isn't rounded like the factory seal. Wish they made an o-ring rubber type seal that would be applicable here.