Metal in transmission fluid

My 2000 base Boxster destroyed its tiptronic transmission years ago and was replaced with one we found online. I developed ‘bad’’ noises and had it towed to my mechanic over the weekend.

He is telling me that the transmission fluid is full of metal and my trans is dead.

Aside from trying to find a working 2000-2004 tiptronic, and spending more than the economic value of the car to fix (again), do I have any other choices?

Can this be more cheaply fixed than replaced, etc?

I am still in love with the car, but my wife is not - so writing another check for $4K may not be in the cards.

Help? And thanks.

Andrew

There's no practical and affordable way to repair one of those Tiptronics.
You can find a used Tip for $3,000 if you search with patience.
Labor to replace a Tiptronic should be less than $1,000.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 308,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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

a good, used manual transmission? I bought a German spec 944 that had its original auto transmission replaced w/a 944 5-speed just before I bought it. Fit in great & worked great until I brought it back to VA & sold it to Holly's uncle, who proceeded to total the car a couple years later.

Thinking it might be a simpler & less expensive option than a Tiptronic. Also, lots more used 5-speeds from which to select, I would think anyway.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

Not really.
The car's ECU and other modules and the wiring harnesses are for a Tiptronic vehicle.
Replacing that is not cheap and would require a lot of labor.
The 5-peed manuals are very costly because every Spec Boxster Racecar owner has one or two for spares.
They are very hard to find. Tiptronics are a dime a dozen so they are affordable.Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 308,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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

I can buy a transmission for about $3K; my mechanic however is quoting $3k in labor plus fluids plus all the other ‘stuff’ that he would have to do as part of the transplant - ie not brakes or something. He is saying the car is worth about $5K in parts.

I know of no one else to get a quote from in Central Jersey, but $6K makes no sense even though I love a 22 year old car. I also don’t know if the $5k for the parts is reasonable.

Thoughts anyone - especially the kind that keeps me a Boxster owner?

Thanks.

Andrew

Call Tom at Long Ridge Service in Stamford, CT. Phone --- 203- three-two-two, three - nine - zero - zero.

It might be a little off the beaten path, but he has transplanted tranny's in cars for me for less than that quote.
Tell him his lawyer sent you.

He knows my 986 a little. He is currently working on my toy BMW and soon a DD BMW.

If he can find a less expensive solution, he will.

The car is worth saving.
If you do decide to walk away - let me know, it might be worth a flyer for me to do the labor. But I hope you keep your car. It has been with you a while.
jmorgan (at) pmpalawyer (dot) com

Struck out with Tom - outside his wheelhouse and his only referral (in Norwalk) doesn't do this either.

Looking grim for Betsy.

Andrew

And to be clear, I was suggesting that he swap a used Tip not rebuild it.

the guy in Norwalk, who I have also used BTW, is the rebuilder.

In any event, I just finished my last project car and I am thinking of a next project.

Email me at jmorgan (at) pmpalawyer (dot) com

As I expressed above, changing from a Tip to a Manual transmission is not an easy job!
There are a lot of parts that need replacement including, but not limited to shifter, cables, wiring harnesses, Transmission control unit, heat exchanger, adding center radiator, etc., etc.
It's not worth it.

Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 308,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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

The $3K was labor to drop in a ‘new’ $3K tip purchased out of another car.

. . . consider the cost of a new Porsche or a used one say late model, low mileage, great condition. If everything about your car is great except the Tiptronic, you're then saving $$ w/the tranny swap.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

for a good one is minimum $12,000.00 US, twice your cost to swap the tranny. How's the Tip in that car? What else might be bad or about to go bad in that other Boxster? Etcetera, etcetera. Sometimes you're better off keeping the friend you have & know.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

What car can you buy for $6K that you will enjoy anywhere near how much you enjoy the Boxster?

If you cannot think of one, I submit the choice is straightforward.
Were it me, I would fix the car. Period. How is the question.

If you can find a reasonable replacement trans, that seems the logical choice. But weigh your options.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

Spent a week in the ICU following some virus and my insulin pump wonking out. Called my mechanic and told him to find me a tip transmission and put it in the car.

Life’s too short to drive a Subaru year round.

Thanks for all the input.

Andrew

Be well.

So a donor trans and torque converter is going to cost me about $3100 delivered to my mechanic. Is there any value to be harvested from the old parts?

Andrew

If there are metal shards in the case and fluid, the parts are likely suspect, but I cannot say with any certainty if they are rebuildable.

Perhaps put it on the web and see what comes?

Or just get scrap weight.

Took forever (first donor part was ‘bad’) and was much more expensive than planned, but my 2000 is back home.

The smile still appears when I pull out of the garage.

Now I need a new plastic rear window and the local guy quoted over $800 (to sew in new plastic).

Home and car ownership - there’s always an expense.


Andrew

the provider knows what he's doing & what you end up w/meets your standards. A "good price" for a substandard service is no value.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

I always recommend AGAINST installing a glass rear window in a pre 2003 Boxster.
First, it's more expensive.
Second, it weighs more
Third, access to the engine bay is hampered
Fourth, the glass window is tiny, with horrible rear view
Fifth, the glass tends to delaminate because of the added stress on tops that are used
Just my $0.02

Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 308,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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

removal of the canvas top from the frame & then reinstalling & aligning the canvas top. I would want a provider w/experience in doing this to tackle mine.

Do some Internet exploration & I believe you will find brand new replacement tops w/heated glass rear windows instead of plastic for somewhere around the price you've been quoted to have the plastic window replaced in your existing top. There are videos on line showing you how to do this oneself. Here is but one example. It's a 2015 video & I couldn't find a newer version.

[youtu.be]

I am certain Pedro has vast experience & knowledge on this subject along w/actual experience of replacing cabriolet tops on cars like yours. If you live reasonably close to Pedro's shop, look into having him replace for you. Also, I'll bet Pedro can recommend the best quality replacement glass top(s) available & whether it's a project you could take on yourself w/good results.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2023 09:51AM by John Brown of SE SoDak. (view changes)

Makes more sense to start a new thread about the top.

Andrew