Nice!....

Since entering the realm of Porsche ownership 2 years ago., one of the things I wanted to do is to work on it. The closest dealership is about 60 miles away, and I have never actually stepped inside. There are a few independents near me that 'specialize' in European cars, and service Pcars, but I can't stomach paying the $100+/hr that they want for basically what is for me, a toy - luxury. I've worked on my vehicles in the past, replacing worn suspension bits, brakes, oil changes, some exhaust hangers. I've managed with jackstands in the past. However, with the low height of the the boxster, jackstands are a bit of a pain, doable, but a bit of a pain.

My wife got a new kitchen last year (we've been here 5 years, and we plan to be here another 15+), so this year was the year I get a lift. Settled on the Maxjax. Got a good price from Costco. Price delivered to my garage was $1999 plus tax. Lift arrived beginning of May, the 1st test vehicle went up August 2nd. In addition to the lift, I had to rent a SDSMax drill twice, a concrete saw, get a sledgehammer and 4' crowbar, $500 of concrete to strengthen my floor.

Next up: Modify my garage door and opener for more clearance.

.... you can probably gain about 6 inches by just raising the ends of the tracks so that the edge of the door comes up higher.
Also, if you lift the Boxster facing the other way (nose facing out) you can get a few more inches as well..
Also whenever you need max clearance you can close the garage door, but make sure you put an interlock switch so that it can't go up if anyone accidentally hits the remote.
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

In order of cost for more clearance.

1. Move the garage door opener to the side, and a couple inches higher.... Reading the manual, it looks like it can be offset by 4' from center. That would put me right near the edge of my 9'wide door. I can almost get the Jetta up to the 48" safety as is, just need a couple inches to spare. By having the opener on the side, both the Jetta and the Boxster should raise and clear the opener as an obstruction.
1b. With the opener to the side, I should be able to lift all the vehicles to full height, if I don't open the garage door all the way. I figure I can get the door up about 5-6' and it should be enough room to clear the cabin portion of the vehicles, while still letting some natural light and breeze in that bay.

2. Garage door guy going to take a look at my set up. Hopefully he can cobble something together to raise the track about 12" (I have 118" to the rafters), without getting new springs or pulleys. Hopefully this can be done for under $200. Garage door parts here are non existent. No one will sell to the homeowner.

3. Get new springs, pulleys, Hi lift track etc. with a Liftmaster garagedoor lift, but I'm looking at the $800-1200 range for that I think.

... they don't want to sell to end users, so I purchase under my company name.
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)

---

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

You "could" remove the garage door opener and center track, and open/close the door manually. Not elegant, but it's cheap.

I ended up taking a couple hours this evening to move and reinstall the garage door over to the side of the door. According to the Chamberlain manual for my model I found on line, the opener can be installed up to 4' off center to clear different obstructions....

excuse the mess in the garage.









I've got loads of clearance now with the boxster, even with the door full up. With the Jetta, it might be close, but I can also set the door to come up only about 6' (gives me enough clearance for walking in and out at 5'10"). With the CRV, I may only be able to raise the vehicle to the full height with the door closed, or mostly closed, depending on if I back it in the garage or not.


larger pics can be found by clicking the images here.
[peterchang1.blogspot.com]

This is what I kept telling the wife but she just ignore me :-((((((((((

I really want a lift. It makes *everything* easier. For instance, my other car, and Audi, has the calipers mounted from the back of the hub. The only way to get them off (f-ing tight) is with a breaker bar, swung UNDER the car, meaning the car must be nearly 2 feet int he air. Try that with a floor jack, stands and a ball of string.Possible? Yes, Easy? No.

Alas i dont have room on the sides in my undersized 2 car garage.

Great investment in safety, convenience, and in fact comfort and reduced strains.

Grant