2003 Porsche Boxster S
Discussion
Piersman2 said:
Oooh that's an interesting factoid to know.
I'll check them again next time it's up on the scissor jack.
Cheers.
AFAIK boots are judged on whether they can let in dirt or not. A pinhole will get you an advisory, but a split in the boot larger enough is now a failure. Years ago it didn't matter what state your CV boots were in.I'll check them again next time it's up on the scissor jack.
Cheers.
Not much has happened on the car due to a lot of things happening at home. Neighbours sending death threats (they're completely mental), police involved, and we have to move house. Lovely. Just as well as we were looking for a new place anyway, so it was just the push we needed, but unfortunately my girlfriend got made redundant just after we signed the contract for the new house, so all s
t hit the fan. Thankfully though, the crazy neighbours have moved out already (think they were kicked out) and my girlfriend's got another job that's better than the last. So now that things are back on track, I can start toying with the car again!
Anyway - one thing I'm going to do is to re-trim some interior pieces in black alcantara - to that of a Cayman GT4, etc. Well, either alcantara or faux suede.
I've highlighted the pieces I'll be trimming:
And it'll look roughly like this:
So it's not a colour change. They were black plastic before, and now they'll be black alcantara. I'll do it myself, shouldn't be too tricky and is relatively cheap to do. Benefits, aside from the fact that it looks awesome, is that it won't scratch like plastic - especially the 'soft touch' plastic that's in there at the moment.
If I really like it, I'll do the whole centre column where the gearstick is on. All of that black plastic. But we'll wait and see
In the future though, I'll most likely get a black 986 wheel and re-trim the outside of it in black alcantara, with a yellow centre-line at the top. I'll also grab a black 997 gearstick to match.
Like this:
So to crack on with the alcantara, I ordered a sample. It was 15cm x 15cm and was black. Decided to wrap the ignition surround in it as it was easily enough to cover it, and I think it looks quite good:
I think it looks great. It may be a little too dark - popped into the official Porsche centre that's close to me where they had a Boxster GTS, Cayman GT4, 911 GT3 RS, and a 918 - all of them had alcantara and it seemed a very dark grey instead of a black. I'll order another sample of grey and as soon as I make a decision, I'll go ahead and wrap the interior parts.
To do the highlighted parts, it'll cost me £8.50. Fantastic price.
t hit the fan. Thankfully though, the crazy neighbours have moved out already (think they were kicked out) and my girlfriend's got another job that's better than the last. So now that things are back on track, I can start toying with the car again!Anyway - one thing I'm going to do is to re-trim some interior pieces in black alcantara - to that of a Cayman GT4, etc. Well, either alcantara or faux suede.
I've highlighted the pieces I'll be trimming:
And it'll look roughly like this:
So it's not a colour change. They were black plastic before, and now they'll be black alcantara. I'll do it myself, shouldn't be too tricky and is relatively cheap to do. Benefits, aside from the fact that it looks awesome, is that it won't scratch like plastic - especially the 'soft touch' plastic that's in there at the moment.
If I really like it, I'll do the whole centre column where the gearstick is on. All of that black plastic. But we'll wait and see
In the future though, I'll most likely get a black 986 wheel and re-trim the outside of it in black alcantara, with a yellow centre-line at the top. I'll also grab a black 997 gearstick to match.
Like this:
So to crack on with the alcantara, I ordered a sample. It was 15cm x 15cm and was black. Decided to wrap the ignition surround in it as it was easily enough to cover it, and I think it looks quite good:
I think it looks great. It may be a little too dark - popped into the official Porsche centre that's close to me where they had a Boxster GTS, Cayman GT4, 911 GT3 RS, and a 918 - all of them had alcantara and it seemed a very dark grey instead of a black. I'll order another sample of grey and as soon as I make a decision, I'll go ahead and wrap the interior parts.
To do the highlighted parts, it'll cost me £8.50. Fantastic price.
Edited by geraintthomas on Saturday 9th July 19:58
Not much has changed - the car's running brilliantly. Serviced it a few weeks back and was pleased to see that the oil filter was perfect. No metal shavings at all, which gives me huge peace of mind to what condition the IMS bearing is in.
Someone hit me at slow speed when they decided to pull out straight into the side of me. Hit my front wing and dented it quite good. She was very apologetic and we agreed for her to pay there and then rather than go through insurance. She gave me £150, and the paintless dent repair cost me £45. It's now looking as good as new, so can't complain! Profit!
Aside from that, I've started a detailing business. I've got an absolute tonne of kit and have been doing it for years, so decided to do it for others too. Shameless plug, but look at www.compoundauto.co.uk if you want.
Last thing I did on the car (few hours ago) was remove the rear 'Boxster S' badge. Not because I wanted to de-badge it, but because it needed a respray as the silver badge was showing signs of wear. But now that it's off, I can't help but to think it looks rather good after machine polishing the rear boot...
...what do you think? I'm also creating the newer 981 'P O R S C H E' and 'Boxster S' badges in 3D so that I can get them 3D printed. Sprayed in chrome, they'd look identical to the authentic ones that cost almost £100 from Porsche. Will have a look into that soon!
Alcantara's arriving tomorrow hopefully so I'll be getting on with the re-trim soon
Someone hit me at slow speed when they decided to pull out straight into the side of me. Hit my front wing and dented it quite good. She was very apologetic and we agreed for her to pay there and then rather than go through insurance. She gave me £150, and the paintless dent repair cost me £45. It's now looking as good as new, so can't complain! Profit!
Aside from that, I've started a detailing business. I've got an absolute tonne of kit and have been doing it for years, so decided to do it for others too. Shameless plug, but look at www.compoundauto.co.uk if you want.
Last thing I did on the car (few hours ago) was remove the rear 'Boxster S' badge. Not because I wanted to de-badge it, but because it needed a respray as the silver badge was showing signs of wear. But now that it's off, I can't help but to think it looks rather good after machine polishing the rear boot...
...what do you think? I'm also creating the newer 981 'P O R S C H E' and 'Boxster S' badges in 3D so that I can get them 3D printed. Sprayed in chrome, they'd look identical to the authentic ones that cost almost £100 from Porsche. Will have a look into that soon!
Alcantara's arriving tomorrow hopefully so I'll be getting on with the re-trim soon
Still looking good OP!
Sorry to hear of your neighbour woes. It has a massive effect on your life doesn't it. Nobody realises how bad it is until they experience it. Glad they're going anyway. My nightmare neighbours are due out this month. Sold sign been up a while.
I'll be interested to see the alcantara dash parts. Key hole surround looks good. My 996 is black with grey interior so looking to jazz it up a bit. I'll probably go down the body coloured centre console and hardback seat backs route, then maybe red belts.
Anyway, Good work. You're similar to me in that it's all in the detail. Good luck with the business venture too.
Sorry to hear of your neighbour woes. It has a massive effect on your life doesn't it. Nobody realises how bad it is until they experience it. Glad they're going anyway. My nightmare neighbours are due out this month. Sold sign been up a while.
I'll be interested to see the alcantara dash parts. Key hole surround looks good. My 996 is black with grey interior so looking to jazz it up a bit. I'll probably go down the body coloured centre console and hardback seat backs route, then maybe red belts.
Anyway, Good work. You're similar to me in that it's all in the detail. Good luck with the business venture too.
Oh god...
I sold my beloved 986 Boxster this morning. I've had her for 4 years and loved every minute of owning her. I was close to tears earlier but now reading this thread has made me feel even worse. Currently experiencing a curious combination of sadness & jealousy!!!
Excellent work on every single one of these DIY upgrades. All absolutely spot on. I'm especially fond of the alcantara re-trim bit... I suspect that my levels of skill & dexterity may be somewhat less than yours though - so I doubt i'll be attempting anything like it on the Boxster's replacement.
Keep up the good work
I sold my beloved 986 Boxster this morning. I've had her for 4 years and loved every minute of owning her. I was close to tears earlier but now reading this thread has made me feel even worse. Currently experiencing a curious combination of sadness & jealousy!!!
Excellent work on every single one of these DIY upgrades. All absolutely spot on. I'm especially fond of the alcantara re-trim bit... I suspect that my levels of skill & dexterity may be somewhat less than yours though - so I doubt i'll be attempting anything like it on the Boxster's replacement.
Keep up the good work
What's the Boxster's replacement? never regret what you've done! Plus, you can always buy another haha.
I did think about keeping the boot plain for a while, but then I thought about putting the 981 badge on, like a few people have done. Only thing is that I'm not willing to pay almost £100 for 'P O R S C H E' and a new 'Boxster S' badge.
I've gone about 3D printing them. Someone on here had it done and it looked great, so I thought why not! The printer has finished them already and I'm going to pick them up after work later. He sent these photos:
And it cost me a grand total of £5. THAT'S IT. The finish will be a little rough, but I plan on sanding them back, spraying with chrome spray, fixing 3M tape to the backs of them and then installing them. The price of it will be a fraction of the cost of a new one.
As soon as I go and see these later, I'll post a photo up for you guys. If they're good, I'll whip up the new Boxster S badge from the 981 in 3D myself (already got an illustration of it in the correct measurements), and will get it printed too.
Should look amazing
I did a little photoshop mock up of the new badges, and also of a tinted top section of the rear lights. They can be tinted with tint spray and, if I don't like it, it's completely removable.
What do you think of this?
never regret what you've done! Plus, you can always buy another haha.I did think about keeping the boot plain for a while, but then I thought about putting the 981 badge on, like a few people have done. Only thing is that I'm not willing to pay almost £100 for 'P O R S C H E' and a new 'Boxster S' badge.
I've gone about 3D printing them. Someone on here had it done and it looked great, so I thought why not! The printer has finished them already and I'm going to pick them up after work later. He sent these photos:
And it cost me a grand total of £5. THAT'S IT. The finish will be a little rough, but I plan on sanding them back, spraying with chrome spray, fixing 3M tape to the backs of them and then installing them. The price of it will be a fraction of the cost of a new one.
As soon as I go and see these later, I'll post a photo up for you guys. If they're good, I'll whip up the new Boxster S badge from the 981 in 3D myself (already got an illustration of it in the correct measurements), and will get it printed too.
Should look amazing
I did a little photoshop mock up of the new badges, and also of a tinted top section of the rear lights. They can be tinted with tint spray and, if I don't like it, it's completely removable.
What do you think of this?
Entirely agree - just the 'PORSCHE' bit is best in my eyes. But hey - it's your choice...
The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
marky911 said:
Still looking good OP!
Sorry to hear of your neighbour woes. It has a massive effect on your life doesn't it. Nobody realises how bad it is until they experience it. Glad they're going anyway. My nightmare neighbours are due out this month. Sold sign been up a while.
I'll be interested to see the alcantara dash parts. Key hole surround looks good. My 996 is black with grey interior so looking to jazz it up a bit. I'll probably go down the body coloured centre console and hardback seat backs route, then maybe red belts.
Anyway, Good work. You're similar to me in that it's all in the detail. Good luck with the business venture too.
Really enjoyed your car history post and your house renovation thread Marky911, glad to here the horror stories next door are moving on, get some pics up of your 996!Sorry to hear of your neighbour woes. It has a massive effect on your life doesn't it. Nobody realises how bad it is until they experience it. Glad they're going anyway. My nightmare neighbours are due out this month. Sold sign been up a while.
I'll be interested to see the alcantara dash parts. Key hole surround looks good. My 996 is black with grey interior so looking to jazz it up a bit. I'll probably go down the body coloured centre console and hardback seat backs route, then maybe red belts.
Anyway, Good work. You're similar to me in that it's all in the detail. Good luck with the business venture too.
Love this thread and giving me ideas for my 986S, I've just bought an E92 M3 and the Boxster should be sold really, but I cant bring myself to advertise it!! Good luck with the business Venture OP, enjoy the attention to detail.
captain_beaky said:
Entirely agree - just the 'PORSCHE' bit is best in my eyes. But hey - it's your choice...
The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
Good luck with the 996, always gutting when a car goes. I sold my 996 and bought a Boxster 3.2s 986 so would be interested in your experience with the 996.The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
Medic-one said:
Looks stunning!
Everytime i look at a black one in the classifieds i go 'nah', but then every time i see yours i'm like 'i want a black one'!
It's the difference between a black paint car, and a well cared for black paint car Everytime i look at a black one in the classifieds i go 'nah', but then every time i see yours i'm like 'i want a black one'!
shalmaneser said:
Looks good above but I think just fit the tint and PORSCHE lettering - 'Boxster S' is a bit superfluous.
But I am a sucker for a bit of debadging anyway...
I placed the PORSCHE lettering roughly on the boot earlier and it looked great by itself. Good thing is, I'm installing both with 3M pads so I can just take it off if I don't like it But I am a sucker for a bit of debadging anyway...
captain_beaky said:
Entirely agree - just the 'PORSCHE' bit is best in my eyes. But hey - it's your choice...
The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
I absolutely know what you mean. I keep looking at 996's and think "I'd love to have a 911". But then I think, 0-60 is roughly the same, top speed is irreverent when it's past 170mph, but it's got rear seats. But then, the Boxster has a rear boot? So I end up thinking that one isn't more practical than the other, it's just preference. So as much as I'd love to upgrade to a 996, I can't justify it by owning a 986 S. It's just not a big enough jump for the sizable increase of money that it'll cost. The replacement for my dear old Boxster is a 996 911 Carrera 2 Convertible (manual of course). It's got some big shoes to fill - but I just wanted to scratch that 911 itch and I reckon now is the time to buy as values seem to be strengthening.
TheLordJohn said:
Looks best with nothing
Thank you I'll give it a try with a badge but I agree so far.M3333 said:
Really enjoyed your car history post and your house renovation thread Marky911, glad to here the horror stories next door are moving on, get some pics up of your 996!
Love this thread and giving me ideas for my 986S, I've just bought an E92 M3 and the Boxster should be sold really, but I cant bring myself to advertise it!! Good luck with the business Venture OP, enjoy the attention to detail.
Ah yeah, they moved and we're in a much better town now - it's beautiful here. Big enclosed driveway that you have to drive under an archway to get into, so none of our house windows look out onto a street - just our garden. It's great!Love this thread and giving me ideas for my 986S, I've just bought an E92 M3 and the Boxster should be sold really, but I cant bring myself to advertise it!! Good luck with the business Venture OP, enjoy the attention to detail.
Best of luck with the BMW
I know what you mean, I sold my Celica T-Sport to my father in law and I really, really miss it. It wasn't standard, but it looked brand new and learnt a lot from that car. Still, I get to see it!If it all goes wrong, you can always sell the BMW and get another Porsche
KennyGT said:
Fantastic write up, fantastic car! Love all the detail you are putting in, it's fantastic to see such passion. Would love a Porsche myself one day 
Thank you you should price one up, they're good value for money at the moment seeing as the new 718's been released.Devil's in the detail for me. Installing those very, very dim footwell lights that are on when you drive at night is the kind of thing I like doing. It's subtle, you can barely see it, but you know it's there and it's made it a better car.
Furyblade_Lee said:
Just be careful about the quality of alcantara / faux suede you buy.... I spent a coupme of days trimming my dashboard and with in 12 months the "dark grey " is now virtually "white" in the high spots due to sun bleaching...
Gotcha. Thanks a load mate. I've bought a sheet of the one I used for the key surround which has been on there for a while know. I'm installing it with spray glue, which I've done in the past on an older car. Good thing about it is that if I change my mind or if it fades, I can use 'Sticky Stuff Remover' and it goes back to normal. All done!So the 3D printing was awesome! The print quality was fantastic for the price (£5).
The top is pretty much smooth, but has an ever so slight texture, so I'm going to sand it a little before spraying. To be honest, primer will probably smooth it but I'd rather be sure.
Going to pick up chrome spray tomorrow, then wait until the 3M pads arrive for me to cut into shape. I'd have completely OEM looking badges for a fraction of the price!
The top is pretty much smooth, but has an ever so slight texture, so I'm going to sand it a little before spraying. To be honest, primer will probably smooth it but I'd rather be sure.
Going to pick up chrome spray tomorrow, then wait until the 3M pads arrive for me to cut into shape. I'd have completely OEM looking badges for a fraction of the price!
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