Boxster 2.9 to 997 Turbo - Notes log
Discussion
Car is now back from its first 4 year major service, MOT and warranty work (as above).
I don't have the engineers report to share yet but there were a myriad of electrical problems with the car, stemming from water corrosion on wiring in the passenger door, tripping out pretty much all the sensors. All fixed now.
In the interests of full disclosure, here is the units and costs of the Service and MOT work that was carried out.
4 Year Major Service & MOT 997 Turbo Coupe PDK - 2010 Plate (Net Costs)
Parts
Window Cleaner £3.42
Particle Filter £43.52
Filter Element £15.73
Sealing Ring £4.32
Screw Plug £3.10
Aluminium Sealing Ring 66p
Brake cleaner £4.80
6 x Spark plugs £72.92
Anti-freeze £7.62
8 x 1L Mobil 1 Oil 0W/40 £93.93
Brake fluid £15.30
Tyre sealant/compressed air £34.06
Sub-total £299.38
Labour @ £110 Per Hour
Major Service 6.2 Hours £682.00
Brake Fluid Change 1 Hour £110.00
Drive belt check 20 minutes £22.00
Airbag check £44.00
Sub-total £858.00
MOT £54.85
Grand total £1212.23 (excluding VAT)
Insurance was renewed with Aviva @ £1350 inc, I did shop around, this was the best deal I could get but it was not the cheapest.
Is it worth the extra over the Boxster? Yeah, on balance I would say it is, I hope I can keep it!
I don't have the engineers report to share yet but there were a myriad of electrical problems with the car, stemming from water corrosion on wiring in the passenger door, tripping out pretty much all the sensors. All fixed now.
In the interests of full disclosure, here is the units and costs of the Service and MOT work that was carried out.
4 Year Major Service & MOT 997 Turbo Coupe PDK - 2010 Plate (Net Costs)
Parts
Window Cleaner £3.42
Particle Filter £43.52
Filter Element £15.73
Sealing Ring £4.32
Screw Plug £3.10
Aluminium Sealing Ring 66p
Brake cleaner £4.80
6 x Spark plugs £72.92
Anti-freeze £7.62
8 x 1L Mobil 1 Oil 0W/40 £93.93
Brake fluid £15.30
Tyre sealant/compressed air £34.06
Sub-total £299.38
Labour @ £110 Per Hour
Major Service 6.2 Hours £682.00
Brake Fluid Change 1 Hour £110.00
Drive belt check 20 minutes £22.00
Airbag check £44.00
Sub-total £858.00
MOT £54.85
Grand total £1212.23 (excluding VAT)
Insurance was renewed with Aviva @ £1350 inc, I did shop around, this was the best deal I could get but it was not the cheapest.
Is it worth the extra over the Boxster? Yeah, on balance I would say it is, I hope I can keep it!
Edited by Carl_Docklands on Tuesday 5th November 21:47
One of the nicest gen 2's I've seen this - love the colour combo.
Sill hard to ignore gen 1 997 turbo with £30k-£40k price difference to a nice gen 2. At mid £40k's if you get a good one gen 1 997 turbo it is probably second best performance car bargain behind 996 turbo. I was looking at Paul Stephens website looking at older quite average pork commanding crazy prices. The 2003 grey 996 turbo coupe stood out like a sore thumb at only £28k amongst a load of over priced rust buckets! Joking aside cream and cocoa everywhere on your car with deviated stitching very classy indeed.
Sill hard to ignore gen 1 997 turbo with £30k-£40k price difference to a nice gen 2. At mid £40k's if you get a good one gen 1 997 turbo it is probably second best performance car bargain behind 996 turbo. I was looking at Paul Stephens website looking at older quite average pork commanding crazy prices. The 2003 grey 996 turbo coupe stood out like a sore thumb at only £28k amongst a load of over priced rust buckets! Joking aside cream and cocoa everywhere on your car with deviated stitching very classy indeed.
Just stumbled across this thread. That white turbo looks gorgeous. I'm surprised I haven't seen it around as I'm a very frequent visitor to the Shell garage which is in the background to one of the photos (if it's the one that I think it is - on the west side ...) as well as the underground car park which features in one of the pics.
PDK is incredible on the gen 2 turbo/s.
PDK is incredible on the gen 2 turbo/s.
My car is now up to the 40k mile mark and has just completed its MOT and had its insurance renewal. No mechanical or electrical problems in that time over and above the one reported previously with the faulty water seal on the drivers door short circuiting the electrics.
The squeaking ceramic brake problem has not returned since they were cleaned. I still maintain my dim view on these ceramic brakes in cold, wet conditions especially, motorway driving where, the brake may not be touched for a long time and you need to stop suddenly. If the brakes have been allowed to cool like this over a few miles they can be dangerous.
Fully comp, non-NCB protected Insurance from Aviva is now down to the £900 mark, with £1000 excess.
I am not renewing my warranty, Car is still on the Bridgestones (their wear rate has been incredible considering how i drive) and will have Supersports fitted soon.
Have discovered that the easiest way to scare passengers is not through acceleration but late braking. The brakes on this car are in some ways more impressive than the acceleration numbers suggest.
Car is due into the bodyshop to have some minor re-paint work done to the rear wheel arches and front bumper.
The leather roof has some minor bubbling to the rear, it is annoying but I don't think I can do anything about it.
The squeaking ceramic brake problem has not returned since they were cleaned. I still maintain my dim view on these ceramic brakes in cold, wet conditions especially, motorway driving where, the brake may not be touched for a long time and you need to stop suddenly. If the brakes have been allowed to cool like this over a few miles they can be dangerous.
Fully comp, non-NCB protected Insurance from Aviva is now down to the £900 mark, with £1000 excess.
I am not renewing my warranty, Car is still on the Bridgestones (their wear rate has been incredible considering how i drive) and will have Supersports fitted soon.
Have discovered that the easiest way to scare passengers is not through acceleration but late braking. The brakes on this car are in some ways more impressive than the acceleration numbers suggest.
Car is due into the bodyshop to have some minor re-paint work done to the rear wheel arches and front bumper.
The leather roof has some minor bubbling to the rear, it is annoying but I don't think I can do anything about it.
Edited by Carl_Docklands on Sunday 16th November 09:48
Skrambles said:
Just stumbled across this thread. That white turbo looks gorgeous. I'm surprised I haven't seen it around as I'm a very frequent visitor to the Shell garage which is in the background to one of the photos (if it's the one that I think it is - on the west side ...) as well as the underground car park which features in one of the pics.
PDK is incredible on the gen 2 turbo/s.
Thanks mate, are you still running your Turbo or have you moved it on ?PDK is incredible on the gen 2 turbo/s.
SFO said:
Carl_Docklands said:
The squeaking ceramic brake problem has not returned since they were cleaned.
how was it cleaned? what with?I was charged for an hour and a half labour.
Carl_Docklands said:
Maybe you guys don't brake as hard as me 
Now the temperatures have risen a little, the issues with the PCCB's are gone, apart from dead pedal immediatley after going into a car wash. Takes about 5 pedal pumps to get the brakes back.
Anyone know what this is on the lower rear? It looks like damage from driving over gravel, is it normal ?
It is worse on the right hand side than on the left.
Camera Roll-325 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-326 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-327 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-328 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Check your intercoolers and see if any of the fins are missing. Air flows through the scoops behind the doors, through the intercoolers and out of those vents. Maybe the paint damage is from the intercooler fins or very hard and small stones travelling at high speed. I don't have it on mine to be honest. Feel free to drop by as I live in the Docklands as well Now the temperatures have risen a little, the issues with the PCCB's are gone, apart from dead pedal immediatley after going into a car wash. Takes about 5 pedal pumps to get the brakes back.
Anyone know what this is on the lower rear? It looks like damage from driving over gravel, is it normal ?
It is worse on the right hand side than on the left.
Camera Roll-325 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-326 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-327 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Camera Roll-328 by bestofbritish96, on Flickr
Just spent the last 20 mins reading this - and a good read it was too!
Particularly interesting as you are local to me, use the same dealer etc. Were you aware the car showroom you walked past in Tonbridge was home of Supercar Detailing? If you walked round the back you would have seen a lot of 911s!
What an interesting car too; the fact that it is not a Turbo S would mean the owner spent a lot of money to get it up to that spec (the Turbo S being a relative bargain when you consider the list price versus options you receive as standard). As such, your car must be pretty much unique!
With our Turbo S i never quite got used the the power/torque, but it sure was fun trying. I did think the carbon airbox helped noise but as soon as you jump into an naturally aspirated Porsche you are reminded that the Turbo doesn't really deliver in that department.
I would really recommend treating yourself to some Michelin Cup 2s come the Spring. It will transform the car into an absolute weapon. Combine it with a geo setup with a little more aggression and you have yourself a 4WD GT2.
Particularly interesting as you are local to me, use the same dealer etc. Were you aware the car showroom you walked past in Tonbridge was home of Supercar Detailing? If you walked round the back you would have seen a lot of 911s!
What an interesting car too; the fact that it is not a Turbo S would mean the owner spent a lot of money to get it up to that spec (the Turbo S being a relative bargain when you consider the list price versus options you receive as standard). As such, your car must be pretty much unique!
With our Turbo S i never quite got used the the power/torque, but it sure was fun trying. I did think the carbon airbox helped noise but as soon as you jump into an naturally aspirated Porsche you are reminded that the Turbo doesn't really deliver in that department.
I would really recommend treating yourself to some Michelin Cup 2s come the Spring. It will transform the car into an absolute weapon. Combine it with a geo setup with a little more aggression and you have yourself a 4WD GT2.
Honda, thanks for the post. I did take your suggestion on board re: Tyres (please see below).
I did not know supercar detailing was situated there, wow, I will be paying more attention next time for sure !
My Turbo is now up to 43k Miles and the Bridgestone's soldiered on through the winter however, the recent increase into double digit temps had cracked the compound on all four and I picked up a slow puncture on the near rear-side. With the writing on the wall and a trip to Wales penned in for this coming weekend, it was time to change boots. I managed to get 30k miles and two track-days out of the 'stones in the end, around double what I got out of my PS2's, which I also drove on the Boxster until the rubber started to hang-out.
On the downside, the Bridgestones are a much harder compound they were noisy and did not really provide great grip unless in the height of summer. As an aside, I am also finding the 911 much more sensitive to tyre pressure and geo setup and the 987, to be expected you might say and so I wanted this (Geo) checking out too.
To that end, as the car is no longer under warranty, I keenly tried to source a cheap set of Pilot Super Sports, which I quickly did for around £860inc fitted and get the geo checked separately. Unfortunately, as I did not have the tooling available to give to the fitters in time, I selected my second option which was a set of Cup 2 N0 rated tyres from OPC Tonbridge which ended up being closer to £1200inc.
I have no experience with Cup 2 tyres so I did not know if that was cheap or expensive.
Turns out that the OPC came out equal against other suppliers like-for-like and had N0 rated stock which could be overnighted. I could also have my geo checked and be ready for the trip on Friday night, result. edit: Tyreleader are about 15% cheaper, with no fitting.
Just an aside, I was told that although the Super Sports were out of stock (for overnight delivery), they may have an internal Porsche warranty waiver currently applied. Which means if you have an OPC warranty, you can fit the non-N rated MPSS tyres without fear of reprisal. I did not explore this as it does not apply to me however, I will ask about this again in the Autumn when she is due in again to have MPSS tyres fitted and the Cup's removed.
Total time at the garage was around 4 Hours, tyres took around 2 hours and 1.30 minutes for the Geo. 30 minutes checkin/checkout and chat.
I managed to complete lots of work at the OPC too as they have WIFI and a half decent tea machine, they even served me lunch while I was there.
In terms of results firstly, in terms of the Geo, here is the before and after shots from the computer:
The geo was out a decent ways which would have accounted for some unusual tyre wear.
Secondly, the Cup 2 tyres themselves which are a revelation in performance terms. They need a clean but here are the money shots:
Straight away, within the first minutes, all I was focused on was the drop in road noise with these boots compared to the Bridgestones, the difference is just chasmic. I expected Cup tyres to be noisy - but not these ones, well done michelin !
Early indications on the drive are that the turn in and the way the rear end operates is massive leap on from the 'stones.
Driving was done with an air temp of around 11C and pressures were 2.4 at front and 2.8 at rear, I am mulling over optimal pressures, if anyone has any advice for a 997 turbo running these tyres then keen to hear it.
I will report back more on the tyres once I have put 600 miles through them this weekend.
P.S - have a good sniff around the 2.7 RS replica while at the garage, very fruity.
I did not know supercar detailing was situated there, wow, I will be paying more attention next time for sure !
My Turbo is now up to 43k Miles and the Bridgestone's soldiered on through the winter however, the recent increase into double digit temps had cracked the compound on all four and I picked up a slow puncture on the near rear-side. With the writing on the wall and a trip to Wales penned in for this coming weekend, it was time to change boots. I managed to get 30k miles and two track-days out of the 'stones in the end, around double what I got out of my PS2's, which I also drove on the Boxster until the rubber started to hang-out.
On the downside, the Bridgestones are a much harder compound they were noisy and did not really provide great grip unless in the height of summer. As an aside, I am also finding the 911 much more sensitive to tyre pressure and geo setup and the 987, to be expected you might say and so I wanted this (Geo) checking out too.
To that end, as the car is no longer under warranty, I keenly tried to source a cheap set of Pilot Super Sports, which I quickly did for around £860inc fitted and get the geo checked separately. Unfortunately, as I did not have the tooling available to give to the fitters in time, I selected my second option which was a set of Cup 2 N0 rated tyres from OPC Tonbridge which ended up being closer to £1200inc.
I have no experience with Cup 2 tyres so I did not know if that was cheap or expensive.
Turns out that the OPC came out equal against other suppliers like-for-like and had N0 rated stock which could be overnighted. I could also have my geo checked and be ready for the trip on Friday night, result. edit: Tyreleader are about 15% cheaper, with no fitting.
Just an aside, I was told that although the Super Sports were out of stock (for overnight delivery), they may have an internal Porsche warranty waiver currently applied. Which means if you have an OPC warranty, you can fit the non-N rated MPSS tyres without fear of reprisal. I did not explore this as it does not apply to me however, I will ask about this again in the Autumn when she is due in again to have MPSS tyres fitted and the Cup's removed.
Total time at the garage was around 4 Hours, tyres took around 2 hours and 1.30 minutes for the Geo. 30 minutes checkin/checkout and chat.
I managed to complete lots of work at the OPC too as they have WIFI and a half decent tea machine, they even served me lunch while I was there.
In terms of results firstly, in terms of the Geo, here is the before and after shots from the computer:
The geo was out a decent ways which would have accounted for some unusual tyre wear.
Secondly, the Cup 2 tyres themselves which are a revelation in performance terms. They need a clean but here are the money shots:
Straight away, within the first minutes, all I was focused on was the drop in road noise with these boots compared to the Bridgestones, the difference is just chasmic. I expected Cup tyres to be noisy - but not these ones, well done michelin !
Early indications on the drive are that the turn in and the way the rear end operates is massive leap on from the 'stones.
Driving was done with an air temp of around 11C and pressures were 2.4 at front and 2.8 at rear, I am mulling over optimal pressures, if anyone has any advice for a 997 turbo running these tyres then keen to hear it.
I will report back more on the tyres once I have put 600 miles through them this weekend.
P.S - have a good sniff around the 2.7 RS replica while at the garage, very fruity.
Edited by Carl_Docklands on Friday 6th March 17:32
Carl i run 33 psi front and 36 psi through the winter and move to 36psi front and 44 psi rear when the weather is bit warmer. I'm sure you warm the car up properly for 10 mins but you should always give Cup 2s 10-15mins to get up to temp before getting on the loud peddle. Once up to temp you can really feel the extra load these tyres have on the front and rear diffs when you lean on them properly through corners. The grip is just ridiculous and i feel sorry for the diffs! Be a bit more careful in the wet too. Cup 2s make the car super fast in the right weather but less useable in our winters. I think you'll enjoy them.
IMI A said:
One of the nicest gen 2's I've seen this - love the colour combo.
Sill hard to ignore gen 1 997 turbo with £30k-£40k price difference to a nice gen 2. At mid £40k's if you get a good one gen 1 997 turbo it is probably second best performance car bargain behind 996 turbo. I was looking at Paul Stephens website looking at older quite average pork commanding crazy prices. The 2003 grey 996 turbo coupe stood out like a sore thumb at only £28k amongst a load of over priced rust buckets! Joking aside cream and cocoa everywhere on your car with deviated stitching very classy indeed.
He asks top money for lots of junk there. Worse still I know of a car breaking down in a major way on the way home with the new ownerSill hard to ignore gen 1 997 turbo with £30k-£40k price difference to a nice gen 2. At mid £40k's if you get a good one gen 1 997 turbo it is probably second best performance car bargain behind 996 turbo. I was looking at Paul Stephens website looking at older quite average pork commanding crazy prices. The 2003 grey 996 turbo coupe stood out like a sore thumb at only £28k amongst a load of over priced rust buckets! Joking aside cream and cocoa everywhere on your car with deviated stitching very classy indeed.
Carl_Docklands said:
Car is now back from its first 4 year major service, MOT and warranty work (as above).
I don't have the engineers report to share yet but there were a myriad of electrical problems with the car, stemming from water corrosion on wiring in the passenger door, tripping out pretty much all the sensors. All fixed now.
In the interests of full disclosure, here is the units and costs of the Service and MOT work that was carried out.
4 Year Major Service & MOT 997 Turbo Coupe PDK - 2010 Plate (Net Costs)
Parts
Window Cleaner £3.42
Particle Filter £43.52
Filter Element £15.73
Sealing Ring £4.32
Screw Plug £3.10
Aluminium Sealing Ring 66p
Brake cleaner £4.80
6 x Spark plugs £72.92
Anti-freeze £7.62
8 x 1L Mobil 1 Oil 0W/40 £93.93
Brake fluid £15.30
Tyre sealant/compressed air £34.06
Sub-total £299.38
Labour @ £110 Per Hour
Major Service 6.2 Hours £682.00
Brake Fluid Change 1 Hour £110.00
Drive belt check 20 minutes £22.00
Airbag check £44.00
Sub-total £858.00
MOT £54.85
Grand total £1212.23 (excluding VAT)
Insurance was renewed with Aviva @ £1350 inc, I did shop around, this was the best deal I could get but it was not the cheapest.
Is it worth the extra over the Boxster? Yeah, on balance I would say it is, I hope I can keep it!
LOvely looking cars mateI don't have the engineers report to share yet but there were a myriad of electrical problems with the car, stemming from water corrosion on wiring in the passenger door, tripping out pretty much all the sensors. All fixed now.
In the interests of full disclosure, here is the units and costs of the Service and MOT work that was carried out.
4 Year Major Service & MOT 997 Turbo Coupe PDK - 2010 Plate (Net Costs)
Parts
Window Cleaner £3.42
Particle Filter £43.52
Filter Element £15.73
Sealing Ring £4.32
Screw Plug £3.10
Aluminium Sealing Ring 66p
Brake cleaner £4.80
6 x Spark plugs £72.92
Anti-freeze £7.62
8 x 1L Mobil 1 Oil 0W/40 £93.93
Brake fluid £15.30
Tyre sealant/compressed air £34.06
Sub-total £299.38
Labour @ £110 Per Hour
Major Service 6.2 Hours £682.00
Brake Fluid Change 1 Hour £110.00
Drive belt check 20 minutes £22.00
Airbag check £44.00
Sub-total £858.00
MOT £54.85
Grand total £1212.23 (excluding VAT)
Insurance was renewed with Aviva @ £1350 inc, I did shop around, this was the best deal I could get but it was not the cheapest.
Is it worth the extra over the Boxster? Yeah, on balance I would say it is, I hope I can keep it!
Edited by Carl_Docklands on Tuesday 5th November 21:47
Carl_Docklands said:
Just an aside, I was told that although the Super Sports were out of stock (for overnight delivery), they may have an internal Porsche warranty waiver currently applied. Which means if you have an OPC warranty, you can fit the non-N rated MPSS tyres without fear of reprisal.
I had a number of warranty claims (clutch pedal switch x2, ignition barrel, battery and starter motor) with MPSS.BUT, OPC would not renew warranty with MPSS fitted.
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