Boxster telephone/bluetooth...

[kln86]

Hi all,

I've just bought a Mk2 Boxster (2005) with the sat nav option installed. There seems to be a SIM card slot but having put a SIM in the phone option doesn't seem to be activated. Is this an extra on top of the sat nav unit? (sorry - new porsche owner, so no a complete beginner on all of this!).

What have others done in terms of using the phone or a bluetooth solution or whatever? Don't really want to spend a massive amount of money but it would be useful to be able to use the phone handsfree in the car.

Appreciate any insights you might be able to give!

Thanks

[Frogger41]

I have also just bought a boxster. I popped in a sim card and it worked. Mind you the people i call say the quality of the call is not good.

[anonymous-user]

They all had the SIM card slot but it is inactive unless the telephone prep was bought as an extra. Most people thought it wasn't worth having at the time, so I doubt it would be worth retro fitting, even if that were possible.

[Paul O]

You'd be better having a bluetooth module retrofitted - something like dension. I think the cost of retrofitting the phone module is very expensive.

[kingston12]

Yep, phone prep was not often picked from the options list because it either means removing the SIM from your phone each time you get into the car or having a completely different number to use only in the car.

I put a Dension 500 in as soon as I got my 987 and it has been rock solid for 2.5 years for both calls and iPod integration.

The interface isn't great but that is the fault of the PCM rather than the Dension. Removing the original PCM altogether would do an even better job, but it is much more expensive and the results often look a bit 'Halfords special'.

[kln86]

Thanks for the tips. Could you give me a rough idea of how much the dension was to buy and have fitted? Seen on eBay for £300 ish, is that about right? Did you/can you fit them yourself?

Thanks

[mankey]

Simple to fit yourself. They supply all the connectors you need and good instructions.

If your car already has a CD changer, there's no coding to do.

[kingston12]

Yep, these are very simple to fit. If I can do it, I am sure anyone can. I just connected it into the MOST ring using the cable provided and got it is share power with the CD changer.

The latest one is the Gateway 500S which I think is iPod and Bluetooth in one box for about £350. I have got the older Gateway 500, but you need to buy a separate bluetooth box that plugs into it (BTA1500). The cost seems about the same, so probably best to go for the new one.

[kln86]

I don't have the CD changer option - does this make fitting more of an issue, or still easy enough to do yourself?

[kingston12]

kln86 said:

I don't have the CD changer option - does this make fitting more of an issue, or still easy enough to do yourself?

It probably won't make the fitting much more difficult, but it would require you to go to an OPC or specialist to get the PCM to recognise the Dension as a changer.