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Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

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Original source
4 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW

Discussion summary

YOUR RESEARCHTop not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Leading reported evidence

Replace along

Performed · outcome unconfirmed

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context

Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.

Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster

A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed work

Check cost of about $800

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Suggestion · Original poster

A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary

Leading evidence: 'Replace along' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check cost of about $800' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.

Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.

Read captured replies

1 matching discussions · 4 captured posts examined · 0 partial discussions

Compare 2 other evidence results

Check cost of about $800

Suggestion or failed attempt

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context

Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.

Discussions that contain suggestions
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Suggestion · Original poster

A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Replace ...no difference

Suggestion or failed attempt

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
1
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context

Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.

Discussions that report an unsuccessful attempt
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Unsuccessful attempt

Had the switch replaced...no difference.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed actions (3)

These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.

Check cost of about $800

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Suggestion · Original poster

A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Replace ...no difference

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
1
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that report an unsuccessful attempt
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Unsuccessful attempt

Had the switch replaced...no difference.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Replace along

No successful repair reported for this finding.

0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1

0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.

0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.

Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster

A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800.

Original post Read captured discussion
Top not working on 99 Boxster - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview

Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.

4 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.

  • 986Forum: 1 discussions

0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.

1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.

Outcome without a verified action link

Have the owner have it fixed and agree to pay that much extra.

Original post Read captured discussion

No unique explicit quoted action; no causal link assigned

Generation: 20261026T144035Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources

POST 1 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Hey! I am looking at a 1999 Boxster with 42k and the top intermittently works. The seller claims it is the switch. A Porsche specialist I spoke with says it may need the controller replaced, along with a thorough system check for a cost of about $800. What is a top controller? is it in the dash? at the top motor? Are there search words I can use to find archive threads about this malady? Thanks! Jamie

POST 2Original post

My advice: don't buy a Boxster with a known problem. Have the owner have it fixed and agree to pay that much extra. Also, have a pre-purchase inspection done by a Porsche dealership. They can tell you exactly what the car needs, and it may save you quite a bit more than this $800 expense -- hidden engine issues could have you shelling out $12k next week. Sure, that's rare, but if I can insure against that and 1000 other problems with a $200 inspection, you bet I'm going to!

POST 4Original post

Mine does the EXACT same thing. Had the switch replaced...no difference. The way I solve my problem about 90% of the time, is to give the top a love tap. The part where you latch it closed, there is a sensor there...I'll punch it when it isn't working, and it usually fixes it.

This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.