New 987 Cayman 2.7 owner - help me fettle! - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi all, I picked up my new cayman at the weekend after a long search and plenty of advice / reading up on here and various Porsche forums. It’s a 2007 manual 2.7 car in midnight blue and I absolutely love it. With 38k on the dial and 1 owner for all 37.5k of those miles, it appears to be in very well cared for mechanical condition with all service history accounted for at Porsche before switching to the specialist where I purchased it from. In Feb this year, they replaced the AC condensers, cross over pipes and carried out a minor service. Prior to purchase last week, the seller put it through a PPI and the mechanics couldn’t find anything to be worried about or note as “watch outs” which was reassuring. For context, they’re a very well regarded Porsche specialist with heavy presence in Porsche motorsport side of things so I have plenty of trust in them. I have to say, the car drives amazingly. Better than I had even imagined (and I’d done plenty of that). Being so new to Porsche, I’ve got a few questions that would be great to sense check with other owners to see if these are “just the way they are”, things I can DIY or stuff to perhaps get checked out by a different specialist (one nearer home). I’ve also got a few cosmetic related questions which hopefully people can help with and a general appetite to do any of the little jobs to make small, incremental improvements: • I’ve read up about ‘trunk clunk’ and gone through a thorough guide to understand it more. When driving over most small bumps and rougher patches road, I can hear a bit of a ‘knock’. It’s nothing particularly worrying sounding but I’m really struggling to pin it down to the front end or back end of the car. Is this more likely to be trunk clunk rather than anything else? Is my best port of call to ‘wind out’ the bump stops and see if it helps before anything else? Any tips on diagnosing the source? • I’ve noticed that the engine makes a bit of a whirring (some may call it squeal but that sounds a bit over-dramatic for what it is) when driving usually at lower speeds in 1st 2nd and 3rd and always at lower revs. Is this just belts doing their thing or anything to keep an eye on? • rear wiper removal. Is this easy enough for a fairly un-experienced but keen home DIY? What blanking plug do people recommend and are there any helpful how-to guides? • I’ve got a set of 18” turbo “style” wheels which are - in fairness- very nice but not my cup of tea. They’re on 265/35 rears and 225/40 front tyres - all Continental Sport contact 2’s with very good tread (6mm). If I were to change these to 17” wheels, would I notice a distinct change in ride quality? If I’m honest, the car is a bit on the stiff side for what will be a daily driver. I would really like to swap them for a set of more ‘classic’ styled original Cayman wheels but not sure where to start with finding a replacement - is anyone here interested in a change? I’d be willing to exchange for standard 17” Cayman/Boxster wheels in equally as good condition and with good tyres. • Head unit: it’s been fitted with a Pioneer unit but it appears to be fairly old (5+ years) and therefore has no Apple Car Play… it’s got a wire for connecting an iPhone in the centre console box but that only appears to help with making phone calls and charging g. I’d really like to have CarPlay - what head units do people recommend? I don’t want to spend an awful lot… given that I’ve already got an aftermarket unit in there, should I be able to switch a new one in myself easily enough? Thanks in advance for any help and looking forward to sharing more as I get to spend more time with the car! Edited by FieldAtlanta on Monday 11th April 15:48

congrats on the purchase - didn't think they still sold sport contact 2's they must be very old tyres!

Several years ago I got a set of 17inch wheels by scouring pustonheads classifieds and ebay on a daily basis. In the end, found a good set for £250. Be patient and persistent.

SarlechS said: congrats on the purchase - didn't think they still sold sport contact 2's they must be very old tyres! Cheers! The fronts tyres are date stamped 2019, rears end of 2017… all look good with no cracking or other issues so I’m presuming fine to drive for at least another couple of years.

Congrats…looks v. nice! I fitted a Pioneer DAB160 with CarPlay to my Spyder, works really well & would thoroughly recommend. Was about £350, plus DAB antenna. You could install yourself if you know what you’re doing.

I had crap 19s on my base boxster when i got it, i wanted to get it back to standard, I paid £450 for a 2nd hand set of oe 17” boxster 3 alloys, the 17s are quite rare as everyone ticked the options list for 18s or bigger, most will have winter tyres as sold as an option by porsche, so keep a lookout and they will turn up eventually. Realistically i would budget £1000 for 2nd hand alloys and brand new tyres of your choice, i did and dont regret it, doesnt really soften the ride, just lightens the steering and adds more ‘communication’ to the way it drives would be my description, im not a driving god btw. In the meantime keep enjoying your car as is, looks a great buy!

Forgot to add, get a geo check done by a porsche specialist after you get any new tyres if you haven’t got any records of one done in the last couple of years.

I know you said they are after market wheels but you might want to check the correct tyre sizes in the manual / vehicle sticker. I have a 2007 Boxster- sizes are 235/40/18 and 265/40/18 so imagine Cayman should be the same. Edited by cslwannabe on Tuesday 12th April 13:29

Yes as above those tyre sizes are for a 986 S.

edc said: Yes as above those tyre sizes are for a 986 S. A Boxster S? Why would that use different style sizes to a cayman? Will they create any adverse effect on my car?

anonymous said: [redacted] Awesome, thanks for the heads up! I was actually considering a DIY painting of the callipers in-situ. The current colour is a bit flash for me and I’d be happier with them in silver. Will pick up some decals from the above and give it a whirl!

FieldAtlanta said: A Boxster S? Why would that use different style sizes to a cayman? Will they create any adverse effect on my car? Because they never made a 986 Cayman.

FieldAtlanta said: A Boxster S? Why would that use different style sizes to a cayman? Will they create any adverse effect on my car? Having a 35 profile rear tyre instead of 40 isn’t going to enhance the comfort! I’m amazed the PPI didn’t note this however.