Couple of 987 questions - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Had a look at a 987 S Sport Edition today. Very nice car. Slightly concerned its a bit cramped for my 6’2” portly frame but aside of that, a couple of things. Very loud heater blower, noise coming from the passenger footwell, whistling noise from lowest setting upwards. Dealer pointed this out and said it would be sorted but any thoughts? A/C barely cool, certainly not ice cold. Again, dealer pointed it out and said it would be sorted. Compressor seemed to be kicking in. Perhaps related to the above? It smelled a bit “hot coolanty” when I parked it up. Temp gauge was dead centre for the whole (30 min) test drive including a fair bit in slow traffic. Perhaps also related to the above? Nice car otherwise, from Porsche specialist Indy.

They tend to smell after driving. Other stuff sounds fixable... Is it a S 'Sport Edition' or S 'Design Edition'?

Sport Edition with Chrono

miniman said: Sport Edition with Chrono Is it a black Boxster with sub 20k miles?

No, 60k ish miles.

miniman said: Slightly concerned its a bit cramped for my 6’2” portly frame Apt username??

I've done 500 miles in a day in 987.2 with no aches and I'm 6'2 as well. If you're based in the South West, Williams Crawford in Saltash, Cornwall are the guys. They look after my car and seemingly every Porsche enthusiast's for miles around. They did some insurance work on mine after I got hit by an Audi recently and the standard of work and service is top-notch.

Coolant ‘whiff’ could be a slight leak. Front crossover pipes are becoming a very common issue on the 987’s, visible behind front wheels. The steel collars of the coolant pipes corrode & weld themselves to the alloy crossover pipes. The rust on the collar eventually compromises the seals & a small leak is the end result. Replacement usually involves dropping subframe so a £1k + job. Worth checking out… Could also be a weepy rad, crap gets built up between air con condenser & coolant radiator behind front PU, resulting in corrosion & leaks - could be why the air con isn’t working…

Boxstercol said: Coolant ‘whiff’ could be a slight leak. Front crossover pipes are becoming a very common issue on the 987’s, visible behind front wheels. The steel collars of the coolant pipes corrode & weld themselves to the alloy crossover pipes. The rust on the collar eventually compromises the seals & a small leak is the end result. Replacement usually involves dropping subframe so a £1k + job. Worth checking out… Could also be a weepy rad, crap gets built up between air con condenser & coolant radiator behind front PU, resulting in corrosion & leaks - could be why the air con isn’t working… Agree with this as had same on a 997. I fitted my 6’2” portly frame in a 987 for 6 years, great cars but ultimately swapped to 997 which without the bulkhead provides a more airy cabin and usable space on a trip. The handling balance of 987 is lovely.

Sounds like it needs new condensers, not a huge job, but definitely want it fixed before buying it. As others have said, the front coolant pipes tend to leak around 10years, the ends of the rubber pipes in the aluminium cross pipes corrode. I had mine replaced by a good local Indy and was around £750 in all. You can do it yourself, but have to drop the front subframe - not a simple job. Get yourself over to Boxa.net if not already on there, lots of knowledgeable people and more active than this forum Will be in the silly tax bracket as well, so make have a good look around, you might be able to pick up a 987.2 for similar money ( prices all over the place)

At this age, with what you describe, I’d plan for: - Coolant Cross-over pipes - new radiators - new air con condensers, and receiver / dryer while it’s apart These are all normal jobs on 987s - had mine done earlier this year….. and the air con still won’t hold gas. Grrrrrrr. I’m around 6’1”, and regularly do long drives in mine. It’s a bit of a compromise between how far back I take the seat and how much I recline it, but no issues in terms of comfort…

Thanks all, might see if I can have a look underneath at the crossover pipes.