Maybe I should have split this video into two? But hey - it ended up beyond the 30 minute mark because, well, I guess I like talking about the Boxster. 😉 Anyway, tell me what I'm missing...
@@christianpratt absolutely fantastic job - love all your videos! You covered all the important parts for sure. Can’t imagine what you’re going to cover in part 2.
For the wipers, you have a maintenance position. Once you switched the contact off, push the lever down and the wipers will go about 45° from rest position ;)
Brilliant video, had a 981 for 2 years, now have a 4.0 GTS and this was way more informative than the official Porsche run through that I received on collection and the follow up master class. Keep up the good work and nice to hear others adding their additional tips
@@capitalexotics Thank you - glad you enjoyed it! It was after buying my 997.2 that I realised there was (unsurprisingly, in hindsight) huge similarity with my earlier 987.2 Boxster. And the 981 merely confirmed that. Once you’ve owned one, the rest are surprisingly familiar!
Thanks Chris. Definitely one of the most enlightening videos on Porsche sports cars features/quirks/tips I’ve found on RUclips. A small number has been covered by others, however you’ve highlighted many that are nowhere on the interweb. In addition, your presentation is first class, no shouty presentation. Look forward to part 2!
Really appreciate your comments and feedback Darren - thank you. 🙏 It’s so helpful to know how the videos are coming across, and that my presenting/editing style is finding its mark.
Proud 2021 Spyder owner, thanks for your attention to detail. I’m going to mess with my settings section, wasn’t aware of the options I had. Keep it up!
Super, das mit dem Tankdeckel, Klimaanlage aus, Bordcomputer und Innenbeleuchtung habe ich gar nicht gewusst und fahre meinen jetzt schon zwei Jahre :)
Great video I’ve learnt a lot. That cutaway in the passenger door sill is actually for a Porsche umbrella which Porsche sells. One of my favourite quirky feature of the 981
Great video, there were a couple in there I didn't know 👍 The Cayman has an extra cubies to the left and right rear of the seats next to the rear quarter windwos. Very deep and very useful.
Great information, i currently own a 2005 DB9 but am seriously considering either a 981 Boxster or a 997 Carrera S as my next purchase. What beautiful, well kept machine you have!👏👏👏 Subbed!☺️
@@oggie1967 Thanks for commenting - appreciated. 👍 That’s a mighty engine in the DB9 - though I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the flat six. Plenty of character… I previously owned a 997.2 C2S, which was brilliant. A very capable alternative to the DB9. The only reason I sold it was because I missed owning a convertible - and don’t like the 911 cab’s looks.
As a past 986 and 987 owner and current 982 owner i thought I knew it all. How wrong I was. Lots learnt. What a brilliant couple of videos - thank you Christian. Holding the button while putting the roof up negotiating a roundabout at 30 mph during a rain shower now a thing of the past. 😂BTW Porsche say max 50 kph for opening/closing. Anybody tried at any higher speed? Presumably it won't work and a warning comes up on the dash?
Great vid thanks. I’ll definitely try the window reset as I have a bit of wind noise on the drivers side of my Cayman GTS at motorway speeds which suggests window isn’t sealing as it should!
I thought there wouldn't be anything to pick up on here having had a couple of Boxsters and 911's but much to my embarrassment there were several and I am going to look into buying a firestick. One thing I found very useful during my ownership is a wheel support peg. For anybody not familiar with this item its simply an M14 x 1.5 threaded shaft that you screw into the wheel hub after removing the first wheel bolt, doing this prevents the wheel coming off in an uncontrolled manner as you can simply slide the wheel along the shaft to remove it, it also makes aligning the wheel when putting it back on a lot easier.
Thanks for commenting Graham - glad I've been able to add one or two more things to your knowledge! Good point about the wheel support peg; I'll add that to my list for (I hope!) part three...
Really enjoy Project 981 please keep up the good work. I want to mimic your Ctek direct battery connection set up; what size eyelets did you use for the Ctek lead and what was the bolt you used for the negative connection?
Hi Alastair. Thanks for the positive comments - that's much appreciated. You'll need an M8 bolt of suitable length for the earth/body. Which means that the M8-sized eyelet is perfect. However, be aware that Ctek sell both an M6 and M8-sized eyelet/adaptor. If you already have the smaller M6 adaptor (I did - it came with my charger) then you'll either need to slightly enlarge the Earth/negative eyelet (I carefully drilled it out) or spilt it and then gently bend each side to fit around the bolt shank. Both options work well enough. But if you have neither, then by the M8 version.
Useful video, thankyou, i have been using the 718s footwell socket to attach my CTEK, need to make sure its fully in, but no issues so far. A minor niggle for me is that water/shampoo gets under the bonnet when washing the car (not into the frunk though). My 987S was slightly worse.
@@robsx4280 Thanks for the comments Rob. Glad the footwell socket is working for you. I had the same frustration with my own 987 - too much foam and water into the battery tray and surrounds. 981/2 much improved but yes - still a bit leaky as it were!
Hi Andrew. Glad you found them useful - appreciate the feedback. The answer to your question revolves around whether a car - the Porsche - has a BMS: a battery management system. And the 981 does. From the CTek website FAQ: "The CTEK manual says: ”Connect the black clamp to the vehicle chassis remote from the fuel pipe and the battery". In the picture next to this, the black clamp is connected to the battery's negative pole. Which is correct? When you use a CTEK charger, you can use both connections. The charger should be connected according to the vehicle user manual. If there are no other recommendations in the manual, the negative or black connector should be safely connected to the chassis. The connectors on old “non-smart” chargers can spark if the connectors touch each other, which could be dangerous if this happens near the battery. Keeping the connectors apart, and ensuring the positive connection point is as far away from the negative connection point as possible, will help to minimize any risk. If your vehicle has a BMS you cannot connect to the negative battery pole, the connection must be made to the earth or ground point, if you are in any doubt then connect to the nearest earth or ground point." Hope that helps explain why my car's conditioner cable is earthed to the chassis.
Nice video, I learned more, thank you. I also have a little storage bag for my wind deflector that is velcro attached inside the boot below the emergency triangle box. Not sure if it's original as I don't see one in your frunk? I hardly use it other than to store other items. Cheers.
Thanks for commenting - glad you found it useful. My 987's OEM wind deflector came with a storage bag but I don't believe the 981 OEM deflector did. I need to get one made for the odd occasions when I take mine out. 😀
Nice Job! US cars don't get the roof controls unfortunately as we're considered too litigious. I tried fixing this by having my dealer recode, but though he saw the option, there was no way to turn it on for a US Spec car. You can get a Mod4Cars Smarttop controller that allows you to raise and lower the top from from the key (and it gives you options on how you want to position the windows when you do so - up or down). Good call on the battery tender! My battery went dead one winter and even with the tender, it lost voltage. In the spring the car had lost a good deal of it's coding. Replacing the battery helped, but it needed to go back to the dealer to have the windows recoded (the auto-up and down functions). Thanks again, I'm going off now to check the expiry date on my wheel gunk and to put a couple of rubber gloves in there!
Hi Richard. Glad you enjoyed the video - and thanks for commenting. Most of us have learnt the battery 'lesson' the hard way! That sounds familiar... 😀 Make time to watch parts two and three if you haven't already done so - a few more bits and pieces worth knowing!
@@christianpratt Will Do! Thanks again. I did watch Part 2, about to watch 3. You go into some "funny stuff" I don't think we get here, like the light dipping. You made me check my wheel gunk! It expired in 2016! I'm looking for replacements now! I just got my car back from the shop - close to $4K in repairs because the soft top stopped working - they replaced the latch and two microswitches.
@@blackmanxrjc It's easy to take for granted local-market options - though hard to know what other markets do and don't have! Gunk - in Europe at least it's easy enough to buy VW's own gunk since it's basically the same. Definitely try and avoid the Porsche tax on this one! Glad your roof is working agin but - ooof - that's a steep bill! My financial sympathies...
Very informative video. I just need to find the perfect spec 981 for me. I prefer the Cayman but would also consider a Boxter. I have never owned a convertible before and can’t see myself driving around with the top down. I live in probably the wettest part of Scotland so I wouldn’t get much of a chance to do so 😊
Thanks for the positive comment Gary. The Boxster’s roof is good; the Cayman is obviously a touch better if left out year-round, and I understand is marginally sharper due to its stiffness (though the Boxster doesn’t do scuttle shake). Plenty of cars out there to choose from; take your time, and try and drive a few before you buy.
@@goathead53 So - despite appearances (and assuming they’re the same in the 718 - I can’t imagine they’re not) - I believe the visors are fixed. So no side window option. Drop the window instead. 😀
I wanted to add to the bit about charging it. I too used to charge/maintain the battery to my Cayman directly as you do. But after some thorough research, I found that you can charge it with an interior 12v socket. The big trick is in Porsche's infinite wisdom, they shut off extra electrics to save on battery power for storage for long periods. I believe it lasts for a few days before it will shut that off and will no longer charge from that socket. You get around that by simply locking the door and that keeps that 12v socket live for as long as it is locked. Then you can keep a battery tender through the duration of however long you store it. You can safely close the door on the cord or you can run it through an open window if you'd prefer.
We've ended up doing the same two things in reverse! I started charging the battery through the footwell 12v - which had previously worked flawlessly in my earlier 987 and 997. But, as you note, the socket can sometimes switch itself off, which isn't ideal. I got fed up with the uncertainty of that - sometimes it would go for weeks, other times for only 30 minutes, and I could never quite understand what I was doing differently (perhaps I didnt' lock the door quickl enough?) - so decided to go under the bonnet instead. In truth, I'm happy with under-the-bonnet. It involves slightly more effort, but I'm happy enough to leave the car now, knowing it'll never not charge. Appreciate the comment and insights - thank you. 👍
@@christianpratt Ah, interesting. It seems like I heard the footwell one isn't as reliable as the center console one, which is the one I use in my 981. The footwell one might be on that same circuit that shuts off after a few days. There shouldn't be any sort of time to lock it. I've had times of forgetting and then locking mine a few days later and the charger would light up instantly with starting to charge it. Anyway, just info out there for those that might be having a problem with charging with interior 12v vs directly with the battery. I appreciate the vids and info you put out there! Thank you!
@@GrimR Useful to know. I might go back and try the console one in that case. It's certainly easier to use than having to lift the bonnet every time. Glad you're enjoying the videos - thanks for all the comments. 👍
Recently got 992 Carrera. Don't have space for it in the garage is it safe to trickle charge with lead / power cable under bonnet or through window in the open? My drive and surrounding area is very safe as not in London.
@@stevosd60 Congrats on your new 992! Yeah, should be able to have the power cable under the bonnet safely. Or if you're able to charge it with the interior socket as I mentioned, you might be able to just close the door on the cord as I do with my 981. But I don't know if that's a smaller gap with the 992. Going through the window is an option, but then you have a window cracked open for the elements to get through.
Interesting! Weight-saving aside, have you noticed any other benefits? And do you need/use a specific battery conditioner versus, say, and AGM battery?
@@christianpratt more power volts immediately, 10yr guarantee, never goes flat which I tested by leaving the cabin lights on overnight of course in the morning it wouldn’t start so option is to reset it via a button on top of said batter, or as in our case the hood can’t be open ,use the app to reset it and ‘’voila’’ battery is fully energised immediately, as you said weight benefits and its half the size just connect it with existing cables
Great tips, thank you again! Question on the Ctek and the anchor points, I don’t have a bolt in the turret and you mentioned a M6 or M8 bolt, do you know which and presume a stainless steel bolt is ok?
@@Rico1973 Many thanks Mark. You’ll need an M8 bolt of suitable length. Stainless would be best, so you have a clean metal-on-metal contact. Be aware that Ctek sell both an M6 and M8-sized eyelet/adaptor. If you have the smaller (I did) then you’ll either need to slightly enlarge the Earth/negative eyelet (I carefully drilled it out) or spilt it and then gently bend each side to fit around the bolt shank.
@@christianpratt thank you. I’ve got the small eyelets (M6) and managed to snap it!! Just ordered an M8 connector for a few quid so that should do the job 👍🏻
Good video that, great idea with the C tec charger, just ordered the little extra lead and have a bolt for the strut tower as well, what bulbs did you order please, also I never realized I had the little interior centre console light is was turned down so low, now it’s on 90% 👍🏼
@@Trophy_R Thanks for the comments - great to hear you’ve found the video useful. I must confess I don’t know the specific bulb specification (the OEM incandescent is 5W I think). I’ve relied on the retailer’s knowledge - Design911 in my case - to identify the correct LED replacement. 90% - happy illumination!
Every reviewer says the centre cover of the cup holders is for aesthetics. While this is somewhat true the main function of this part is to stop the holders swinging during cornering. Try covering with a metal water bottle in without the centre section in place and see what happens.
@@-Grifter Well now - that makes good sense. How curious that everyone (me!) misses that point. I don’t really use the cup holders, which is why I’ve not experienced a swinging arm. I’m intrigued now!
One bonus thing for the battery maintainer/charger is to have an in-line fuse on the positive side of the CTEK tail. This will act as a fail safe if the positive wire gets damaged and shorts out, at least it will just be a fuse that fails. Not the car.
@@christianprattMy CTEK connectors all come with a fuse (except for the cigarette lighter connector). You definitely want a fuse right after the battery connector. Any failure of the cable would be catastrophic. BTW on my 718, the footwell 12v never shuts off and I use this for battery maintenance
@@JanKotarzewski Hello Jan. That’s beyond my level of knowledge I’m afraid. Though I understand that sometimes these faults are caused by faulty sensors (which control the mechanism) rather than the mechanism itself. Worth getting somebody/a garage to ‘read’ the error code for you - that should help identify the specific problem. Hope you get it sorted.
Good point Ricardo. A challenge facing most two-seat sports cars. My car doesn’t have BOSE (or the Burmeister system) which solves the problem, because the grills are hiding empty spaces. 🤪 That said, I had BOSE in a previous Boxster and found the sound stage pretty good. The mid and high range drivers are in front of the driver, of course, so the detail doesn’t suffer too much. No easy way to solve the problem, though it’s an acoustic compromise I’m personally happy with.
@@toddg9956 I understand that it’s possible to enable the feature using Porsche’s workshop diagnostics platform - PIWIS - which the dealers and some indies have. Worth asking around and/or checking the forums (Rennlist?), if it appeals to you.
One other tip spray the exhaust bolts with WD40 regularly especially the ones that fasten to header being exposed they deteriorate quite quickly being a fitted bolt it can be costly to replace Also the window & trunk switches are very brittle & break quite easily if you just have your finger on the edge, make sure you push your finger to the back of the switch to stop you breaking a piece off Have you had any thoughts about changing your radio head unit to a more modern version
@@stephenmcnamara4393 Thanks for the comments Stephen - appreciated. Good point about the exhaust bolts. They are famously (and unhelpfully) made of chocolate. I’ve luckily not encountered the brittle switches - but useful to now be aware of. I am curiously happy with PCM 3.1. I might upgrade in the future, but would rather update my speakers and amplifier in the first instance. My car doesn’t have BOSE, and I’d like a little more performance from the audio. (Though the head unit - PCM - seems perfectly fine with a digital source.)
i watched a video on Porsches being built and the original mr porsche working for the germans...none of them said porsch..her...just porsh.. A lot of these tips only work on the GTS, not the S or basic models by the way
@@simplysimon966 Thanks for commenting Simon. Hope you found at least one or two useful tips. You made me think some more about pronunciation, so I went on the hunt for some clarity. This, I think, explains the variations: www.porsche.com/stories/culture/how-to-pronounce-porsche/
Aaah yes - I knew that and should have mentioned it. I understand that it >is< possible to enable this feature using Porsche’s PIWIS workshop software system - which specialists also have access to. Might be worth asking around your local network (and perhaps checking the forums - Rennlist?).
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Maybe I should have split this video into two? But hey - it ended up beyond the 30 minute mark because, well, I guess I like talking about the Boxster. 😉
Anyway, tell me what I'm missing...
@@christianpratt absolutely fantastic job - love all your videos! You covered all the important parts for sure. Can’t imagine what you’re going to cover in part 2.
@@gkrieger6824 Really kind - thank you. I’m really enjoying making them - it’s been a huge learning curve. Delighted that you’re enjoying them too. 👍
For the wipers, you have a maintenance position. Once you switched the contact off, push the lever down and the wipers will go about 45° from rest position ;)
@@Julienlis Excellent - thank you! That’s completely new to me. 👍
Brilliant video, had a 981 for 2 years, now have a 4.0 GTS and this was way more informative than the official Porsche run through that I received on collection and the follow up master class.
Keep up the good work and nice to hear others adding their additional tips
@@richardkew6801 Thank you Richard - appreciated!
Yes, hoping to keep the content and enthusiasm coming…
80,000 miles on my 2014 Cayman, and you showed me NEW tips I never knew. Excellent!
80,000 miles - wow! That's good going. Glad I could help you with a few new tips to enjoy the car even more. 👍
Fantastic! I'm 2 months into my '24 Cayman GTS ownership and I learned quite a bit from this video. Looking forward to Part 2. Subscribed!
@@gmund317 Oooh - brand new GTS! Very nice indeed. Glad you found the video useful. Thanks for subscribing!
Great video, as a 991.1 owner I’m always astonished at the things I learn from watching videos like this! Thanks and I look forward to part 2!
@@capitalexotics Thank you - glad you enjoyed it!
It was after buying my 997.2 that I realised there was (unsurprisingly, in hindsight) huge similarity with my earlier 987.2 Boxster. And the 981 merely confirmed that. Once you’ve owned one, the rest are surprisingly familiar!
Thanks Chris. Definitely one of the most enlightening videos on Porsche sports cars features/quirks/tips I’ve found on RUclips. A small number has been covered by others, however you’ve highlighted many that are nowhere on the interweb. In addition, your presentation is first class, no shouty presentation. Look forward to part 2!
Really appreciate your comments and feedback Darren - thank you. 🙏
It’s so helpful to know how the videos are coming across, and that my presenting/editing style is finding its mark.
Immensely useful. More than half of those hacks were new to me! Can’t wait for the next one!
@@prashanthp5448 Thank you! Glad to have helped. 👍
Endlessly grateful for the quality content you're putting out for our fantastic cars.
@@bucabrandon Appreciated Brandon! 😀👍 Anything new in there for you - or are you already up to speed on that little lot?
I am very impressed with the content of the video and also amazed at how clean your 981 is. Your fantastic vid and boxster!!! Thank you.
@@KisunsRCLife Thank you! Appreciate the comments. The car does get dirty, I promise!
Proud 2021 Spyder owner, thanks for your attention to detail. I’m going to mess with my settings section, wasn’t aware of the options I had. Keep it up!
@@robertgregory1927 Thanks Robert - glad to have helped.
Great car, BTW!
@@christianpratt Thank you, owned a 981 and 992 but my Spyder is my overall ❤️ favorite!
Looking at a 981 cayman S as my second car.
Very informative video !
@@Cheiff117 Thank you - glad you enjoyed it. Parts two and three worth a watch too if you’re in the market for a Cayman. Fabulous cars! 👍
Great tips and video. Thanks for doing this! 2013 981 Boxster S. Midnight Blue w/ Luxor Beige.
That’s a classy colour combination!
Appreciate the comment - thank you. 👍
Super, das mit dem Tankdeckel, Klimaanlage aus, Bordcomputer und Innenbeleuchtung habe ich gar nicht gewusst und fahre meinen jetzt schon zwei Jahre :)
Danke schön! Hoffe das hat geholfen... 😀
Much more useful than I anticipated !!
Good news! Thanks Nigel - glad I've been able to help a fellow Porsche fan.
Great to see a 981 channel
Thank you! Hope you find it interesting!
Excellent. Very informative and practical advice 👍
Thanks Stevo - glad I've been able to help...
Superb video Christian - keep up the good work 🙂
Many thanks - that’s appreciated.
I was skeptical but a few things I was not aware of. Nice one.
@@wheelsandwatches Thank you.
We think we know our cars, yet there’s always a couple more things…
Hope you’re still enjoying the Cayman.
@@christianpratt I am. Moving it on next year. It’s been superb.
@@wheelsandwatches Interested to see what you end up replacing it with; some tasty alternatives, as you mentioned in your video.
Great video I’ve learnt a lot. That cutaway in the passenger door sill is actually for a Porsche umbrella which Porsche sells. One of my favourite quirky feature of the 981
@@981_pdk3 Glad you found it useful. Who knew about the umbrella! I’m going hunting for one now… 😀
I have the umbrella but it doesn't fit in the aperture properly. In the 997 the umbrella fitted perfectly.
@@D992 Who knew?! How intriguing…
Seems Rolls-Royce - and Sköda - might have Porsche beaten on this one… 😃
@@D992does your one have the umbrella cover?
Great video, there were a couple in there I didn't know 👍 The Cayman has an extra cubies to the left and right rear of the seats next to the rear quarter windwos. Very deep and very useful.
@@GarageBiljon Thanks Johann - glad it was useful. Good point about the cubbies - uniquely a Cayman thing!
Usefull tips tks!
My pleasure!
Great information, i currently own a 2005 DB9 but am seriously considering either a 981 Boxster or a 997 Carrera S as my next purchase. What beautiful, well kept machine you have!👏👏👏 Subbed!☺️
@@oggie1967 Thanks for commenting - appreciated. 👍
That’s a mighty engine in the DB9 - though I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the flat six. Plenty of character…
I previously owned a 997.2 C2S, which was brilliant. A very capable alternative to the DB9. The only reason I sold it was because I missed owning a convertible - and don’t like the 911 cab’s looks.
As a past 986 and 987 owner and current 982 owner i thought I knew it all. How wrong I was. Lots learnt. What a brilliant couple of videos - thank you Christian. Holding the button while putting the roof up negotiating a roundabout at 30 mph during a rain shower now a thing of the past. 😂BTW Porsche say max 50 kph for opening/closing. Anybody tried at any higher speed? Presumably it won't work and a warning comes up on the dash?
Thanks Steve - glad you found them both useful!
Only one way to find out what happens above 50kph... 😀 (No, I've never tried it!)
Great vid thanks. I’ll definitely try the window reset as I have a bit of wind noise on the drivers side of my Cayman GTS at motorway speeds which suggests window isn’t sealing as it should!
Thanks - glad you enjoyed it. Hope you have success with the window reset...
I thought there wouldn't be anything to pick up on here having had a couple of Boxsters and 911's but much to my embarrassment there were several and I am going to look into buying a firestick.
One thing I found very useful during my ownership is a wheel support peg. For anybody not familiar with this item its simply an M14 x 1.5 threaded shaft that you screw into the wheel hub after removing the first wheel bolt, doing this prevents the wheel coming off in an uncontrolled manner as you can simply slide the wheel along the shaft to remove it, it also makes aligning the wheel when putting it back on a lot easier.
Thanks for commenting Graham - glad I've been able to add one or two more things to your knowledge!
Good point about the wheel support peg; I'll add that to my list for (I hope!) part three...
Really enjoy Project 981 please keep up the good work. I want to mimic your Ctek direct battery connection set up; what size eyelets did you use for the Ctek lead and what was the bolt you used for the negative connection?
Hi Alastair. Thanks for the positive comments - that's much appreciated.
You'll need an M8 bolt of suitable length for the earth/body. Which means that the M8-sized eyelet is perfect.
However, be aware that Ctek sell both an M6 and M8-sized eyelet/adaptor. If you already have the smaller M6 adaptor (I did - it came with my charger) then you'll either need to slightly enlarge the Earth/negative eyelet (I carefully drilled it out) or spilt it and then gently bend each side to fit around the bolt shank. Both options work well enough.
But if you have neither, then by the M8 version.
Thanks for replying. I'll go through the bonnet as you suggest. Can't find the link where I asked you as was on my mobile at the time......
Useful video, thankyou, i have been using the 718s footwell socket to attach my CTEK, need to make sure its fully in, but no issues so far. A minor niggle for me is that water/shampoo gets under the bonnet when washing the car (not into the frunk though). My 987S was slightly worse.
@@robsx4280 Thanks for the comments Rob. Glad the footwell socket is working for you.
I had the same frustration with my own 987 - too much foam and water into the battery tray and surrounds. 981/2 much improved but yes - still a bit leaky as it were!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! What is it about the negative battery charger hooking to the body vs negative of the battery?
Hi Andrew. Glad you found them useful - appreciate the feedback. The answer to your question revolves around whether a car - the Porsche - has a BMS: a battery management system. And the 981 does.
From the CTek website FAQ:
"The CTEK manual says: ”Connect the black clamp to the vehicle chassis remote from the fuel pipe and the battery". In the picture next to this, the black clamp is connected to the battery's negative pole. Which is correct?
When you use a CTEK charger, you can use both connections. The charger should be connected according to the vehicle user manual. If there are no other recommendations in the manual, the negative or black connector should be safely connected to the chassis.
The connectors on old “non-smart” chargers can spark if the connectors touch each other, which could be dangerous if this happens near the battery. Keeping the connectors apart, and ensuring the positive connection point is as far away from the negative connection point as possible, will help to minimize any risk.
If your vehicle has a BMS you cannot connect to the negative battery pole, the connection must be made to the earth or ground point, if you are in any doubt then connect to the nearest earth or ground point."
Hope that helps explain why my car's conditioner cable is earthed to the chassis.
@@christianpratt - great info! Thank you, Christian! 🤝
Nice video, I learned more, thank you. I also have a little storage bag for my wind deflector that is velcro attached inside the boot below the emergency triangle box. Not sure if it's original as I don't see one in your frunk? I hardly use it other than to store other items. Cheers.
Thanks for commenting - glad you found it useful.
My 987's OEM wind deflector came with a storage bag but I don't believe the 981 OEM deflector did. I need to get one made for the odd occasions when I take mine out. 😀
@@christianpratt sounds good!
Nice Job! US cars don't get the roof controls unfortunately as we're considered too litigious. I tried fixing this by having my dealer recode, but though he saw the option, there was no way to turn it on for a US Spec car. You can get a Mod4Cars Smarttop controller that allows you to raise and lower the top from from the key (and it gives you options on how you want to position the windows when you do so - up or down). Good call on the battery tender! My battery went dead one winter and even with the tender, it lost voltage. In the spring the car had lost a good deal of it's coding. Replacing the battery helped, but it needed to go back to the dealer to have the windows recoded (the auto-up and down functions). Thanks again, I'm going off now to check the expiry date on my wheel gunk and to put a couple of rubber gloves in there!
Hi Richard. Glad you enjoyed the video - and thanks for commenting.
Most of us have learnt the battery 'lesson' the hard way! That sounds familiar... 😀
Make time to watch parts two and three if you haven't already done so - a few more bits and pieces worth knowing!
@@christianpratt Will Do! Thanks again. I did watch Part 2, about to watch 3. You go into some "funny stuff" I don't think we get here, like the light dipping. You made me check my wheel gunk! It expired in 2016! I'm looking for replacements now! I just got my car back from the shop - close to $4K in repairs because the soft top stopped working - they replaced the latch and two microswitches.
@@blackmanxrjc It's easy to take for granted local-market options - though hard to know what other markets do and don't have!
Gunk - in Europe at least it's easy enough to buy VW's own gunk since it's basically the same. Definitely try and avoid the Porsche tax on this one!
Glad your roof is working agin but - ooof - that's a steep bill! My financial sympathies...
Great video, only got my Boxster a few weeks ago so really good hints & tips 👊😎👍
Thank you!
Welcome to Boxster ownership - it's a great place to be. Happy to help you get a little more from the car. Enjoy!
Lots of great tips - thanks!
@@Dave-White Thank you Dave - glad you found it useful. 👍
Very informative video. I just need to find the perfect spec 981 for me. I prefer the Cayman but would also consider a Boxter. I have never owned a convertible before and can’t see myself driving around with the top down. I live in probably the wettest part of Scotland so I wouldn’t get much of a chance to do so 😊
Thanks for the positive comment Gary. The Boxster’s roof is good; the Cayman is obviously a touch better if left out year-round, and I understand is marginally sharper due to its stiffness (though the Boxster doesn’t do scuttle shake). Plenty of cars out there to choose from; take your time, and try and drive a few before you buy.
Hi great video ..Not sure if you can help me but can you put the sun visor to the side windows as i dont want to break mine on my 718..ta
@@goathead53 Thank you.
Visor - good question! I need to check - will come back to you. (I suspect they don’t but will see…)
@@christianpratt Thanks and on my first porsche ..what a car..
@@goathead53 So - despite appearances (and assuming they’re the same in the 718 - I can’t imagine they’re not) - I believe the visors are fixed. So no side window option.
Drop the window instead. 😀
Well done! 👍
Thanks! Appreciate the comment.
Thank you for your video!
@@FPhil95 My pleasure! 😀
Time to get that Porsche design filler cap if the cable is frayed then 😉 (mine thankfully came with it)
@@polymonk True! An expensive piece of plastic. 😀
But, it’s important for things to look good for those few minutes that you’re filling up! (Got it for my 911 and the Panamera has it too!)
@@rebelranter Well yes. I am saving up… 😀
I wanted to add to the bit about charging it. I too used to charge/maintain the battery to my Cayman directly as you do. But after some thorough research, I found that you can charge it with an interior 12v socket. The big trick is in Porsche's infinite wisdom, they shut off extra electrics to save on battery power for storage for long periods. I believe it lasts for a few days before it will shut that off and will no longer charge from that socket. You get around that by simply locking the door and that keeps that 12v socket live for as long as it is locked. Then you can keep a battery tender through the duration of however long you store it. You can safely close the door on the cord or you can run it through an open window if you'd prefer.
We've ended up doing the same two things in reverse!
I started charging the battery through the footwell 12v - which had previously worked flawlessly in my earlier 987 and 997. But, as you note, the socket can sometimes switch itself off, which isn't ideal. I got fed up with the uncertainty of that - sometimes it would go for weeks, other times for only 30 minutes, and I could never quite understand what I was doing differently (perhaps I didnt' lock the door quickl enough?) - so decided to go under the bonnet instead.
In truth, I'm happy with under-the-bonnet. It involves slightly more effort, but I'm happy enough to leave the car now, knowing it'll never not charge.
Appreciate the comment and insights - thank you. 👍
@@christianpratt Ah, interesting. It seems like I heard the footwell one isn't as reliable as the center console one, which is the one I use in my 981. The footwell one might be on that same circuit that shuts off after a few days. There shouldn't be any sort of time to lock it. I've had times of forgetting and then locking mine a few days later and the charger would light up instantly with starting to charge it.
Anyway, just info out there for those that might be having a problem with charging with interior 12v vs directly with the battery. I appreciate the vids and info you put out there! Thank you!
@@GrimR Useful to know. I might go back and try the console one in that case. It's certainly easier to use than having to lift the bonnet every time.
Glad you're enjoying the videos - thanks for all the comments. 👍
Recently got 992 Carrera. Don't have space for it in the garage is it safe to trickle charge with lead / power cable under bonnet or through window in the open? My drive and surrounding area is very safe as not in London.
@@stevosd60 Congrats on your new 992! Yeah, should be able to have the power cable under the bonnet safely. Or if you're able to charge it with the interior socket as I mentioned, you might be able to just close the door on the cord as I do with my 981. But I don't know if that's a smaller gap with the 992. Going through the window is an option, but then you have a window cracked open for the elements to get through.
I’ve repkaced the stock battery with a lithium battery ,it’s the best upgrade
Interesting! Weight-saving aside, have you noticed any other benefits? And do you need/use a specific battery conditioner versus, say, and AGM battery?
@@christianpratt more power volts immediately, 10yr guarantee, never goes flat which I tested by leaving the cabin lights on overnight of course in the morning it wouldn’t start so option is to reset it via a button on top of said batter, or as in our case the hood can’t be open ,use the app to reset it and ‘’voila’’ battery is fully energised immediately, as you said weight benefits and its half the size just connect it with existing cables
@@blackhat856 Gosh - slightly more sophisticated than a lead acid battery! Appreciate the insights. 👍
Great tips, thank you again! Question on the Ctek and the anchor points, I don’t have a bolt in the turret and you mentioned a M6 or M8 bolt, do you know which and presume a stainless steel bolt is ok?
@@Rico1973 Many thanks Mark.
You’ll need an M8 bolt of suitable length. Stainless would be best, so you have a clean metal-on-metal contact.
Be aware that Ctek sell both an M6 and M8-sized eyelet/adaptor. If you have the smaller (I did) then you’ll either need to slightly enlarge the Earth/negative eyelet (I carefully drilled it out) or spilt it and then gently bend each side to fit around the bolt shank.
@@christianpratt thank you. I’ve got the small eyelets (M6) and managed to snap it!! Just ordered an M8 connector for a few quid so that should do the job 👍🏻
@@Rico1973 Aaah! Well, that will do the job. 😃
It's recommended to use the earth point near the wiper mechanism, which is also the point for jump starting the car.
Can you talk about the fault in PDK for 997.2..thanks
@@tariqaziz4856 Hi Tariq. Sorry - that’s not something I know about. I’ve only had manual cars and haven’t encountered any PDK problems elsewhere.
I prefer to cut the gas cap tether. I don’t worry about misplacing it, it’s more likely to swing into the bodywork!
That is a very good point! It’s the swing that does the damage isn’t it… 😏
Good video that, great idea with the C tec charger, just ordered the little extra lead and have a bolt for the strut tower as well, what bulbs did you order please, also I never realized I had the little interior centre console light is was turned down so low, now it’s on 90% 👍🏼
@@Trophy_R Thanks for the comments - great to hear you’ve found the video useful.
I must confess I don’t know the specific bulb specification (the OEM incandescent is 5W I think). I’ve relied on the retailer’s knowledge - Design911 in my case - to identify the correct LED replacement.
90% - happy illumination!
@@christianpratt Brilliant if you can let me know which bulbs when you find out I’ll get some ordered
@@Trophy_R Here is the part number and description from my Design911 invoice:
99963103290LED BULBS T10/501 2 X SMD LED'S (PAIR) SLOT IN
Every reviewer says the centre cover of the cup holders is for aesthetics. While this is somewhat true the main function of this part is to stop the holders swinging during cornering. Try covering with a metal water bottle in without the centre section in place and see what happens.
@@-Grifter Well now - that makes good sense. How curious that everyone (me!) misses that point.
I don’t really use the cup holders, which is why I’ve not experienced a swinging arm. I’m intrigued now!
Covering was a typo. It was meant to say cornering!
@@-Grifter 😀👍
One bonus thing for the battery maintainer/charger is to have an in-line fuse on the positive side of the CTEK tail.
This will act as a fail safe if the positive wire gets damaged and shorts out, at least it will just be a fuse that fails. Not the car.
@@rebelranter Good point. I vaguely recall seeing an inline fuse adaptor somewhere in my garage - I’ll go and have a look!
@@christianprattMy CTEK connectors all come with a fuse (except for the cigarette lighter connector). You definitely want a fuse right after the battery connector. Any failure of the cable would be catastrophic. BTW on my 718, the footwell 12v never shuts off and I use this for battery maintenance
Visor operation?
Visors are above my pay grade - I’ll leave that to the experts. 😃
Hello. Do you have any idea why my soft top goes only half way open and stops? It can't go further and the screen shows "soft top fault".
@@JanKotarzewski Hello Jan.
That’s beyond my level of knowledge I’m afraid. Though I understand that sometimes these faults are caused by faulty sensors (which control the mechanism) rather than the mechanism itself.
Worth getting somebody/a garage to ‘read’ the error code for you - that should help identify the specific problem.
Hope you get it sorted.
@@christianpratt Thanks for your answer, I'll try to figure it out.
I remove the light bulb located in the frunk as this light remains “on” while I charge the car’s battery.
I keep the frunk lid in the open position while charging.
@@Te-bj1yk Aaah - hence removing the bulb. Makes sense; no need to risk it overheating or damaging the mount.
Superb …….
@@PadraigOConnell Very kind Padraig - thank you. 😀
The only flaw I see in boxster is the rear speakers. They get covered by the seat, therefore a muffed sound. Any tip on that guys?
Good point Ricardo. A challenge facing most two-seat sports cars. My car doesn’t have BOSE (or the Burmeister system) which solves the problem, because the grills are hiding empty spaces. 🤪
That said, I had BOSE in a previous Boxster and found the sound stage pretty good. The mid and high range drivers are in front of the driver, of course, so the detail doesn’t suffer too much.
No easy way to solve the problem, though it’s an acoustic compromise I’m personally happy with.
@@christianpratt by the way Chris, forgot to thank you for your fantastic video!!!!
@@ricardoterada Thank you - that's really appreciated!
My 2023 Boxster does not have the remote auto top open close feature.
@@toddg9956 Appreciate the comment Todd. Are you based in the US? It seems the remote ‘hood’ legislation differs between Europe and the States…
@@christianpratt yes I’m in California. To bad that is a great feature.
@@toddg9956 I understand that it’s possible to enable the feature using Porsche’s workshop diagnostics platform - PIWIS - which the dealers and some indies have. Worth asking around and/or checking the forums (Rennlist?), if it appeals to you.
One other tip spray the exhaust bolts with WD40 regularly especially the ones that fasten to header being exposed they deteriorate quite quickly being a fitted bolt it can be costly to replace
Also the window & trunk switches are very brittle & break quite easily if you just have your finger on the edge, make sure you push your finger to the back of the switch to stop you breaking a piece off
Have you had any thoughts about changing your radio head unit to a more modern version
@@stephenmcnamara4393 Thanks for the comments Stephen - appreciated.
Good point about the exhaust bolts. They are famously (and unhelpfully) made of chocolate.
I’ve luckily not encountered the brittle switches - but useful to now be aware of.
I am curiously happy with PCM 3.1. I might upgrade in the future, but would rather update my speakers and amplifier in the first instance. My car doesn’t have BOSE, and I’d like a little more performance from the audio. (Though the head unit - PCM - seems perfectly fine with a digital source.)
i watched a video on Porsches being built and the original mr porsche working for the germans...none of them said porsch..her...just porsh.. A lot of these tips only work on the GTS, not the S or basic models by the way
@@simplysimon966 Thanks for commenting Simon. Hope you found at least one or two useful tips.
You made me think some more about pronunciation, so I went on the hunt for some clarity. This, I think, explains the variations:
www.porsche.com/stories/culture/how-to-pronounce-porsche/
@@christianpratt i did Chris..i will be trying some on my car soon..
FYI #1 - this auto open / close feature is not on the US version of the 981.
@@gkrieger6824 Thank you for the reminder - I should have mentioned that!
I had a 996 and I had new wiper blades stored in the bonnet. Of course I opened the bonnet with the wiper arms up. FFS.
It hurts doesn't it? Such a frustrating thing to do... (Thanks for sharing a comment.)
+1 🤤
@@steverogers7473 Oh dear. 😕
I did this too. I have ppf on the bonnet and it damaged that at both contact points
@@pabs5581 Ooof. 😳
Why didn’t you show the head lights getting washed because your ocd like me lol 😂
@@jonathanboreham8717 I couldn’t possibly comment… 👀 😀
Set video speed to 1.25x for a normal pace of video.
@@Ciscx9 Fair enough! 😀
Hack number 4 - am a victim... or to say it bluntly, was stupid enough myself..
@@gnaegi444 Oh no!
Well, join the Club. I did it on my 987.2 Boxster… 🙄 You only make that mistake once!
I did this once (and once only)-the wipers caused no damage to the paint, they just folded back down.
@@davem7139 Phew!
When they slap back down onto the glass - that feeling. 😳
Glad you avoided any damage. Appreciate the comment. 👍
The US version of my 718 does not support opening/closing the top via the remote (unfortunately…)
Aaah yes - I knew that and should have mentioned it.
I understand that it >is< possible to enable this feature using Porsche’s PIWIS workshop software system - which specialists also have access to. Might be worth asking around your local network (and perhaps checking the forums - Rennlist?).
@@christianpratt Yeah, I may need to look into that. I think this feature and Android Auto support can we be enabled via software.