LawrenceJameson

I have really wanted to get one of these cars for a while and I found a one that I really like local to me or close to it. Im used to working on all my cars but never had this new of a Porsche. My newest is an SC with Bosch injection CIS. I serviced all the Ferraris I owned over the years but again they were late 70s to mid 80s 308s n 328s. I had a 348 for a while but it didn’t need a lot of work.

I would appreciate if you guys can let me know if you think it’s so able at home. Thank you for your help.

kawi825

I would say absolutely. Coils/plugs through the wheel well, serpentine belt, pulleys, water pump through the front panel, and misc work from the top. I had a few old 928's and I'd rather work on this any day

kawi825

And I'm selling my very nice 2007!

MrMoose

If you've worked on your own cars for a while you'll be fine for regular maintenance and repairs. I've had mine for six years now and I've done pretty much everything myself.

Engine work can be tight because of the mid-engine, but you can get to the front and top by removing panels. Overall it's generally well thought out in terms of maintenance access: having a lift would sure help sometimes, but I've been able to manage with just jack stands. I sure wouldn't want to drop an engine or transmission at home, but I'd assume that's not what you're asking about.

You'll want to get a copy of the factory service manual, and you'll probably also want to get a few specialized tools: something to scan and pull data like Durametric, a vacuum refill tool for the cooling system, and a pressure bleeder for the brake hydraulics. You'll also need a few little tools like e-torx and/or triple square sockets and the tool for the oil filter housing, that sort of thing.

harveyf

+1 on what the others have said. I have worked on cars for 50 years so am not a newbie. That said, the Cayman work has been very straightforward. I've done oil changes, air filter, serpentine belt, brake pads, rotors, spark plugs, coil packs, motor mount, and coolant change. I would recommend the Durametric versus a code reader. It can query all the systems on the car, much more than just the emisions stuff. For instance, I had an airbag fault light. The Durametric quickly narrowed it down the drivers door, which I had just taken apart and put back together. It's worth what they charge.

Gota996

Whatever you do don’t forget to change the goddamn spark plugs at Porsches recommended intervals. I’ve owned 4 Porsches, one air cooled and the rest water pumpers. Read my posts on broken spark plug. What a terribly engineered car! I’m trying to find tdc so I can insure both valves are closed and I can’t even get a socket on the crank pulley to turn the engine over! Absolutely no joy working on this car. I don’t have a lift which makes things even harder. People who buy Porsches and don’t work on them or follow maintenance schedules should be riding bicycles. Rant over….

hueyhoolihan

ya, it's not difficult. at 70 i recently replaced, in a public parking lot no less! spark plugs, changed to 19" lobster claw/fork rims, installed new front rotors and pads, new numeric shifter, changed the oil and filter and installed a new red face on the instrument cluster. all doable.

ah...those plugs were a beech though. oh...and had the glovebox in and out three times all in a vain attempt at finding a nasty rattle. still a work in progress.

redlightrich

I find the Cayman no harder than any other car I have serviced. Yes it is tight for a few things but not too bad. I have a large sample group of cars that I worked on and maintenance shouldn't scare you away from owning one.

Good luck

Rich

Kbasa

I’ve had my 987.1 2005 Boxster a year. It’s been easy to work on and parts have been easy to obtain and reasonably priced. Belt service and cooling system are now due, so those are next. I’ve done brakes front and rear, plugs and installed a decent stereo. I’ve fixed a couple mangled control rods on the roof and my next project will be fixing the hands on the Sport Chrono gauge.

I’ve worked on motorcycles for decades and this car isn’t much more difficult than my BMW moto of the same vintage.

The 101 Projects for your Boxster book has been super helpful and YT videos are helpful and plentiful.

cavediver32043

Spot On to all previous comments!!!

harveyf

What in the hell did we do before Youtube videos? They are a lifesaver. Thanks to all the folks that take the time to make them.

Dave in Chicago

+1

KrisA

While I agree that a Cayman can be a decent DIY car I'm not sure I agree with the whole "it's as easy as any other car" vibe that goes with these threads. In the 4+ years I've had my Cayman I've done oil changes, brake flushes, spark plugs, cabin filter and air filter. It's all doable, but I've got to say that with the exception of brakes everything on this car is way more fiddly to do than any other car I've owned.

Spark plugs: yeah, doable, I've done it. That said it's about 10X the work of changing the plugs on a car like a VW Golf.
Oil changes: yeah, no biggie, however the car has a LOT of oil, it sprays widely when you pull the drain plug and at least on the MA1 cars it's basically impossible to not dump oil out of the filter housing when pulling it. I'd say an oil change is about 5X more annoying on my Cayman than my Golf R and infinitely messier. I can do my Golf R without a drop of oil going anywhere, Cayman is always a disaster! I picked up that trick of putting some old cardboard around the oil filter so at least when you crack it off the oil goes down, not all over the mechanicals.
Filters: yeah, doable, but anyone who calls these easy has never "worked" on a VW Golf.

Need to change my gearbox oil and coolant sometime in the not to distant future, will see how those go...

Love my car, will keep owner maintaining it, but go into it with open eyes.

ekam

^On M96 motor, the oil filter is within easy reach, on MA1, it's ALL the way up, that requires an extension and it's impossible not to spill oil as the cartridge doesn't come straight down. I was told it's easier if you put a bag over it while untwisting it but I haven't actually tried that myself.

hueyhoolihan

we went to the public library and checked out the greasy manuals. occasionally we bought the manuals so as to avoid the inevitable fines.