sclemmons

Local guy has no garage and a boxster. Loves the car but hates the issues with rain leaking into his car and fouling the computer because the drain holes get clogged and the channels overflow. A fouled computer is $2k, plus labor, time and brain damage.

I could buy this car right but I have no garage either. How big an issue is his water problem? How to protect against it? What do you guys do about it?

Macster

Avoid parking under trees or close to plants that shed a lot of trash.

Pick off stuff that does fall on the car. Where I park my Boxster sometimes the wind blows some leaves from an oak tree onto the car. I just pick the leaves off before driving away. (Leaves have sharp points almost like holly bush leaves.)

Every so often I check the car's front and rear drains for any trash. Doesn't take too much time.

In over 8 years of ownership never had any problems with water drain blockage and water backing up and getting anywhere it shouldn't.

Just part of owning a car and treating it right.

Oh, I have a car cover suitable for use outside but the only time I use it is when I take off and leave the Boxster parked for a week sometimes longer. (I have a second car.) I pull the Boxster into the covered carport parking space and cover the car making sure the cover's secure. The cover keeps trash, dust and even bird mess off the car while I'm away.

Sincerely,

Macster.

racer

You could also just buy a hardtop and run that if you want to be really lazy . . . Checking for clogged drains isn't difficult, plus it shows you like your car and don't treay it as an "appliance" that needs no maintenance.

Macster

If I'm not mistaken a hardtop only eliminates the rear drains from clogging and maybe not even those.

Even so the front drains are still at risk of being blocked.

Boxster and I think this applies to all modern (water cooled) Porsches except maybe the Cayenne and Panamera) all need to have their drains checked periodically for possible blockage.

Sincerely,

Macster.

THXBABE

Mine was parked under a host of pines and a couple of oaks for 2 years and I never had the problem with the drains.

He's got to be doing something wrong if he keeps having that problem (I mean other than not clearing the drains properly).

Macster

You must be lucky.

I park just from underneath an oak tree and avoid parking at work under any trees/plants -- we have some flowering trees at work that overhand several parking spaces and at the right time of the year a car parked underneath one can look more like a Rose Parade float than a car after 8 hours.

Anyhow, even though I pick off the oak leaves and any other stuff that ends up on the car I checked the car's drains not too long ago and while the rears were free of any trash the fronts both has stuff in the drain hole. Not plugged up but on their way.

Sincerely,

Macster.