New Cayman Owner Questions

[Acquell]

Hi All,

 

Recently bought a 987.1 Cayman S and looking for some help with a couple of questions as to whether I have a small, medium or big issue with some items on the car as can’t find a consistent answer (as is with the internet), any help appreciated:

 

1) headlights, when it’s been raining there is moisture on the inside of the outer glass, is this normal, believe it may be as they are vented but unsure on the details?

 

2) isofix, has anyone had this fitted with the airbag switch at all, I read somewhere there may already be a sensor in the seat so no need to have the switch....I’m sceptical that’s true though so may bite the bullet and get it fitted, local specialist has quoted £340 for it fitted

 

3) wet door cards, I read a couple year old thread on this site but didn’t want to resurrect years later. I’ve noticed that both door cards are soaking to the point you can squeeze water out of them, but the interior carpet is dry (maybe a bit damp on passenger side but this could be run off).  I’ve seen it can be drains or door seals, the drivers door card does look like it’s come off in the past so could have been savaged then.  Has anyone experience of this and is it as simple as remove the door card then re seal the edge where the foam meets the metal with some silicone or tape?  If they are failing is it normal for both to be wet or just unlucky?  I’m linking this to why inside of car if full of condensation some mornings.

 

Thanks in advance and sorry if I should post 3 separate topics and/or resurrect old threads!

 

Hopefully my first Porsche experience is not a lemon as it does look great and is great to drive.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Acquell

[GlosRich]

Hi and welcome.

 

The headlights is probably because it's so cold at the moment, happens on lots of cars.

 

I had the isofix and airbag switch fitted at Porsche dealer, it's a kit with all the parts and then needs some coding. I paid around £400, so your price is reasonable.

 

The doors do leak inside. It's usually when they have been off and not refitted properly. There are something like 8 clips around the door card edge with rubber seals, if they are damaged, missing or not seated properly you get wet door carpet.

 

Check out my YouTube video on it. Rich fixes cars.

 

You can DIY it or your independent Porsche specialist will know what to do.

 

 

[Acquell]

That’s amazing, thanks for the very quick reply and the video, very clear.  I have all the trim removal tools as have previously done a lot of work on my Audi so will see if I can source the parts easy then give it a go.

 

Do you have anywhere you’d recommend to get the clips from at all or is the large auction site the usual recommended one?

 

Thanks again, much appreciated.

[Ben]

6 hours ago, Acquell said:

That’s amazing, thanks for the very quick reply and the video, very clear.  I have all the trim removal tools as have previously done a lot of work on my Audi so will see if I can source the parts easy then give it a go.

 

Do you have anywhere you’d recommend to get the clips from at all or is the large auction site the usual recommended one?

 

Thanks again, much appreciated.

 

As GlosRich says, will almost definitely be due to the door card / panel being removed at some point, and not resealed properly.

You've probably seen the thread I started about this a few years back - its actually a fairly easy fix if you have the right tools.  I had to re-seal my passenger door again recently as the sealant I used at the time had a small split in one area (I used Tiger Seal this time, its only about £8 from Screwfix I think).

Some if not all the door clips will break when you remove the door card but they are generic VAG ones, you can get them on Ebay (10 is enough):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-DOOR-PANEL-CARD-TRIM-CLIPS-BOXSTER-CAYENNE-CAYMAN-911-CARRERA-INTERIOR/171201878368?hash=item27dc6d5960:g:Zn4AAOxydlFSuYOe

They are £1 each from the OPC so you can save a few quid.

And I believe the only way the OPC will fix this same issue is with a brand new inner (metal) panel which is no doubt £££££££££!

    

[Ben]

Just now, Ben said:

 

As GlosRich says, will almost definitely be due to the door card / panel being removed at some point, and not resealed properly.

You've probably seen the thread I started about this a few years back - its actually a fairly easy fix if you have the right tools.  I had to re-seal my passenger door again recently as the sealant I used at the time had a small split in one area (I used Tiger Seal this time, its only about £8 from Screwfix I think).

Some if not all the door clips will break when you remove the door card but they are generic VAG ones, you can get them on Ebay (10 is enough):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-DOOR-PANEL-CARD-TRIM-CLIPS-BOXSTER-CAYENNE-CAYMAN-911-CARRERA-INTERIOR/171201878368?hash=item27dc6d5960:g:Zn4AAOxydlFSuYOe

They are £1 each from the OPC so you can save a few quid.

And I believe the only way the OPC will fix this same issue is with a brand new inner (metal) panel which is no doubt £££££££££!

    

 

Sorry just to clarify, 10 is enough for one door card

[Acquell]

Thanks Ben, I’ve bought 20 or so clips and I went for some butyl sealing tape per what is on Rich’s video as looked like a good job but did have a think about using just a cartridge of generic work.

 

I won’t get to it until the weekend unfortunately so have got the wet n dry vac to take some of the water out of the door carpet.

 

My car has an aftermarket stereo and does look like the door cards have been off in the past.

 

One question I did have was I saw 4 rubber covers on the bottom of the door, are they the drains as was half expecting to remove and water pour out? I did stick a finger in and was quite muddy so may have been damp at one point.

[Mavrik]

Wet bottom of door card carpet is a common occurrence especially if the door cards have been removed previously to replace speakers or the crappy window regulators! The rubber bungs are covering the window regulator runner adjustment bolts 😉 

 

As said above, the metal access panel not being watertight is the cause... I used Tiger Seal on mine (brilliant stuff & I've used it extensively on my MK Indy kit car) & the door card fasteners need replacing even if they don't break as they lose their "springiness"

 

As for the headlight condensation that's also fairly common... You can remove the complete headlight assembly (look on Youtube) fairly easily (cam tool is in the tool kit in the frunk) & remove the bulbs & use a hairdryer to evaporate the internal condensation.

 

Good luck... Julian.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Mavrik

[Acquell]

Thanks Julian, it’s absolutely chucking it down here at the moment so snuck out during a break in it, now wetter than after the wet vac earlier today so definitely water ingress during rain from somewhere rolling down from top rather than underneath when driving.  Odd that both have both gone but guess if it’s a common fault.  I took a picture from under the door which shows a reasonable gap on drivers side between door and speaker.  It’ll be the wet and dry vac out until the clips and butyl tape arrives!

 

I need to check where the vents are for the doors to drain off from the wet side to check they aren’t blocked/pointing the wrong way.

 

Would a one off dry of the headlamps cure this condensation or is it just something that happens or need sealing, I read the lights were vented? I’m tempted to change the bulbs as find the headlights not very bright but need to get the leak sorted first!

[Mavrik]

@Acquell

 

Sealing the access panel with the butyl tape you've ordered should sort the wet door card issue (I personally would still recommend a bead of appropriate non permanent gun applied sealant however)

 

I'd remove the headlights & inspect them as they may be damaged & letting in water? ... It can be common especially in this weather but I've never experienced this issue on my CS.

 

A lot of folk on here have replaced the standard bulbs for LED's (available fairly cheaply on eBay etc) ... I've replaced virtually every bulb inc interior for LED...

[Acquell]

Thanks, think it’ll be:

 

- fix the seals on doors

- check it’s all dry

 

then move onto the lights as maybe could be the original leak and general dampness in car as in the morning the windows are all damp/full of condensation which I presume is from the doors issue?

 

Are the headlamps sealed with butyl also?

[Acquell]

I finally got round to doing this today, really straight forward thanks to Rich’s video. 
 

Definitely they seals as when I took the door panel off the rubber started falling out onto the drive in a crumbling mess!

 

Sadly it looked like whoever took the drivers door card off last time was very heavy handed, snapped holders all along the bottom that a bodged repair had been done.

 

I’ve done my best to get them tight but not convinced it’s the best of jobs, how critical is the tight seal on the fasteners, am I just looking at another leak if the clips aren’t tight into the holes?

 

pictures before:

Edited January 17, 2021 by Acquell

[Acquell]

Pictures after, not convinced they are located tight now when mounted

[andygo]

I would think its the plastic membrane that needs to be stuck in place securely so water cannot seep from inside the door carcass to the door card and then down to the floor. The door trim is generally cosmetic, its the plastic that does the business.

[Ben]

Agree as above, the plastic door trim does not provide the water tight seal, its the metal panel that does that.  So long as that's been sealed with Tiger Seal or whatever you should be fine.

I think the issue you have is very common - the door card often seems to be removed with excessive force causing clips and other bits to break unfortunately. 

Only thing also to be aware of is to make sure there are no other bits of plastic floating around or vibrating particularly where you have made your repairs - I put my door back together and there was an annoying rattle/buzz, had to take the door card back off again to fix as it was driving me mad!

 

[Acquell]

Thanks, I gave it a good shake before putting on to remove the bits.  I found plastic double glazing shims a good thickness and fit to fix snapped holders.  Looking on eBay most panels have at least one broken holder.

 

Hopefully have a good seal but wasn’t sure if the rubber bits on the clips also act as a seal.

 

Definitely recommend glosRich’s video if anyone has same issue, very useful. I only had one panic on the drivers door in which the door control module plug must not have been engaged so the windows etc all stopped responding to the switches.

 

My next thing to fix is either if the headlights with condensation is an actual issue or the memory seat buttons on the drivers door card as number 3 is permanently stuck in!

Edited January 18, 2021 by Acquell

[GlosRich]

On 17/01/2021 at 18:18, andygo said:

I would think its the plastic membrane that needs to be stuck in place securely so water cannot seep from inside the door carcass to the door card and then down to the floor. The door trim is generally cosmetic, its the plastic that does the business.

No plastic membrane, it's a metal panel with a rubber seal around it.

[andygo]

5 minutes ago, GlosRich said:

No plastic membrane, it's a metal panel with a rubber seal around it.

Ah, ok, my bad. Most cars have a plastic sheet as the membrane. Although I had the trim panel off on my old 987.1 boxster 3 years ago, my addled memory decided it must have been plastic!

[GlosRich]

@Acquell did you notice the locked and unlock position of the clips?

They slide on their inner post, when they are pushed down they are locked and the rubber seal is locked into the hole on the carrier to prevent water ingress.

 

So after you put the door card on you have to go around the edge where each clip is and push it hard until it clicks and locks in.

 

As your door clip holders are broken, I'm not sure how well this will work.

 

If you're still getting water in, you may have to remove the lower clips, and seal the holes up for now (thick duct tape?) to stop the water and the look for a new door card.

 

[Acquell]

Yes, I think I probably got most on the passenger door to hold and about half on drivers door.  However so far it’s surviving storm christoph and dry on the doors so dare not touch it for now!

 

Keeping eye out on eBay for replacements but so far most seem to have at least one broken holder but tape will be next if not buying a new one.

 

Thanks for all the help and tips!