Windows and other electrical weirdness

[dano1]

I picked up a '02 base Boxster with 41,000 miles in November '18, been daily driving and weekend playing with it since. Put almost 10,000 miles on it so far, very entertaining to drive.

Last few days experiencing some strangeness with the power windows and other items:

Noticed the other day, door lock seems to activate on it's own, red light now on occasionally. It previously was never on and I don't use the switch.

Starting a few days ago, when locking or unlocking using key fob, two small beeps from horn. Previously, was quiet.

Windows now a hassle. Both intermittently won't move down the 1/4" to clear the door when opening. Or they open, then immediately raise up again, so door won't shut. While the door is still open, pulling the door handle up again, window moved back down to clean for door closure (at least that worked today).

Unlocking the car with key manually, turning and holding to left, the windows do move down enough for doors to open. Locking car with key manually, hold key to the right, moves windows up as needed. While playing around with this last night, first time I've ever used the key manually, the car alarm went off - but might been something I screwed up.

The right window has always been a little slower and doesn't move down as far for entry as the left - been that way since I purchased and not enough to affect anything - entry and exit no issue.

Any clue what's causing this? If one door microswitch is failing, does it affect the other side or complete system?

Any feedback, advice or similar experience appreciated - thanks!

[Ulrich3]

I have similar electrical "gremlins" and hope to follow this thread.

When I bought my 1999 Boxster, the ignition switch was bad - positions: off, accessories on, engine start; but at engine start position, the accessories would go off. Turned out to be a bad electrical switch (just the part attached to back side of the key tumbler), was relatively inexpensive ($25 Audi part from the VW Group bin) and maybe less than two hours for the mechanic. That solved all the accessories, but....

The driver's side window will start moving up when you press the button, but usually stops and reverses all the way down. Second try no problem, all the way up. So, is that a faulty switch on the center console ?

The passenger side window does not retract when you lift the exterior door handle. I read that's a fairly common faulty micro switch at the interior part of the handle. Would like to confirm and tackle that myself ?

Yesterday, after a heavy downpour, the theft alarm activated for a couple minutes, on its own. My coworker texted me a couple seconds of video as he left. When I arrived 15 minutes later, it was off and everything started and ran normal. Maybe there's some short aggravated by extreme moisture ? Today I inspected the front trunk and everything appeared clean, dry and normal. The book explains you activate the alarm by turning the key in the door lock, forward twice. But I didn't do that. Maybe someone tried to open the door ? I have tried that, but it didn't set off the alarm.

The two buttons on my key fob(s) do not work. The previous owner said it just needed to be re-programmed. I didn't ask why. New batteries did not fix that. The fob seal was not extremely tight, so maybe it got wet and fried the circuits ? Maybe just replace the fob and program it to the car ?

When I bought the car, the horn didn't work. The mechanic quickly discovered it was simply missing a fuse. Great. But now I know why. The horn pad is VERY sensitive to the touch and will beep if you brush lightly while turning. And twice now I think it actually beeped when I turned full lock. Maybe a short in the contact ring ?

And finally, I have the optional CD player in the front trunk, which occasionally "skips" while playing. Is it just dirty and in need of cleaning ? It's rather random, and it seems to be more of an electrical "skip" ?

Thanks for reading. Any comments back would be appreciated !
Love the car; it's so fun to drive !

[BillC3]

How old is the car battery? That's one of the first things to check when a 986 (or 987) starts having weird electrical issues. A low-voltage battery, even if it's still strong enough to start the car, can cause what you're experiencing. Might be worth swapping in a newer battery (borrow from a friend?) and see if it helps.