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First time Porsche owner here! I recently got myself a 2009 997.2 Carrera from a lovely gentleman in the East Coast and drove it back to California, where I live. I made a post about the background and my cross-country drive here: https://rennlist.com/forums/general-...d-reality.html
Long story short: I love the car, and it is everything I imagined a Porsche to be. I bought it to drive it and be my daily driver forever. I know 'forever' is a long time, but I do not see myself owning anything else for the foreseeable future. However, there is one thing plaguing my ownership experience: rattles. It might be somewhat unrealistic to expect a 14 year old car to be airtight, but here's my story:
The car was in immaculate shape and was barely driven by its previous owners. It had only 18k miles when I bought it a few weeks ago. During the first few days of my drive, I did not notice any rattles, squeaks or anything out of the ordinary - until I entered Colorado. I do not mean any offense to anyone residing in the state, but the roads were terrible. My drive involved driving westward on I-70 till Limon and then taking US-24 to Colorado Springs. I-70 in Colorado was bad, but was still manageable until I hit US-24. That road was absolutely horrid. There were cracks on the road every few feet and every crack on the road felt like a jolt through my spine. The car felt like it was legitimately about to shake itself apart. I couldn't do anything but slow down to 40-45mph on a 65mph limit and have Volvos and Subarus nonchalantly breeze past me and even then, the car seemed to shake violently at every crack and bump I hit. There was simply no way to avoid it. I feel so, so bad putting the car through such an ordeal after it had been babied for 14 years.
And then the rattles started. First the cupholder, then a clicking rattle somewhere around the glovebox, followed by one on the driver's side door, then one in the instrument cluster, and a few from the rear of the car and so on. I had a few questions:
1. As I don't have much experience with Porsches, is this normal? Do these cars generally rattle and squeak, and how badly did I hurt the car driving on roads like that?
2. Does this permanently open the door for rattles now? I didn't notice anything when I picked up the car, and now rattles are coming up one by one in weird locations.
3. I assume folks here avoid driving on bad roads, but have you ever been forced to drive on terrible pavement and how has your car responded to it?
4. Are rattles inevitable? Do they show up at some point or the other? I feel terrible having subjected my car to this abuse, but it would make me feel a bit better if I knew the rattles were going to happen anyways.
5. How does the quality of the road surface affect rattles? Does driving over bad pavement result more rattles developing earlier? If so, how do folks living in areas with rough roads manage to keep their cars in one piece?
6. I see so many older/classic Porsches - everything from 930s and 964s to 993s. How do those interiors hold up - were things just built better back then?
I understand some of these questions might be a bit obtuse, but I am curious as to how these cars hold up over time, and over different road conditions. Thank you all very much for your patience.
I too bought my 2009 C2 from a person that took very good care of it although he did make some suspension mods that I'm about to correct . See my associated post here: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...g-spacers.html
Anyway, the car had 15K miles when I got it some eight years ago and now has 31K. No real complaints as far as noises and rattles go even with the way too lowered suspension and the lousy local roads. My advice... only worry about the noises that could be harbingers of component failures or safety issues. Otherwise just enjoy the car and the pleasure you get from getting behind that wheel.
Check you tire pressures (maybe set too high) and as well age - they may have hardened if older than 5(?) years. Also, if 19 vs 18Inches may be a bit harsher. Some roads like the one in the pic, will always be harsh feeling because of the relatively short wheel base and the nature of the lateral cracks.
Although my car is rattle free (18 years old and 49k miles on18 inch Michelin super sports tires and lowered on Eibachs,at approx 33lbs of air all around ), I do hear some odd noises in the colder weather on occasion.
I also bought a 14K babied mile 2009 C4S 8 years ago. I remember the car had horrible loud tire noise that was remedied by a fresh set of PS4's. There was no rattles or odd noises when I bought the car. During my ownership, I had taken both the door panels and the center console apart a couple of times, and was amazed by the amount of sound-deadening measure that went into the components. My only squeak-rattle comes from the passenger-rear C-pillar area. It is louder when the suspension is stiffen up on Sport. I have read that you can take the C-pillar cover out and tighten the screw that holds the rear window. I do think over time, squeaks and rattles will be unavoidable. If you are patient, and be comfortable in taking interior trims apart, you can probably find and fix many of the problems.
usually it takes a few long drives to notice noises you did not hear on a smooth road test drive, I think some of these are triggered by heat or cold and mph driven. Above 70 mph and the left steering wheel pdk thumb selector starts to make a noise, but not at other times, and sometimes at lower speeds a panel creak near the c pillar occurs, but only when going from certain speeds 45-60.
congratulations on the new car it looks great. I don’t think you hurt your car but things might have been jarred loose. Although rattling does not cause harm they are annoying. Drive with a passenger and have them locate each rattle. Then look there and fix what you find. Your car is not prone to rattling it is just rattling at the moment
Pray, allow me to recommend the procurement of a certain item - a roll of adhesive tape lined with felt. This modest accessory proved itself to be an invaluable tool during the time I was privileged enough to own a 997. Its efficacy in ameliorating various inconveniences was nothing short of extraordinary.
In the concealed compartment of the door, I used to carry a small roll of this wonder material. On one occasion, I recall with clarity, I was compelled to disassemble the entirety of the instrument cluster. It was then that I affixed the felt tape to its rear side. Lo and behold, the application of this simple remedy resolved all outstanding issues and significantly enhanced the interior acoustics of my cherished vehicle. I say with utmost sincerity, it was as though the tape wielded a touch of magic.
Sorry to hear OP. I'm picking up a supposedly rattle-free 2006 S with 8000 miles on and driving it 1000 miles home tomorrow so hoping rattles don't materialise like your did.
If it's any consolation, I have a 2017 991.2 S that rattles too, and agree that it does remove some of the enjoyment of driving. This thread on the 991 forum really helped me remove most of the rattles - only 2 left on that car. Many of the principles should apply to the 997, although panel removal may differ.
I don't find these cars to be particularly rattly and I have 2 of them. Mine has a complete racing suspension without any rubber bushings left anywhere in the suspension and it's still not rattly.
As others have suggested, fresh tires, inflate them to 32 F and 37 R. If the car is an S with PASM, invest in the DSC controller and that will let you electronically soften the suspension in low g-force situations like driving down the highway.
I'm with Petza. Over 150K miles on my 2010 C4S. My rattles come from things packed in the car with the exception of a very intermittent creak in the dash just above the glovebox (fixed by putting light pressure there with my hand) on very rough surfaces.
Roads in my area are not smooth. Sideways jutter and air is not uncommon when out for a spirited drive. Potholes can be extreme. But these cars are amazingly solid.
I've done motor mounts for a number of friends. One .1 car was very sensitive to stiffer mounts. The sunroof would rattle. We unstiffened the mounts and finally went back to the OEMs. So each car can be unique.
Fresh tires on these cars make a big difference in sound (basic road noise, not rattles).
In my experience the biggest generator of harsh rattles and bumps are overinflated tires. The original cold tire pressure suggestions in the car were pretty high to be extra safe, and of course they were based on the tire technology of the day.
I typically drive with F34 R37; a few psi higher and every street crack becomes a kick up the butt.
I have a 09 with 100k miles. I found some stuff lost under the seats that were rattling, the side mirror whistle, and something near the passenger side that will rattle occasionally. My solution was to replace the center muffler with the sharkwerks x-pipe and gundo mufflers and open the windows when driving. sounds pure bliss
I have a 09 with 100k miles. I found some stuff lost under the seats that were rattling, the side mirror whistle, and something near the passenger side that will rattle occasionally. My solution was to replace the center muffler with the sharkwerks x-pipe and gundo mufflers and open the windows when driving. sounds pure bliss
Yep, I had a knocking noise that drove me crazy. Ended up being a can of vegetable that rolled from the grocery bag under the passenger seat! I was hoping it was a bottle of wild turkey!
05-23-2023, 02:36 PM
Road surface effect
