MaximumA

Good to know. I would have guessed sway bar bushes, or the drop links/bushes, as these have rattled on other cars... as well as failing top mounts.

laphan

Had this issue on my 996 and boxster. Very common.
It's the control arm ball joint. To confirm, cut a small hole in ball joint boot and spray some lubricant. It will temporarily stop the noise but you will have to change the control arm/ball joint later.
I think Porsche put some plastic inside the joint and over time it gets dry and make creaking noise (initial when hot and it will progress to all time).

Turbo215

My 06 S is doing the same exact. Definitely sounds like the front is going to fall apart.

I replaced the outer tie rod thinking it was that with the minor play it had. The noise went away after the control arms were replaced?

Im borderline about to replace the rack n pinion. Everything seems tight in the front end.

Dripola

Fanny saved me when I had this problem.

Turbo215

Fanny?

Dripola

Freudian slip

Turbo215

I tried wiggling my control arms when in the air and i dont hear a thing. Mine doesnt squeak or rattle. Its more of a series of clunks as i go over bumps n humps. Perhaps its on its way out?

Iceter

The stresses of driving on the bushings are hard to duplicate with your hands under the car. Just because you can't move it with your hand doesn't mean it's not moving under load. It's a hard thing to diagnose.

Turbo215

agreed

Iceter

1. It is P B Blaster.
2. A masonry hammer?
3. When removing the ball joint, loosen but do not remove the nut, lift that corner so the wheel is in the air and rap the spindle with a ball peen hammer. The force of the spring will pop the joint loose and the nut will keep it from dropping off.

I feel like she's learning as she goes along.

Turbo215

She probably is

Dripola

i used a ball joint separater, tried a few other ways first but this did the trick.

jeebus31

I've bet you've got some good DIY videos to share. Links?

Iceter

Nope, but I just shared the right way to drop a ball joint and you didn’t have to watch 15 minutes of fumbling to learn it. You’re welcome.

Hopefully, I also saved someone from going to the parts store and asking for PT Blaster.

Mick The Kraken

I've been meaning to reply back, but it's just not been a priority (again, driving isn't affected), however...

The rattling still persists (primarily on the driver's side). I'm going to take it to a different shop, as I just can't give the other guys any more money after they replaced everything they did, but didn't resolve the issue. So, when I take it to this other shop (wherever I end up going), what else is there to replace (that could cause such a noise)? I get it that it may be tough to diagnose, but it shouldn't be hard for a trained tech, and particularly not after the other issues (though there's *zero* indication any of those parts needed to be replaced) have been eliminated. To me, this is just ridiculous.

Thanks for your time.