I need some advice. My 997 year 2007 base model 97K miles has mostly been sitting in the garage. I got it out last week and on several left turns and maybe a right turn I could hear a little bit of a clicking or grinding sound.

After the next day or so, the sound magically disappeared. So I can’t now get it to reproduce that sound. Which in itself I guess is a problem.

My first impulse is that I should pay a local Porsche shop to inspect the front wheel bearings as I think the sound came from the front underside of the car. I assume that is $75-$150 to get done.

It could be something else I guess, I did look around to see if any wheel liners and plastic skid plates and the front spoiler were all in place but everything looks ok I didn’t see any obvious loose components.

the prior owner was a bit lax on maintenance and attention to details so he or she probably never would have done anything by way of preventative maintenance

i am open to ideas or suggestions

 

Could it have been a rusted spot on the rotors that just had to be worn off by braking?

 

Another DIY diagnostic - raise up the car and safely support it. Assess bearing condition by spinning each wheel and observing "smoothness" (you may need to "release" (aka "pry apart") the brake pads a little). Assess bearing condition by grabbing tire at various opposite "clock" positions (like 12 and 6, etc.) and attempting to move the wheel back and forth.

This is not foolproof but will certainly find major issues.
Any lack of smoothness (neglecting brake part frictions) and excessive back-and-forth movements are probably a cause for concern.

 

It is possible, I am in California, its dry here but their is dew in the early morning hours that could condense, so you can get some surface rust on rotors as the car sits for a few weeks.
I have observed it before, so maybe........

 

I always get surface rust on the rotors right after washing the car. If it sits for a week without driving, I also get it. It usually cleans off within the first few times using the brakes. Part of living in a high humidity location like Miami.

To the OP, unless it does it consistently, it's probably some anomaly of a 14 year old car. If it was me, I'd be trying to replicate the incident or jack it up and have a look.

 

Could be the bearings at the top of the springs - but without it happening its going to be impossible to track it down....

 

Is that called the "Front Upper Camber Plates"?

 

It could be this as well. My car makes a small noise once in a blue moon, and I just don't care anymore about the noise. I know it's coming from the top of the spring.