My 05 991 has no rattles or squeaks. My boxster has a one annoying squeak new the top.

Most solid car I have every had was a 1980 MB diesel sedan. Still in the family driven by a young second cousin.

 

I have a small rattle in my 06 c2s "behind my head" on the right side. The dealer never could find a cure or offered any help. Recently saw a post here regarding putting silicone spray between the back window and outside trim, its much better. Overall, after 25K the car is very solid and I still love driving it. It really is a great car, I could see having it for a long time.

As far a a completely rattle free car that would be my Toyota 4Runner with 80K .

 

05 997 S Launch edition - rattle free- excellent build quality. 13,000 miles, solid and reliable.

other recent cars owned.

2005 Mustang GT - 73,000 miles - slight rattle in the dash.

2008 Shelby GT500 - 18,000 miles - no rattles, solid, reliable motor, solid build quality.

 

My '06 rattles a bit over bumps. The sunroof, for instance, rattles when open and I hit a sharp bump. There are a few other interior rattles. It's nothing too major. In general, the car is built and designed well.

 

Alan

"Plenty of automation in the building of modern Porsche motors, and they are not bench tested for power output."

-All of my information was obtained 1st hand standing in the Porsche factory at stuttgart in the engine dept.

They bench test the engines for power - to baseline MINIMAL 0% tolerance to the negative UP TO 5% - engines that are over 5% are not release. FACT.

ALL engines that go in boxsters, caymans, & 911's all come from the same plant. The boxster and cayman engines are sent then to Valmet in sweden (??) to be assembled to the vehicle as part of an outsourcing -since the factory is a national landmark and expansion is not allowed, i digress.

I asked why only 1 person assembled an engine? I quipped-" is it if there is a problem after the bench test that they'll be fired? "- He answered absolutely not it is so they can address any issues and fix it- very precise - Porsche invest too much into the technicians from an apprenticeship to full certification. Further explaining that some manufactures in germany use young ppl and then when they are fully trained are released to save money - where almost everyone stays will porsche for an entire career.

Cheers,

GS

 

Perhaps things have changed; the motor in your car is no longer produced.

The Porsche factory documentary that aired on Discovery a couple weeks ago showed humans and machines assembling motors, and indicated that tolerances are checked after assembly, but that the motor isn't filled with lubricant and fired until the car is completely finished before a run on a dyno as it heads out the door.

 

Initially when I received my 997S Cab there were a few rattles periodically that would come from the convertible roof area above my head on the driver's side. As time went on, and I drove the car, and raised and lowered the roof, the rattle dissipated and finally dissapeared. I think when you have a sports car built to the sensitivity and quality of the 911 you will initially experience a vibration or two until the car is finally broken in and settles into place, especially with cabriolets. Aside from that if a rattle persists then have the dealer check it to make sure it's not something that needs to be repaired. To finally answer the initial question I think that the 997 is built to the utmost detail and quality; a trademark of German engineering.

Jay

 

Alan-

Whatever dude if you saw it on TV it must be true.

 

What's the rate of your success to fix rattles under warranty at the dealers? I am not having much luck at all... they just CHARGE me some diagnosis fee and say its all ok!!!

 

Yes it is true. I suggest you see that particular episode. They followed the cars as they were going down the assembly line. Some things were done by hand others by robotics. The engines underwent minimal testing until the end of the assembly process for the entire car.

The whole process at Porsche is much more mechanized than, say, at Ferrari where the engines are truly hand built.

 

We just bought a 2009 997.2 coupe. It's under new warranty, not CPO, which is a subtle distinction I'm still exploring, but it had 11,600 miles at purchase. 12,000 tonight, a week later. It's a daily driver but we've been dealing with health problems since buying it, so it hasn't accrued much seat time yet. Nevertheless, I'd say it is very tight. The only rattles I've picked up have been the stiff suspension rattling something loose in the cabin, and not much of that, since we're long time sports car owners and don't usually throw things loose that can rattle.

Seems to us very much a well-made, exceptionally well-made, sports car. Not a luxury sedan like the E550 we briefly considered before choosing the 911S, but very solid. We certainly know the difference, but I'll be honest: we wouldn't have bought it if it sounded like a kettle drum session back there. We don't expect sports cars to sound like concert halls, but we're too old to want to be tormented either.

The best cars of that type? Well, we drove Acura sedans while in business and never had a complaint in (quick arithmetic) roughly 250,000 miles. And we have a low threshold of complaint for expensive cars. Then we retired and I bought Cindy an NSX to celebrate. The equivalent of a Targa top, but still I'd have to say that was the most solid car we ever owned. The suspension was somewhat more compliant than this 911S with PASM, but that has to be the case with a topless model unless you weld the doors and do some other fancy stuff for racing. Conversely, top-off cars are notorious for squeaks with the top on because the chassis stiffness is inadequate. That was never the case with the NSX. No dreaded cowl shake, and nary a rattle. No I tell a lie: one rattle heard every few months when a small high frequency bump was hit at parking speed, like a driveway exit. That was finally traced to the LoJack unit having been mounted under the dash with an antenna or some other part vibrating sympathetically to a shock of just the right frequency. Nothing from the manufacturer ever made a sound in the 145,000 miles we put on it. (Well, not to speak of the engine, which made some very lovely sounds indeed. It is another exotic after all. No improper sounds for a sports car.

I'd like to think this 911 will stay as solid as that NSX did. It seems to be doing quite well at 12,000 miles and so far I wouldn't rate it any lower. Better, if you take into account the stiffer suspension, which offers more reason for the odd bit here and there to rattle.

 

'05 C2, 23K miles. A few minor rattles that vary with speed and road surface. I'm actually surprised there aren't more, given the stiff suspension and short wheelbase. There was one very annoying rattle, which I narrowed down to the passenger-side rear seatbelt retractor reel. Just had it fixed @ Champion Porsche dealership while getting a yearly oil/filter change. (BTW this dealership uses Pennzoil Platinum synthetic which is SL-rated and 5W-40, they do not recommend Mobil 1 although they have it on hand if someone insists). At the same time I was searching for the rattle I discovered the louvered panel behind the rear window (that has the rear brake light in it) was a little loose on one side. They checked and found one mounting stud had the nut x-threaded, but decided not to take it off just yet. They're ordering a new panel in case the stud shears off when they remove the x-threaded nut or they can't re-thread it properly. They're giving me a loaner while doing the work. Car is CPO, so $0 for me (except the oil change of course). So far I've been very happy with Champion's service department.

My biggest gripe re: build quality is the soft-touch interior paint which has now become apt to peel at the slightest provocation. I dealt with it on my recent E-Class Merc but not to the extent it's used in the Porsche. Also the leather seems to be very fragile. I bought the car with <21K miles and the interior, although (obviously to me) had been "detailed" it looks like what I'd expect after twice as many miles. I tend to treat all my possessions with TLC, but I can see where typical use could result in it looking shabby in no time. Having owned quite a few BMW and Merc in the last 25 years, I can say that with each model redesign, the quality of materials and workmanship seem to be getting lower. The days of German cars being overbuilt to last forever are gone. Today the final say in design engineering comes from the MBAs in charge of next quarter's financial report. They only need the cars to hold up until the factory warranty runs out or the original owner's lease is up, whichever comes first. And I'm sure it's not lost on them that statistically Porsches get driven ~5K miles/yr.

 

My 07S coupe has been flawless now for almost 3 years and 18k miles, I do have a slight creak in the right front dash near the speaker going over sharp, abrubt bumps..that's it. Oh and a bad tps sensor in the driver side rear wheel...

Dave

 

I'm having the same issue.

 

How does someone reconcile with the cognitive dissonance of describing their car as "flawless" and, in the same breath, admitting a "slight creak in the right front dash?"