Jim 'n' SC

After complaining to the dealer since the car was new I finally found the source of the rattle in my 2007 base Carrera...It's coming from some sort of bar located behind the sunroof. If I put my hand on it no more rattle.

My car went out of warranty in 9/2011. Should the dealer have to fix this since I was complaining during the warranty period, but they could never find it?

Has anyone had the same problem and had it fixed? I drove another 2007 like mine and it made the same rattle.

Mike in CA

Jim, apparently they didn't change that design much from the 996 as my '99 had a rattle in the same place. My car was out of warranty so I fixed it myself. You may not want to take this approach but I removed the headliner and used pieces of felt, not only on that bar which helps keep the headliner under tension, but every place I could think of around the sunroof mechanism and behind the headliner. A PITA but the roof was quit as a tomb afterwards.

Dutchie in NC

i hav the same rattle... car under CPO... doubt they would warrent it. If anybody has a DYI... pl post

Palmbeacher

I have the same (or maybe more than one) rattle in my sunroof. When it's slid back open (to the 1st stop or all the way) it makes a light clatter over bumps. Closed, the same bumps make it sound like the entire roof panel is bouncing. Only when the rear tilt is up is the thing somewhat rattle-free. The dealer had the s'roof off the car twice and they fastened the drainage tubes and stuck felt everywhere (and whoever the "mechanic" was also stuck his finger or a tool through the flexible mylar or whatever it is on the sides and made a hole in it, which of course the dealer says was there before and therefore they aren't responsible). I also had my indie take the s'roof off, and they replaced "a couple plastic clips". The roof stopped rattling for a couple weeks and then came back with a vengeance. My opinion is the s'roof is very poorly designed and can't hold up under the level of shock and vibrations transmitted by the car's suspension, because any fix seems only to be temporary. What I should probably do is get the dealer to take down the headliner, then fix the rattles myself, and then have the dealer put the headliner back. My time is just too valuable to spend it doing grunt work like R&R the headliner.

Mike in CA

The R&R portion of the project took a little more than an hour on my 996. Since I live 2 hours round trip from the nearest dealer, not to mention the time waiting around for them to complete the work or alternatively make multiple trips, DIY was appropriate. But if you're close to a dealer, and they are really fast getting you in and out, the extra cost might be worth the time saved for that part of the job. And if someone is disinclined to take on the task for whatever reason, the dealer is obviously the way to go.

Palmbeacher

My dealer is about fifteen minutes from home or office, and they always offer me my choice of a loaner or to send someone to fetch and return my car (I usually prefer the loaner as many times they don't finish the same day). Their hourly rate is roughly a fourth of mine, so it's ridiculous for me to DIY. The issue here is their failure to rectify the rattling once and for all. If it's a matter of their incompetence then it might behoove me to try my hand at it, after all they are merely mechanics lacking an engineering degree. OTOH if the mechanism and/or it's attachment design is such that it will eventually loosen from shock and vibration, then there isn't much to be done about it...short of welding or copious use of red loctite, which would render it difficult to service in the future. Believe me, I'd caulk the dratted thing shut with silicone if not for the fact I like to open it to rapidly evacuate hot air after being parked.

McCulla

I have a nasty "inside the headliner" rattle, too. I posted about it last year some time and have been too timid to drop the headliner. It sounds like all of yours. Interestingly, during the colder temps of winter (I know, I'm in FL, it doesn't really get cold, but...) the rattle stopped! Now that we're back to steamy, it's back full force. Ear buds and music have distracted me for now. I have to say that if I were test driving my car as a potential buyer, it could well kill a sale. It's bad. I can stop it by pushing up into what feels like the headliner torsion rods (or something) behind the passenger side of the sunroof, which reinforces the felt pad cure possibility.

Evomanny

I had the same rattle, drove me nuts so i had a go at d.i.y and repaired it myself in 5 mins. I sat in the front seat, opened the sunroof to tilt. I sat in the driveers seat with a little mirror angled looking back into the headlining where i could see the afore mentioned metal rod which fixes into a plastic clip. Nothing was unclipped or loose so i simply got a can of WD40 with the straw attached and carefully aimed the nozzle towards the offending area. A small squirt of WD40 on to and around the clip and job done, no more noise. Just be carefull as no to squirt too much into the headlining or it will stain it although i was suprised how much i got away with. Worth a try before dropping the headlining

7500rpm

Long live WD-40!

Jim 'n' SC

BTW... The Rattle I'm refering to cannot be fixed with WD-40 or anyother lube. I took the car back to the dealer for the third time in three years. The only difference was this time I had issolated the problem to a bar behind the sunroof. As it turns out the rattle is coming from the board that slids back with the roof. If I put a cloth in the rear of the sunroof that keeps the board from moving the rattle goes away. Since my car has done this from day one I'm assuming it is a design defect and the dealer can't fix it. Since I don't use my sunroof anyway I'm going with the cloth for now until I figure something else out.