pewter82

Have my 06 in the Porsche shop for Oil Change/Mirror replacement/Wheel balance and had them look into a rattle the suspension up front.

Turned out to be Strut Tower plates needing replacement, the right one was worse than the left. So, 5.5 hrs labor for a total of just over $1200.. The rest of the suspension looked real good.

Just gotta love the "little" things that go bad over time..

997_rich

what actually went bad on them? You meant the spring trays or the actual strut tower where it mounts to the car? I'm having trouble understanding what might be worn out? are the 4 bolts that connect to the body stripped? is the main nut that holds the strut together loose or stripped?

997sxv

Please describe the sounds you referenced. Thanks

pewter82

I heard it for the first time on Monday, in Sport Mode, you could hear a thumping or rattle over bumps in the road from the front. It sounded much like struts gone bad . The control arms and other pieces of the front suspension were fine. Right front was bad and that seemed right from what I heard.

Jack667

I've got a little creak, especially in Sport mode, over 45mph on roads that aren't flat (ie weird left/right dips). Because it's just a small creak, it wouldn't be noticed over rough roads, just smooth roads with odd dips or gentle bumps.
I wonder if it's similar...

X51

I've had perhaps the same or similar front end suspension rattling on my '07 S - Sport Mode or not, same rattling sound. I've had the upper strut mounts, drop links and related bushings replaced and noise is still there. Next up is the left front strut. Apparently some of the front end components are prone to this regardless of miles. Mine has 16k on the clock. It's CPO'd, so at least it's not on my dime just yet.

Deansdream

I was in for a new trans and clutch after she popped out of third gear in the Pocono infield. But i can't complain - car did have 87k miles and plenty of track days.

pewter82

If the noise is still there, I will not be wanting to pay them for a "hunting expedition" of replacing parts to fix the problem.

997_rich

That's why i was asking what exactly failed on the strut tower/strut housing. Those don't usually fail and when they do it's usually pretty apparent.

I would recommend that you ask them to explain exactly what they think is wrong while the car is on the lift for any further parts. It's your right as a consumer. If they can't explain it, I'd run.

if you can explain the sound and when exactly it occurs (over bumps? braking, etc) then the issue can usually be narrowed down.

hoffa

I just had a strut mount bearing go show signs of wear (groaning/creeking when turning). Nice of Porsche to allow you to just replace the bearing rather than the whole mount.

997_rich

Yeah, the bearing or cartridge often goes bad but I've never heard of the tower housing plate going bad unless the cap was complete rusted or someone stripped the bolts or someone hit a kerb at high speed.

KeninBlaine

Was your groaning/creeking constant, or only after driving for a while? I have Damptronics, and after driving for a short while, I get a clunking/rattling sound up front somewhere (heard best at quite low speeds when less road noise), and groaning when turning the wheel. The problem disappears after the car sits a while, then comes back after driving a while. Dealer checked everything yesterday and could find nothing amiss, but I had them lubricate the spring perches and I think the groaning has gone. But the rattling is still there. Next step is to check the AC hose clamp behind the right front fender liner, as I've heard it is a potential cause of a rattle.

mdrums

This plate you are talking about....is it the top support mount as described in the PET? This part mounts to the shock and has the bolts that mount up through the chassis. They only cost around $115 each...some of the other parts around this like washers and nuts don't cost that much.
http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...-08/402-00.php

pewter82

Original Diagnosis and 5.5 hrs to install and parts through Porsche and a Alignment / Wheel Balance plus that labor charge.

Service writer, whom I know pretty well, said this happens in cars with 80k + miles, but they can wear out more quickly with more agressive driving. I would say the first owner was the culprit, I don't track and neither did the gentleman I bought it from.

Not defending the price of repair, but they have always been very fair to me on other cars I've had them work on. I don't get my car back till next Tuesday and they sent me a new Audi Q5 as a loaner till then. I've never purchased a car from them, and they treat me fantastic !

Rattle only occured in sport mode and over rough surfaces. It really sounded like something loose in the suspension from the right side (thumping rattle sound) This just started the day they came to pick up the car for the mirror replacement.

hoffa

Generally I had to drive a bit, then if you steered slowly you would hear it. It was easy to reproduce with the car on and sitting still. If I turned the wheel quickly and I wouldn't hear it - I guess bearings hadn't completely worn out yet.