Just posted an article (in the Miscellaneous area), hope it helps!
I was trying to attempt this fix yesterday, but I stopped when I got to trying to remove the panels with the slotted vents. The clips just didn't want to release and it felt like I was going to break the plastic. What am I doing wrong?
The snaps are "hard" to pull loose, but they do release before the plasic breaks. The snap, up on a plastic post (thanks RAINER):
You can see a similar black plastic post circled on the right hand side of this photo:
You can also see the end of the slit in the metal of the body that the snap fits into. If you pull down at the base of the plastic post, I am confident that the snap will release before the panel breaks (please don't prove me wrong...). You may be able to figure out a way to get a pry tool up there to pry between the post and the body, but I would be concerned that there is an increased chance of damage from a hard tool. Good luck!
Dealer Trunk Fix
After three trips to my dealer (Circle in Long Beach, CA) and no success with the trunk thunk and boom, I went to Power Porsche in Newport Beach. They installed a new "weight kit" and the problem is largely cured. There is still a bit of low frequency resonance, but I can live with it. Circle Porsche said they had "done everything they could" and yet hadn't performed the Porsche repair. Moral of the story: stay on top of the dealer and make sure they make the prescribed repiars, which include new counter-balanced weights.
Shame on Circle Porsche for wasting my time. Hat's off to Power Porsche in Newport Beach for taking the time to fix the problem.
You're right. I was able to get it off and adjust the latching mechanism down a bit. Thanks!
I'm taking the car into the dealer to fix the squeak/creak coming from the driver's side rear window. I tried tightening the divider strip but that didn't do much.
Also, the passenger door window doesn't automatically open a few millimetres when you pull gently on the latch from the inside so I'm getting that fixed too. Driver's side works fine.
*** Issue If You Have Done This Fix ***
*** UPDATE 11/09/2007 ***
After a long weekend of wine tasting which involved high speed runs across rutted country roads, cattleguards, low water crossings, railroad tracks, etc., I found this paint nick in the auto bumper at the corner of my hatch, at the rear next to the spoiler:
My latch is ALL the way down, so the edge of the hatch is very close to the auto bumper. Clearly, on at least one bump, the hatch moved laterally enough to rub the paint off the auto bumper. The auto bumper is made of black plastic, so it is not a rust issue, and will not show much on a dark colored car. I have screwed the HATCH bumper out another 1/4 turn to hold the hatch corner more firmly. The spot (about the size of a pin head) I repainted with touch up paint (dip a needle into the touch up paint to get the smallest possible droplet, touch the needle to the center of the scratch and let the paint flow to fill the spot). I have left the latch fully down, and will see if the spot gets rubbed off again. If so, I will raise the latch slightly to get more clearance. I will report status after a week or two of spirited driving.
I think they got it...
Dealer just spent 6+ hours trying to fix the clunk/booming on my CS (very patient). They:
1) Loosened the nuts on the rear windows 1/4 turn each (I guess this helps give the car a bit more 'play')
2) Replaced the brakelight assembly and a taillight too.
3) Did a fix similar to the one posted in articles with the counter-weight. Basically just stopped it from moving.
4) Tweaked the hinge, etc. a bit.
For the most part, I think they got the noises out...a bit of small rattling left, but now I can finally go over bumps and not cringe each time. :banana:
On a side note, they also did the issued W802 recall while they had it (clutch slave cyl.).
Do you get any rattling at the latch? I can't seem to rid myself of the rattle no matter how I adjust the latch.
Also, even with the latch at its lowest setting, if one of the car doors is open, the rear hatch will close if I simply drop it down - no pressing required (even with the rubber bumpers all the way out).
