Squeaks, Rattles, Gremlins and Wind Noise

Two weeks ago I traded my 2001 Boxster (base) with 18" wheels and almost 80,000 miles for a 2007 Cayman (base) with 19" wheels. The Cayman drives nicely, but only a little better than my 5-year old Boxster . My biggest concern is that the cockpit does not seem to be put together as well as my Boxster which had no squeaks, rattles, or wind noise (or any mechanical problems for that matter). My Cayman has what I consider to be an unreasonable amount of wind noise from 55 MPH and up because the window seals don't seem to be adequate, the hatchback squeaks like a mouse just about every time I go over a dip in the road, and there is a gremlin in the driver's door that sounds like the static from power lines. Anyone else have these problems, concerns, solutions? I'm dropping it off at the dealer this week to try to get these things resolved. I'll let you know how it works out. Any feedback would be appreciated.

No such problem except the rear hatchback. The clump sound over bumps but it is a known design defect. LLL

I have 8000 miles on mine and it has been driven hard over the terrible Chicago streets. Everything remains surprisingly solid and quiet. I actually expected alot more rattles and squeaks by now.

Except the rattle from the key, no other noises at all. no clunk from the hatch either (knock on wood). Wind noise appears at speeds over 80.

I just got my 2007 Cayman (also 19 inch wheels). I have not experienced any wind noise but also have the noise from the hatchback as well as the gremlin in the drivers door. Would appreciate if you could let me know what your shop has been doing to get these thing's fixed. PS: my Cayman was produced in 09/06 - speed yellow, 19 inch classic wheels, Bose Audio...

It is interesting that you mention wind noise from inadequate seals. I have had an issue with my passenger window not rolling up on the first try. It stops because it thinks there is something in the window. My dealer told me that he could loosen the seals and the problem would go away, but it would introduce wind noise. They loosened it a bit and I haven't heard any, but it is interesting to hear the other side of the problem. As a side note, you will find reports of problems with mirrors causing such noise. In the past, I believe that the dealer has replaced the mirror. You may want to seach a bit about it.

Thank you Thank you, everyone, for the feedback. I really appreciate the support. I will follow up next week after I get my car back from the dealer (assuming I can actually get to the dealer before closing time this week).

I have what sounds like a bird chirp when I go over bumps. Sounds like it's coming from the drivers shoulder harness. Dealer techs couldn't find the source. Waited for a visit from the PCNA rep. He couldn't find it either so they stuffed some more foam behind the paneling. Lessened but didn't fix the problem. Not sure what the next step is.

I'm interested in the 'static' noise you mention, mine does the same thing. It sounds like feedback through the speakers or something, can't id where it's coming from but just a gentle humm or buzz with the ignition on I think - only noticable without the engine running. I too have the odd squeak and rattle, especially the hatch which I'm sure I can see move when I go over some larger holes we have in our UK roads but windnoise doesn't bother me so much, far better than the jap Evo and Scooby I've had most recently (not exactly aerodynamic) and I don't have any seal issues. Tyre noise is a different matter... not overly happy with the Bridgestones I got.

I had a sound just like this but from the passenger side. Turned out to be the right rear strut. The dealer replaced 2 other components of the suspension first before the strut did the trick. I was convinced it was inside as were they until they put the top down (I have a Boxster 987S) and rode around with a guy in the trunk with a microphone and headset. They could not duplicate it by pushing the car up and down or the wheel up and down while on the rack. Drove me nuts until they fixed it but they kept at it.

Gremlin noise (sounds like a big bee) is getting bigger in the driver door... does not seem to be related to suspension but more when driving off the car or when accelerating it from about 2K RPM to 3K RPM...was putting some lube on but did not help...happens also on very flat road conditions... Anybody else had similar experience... would appreciate to get some feedback before going back to the dealer in the next week. (car has now approx. 200 miles...) Thank's in advance.

Update So, I got my car back from the shop on Friday. They told me they ordered a new driver's side door panel from Germany because they could hear the buzz in the door, but could not isolate it. When they removed the panel, the buzz went away. They told me they could not duplicate the squeak in the rear hatch, however it squeaked the whole way home. I think the car needs to be driven a while for the squeak to occur. I will have them check for the squeak when I drop the car off to have the door panel replaced. The wind noise I complained about is apparently normal for the Cayman. I guess they loaned me an Audi A-4 to show how quiet the Porsche is in comparison. Right now, I am very disappointed in the car because of how noisy it is. Besides the squeaks, gremlins and wind noise, the 19 inch wheels sound like a bowling ball rolling down the alley. I wish I still had my 2001 Boxster. Ironically, I told the dealer I wanted to get out of the Boxster and into the Cayman because I wanted a quieter ride. Unfortunately the dealer was more interested in selling me a car than helping me make a good choice. I know, what was I expecting, right? Anyway, hopefully Porsche will resolve these issues quickly, so I can start enjoying my new car. I will update this thread after the door panel is replaced.

"I think the car needs to be driven a while for the squeak to occur." This is exactly what happened with my car before they replaced the right rear strut. Once it warmed up it sounded like there was bird in the car over small undulations or bumps in the road.

have a lot of squeaks from the rear side . not sure if its just some part to be oiled or the the 19 inch or the suspension but its gettign really annoying . the car has 800 miles on it . CS

1JB, Your problem with the Right Rear Strut does sound like the problem I am having. Maybe Rami is having the same problem too. I will mention the Rear Struts when I bring the car back in for the door panel, which they said would arrive in about 2 weeks.

They first replaced two other components of the rear suspension before replacing the strut. I can check if it would help to see what the were but that did not fix the problem. The strut was the problem. It happened within the first hundred miles on the car. All they could do was isolate it in the general area of the right rear suspension in my case and it only occurred once the car had warmed up after driving for 20 minutes or so. I've got the Boxster 987S and with the top up you swore it was inside the car behind the headrest but with the top down the suspension became a possibility.

guys i dont know if you have any updates but maybe you can help me out ; the squeky sound has been amplified and more frequent only at very slow speeds and much louder when turning on rounds , what are the possibilities ? oil leak of the stearing wheel , bearings , brakes .......etc?

Rami, I won't have a chance to bring my car into the dealer for diagnosis again for another week or two. I will update the thread when I have more information to report. In the meantime, the posts about the rear strut sound right to me. You may want to have Porsche Service look into that for you.

These are all really great information. Would you guys mind also sharing the location and the dealers you guys are going to to get these problems solved or point out the dealers that are not helpful at all as well. That would be great. Thanks.

I drove a Boxster 3.4S demonstrator and a Cayman S demonstrator back-to-back a couple of weeks ago. Similar spec, similar age, similar miles (both about 3k). The Cayman was quiet and solid. The Boxster squeaked gently from all the same places as my 986 , but also had an annoying tinny buzz from inside the driver's door. I concluded that the Cayman was more rigid and hence quieter, but maybe I was just lucky!

Update So, last week I brought my car back in to the dealer I bought it from to have the door panel replaced and to try to get the squeak in the rear hatch fixed because its driving me crazy. I took the service rep on a test drive and made sure he heard the squeak this time (last time they said "could not replicate"). I told him, based on feedback on this bulletin board, I think its the rear strut. In fact, I told him that the previous time as well. Both times he said "no, it can't be. We have not seen any problems with the struts on these cars." So, they added felt to the hatch somewhere. Claimed to do a test drive and deemed the problem resolved. Well, I picked up the car, and as soon as I got on the freeway, I noticed the squeak was still there. I also noticed that the radio station was tuned to a station I don't listen too. I guess they decided to test drive the car with the radio on. Anyway, I brought the car into another dealership today, much closer to work and more convenient, and they diagnosed the problem as being the right rear strut. They ordered the part, which is back ordered, and as soon as the strut is replaced, I will let you guys know if it solves the problem as I suspect it will. I am also considering letting you kind folks know which dealer DID NOT diagnose the problem, and which dealer DID diagnose the problem. Just not sure if this bulletin board is the proper place to leave feedback on dealerships. I have a lot to say about the dealership I bought my Cayman from, and none of it is good. I was hoping I would get a a follow up survey from Porsche regarding the sale and the service, but I have not. By the way, I think the new door panel took care of the buzz on the driver's side, but there is still a slight buzzing sound which the service rep says is wind noise from the mirror. Sounds like a design defect to me if the mirror is causing excessive wind noise. The other rattles and buzzes, which are intermittent are not a major concern at this time.

Perhaps you could just give a zip code to avoid

Superbengoshi, Please keep us updated. I seem to have the same issue. (doesn't quite sound as bad but I do hear a chirping sound occasionally) Thanks!

Rattle Had chirping noise as well coming from the driver door... my Porsche Center took the door apart and noise is partly gone for now... we would eliminate the remaining nose to come from the Ignition Lock..... e.g. when holding the key the noise is gone.... they have ordered a new one ane should be installed shortly... will keep everyone posted here if this will be the final solution...

Any updates on getting rid of this chirp?

Sorry for the delay in updating this thread. Yes, the chirp was resolved. It was the passenger side rear strut. There are other issues that prevent me from discussing this matter further at this time. I will update this thread after all issues are resolved. Sorry to be so cryptic, but suffice it to say that if the chirp only manifests itself after driving about 15 minutes, my guess is, it is a strut.

Mine seems to occur only on certain types of bumps (tiny to large - I guess it depends on how you hit it) and seems to happen at higher speeds (ie 60+ mph). This may happen 2-3 times in a 30 mile drive. Chirps seem to be more consistant when hitting a bump when making a right hand sweeper. I'm also wondering if changing to aftermarket coilovers would solve the problem as I'm looking to change the suspension sometime in the near future. Thanks for the update. -Moto

Squeaks and Rattles My 15 day old Cayman with 517 miles is back at the dealer today for the following issues: Buzzing, Squeaking sound from the dashboard. Squeaking from what I believe is the suspension or exhaust system (when I drive over bumpy roads) Rear hatch clunk(Identified on this website on other Caymans) I'll post an update with what the Service Dept fixes and tells me

Here's what the dealer did on mine with only 921 miles. I complained about the "clunking noise". Found noise coming from rear deck lid center area. Resupported counter weight in rear lid, includes R&R rear deck lid trim 55901500, .2 DC#55900200001, 55901599 1.3 A-TIME For R&R trim & resupporting weight. No L.O. for this in system. That's what they did and it seems to have worked!