My Cayman is a joke!!!

i know many people here will hate me for this but: My car is a joke. It seems like it is purposefully built to annoy people. I have discussed many times how the noises from the interior plastic pieces are unbearable and just intolerable for such a high-price vehicle (my friend's 10 year old 100 000 miles ford focus has no noises and my 07 5000 miles cayman feels like a yugo). ok, i decided i'll ignore it - at least i have the preferred package upgraded stereo, which although is pathetical, would make enough noise to cover those chirping/squeaking/... noises coming from the back. well, the stereo just broke on me: while standing at a traffic light, the cdr 24 started producing sound which can only be described as extremely bassy. It's like I have set bass +10, only worse. The sound is distorted and even worse than the squeaks from the trunk. that's it. i'm waiting for the summer to sell it. no more porsche. worst thing is just today I paid $3500 for a winter tire/wheel set. for this amount of money i could've probably bought my friend's focus with a working stereo and no squeaking noises. and i thought mercedes were defective... now i understand mercedes is top quality when compared to a porsche. now I am a troll, I know.

Many members here have squeak-free cars. Have you tried asking your dealer to fix the squeaks under warranty?

3500 for winter/tire set is your fault! I got 18" OEM factory wheels w/ new Blizzaks mounted for under 2K! The rattles are unacceptable, though. Do you have a competent dealer nearby who can have a look? I have spent a lot of time taking the rear apart to learn where rattles could come from and how to fix them. I have been pretty lucky so far in diagnosing rattles and fixing them.

You've got to admit, it does feel great driving it, right? 4-year warranty. Nothing is perfect and it'll take a bit of time, but I'm sure the dealer will take care of it. Where are you in NJ and who is your dealer? I have a squeak in the plastic trim piece cover above the rear passenger strut that has come back with the colder weather. I have to weigh having someone at the dealer pull the trim pieces out and possible causing a scratch or making it worse vs. living with it. So I turn up the radio a bit. Yikes, looks like you can't do now either! Sucks but at least you won't have to pay for anything.

not in nj right now, but in europe. warranty here is 2 years. additionally dealer here says he can't fix noises and he's the only one around (300 miles away). by the time I get back to jersey i hope i will already have sold the car. i know many of you love your caymans. i just hate mine now. yes, driving it feels great. and i have got the exact same noise except it's from the rear driver's strut cover. unfortunately my first and last porsche.

I think you should buy a Ford Focus.

had mine for about 1-1/2 years now. no rattles or other annoying sounds. however, i also had a problem with the stereo, but it was replaced under warranty. sounds like you were unlucky and got a bad one...i feel for you.

I don't think you're a troll. My Cayman has very few noises, but if I had a lot of them I would be pretty unhappy. Your post does strike me as reacting with a lot of emotion for what are relatively mild problems. Regarding the noises, have you checked your tire pressures? Sometimes very high PSI can excite resonances. If not, it is sometimes amazing what can be done with some strips of foam or looped tape (from Velcro) stuck in the right places to quell noises. It would seem the financial hit you'll take by selling, even in the summer, would make it worth letting a dealer try to fix these problems. How is the quality of the rest of the car?

i'll probably have to buy a focus, if i keep driving porsches rest of the car quality-wise seems fine for now. but it's just 5000 miles. it's not that the problems i have are irrepairable or something, it's the overall experience this car delivers. to me so far it has only been those minor problems that irritate the hell out of me. people usually buy an expensive car with some expectations. mine were simply not met.

Well it seems you didnt like Mercedes either. So I think you have two options: 1. Buy your friends Ford and be happy. At least you WILL have some liquid cash in your pockets after you sell the Cayman. or 2. Earplugs. My CS has 12k miles on it and not one squeak or rattle.... Just thought of a third option: 3. Buy a Capristo exhaust....you will never hear the exhausts again as long as you keep it set to full open....:hilarious:

Sounds like you would be happier with your friends 10 year old Focus. Sorry to hear you having problems.. Regardless if you buy a 10K or 150,00 car they are all machine and man made vehicles... Your gonna have issues.

If the radio is not working try keeping RPM above 6000

No disrespect, but it seems that perhaps your expectation were misset, either by someone else or yourself. I would not buy the Cayman for a comfortable, quiet ride. That being said, you are certainly entitled to expect high end build quality.

Why not trade your friend? I'm pretty sure that he would let you take advantage of him. It's a bummer that you are having a bad experience. Were I in your shoes, I would contact Porsche, regarding the issues and not being serviced properly by the dealership. Porsche wants their customers to be happy with their cars. I have 3 years and 16,000 miles on my CS and it runs and sounds like it did on day 1. And regardless of what car one buys, occasionally a bad one can get out of the factory. That's why there are lemon laws.

Not a terribly scientific poll but it seems like the folks with squeak free Caymans live in areas with rather nicer weather. Been a while since I've been in NJ but I doubt the roads have improved. A stiffly sprung car on frost heaved, potholed roads is a torture test for how squeak/rattle free a car will be at least in my experience. Mine is still squeak/rattle free but it's still young. Blueone's sticky tape and velcro are great fixes. Not as good but cheap and easy is a shot of silicone lube in the right spot. Some (unscrupulous) dealers use this to (hopefully) get you past the warranty period. Sorry about your luck, go for the warranty work prior to sale.

Be sure to sell it while its still got some warranty, so the next owner can have it looked into FOR FREE.

There's certainly worse problems to be had... Fact is, automobiles in general have their issues. I've had a Corvette security system malfunction and arrest itself in the driveway for a couple months while the back ordered part was on its way, my Porsche required an engine in the first 1000 miles, etc. I'd definitely show a little more patience, it's understandably annoying when such an expensive car has issues, but such is life.

No they don't; members have non-squeak-inducing roads . I've got several roads near me that cause the entire interior to resonate. That's not something that can be fixed without Dynamat-ing every bit of trim in the car. Besides, want to see my "cannot reproduce" reports from my dealer because the squeak and rattle-inducing roads aren't nearby? I've told them several times which roads cause the rattles, and their response is to say "that's a really bad road" and mark the invoice "cannot reproduce." (It's not just one dealer, either.)

Sell the car... paco , sell this car as soon as possible. There is no way you'll ever be happy with the car, regardless of what we think/advise/say. A car is a very personal thing, and if you don't like it, get rid of it. The pain of the financial loss will be much less than the constant unhappiness you feel now. Sorry the Porsche Cayman didn't work out for you, and I hope you have better luck with your next vehicle, whatever that may be!

My car rattles over bumps. Dont know where it is coming from and my dealer doesnt give a s$!& - they have the Porsche tech working on VWs so he doesnt have time to troubleshoot my car. Also the OBD plug on my car doesnt work. The tech had to remove it from its housing so a proper connection could be made. Now that piece is hanging free. Im not impressed. I dont blame the car. Next nearest dealer is about 250 miles away. Bet they wouldnt give a damn either because I didnt buy the car from them. To tell you the truth, I had way better service from my BMW people. And my M3 didnt rattle.

If you think that Mercedes is premium brand because it does not squeak - u are so dead wrong. I had a Merc once and it started squeaking on me within the first month. The ECU died on me in the first month and the car had to be towed. The doors came mal-aligned and it had to be sent back to the dealer to be fixed. The paint had defects which needed fixing. The steering wheel keeps listing to one side and the car drifts to one side when driving. The list goes on. I have a Lexus now. It is totally perfect in that the cabin is quiet and the build quality and the sound system is truely premium. And so is the after sales service. I think it is the BEST! Truely the best car ownership experience. However, a porsche it is not. I think u have unrealistic expectations of a sports car. Perhaps you are not ready or not suitable to own a porsche. Perhaps, your friend's ford focus or even a Honda Civic would make you happier. Truely, I have owned 2 honda civics - NONE of them ever had any cabin noise.

Paco, you are absolutely correct. I was thinking the other day the only two things that I find anoying in my Cayman was the plastic rattles and the substandard stock sound system. Our 15K brand new VW Rabbit beats the Cayman on both departments. I can't tell you to build tolerance to those two anoying things, I haven't yet! When I purchased the Cayman the last thing in my mind was to buy a luxury car, I wanted a modern sports car, and I was willing to compromise on the ride, ease to drive, comfort etc. But c'mon a radio and some plastic pieces, how hard or expensive could that be? and yet I drive the Cayman and the Rabbit sits. One thing I love about the Cayman is that it seems to be developing a cult following. These "anoying" things, in a sense thin the herd, it reduces the number of people that are willing to put up with the idiosincracies of the car, and it seems to appeal mostly to car people, people that are willing to fix small things, upgrade and work with the car and personalize it. The fact that it is a $60K car with quirks, to me is liveable, because in my mind I paid 59K for the motor, suspension and body and 1K for the fluff. Hope you re-consider your decision.

A few years back our company embarked on a money saving venture of buying a Ford for company car for going to the post office- picking up items from Home depot and general errands. The thing was such a POS that nobody would drive it. It had a fuel delivery or some kind of electrical problem where it would just die. Nobody could figure out why. The clerical girls drove their own vehicles and burned their own gas rather than risk getting stranded in this junker. We ended up selling the damned thing to a relative of an employee at a great loss just to get rid if it . The worst cars I have ever owned or driven have been Fords. Maybe the ones in Europe are better. Make a Porsche.

Nobody should own or drive a car they think is a joke. Your posting means you have reached the point of no return. In your mind the car is defective, and your passion for it has left you. Unfortunately if you like mid engined sports cars, you have very little to choose from. Sell it. And get the improved 2010 Cayman S. Oh, I forgot, your love of Porsche is gone too.

i am gonna try to sell it. however, i doubt i will have any luck in the midst of winter and all this financial crisis stuff. in the meantime i'll have to buy a new amplifier for the sound package plus: it seems it has gone to amplifier heaven (or at least it's comatose) i hope it's not too expensive, but i doubt it.

Sometimes, Paxil helps. Cheers

and if one paxil doesn't help, try two!! Someone earlier had suggested contacting Porsche directly since you're in Europe. That sounds totally reasonable and who knows, it may work out!

+1 for that. Porsche should be notified if a dealership/repair shop is not adequately servicing their cars. At worst you could drive your car to Porsche AG and demand satisfaction! You said your in Spain. It might be a good excuse to go autobahning! (is autobahning a word?)

well, i came to the conclusion it's no big deal after all. i'll put up with it, drive it a few more months and then sell it. in the meantime i'll disassemble the whole interior and put silicone on every plastic bit. a friend with a 25-year-old Opel said it does wonders.

Paco, Why the big change of heart? You must have found a special someone who thought your car was HOT! :dance: Definitely a side benefit. :banana:

Go testdrive G55 AMG or Lotus, you will be happy/thankful with Cayman S you have and complain. :hilarious:

well, not really. rather because i'll suffer too big a financial loss if i sell it right now. also the car sounds so good it reminds me of the days when i was playing need for speed: porsche unleashed on my computer. i realized this after my stereo broke.