My new 996 - just one problem

After much deliberation I've taken the plunge a bought my first porsche - a 98 996. She looks great, drives beautifully, but there's just one problem: The interior trim creaks and rattles as you drive. I'm wondering if it's just mine or if it's a common problem in early 996? And if there's anything I can do about it? Here's a dodgy pic from my iPhone and I'll try and post a decent one soon. IMG_0430.jpg Cheers James

James, congrats on getting the 996 and Welcome to Rennlist. Older cars will get rattles, but I wouldn't say that the 996 is prone to a lot of rattles. Sometimes when interior panels rub against each other, you can insert some felt in the creases to eliminate the squeaking. The hardest part of the process is tracking down exactly where the squeaks and rattles are. Good luck with eliminating the ratles.

Thanks Tim - good to hear it's not unusual. I had the car thoroughly checked out before buying and definately no accidents, so I guess it's just a thing with older cars. The 996 is quite "plasticy" inside but I wonder about older cars like the 993 or 964 - are they just as prone to creaks and rattles?

mine has a funky rattle in the dash only when the fan is on.. How weird is that.... I am going to blame your climate. give it some time and see if it goes away after its in your garage for a few weeks....

passanger airbag covers sometimes rattle. put your hand on it while driving and see if thats it? welcome to the addiction

do you have the "basketball" material on the dash or the leather? Because I have the basketball dash and it rattles.. I think the leather dash has less.

congrats and welcome to RL. Nice coupe, RHD; looks like sunroof delete and rear parking sensors...all advantageous. if you have a trustworthy mechanic who knows Pcars and a few DIY (do-it-yourself) instructions, your "new" Pcar will provide plenty of enjoyment. Now go out and drive...

My passenger airbag cover rattles when the temp drops below 50F. Drives me crazy.

You just need a louder exhaust. Problem solved.

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+1!

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Yeah I have the "basketball" dash - I think you're right, it would rattle more than leather.. Oh well, at least I'm in good company! Thanks 2000996MIA - actually has the sunroof (I think it's just the angle you can't see it) but you're right on the parking sensors - very handy. Appreciate the tips and I'll do some more research (in between driving!). Very good point! Yeah, I'd noticed it gets worse the lower the temperature - hoping for some hot weather then!

Another common noise culprit is the windshield.

Could be getting some noise out of the sun roof too. Cars great. Maybe once a week concentrate of finding a noise source and eliminating them one at a time

Ive got a nasty rattle in my driver's side door. Happens when I go over a bump or when a song has a lot of bass. Adding it to my to-do list this weekend after the Ruf springs, oil change, fisterD mod, and yet another cleaning (damn black cars always being dirty!)

If any of you haven't yet discovered Renntech.org, definitely go there and join. That site has a wealth of information, including all the Porsche TSBs on finding and eliminating rattles and squeaks.

My 99 coupe with 78k on it has more rattles than either my prior 86 coupe with 195k on it or my 89 Targa with 78k did. The rattles all seem to be dash related on th 996. There's way more plastic than the older cars. Despite that relatively minor annoyance, I'm very pleased with the 996. todd 99 coupe

all porsches rattle. inc 964 and 993. those who doesn't think so, either didn't drive it fast enough, long enough or deaf. put the window down, remove your muffler, you wont hear rattles. RHD, comlex chinese character, so not HK i presume, where?

its true about making the exhaust louder.... I just changed my mufflers... can only hear them now. :-)

i have had 911 3.0, 911 3.2, 964 cab, targa, coupe, 993, 996, 997. they all rattle. just a matter of degree. you can try to fix it. you will go crazy chasing after it. just lower the window, big exhaust, and keep the right foot down. life is so much better this way.

It looks like HK.. atleast from yellow plates and RHD...

My 2000 Boxster S had a fair amount of squeaks and rattles that I had fixed under warranty. These include dash rattles/squeaks (most were resolved by putting felt between the plastic of the dash and the window) a temperature related airbag rattle (this was fixed but I don't know how they took care of it) door lock rattles (a metal on metal squeak that is resolved by adjusting the striker plate) and finally a dash rattle that was due to a fastener under the dash that was key to the dash installation (the dealer took care of it as they'd encountered it several times before). Also, check out the rattle related TSBs as there are lots of things that Porsche is aware of that can cause unwanted noises and the proposed solution. My 2004 C4S has an annoying dash rattle that I traced down to the glove-box and it only occurs when it's in the closed position. I think it is the plastic bits on the straps but I need to do a bit more experimentation. I also had a sunroof rattle that was caused by the weatherstrip partially coming off the spring-loaded rain strip. Reinstalling the rubber part correctly took care of that one. The point is that most, if not all, rattles can be gotten rid of if enough time is spent on it. The dealers have the experience of knowing where to look as they've seen the same ones over and over. The other problem is that sound within the cabin can seem like it's coming from a location totally unrelated to the actual source so it helps to have a friend along when chasing down unwanted noises.

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Thanks mooty (and all) - I feel better knowing it's not just mine. Was beginning to think it may have been in an accident previously or something similar that was causing it... And yes, it's Hong Kong - we're RHD here (throw back from the british colonial past) and they should be traditional chinese characters... Thanks - some great advice here. Good to know they can be tracked down and fixed...