Question for older 996 owners

I will be putting up my '99 996 for sale later this week. It has 77K miles. My question is for anybody with a 996 of similar age. What kind of rattles and creaks are you getting from your cars? To paraphrase a certain (yet forgotten) magazine editor, my car is moaning and groaning like Russel Crowe's ship in Master + Commander. The sunroof rattles, the center console rattles, the steering wheel groans a bit, there's something funky going on with the A/C vents, and that's just half the story! So I'd like to know if this is normal for a 996 with this many miles, or if my car is worse off than average, thus reducing its resale value. Thanks!

i've got a 99 but its only got half as many miles. no squeeks or rattles or anything. if i were you i'd try to fix as many of them as you can before selling.

It doesn't sound out of the norm at all. My previous 1999 had so many rattles that it made me nuts. I did learn a lot about removing and replacing panels as I attacked each and every rattle/groan/etc personally. Porsche supplies their mechanics with this really effective felt tape that comes in small rolls about one inch wide by 20 inches long. It can be cut and used to isolate most rattles. In 2002 and up, Porsche used this felt tape in most of those identified areas of concern. I have to say though, I never, ever got my sunroof to be rattle free and I suspect that there are many other early 996 owners who feel your pain as well. I doubt that any educated potential buyer would overlook a good car due to rattles/etc. Good luck selling it and I hope that it's for the right reason- to buy a newer Porsche!

It's not just the sunroof -- cabriolet tops rattle too! My cabriolet top was rattling quite a bit where the top meets the windshield. A little bit of Krytox and the rattling went away. There was a TSB that addressed the cabriolet top rattles specifically. I recommend you join Renntech.org and read the TSBs for the coupe. Good luck on your sale.

Mine's a 2000 with only 8900 miles but it rattles too. The sunroof rattles and the passenger side dash rattles. I've gotten the passenger side dash fixed pretty well by putting small strips of thin cardboard in between the panels. However, I don't know what to do about the sunroof...

I'm telling you guys-go to your local Porsche dealership and demand this felt tape stuff. It works miracles and is better than admitting that you use cardboard in your Porsche.

The sunroof on my '03 rattled as I drove it off the lot new. I was driving a brand new car home with my left hand pushing up the interior panel to stop the racket. I greased the rails with thick white lithuim grease and have never heard another peep from it. Oddly enough the whole car is quieter now than new, or I just got used to it. Sport exhaust helps. That back axle thump? either it's gone now or its now part of the rich tapestry of the Porsche experience.

I've got a 99', it seems to be rattle free at the moment and Im reaching 30K. Hopefully it wont start to rattle anytime in the near future(fingers crossed).

I have a 99 C4 with 35K and so far the only rattle that was there from the beginning is the ticking noise from the roof above where the seatbealt starts.

99 with just over 30k miles and pretty much rattle free. I have some noise when the sunroof is fully open.

my 04 made noise right out the lot...brand new, I took it in for service and all the rattles are gone....Felt tape does wonders...Incredible

My 2000 C2 has two rattles: seat belt adjuster covers (now removed for harness bar) and the storage cover in the driver side door. Soon to be replaced.

Can you get the felt tape mail order anywhere?

Do you have to remove the dash panels to install the felt tape or can you force it in between them when they are still installed? I'm afraid to remove anything... I figure I'll either break them during removal or break them during re-installation! Thanks, Cardboard Guy

'99 Cab with about 28K miles. No rattle issues.

'99 C2 coupe with 60k miles. rattles all over the place as well as progressivly increasing vibration as you go from 60-80+ mph in steering wheel as well as all over car. possibly alignment issue but not sure yet.

I am "older" and so is my 996 First drive impressions are key, if the car rattles or seems loose it may scare people away, if it were me I would get some magic tape and fix as many as I could before attempting to sell. Rattles drive me nuts that said My '99 C2 Coupe has the; "typical" noises when the sunroof is open occasional noise around pass. side airbag cover (could be fixed with the magic tape I suppose but it only happens once in a great while and I just reach over and push the cover closed a bit and it is all better, then I forget about it)

My "99 has 46k on the clock. Only sunroof noise and an occational dash squeek...nothing too annoying

Mine rattles at the dash and sunroof If you are a renntech member you can download the the TSB to fix these items (which i'm going to attempt when i get home) the Tape works wonders and since we are out of warrenty - it's better to DYI...

I had a '99 cabriolet that was a daily driver in New York City and had no rattles when I sold it after 3 years and 55k mi. to get an '02. That car now has 50k mi. and no rattles although when I first took delivery there were a lot of rattles in the cabriolet top. This turned out to be cables rubbing togetther for which there was a TSB which involved wrapping them in tape of some sort. Mereel77: I'd be interested in knowing where you are advertising your car for sale as I will be looking to sell my '02 in the spring when the 997S I have on order goes into production. Will you be using any of the internet sites such as cars.com or autotrader.com?

I only have some rattles when driving on really bads roads. They come from shelf on the back of the car. The car has 50k kms and runs like a charm.

interesting... i get that same rattle in the pass airbag cover as well. but it does not happen very often. in fact it is quite infrequent that when it does happen it drives me crazy

just get a cab, keep the top down, and get a fabspeed muffler bypass.. you won't hear any rattles.. trust me, i know.. <g> btw, good news.. 1,000 new miles on my 99 on it's 3rd engine without any problems.. yay!

I keep getting these siren noises and flashing blue lights..... two tickets in as many months......and I have a V1 hardwired.....got unlucky with the instant on! oh yeah....rattles in my top and now my centre console. Due for my 75K service....will get the new Melbourne dealer to fix (except the tickets!)

My 2000 has over 81,000 miles on it, and it's pretty much rattle free. Not that I never had any rattles, but I took care of them as soon as they appeared. Instead of using that felt tape from the dealer, you can also use black hockey-stick tape.

'99 c2 with 31 k miles rattles from the passenger side door and the back (someplace) i have to get back there and have someone drive so i can find it. i second the question- can one mail order this felt tape stuff?

Just use hockey tape - it's almost the same thing and probably a lot cheaper. Wrap it around just about anything (wires etc) that rubs against anything else.

I have a few creaks and groans every now and then, but once I get loosened up, they stop. Well... your thread title said Question for older 996 owners , but you probably meant Question for owners of older 996's My car is an '04, and no rattles!

My C4 w/ 71 K has two rattles, one from the passanger airbag area and one from the drive side door airbag. Rattles must be a part of P-car. In Detroit Free Press dated Oct. 20, 2005 the auto critic reviewed the 2005 Carrera S and Carrera coupe, He said "only some rattles and loose interior trim kept either from a four star rating" (his higest rating)

'99 with slightly over 15K with a sunroof rattle that was fixed by the dealer (twice).

No rattles at 61k.

For those with cabs that rattle at the header, there is a flocking panel that is plastic that often get warped. It's above the headliner. All cars have rattles over time. If you take care of each as they come up, your car will be tight as it should. Sports cars are in general more rattle prone due to stiff chassis and suspension.

I have a very early 1999 C2 with over 98k miles and no rattles. I did have a bad rattle in the rear about a year ago. I found the drivers side muffler had failed internally. I didn't cut it open, but it sure did make a lot of noise when I shook it around. Now that I have said this Mr. Murphy is likley to pay me a visit soon.

99- 996 w/ 68k - no rattles

2001 996 with 52K miles. No rattles except the passenger sport seat when it's empty. If I'm on a smooth highway going the speed limit it's no problem. If I have a passenger it's no problem, otherwise a little rattle. Other than that...none. k

I have a '99 with 69k miles and it's rattle free. I did remove the entire rear portion of the car (the plastic trim pieces) a few months back to fix a few broken clips. Seriously... I have no rattle issues even with my 18" wheels and the Houston roads.