My 2012 997.2 with 92k miles has low speed front end rattles and clunks

Recently purchased this one owner 2012 997.2 S Cab, in wonderful condition … other than it has some annoying low speed rattles with an occasional clunk. Happens over small bumps, railroad crossings, ets. Wondering whether the issues are control arms, tie rod ends, shocks, bushings … given I don‘t know much about a 911 suspension, I am looking for some guidance. I have a great indie who will install whatever is needed to correct the issue for a reasonable cost. Any comments from personal experience will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. LJ

If you have a great Indy that you trust why not have the car put in the air for a visual check? A check of whether the tire wear is even can yield some information as well. Other than geometry and design, suspensions are one area of a car that have some universal elements and wear points . The issue might be very apparent upon inspection. After identification you can determine whether you want to upgrade whatever component needs replacement. If you wish to change from the stock Porsche setup there are many offerings available. PS that looks like a very clean well cared for car, good for you in finding and purchasing it.

agree with your comment about having the indy check it out…was scheduled last week for the inspection and he just got too busy to fit it in, hence my question to the group was due to my impatience. I am scheduled to go see him next week and hopefully he can show me what‘s needing to be replaced and/or updated. I don’t want to stiffen the ride because it has PASM tied to the sport plus mode/ launch control. And I doubt I will get into tracking it … unfortunately, the last time I drove a Cayman GTS fast on a track was at the Porsche experience center in Atlanta, I made myself so car-sick it had to stop and barf. It must have been due to a recent case of vertigo that just won’t seem to let go of me 100%. Oh well, the effects of age set in whether we like it or not. To your point about finding and purchasing it, I am ok spending a little dough correcting a few wear items like the suspension because I was able to buy the car in the low 50k’s (due to its miles) from a local specialty dealer who knew the owner and car well. The purchase was made easier because I was able to sell my 2009 BS 987.2 with 46k miles for mid 30k’s to a private party. My Boxster was an exceptionally clean first gen PDK with new brakes/rotors, new conti’s , wheel refinish, etc, so it lessened the blow (with tax/title the upgrade cost was almost exactly $20k) to satisfy my need for a small back seat to take our grandsons for rides. I have had the 911 for about a month now and the boys clamor for a ride every time they get a chance! The Porsche experience is catchy and hopefully is passing to the next gen!

A couple of other pics … …build plan is to get all maintenance items fixed first, then refinished the wheels in hyper silver with black internal accents, refinish calipers in black, put a light very light smoke on the taillights, remove the bumperettes. The will try to find a size combination of Conti AS’s also that will fit …it‘s impossible to find rear all seasons in 305/30/19 so will have to go with a narrower rear tire with a larger aspect ratio and then add a ~7mm spacer to maintain the rear stance. After all this is complete, plan to do some engine upgrades starting with an improved exhaust system. I am thinking it will take me a couple of years to complete and about $10k. This will keep my basis in the car in the low 60’s which is within reason from a value standpoint. Make sense?

In the meantime, be hyper vigilant about your tire pressures so you don't promote the chances of bending a wheel due to some extra bouncing. All makes sense to me except painting "big reds" one of the signatures any S, but it's your car so what makes sense to you is all that matters my man.

Ok ok … youre probably right … just might have to scrap the smoked lights and find a third area for red. Maybe I will add red to Pepita seat inserts?

don't forget to rule out the motor mounts.

And muffler mounting hardware. Also plastic underbody panels.

You have all probably read this article on the various potential upgrades for a 997.2 S from Sharkworks, but I found it an interesting, informative and enjoyable read on a Sunday morning. It’s written with minimal of strong superlatives and sticks to facts, often saying what not to do vs just trying to sell more add-ons that won’t bring value, or worse might actually degrade performance. Happy motoring. Shark Werks Tuning Guide for Porsche 997.2 Carrera / S / 4 / 4S / GTS (2009-2012)

I have a 997.2 as well and just swapped out the motor mounts and it’s amazing the difference… as for a clunk it’s hard to know where that’s coming from without driving it. I would say the mounts could clear most of that up, but I have a soft rattle and it’s the damn top hat bolt on the DS coilover(common)…and I really don’t want to remove that to fix it… but I have too

A nice 997!!! For what it is worth, also check the sway bar / stabilizer end links - rubber bushing, whether top / bottom is "loose" (but difficult to check while under load). Our two other cars ( Acura , Subaru) had the same, clunking noise from driver side front wheel wells (low speed) and replaced them both. The clunking sounded like a heavy plastic part rattling around the suspension / wheel at low speed. If the bolts / nuts are not rusted (and can be removed "easily") then pretty easy job. I had to cut (using an angle grinder) one of the bolts for our SUV (rusted as we live in NE).

Ya suspension parts need to looked at on a hoist to get all the tension off of it so it lays “dead”, or Jack it up on both sides.. sway bars also have been a come loose part on some of my cars

To conclude this post, I needed new tie rods and control arms on both sides of the front suspension to stop the rattles and clunks. The bushing on both were just old and worn and had play in them when not under load. Replacing them corrected the noise. I may still need new shocks, but that can wait. With parts and labor, my amazing indie charged me just $900, and this included an oil change. Happy happy.

So I’ve had a soft rattle like noise coming from the front end (see above somewhere) and I thought it was a top hat bolt on the coilover (good place to start). Well last night while washing the car i was drying off my front hood and I heard “that loose metal sound”… bingo! It was the hood latch, and the rubber adjustments needed to be screwed out …. Super glad I ran across that because I thought sure it was front end pieces and we all know how involved that can get

Will check to make sure my hood latch isn’t rattling also! Thanks for the tip.