Creeky 911

Anyone tell me what the probable cause of a creek I hear coming from the front offside wheel area. I suspect a suspension issue on a joint or something but it has only just started and is only noticable at very slow speed. Next question I suppose I will be asking, once I know what is causing it, is will it be covered under the warranty?

had the same horrid noise will only get worse, it is the front wishbone and your opc will charge £250.00 to do it had one side done and the next went in 3 months, not covered under warranty, good old warranty. Phil

Thanks Philippe Why am I not surprised that the warranty won't cover it?

typical, and it seams that it is very common in fact my OPC had a job to get the part as it was on back order, in the end they got it from another dealer, glad as it was so noisey, people often looking and feeling pleased that you were driving a knackered sounding Porsche, little do they know.

Apparently Porsche classify it as a "fast moving stock item". Just to give an idea of how common this is take a look at this item on eBay, and note the number available: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=8065637431&rd=1,1

Richard, Is this a possible DIY for a 'moderate' skilled diy'er or are there specialist tools and alignment issues to consider? RB

If any suspension component is changed, minor differences in geometry do result and caster, camber, toe and KPI all need to be checked and adjusted. It is also imperative that all the front wheel adjustments are done relative to both a datum that bisects the car front to rear and to the prior alignment of the rear wheels. My independent had to invest in £15000 of computer-controlled, 4-wheel, laser alignment equipment for doing this so it's not really a DIY job!

I don't dispute that geometry is important, but this particular part is fairly precisely made. The points at which it is attached are non-adjustable, so the geometry shouldn't be affected badly. I think you'll find that the book time for the job is about an hour, and the total cost from an OPC is about £250 (independent around £175) so they won't do a geometry check afterwards - or maybe just a quick toe and camber check. It can be a bit of a pig to split the ball joint, but other than that it is relatively straightforward.

Take your point about the item being 'non-adjustable' It could be interesting to get before and after geometry checks done on cars where various different suspension components have been replaced. This could be included in the technical articles section to give owners a guideline on when realignment is or isn't required / recommended.

On the front axle of standard 996's there is only adjustment for camber and toe - nothing else. Therefore it is a relatively quick job to check them after any suspension component change. Camber is adjusted by moving the top strut mount in the slots, so you would definitely need to check it after changing a strut.