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Don't be scared - you won't break anything... And the rewards are goooooood! Seriously, I was thinking of selling my car (because the squeaks and rattles were so bad) before I started stuffing felt everywhere. Now I never want to let it go!
W211, the speaker covers in back can easily be removed with a simple plastic prying tool. I used a cheap plastic knife, and just stuck it between the cover and trim and pried around the edges until the cover popped off. It's pretty flexible, but don't pry too far on one side for fear of breaking it. Once it's out, you'll see it's held in by 5 or 6 male prongs which engage in corresponding female receptors inside the trim. What I did was to wrap each male prong with a small strip of adhesive felt - it doesn't take much - before re-installing it. It creates a snug fit and "floats" the speaker cover from the trim on the felt, thus reducing or eliminating the rattle. I did the speaker covers on the dashboard similarly, and in summary the addition of the felt has cut down considerably on buzzes (at certain troublesome RPM ranges) and rattles over rough pavement.
I think the simple fact is that these cars are extremely stiff, with taught suspensions and low-profile tires, and vibrations and impacts which might be mitigated with compliant suspension or body flex in other cars (my experience is with the BMW M5 and Audi RS4...all very quiet and fast cars, but not true "sports" cars like a 911) are transmitted through trim and other fittings. I don't ascribe the problem to poor construction - I think they could have prioritized NVH control a bit more and put more "flexible" material in the trim joints to reduce impact "wiggles," but they didn't - the emphasis is on ultimate performance and handling, and I think that's all for the better. I just don't want to be distracted by all these squeaks and rattles because it detracts from the joy of driving. My car is now soooooooo much quieter since I've stuffed felt everywhere, and consequently I enjoy being in it that much more.
Of course, one can just get a set of muffler bypass pipes and forget the whole damn thing!
Thanks,
Pete
Thanks Pete, with your instructions, I had the courage and put felt all around the clips, will see if it makes a difference!
Despite havng only 40,000 miles, my 2005 C2 has been plagued with squeaks and rattles. Based on input from the forum regarding the infamous "instrument cluster" rattle, I decided to do battle with that one this weekend - and boy am I glad I did! After I had removed the instrument cluster and jammed about 60 metric tons of felt and adhesive backed foam tape all around it, I crammed that sucker back in there. What happened next was amazing..... Driving over rough pavement that never failed to produce a symphony of squeaks, creaks and rattles, what I heard was....... Nothing! In fact, rattles that I had previously ascribed to other parts of the car now seem to be resolved as well. I think I must have fallen prey to the "ventriloquist" tendencies of car sounds, which sometimes are found to emanate from places scarcely imaginable before.
So, the moral of the story is.... Pull that damn instrument cluster and wedge it full of felt if you have any pesky rattles, even if they don't seem to be comng from there!
Now, a question! One area I haven't been able to tackle yet - the carpeted trim right under the end of the rear windscreen. I think it's held on with "clips" of some sort. Anyone have an idea about how to take it off safely? I think I can just put a tool undr it and pull it out, but I am not sure. My plan is to wedge some more felt or foam around and possibly over the clips, then jam e damn thing back on. I think this is the source of the "Morse code" tap-tap-tap-tap sounds I sometimes hear from back there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Pete
Did you take any pictures. I'm going to do this. Should I buy the thin 3m felt sheets or thicker insulating tape. Any specific points you think to pad more than others on the instrument cluster. Thanks!
I can't remember now where I found the instructions for removing the instrument cluster - think it might have been on rennlist or renntech? Do a google search for "997 instrument cluster removal diy" and I think you'll get some good links.
As to what to use, I employed adhesive-backed felt sheets I got from Michael's craft store. It's easy to cut and it stays put where you stick it. I found it was best to put more felt under the cluster on both sides. That seemed to "wedge" it best against the upper part of the dash. The trick is doing it so that there is good contact with the felt, but also back far enough so it doesn't show with the cluster re-installed. I had to play with it a bit before I found the right placement.
Now I have to do the same thing with those pesky defroster vents!
Removal of carpeted panel below the 997.2 rear window
Hi all, I have been struggling to find the "tick tick" rattle myself in my 2010 C2S coupe. I would describe it as the unmuffled sound of a small ball bearing bouncing in a thin hard plastic cup. I got some relief from placing soft rubber wedges between the glass and the steel tabs of the frame to which the carpeted piece is retained. The rattle which remains is still the same but requiring more aggressive and brisciant bumps. After reading all of the posts and, given my extensive troubleshooting on this (including a borescope inspection of the area below), I believe it will turn out to be the right rear seatbelt reel. It is the only thing left I think.
Removal of 997.2 rear carpeted panel and "tick-tick" rattle silenced
The rubber shims mentioned above do indeed remove up to 85% of the rattle depending on air temperature, but this is unacceptable to me. I wanted to confirm my suspicions that the rear seat belt retractor was (or was not) the culprit as suggested elsewhere in this forum. I spoke with Brian Rogers, Porsche Service Advisor at Porsche of Towson in Towson, MD. He escorted me to the shop to discuss the rattle with Gold Certified Porsche Technician Curt Ledbetter. Curt asked a few pertinent questions then quickly found the source of the rattle.. Two studs which attach the upper deck lid fairing to the car (see the red annotations in the attached photos. Two turns with a 9mm socket,from inside (red annotations) and the rattle is silenced without the rubber shims. It turns out that the rubber shims were not providing quite enough tension in all temperature conditions; Anyway shims shouldn't be necessary at all. The refit of the carpeted panel is intuitive and trouble free providing the 5 clips are all present (see the white annotations below) and installed first on the steel body fame tabs provided. Then line up the molded nubs on the back of the carpeted panel with the steel clips and push briskly and gently. If any clips are missing get them from your Porsche dealer .. $1.40 USD each! They might be the least expensive part on the car. I hope this post helps. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.
Now, a question! One area I haven't been able to tackle yet - the carpeted trim right under the end of the rear windscreen. I think it's held on with "clips" of some sort. Anyone have an idea about how to take it off safely? I think I can just put a tool undr it and pull it out, but I am not sure. My plan is to wedge some more felt or foam around and possibly over the clips, then jam e damn thing back on. I think this is the source of the "Morse code" tap-tap-tap-tap sounds I sometimes hear from back there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Pete
I thought I was geting noise from that panel too so I removed it and replaced with new clips covered with anti-squeak tape. Discovered the noise was coming from inside the sunroof assembly. Your ears play tricks on you in a car. Take someone along with you to help isolate noises, I did and found them.
911 Rattle noise - a shame 911 owners have to deal with!
Originally Posted by Beer brewer
Don't be scared - you won't break anything... And the rewards are goooooood! Seriously, I was thinking of selling my car (because the squeaks and rattles were so bad) before I started stuffing felt everywhere. Now I never want to let it go!
Hi Beer - do you think you can post pictures on how to remove the instrument panels and place the felt? I just bought a 911 and the rattle sounded like either from the instrument panel or somewhere around the area. This sucks considering the price we pay for this premium car! I still own a BMW5 series, a merc and a corvette stingray; all are great cars but at lower price point and the interiors are impecable with no sound! Shame on Porsche. I am beginning to doubt my purchase and thinking to selling it back for a loss. Although I must say the car has superb road handling but the rattle noise is killing the pleasure of the driving experience. Appreciate if you can post pictures or youtube vid?
I’m afraid I can’t be of further assistance as I sold the car 5 years ago. After several 997s I’ve settled on a ‘92 Carrera 2 that is my “lifer.” I might get back into a 997 eventually but right now I’m loving the air cooled thing. Don’t despair - 997s are great cars. Just take the damn thing apart, stuff felt or foam everywhere you can, and drive! That, or put a loud exhaust on it and you won’t care!
03-28-2013, 06:47 PM
Beer brewer
