cracking noise fron the soft hood

[roanne4]

Hi

since i have 5000 kms we can ear a cracking noise coming from the roof when closed , on each side appearing on bad roads.

someone already know that ?

solution ?

many thanks

best regards

roger

boxster S 987

[jimher]

Hi there,

I have a 2006 987 and I think I have a similar problem. The noise is more of a clicking/rattling sound (vs cracking) and it appears to come from one of the joints on the driver side of the roof. I'm debating whether to bring it in to the dealership to look at. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Jim

Hi

since i have 5000 kms we can ear a cracking noise coming from the roof when closed , on each side appearing on bad roads.

someone already know that ?

solution ?

many thanks

best regards

roger

boxster S 987

[Popolou]

I believe i'm in the same boat.

Over harsh roads you would hear the clicking of a sticky joint. its not so much a rattle, but rather a joint that could do with some lube. I've been trying to place it and i think its coming from the frame mount behind the seatbelt spools at the top. It's on both sides.

I'm not convinced that the OPC will know what to do in this case (from previous reports on this) and may even exacerbate the problem unfortunately.

Regards

Popolou

[roanne4]

I believe i'm in the same boat.

Over harsh roads you would hear the clicking of a sticky joint. its not so much a rattle, but rather a joint that could do with some lube. I've been trying to place it and i think its coming from the frame mount behind the seatbelt spools at the top. It's on both sides.

I'm not convinced that the OPC will know what to do in this case (from previous reports on this) and may even exacerbate the problem unfortunately.

Regards

Popolou

I agree with that.

I have a visit on 26th at the Porsche center to check.

I'll keep you informed

merry X'mas.

roger

[Popolou]

Cheers. I'm trying to undertake a little examination for myself. I just need to discover how the fabric trim is pulled back before i can examine the mechanisms.

Regards

Popolou

[1JB]

Hi

since i have 5000 kms we can ear a cracking noise coming from the roof when closed , on each side appearing on bad roads.

someone already know that ?

solution ?

many thanks

best regards

roger

boxster S 987

I had this pretty badly on the passenger side and only on big bumps on the driver side and only when it was cold outside. I took it to the dealer and of course it turned out to be over 70 degrees that day so it was quiet as could be. Only does it when the temperature is in the 50's and lower it seems. Anyway the dealer opened the top about a third of the way so the fabric was loose enough around the rear side of the window to pull back a bit a look inside. He ended up lubricating what looks like a rectangular piece of fabric close to the edge of the top and appearing to protect the metal components from rubbing on the plastic parts that go around the window. First cold day and problem solved on the passenger side. Now it's gotten worse on the driver's side. I lubricated the same thing wih pure silicone spray and it helped a bit. Now I've used the same spray to lubricate the plastic components that form around the window where they meet and it's better but not completely gone. The dealer said it's an issue but they don't know what it is or have a fix yet.

[jimher]

Hi

since i have 5000 kms we can ear a cracking noise coming from the roof when closed , on each side appearing on bad roads.

someone already know that ?

solution ?

many thanks

best regards

roger

boxster S 987

I had this pretty badly on the passenger side and only on big bumps on the driver side and only when it was cold outside. I took it to the dealer and of course it turned out to be over 70 degrees that day so it was quiet as could be. Only does it when the temperature is in the 50's and lower it seems. Anyway the dealer opened the top about a third of the way so the fabric was loose enough around the rear side of the window to pull back a bit a look inside. He ended up lubricating what looks like a rectangular piece of fabric close to the edge of the top and appearing to protect the metal components from rubbing on the plastic parts that go around the window. First cold day and problem solved on the passenger side. Now it's gotten worse on the driver's side. I lubricated the same thing wih pure silicone spray and it helped a bit. Now I've used the same spray to lubricate the plastic components that form around the window where they meet and it's better but not completely gone. The dealer said it's an issue but they don't know what it is or have a fix yet.

Guys,

I took my car into the dealership yesterday and as Popolu predicted, not much success. They said that they couldnt hear anything coming out of the driver side but thought there may be a sound coming from the roll bar on the passenger side. They worked on the roll bar (not sure what they actually did) but, of course, as soon as I drove off the lot the noise came back in full force. I'm really not sure how they missed the noise since its quite obvious (and obnoxious). I'm going to send the dealer this set of postings and perhaps take my car back. Hopefully some of the tips by Popolu and 1JB can steer them in the right direction.

I'll let you guys know what I find out.

[1JB]

Hi

since i have 5000 kms we can ear a cracking noise coming from the roof when closed , on each side appearing on bad roads.

someone already know that ?

solution ?

many thanks

best regards

roger

boxster S 987

I had this pretty badly on the passenger side and only on big bumps on the driver side and only when it was cold outside. I took it to the dealer and of course it turned out to be over 70 degrees that day so it was quiet as could be. Only does it when the temperature is in the 50's and lower it seems. Anyway the dealer opened the top about a third of the way so the fabric was loose enough around the rear side of the window to pull back a bit a look inside. He ended up lubricating what looks like a rectangular piece of fabric close to the edge of the top and appearing to protect the metal components from rubbing on the plastic parts that go around the window. First cold day and problem solved on the passenger side. Now it's gotten worse on the driver's side. I lubricated the same thing wih pure silicone spray and it helped a bit. Now I've used the same spray to lubricate the plastic components that form around the window where they meet and it's better but not completely gone. The dealer said it's an issue but they don't know what it is or have a fix yet.

Guys,

I took my car into the dealership yesterday and as Popolu predicted, not much success. They said that they couldnt hear anything coming out of the driver side but thought there may be a sound coming from the roll bar on the passenger side. They worked on the roll bar (not sure what they actually did) but, of course, as soon as I drove off the lot the noise came back in full force. I'm really not sure how they missed the noise since its quite obvious (and obnoxious). I'm going to send the dealer this set of postings and perhaps take my car back. Hopefully some of the tips by Popolu and 1JB can steer them in the right direction.

I'll let you guys know what I find out.

Jimher - For what it's worth my dealer said they lubricated the area they did on the passenger side from an older bulletin from Porsche on another issue. Don't know what it was. I also took it to the dealer for the noise on the driver side after their success on the passenger side. They supposedly did the same lubrication, different tech though, and it made no difference on the driver side. Although it seems to have diminished with the lubricating I've done I'm beginning to suspect it's not the top and I just can't hear it with the top down. It seems to be right in the seat belt harness connect area. Have them drive it with you in the passenger seat. It may be that it can't be heard from the passenger seat if that's where their tech was sitting.

[Popolou]

Do keep us posted. :thumbup:

Unfortunately, i just put the HT on today so i've got another set of sounds coming from the cold rubbers taking the full weight of the HT! Soon settled down tho. :rolleyes:

When i get back over the New Years i'm gonna tackle this head on. I suspect the only difficulty with the whole process would be pulling back the headlining to get at the hinges. After that it should just be a matter of lightly lube'ing the right one.

Best of luck.

Regards

Popolou

[PAULSPEED]

Hi,

I just got a boxster as a loaner car. I heard the

same noise as you discribed. I felt it was the flexing

of the car when it went over bumps. I

will let the dealer know.

Paul

[jimher]

I took my car in this morning for a follow-up. The technician and I went for a test drive and he was able to hear the noise. It looks like the noise is coming from the entire back side, not just the driver side roof. He said the problem was that part of the frame was hitting against the cloth. When it gets real cold, apparently the cloth gets real hard and causes the noise when it bumps against the metal. He added some kind of tape between the parts that's suppose to reduce the noise. He went for another test drive but unfortunately, today was the rare day in San Diego when it was raining so he had a hard time discerning between the rattling and the rain drops hitting the top. He asked that I come back when its sunny so they can nail the problem.

For the first 15 minutes after I left the dealer, the sound was pretty much gone (except when I go over really significant bumps). But as I was pulling into the office, the noise came back consistently. Quite obnoxious. So the saga continues...

[roanne4]

Just back from Porsche dealer, they noticed the noise.

after a serious lubrification of the entire mecanism of the roof, the noise disappears on driver side but still slightly present on passenger side but very low.

it seems that, at the fabrication this lubrification was too low.

problem solved ( for the moment).

regards

roger

[jimher]

Just got my car back after a second go. They did the following:

"Tightened seat belt spool mount at roll cage. Tightened B-Pillar components on both sides. Applied krytox to support straps at B-Pillars".

So far so good. The noise appears to be gone. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Btw, I also got the clear parking lights. Nice look for only $40.

Jim

[Popolou]

Amazing. Almost a year after i post about it and us all looking for a solution, i finaly got round to having a peek behind the headliner to trace this incredibly annoying rattle/clicking sound that can be heard from almost ear level on either side of the soft top frame.

I managed to peel back the internal lining and started to poke around on each component. Everything seemed just fine with no lack of lube at the joints and a solid feeling all round. Almost when i thought it was time to give up i noticed one of the straps connecting to the outer fabric looking a little creased. It's hard to believe, but this was ultimately the cause of the clicking sound.

This strap travels diagonally upwards and connects to the upper loop that's above the rear window. The other end comes down towards the passenger glass and connects via a wide and thin piece of fabric, itself connecting to the outer fabric of the soft top. The purpose of this strap+fabric is to keep the side of the canvass flush with the plastic trim and taut. It's under constant tension and only when the hood is in the process of retracting does it let up. From what i can tell, the fabric is meant to rest and move within a plastic brace thats covering the vertical section of the soft top frame that's the main mounting point to the chassis. After a number of operations, the fabric slips out and catches itself on the upper protruding edge of the plastic brace and stays there.

So, when driving, the usual miniscule movements of the soft top fabric pulls on this strap that's caught on the plsatic brace and that's how you get your rattles/clicking sound when moving.

I tried to be as detailed as possible since i hadn't had a camera to hand. If it turns out that there are a number of people also affected by this i'll try and get a shot to clear things up.

Finally, rattle free at last! :lol:

Regards

Pop's

[TP555]

Wonderful desription! Since I've had the same problem with my 06 for over a year, I will try to look and see if the same conditions exist. What did you do to "fix" the root cause? Just try to reposition the wide fabric strap with respect to the vertical piece of plastic or something else? Thanks again for your detailed post.

[Popolou]

For the time being, i used a thin cable tie that was a snug fit within the plastic brace, to reduce the size of that fabric so as not to let it slip out. It worked well and was trouble free, but it seemed to return after the hood was lowered/raised a few times.

I intend to have an other shot at it by fixing some smooth tape to the face of the plastic brace so that the fabric will slip down into its normal position as opposed to catching on the protruding edges.

I think i've nailed it, so it's just a matter of finding the best remedy now. Will be sure to have a camera this time! :rolleyes: :lol:

Regards

Pop's

[1JB]

Thanks for the info Popolou. I'll check mine out. To access the area did you leave the top closed and pull back the lining?

[Popolou]

Bit fiddly to be honest.

I started by removing the plastix torx screws holding down the headliner to the rear-most frame under the rear screen, accessible if you remove the windstop and the honeycomb trim on the roll-over hoop. You can see these plastic screws easily but removing/replacing can be a hassle tbh.

Then, i removed the rear trim covering the seatbelt (single screw) and loosened the tension cord that runs the within the outer endge of the hood (another single plastic screw and right in front of you). Then, put the hood in the service position which slacked off the top enough to get at the velcro's along the frame and remove them from the outside. This should give you enough clearance to pull back the headliner from behind the passenger window frame and access the internal straps/fabric.

On hindsight, i doubt you'd need to remove the three plastic torx screws as i did to start off since the fault isn't that far back. If you focus on the tension cord and velcro's it should be easy enough. Once you have what you need loose and tied back, you can erect the hood and latch it as normal so to create the tension you need in the frame and straps to diagnose the problem.

Pop

[Popolou]

Incidentally, i managed to get hold of a pic of the exact strap and fabric i'm referring to: -

So you can see that the strap on the left connects to the upper frame while the fabric to the right pulls on the outer hood. The whole thing keeps the side nice and taut. The problem is with the fabric (3A) creeping upwards onto a protruding section of the brace (visible in the pic) and just above the widest section of the fabric.

I suppose that you can directly tell from the pic that loosening the strap by dropping down a screw-hole may fix this in 5 mins but i don't know how this will affect the appearance of the hood from the outside. You may have trouble retracting/opening the hood around the window area or buffeting issues at speed.

Pop

Edited October 17, 2007 by Popolou

[1JB]

Well I seem to have finally solved this intermittent but annoying problem. I sprayed the wide triangular flap shown above with pure silicone on both sides quite liberally as well as the plastic parts that surrond the window where they join each other and where they come in contact with the edge of the top. No more clicking sound even in cold weather now. My theory is that the flap was catching on the protruson from the bar it is attached to. It showed signs of wear on that side. The dealer had previously fixed the problem on the other side by lubricating something so I think it may be the flap. Might be the plastic trim as well.

[jayray]

Well I seem to have finally solved this intermittent but annoying problem. I sprayed the wide triangular flap shown above with pure silicone on both sides quite liberally as well as the plastic parts that surrond the window where they join each other and where they come in contact with the edge of the top. No more clicking sound even in cold weather now. My theory is that the flap was catching on the protruson from the bar it is attached to. It showed signs of wear on that side. The dealer had previously fixed the problem on the other side by lubricating something so I think it may be the flap. Might be the plastic trim as well.

Where is the picture? Any chance they actually fix these things in later models?

[rdicecco]

Well I seem to have finally solved this intermittent but annoying problem. I sprayed the wide triangular flap shown above with pure silicone on both sides quite liberally as well as the plastic parts that surrond the window where they join each other and where they come in contact with the edge of the top. No more clicking sound even in cold weather now. My theory is that the flap was catching on the protruson from the bar it is attached to. It showed signs of wear on that side. The dealer had previously fixed the problem on the other side by lubricating something so I think it may be the flap. Might be the plastic trim as well.

Where is the picture? Any chance they actually fix these things in later models?

I seem to be hearing the same noise on my '06 Boxster. Did anyone ever get any information from a dealer or Porsche NA about this problem? It appears that several folks have been dealing with this DIY and I'm wondering why it isn't being covered under warranty... I want to have all the information I can before I bring it to my local dealer.

Thanks...

[Popolou]

Well I seem to have finally solved this intermittent but annoying problem. I sprayed the wide triangular flap shown above with pure silicone on both sides quite liberally as well as the plastic parts that surrond the window where they join each other and where they come in contact with the edge of the top. No more clicking sound even in cold weather now. My theory is that the flap was catching on the protruson from the bar it is attached to. It showed signs of wear on that side. The dealer had previously fixed the problem on the other side by lubricating something so I think it may be the flap. Might be the plastic trim as well.

Where is the picture? Any chance they actually fix these things in later models?

I seem to be hearing the same noise on my '06 Boxster. Did anyone ever get any information from a dealer or Porsche NA about this problem? It appears that several folks have been dealing with this DIY and I'm wondering why it isn't being covered under warranty... I want to have all the information I can before I bring it to my local dealer.

Thanks...

AFAIK and within the UK, it seems to all come down to the OPC and the strength of your position. I have heard of techs having a bash at rectifying the problem (with some very wild assumptions as to where the problem actually is) while on the other end hearing of a chap getting a replacement frame (albeit for a few other problems, but this particualr one remained).

There have been no TSB's on the issue either so it seems that Porsche do not consider this to be a big problem, or customers have not reported this issue to their dealerships in sufficient numbers in order for P to accept there is something that needs to be done.

If indeed, it is a fault with the 9x7 range, then it may just be early days since this seems to only surface after at least 18 months or more of use.

Regards

Popolou

[Guest carpediemgr]

Generaly all metal parts need lubrication often and the rubbers need silicone for not be destroyed from (cold -hot) deference and not listen to rubber noise during is attached on the metal body during drive .

[Popolou]

However in this case, the fault is not from either a metal nor a rubber piece.

Popolou