Noisy hardtop on Boxster 986 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

tobesetc · 06-02-2008, 03:43 AM

My Boxster S 986 (2003) has a hardtop which is very noisy. It squeaks and creaks like you would not believe.

Has anyone got a solution for this? I'd thought of putting vaseline (petroleum jelly) on the rubber seals - anyone tried that?

Any other ideas how to stop the noise? It's driving me insane. I live in London UK, so I need a hardtop for security as much as our awful weather.

rick3000 · 06-02-2008, 04:13 AM

I would not put anything on the seals. A few people have tried that and all it did was increase the squeaking.
You just need to readjust the top to fit the car better. I know that my top has gotten out of alignment over time, requiring readjustment. Use the 5 bolts on each side, to adjust it and have a helper assist you by pushing the top forward and down so you can tighten the bolts enough that they don't squeak. You will never be able to get rid of all the noise, but this should help.

tobesetc · 06-02-2008, 11:09 AM

PROBLEM SOLVED: Thanks to a guy on Porsche Club GB Forum. At the front of the hard top roof are two flat prongs that mate with the top of the windscreen frame. They have a little plastic cap on them that is prone to come off and get lost. One of mine had done just that, and that side of the car was making all the noise. I just rigged up a very cheap and cheerful solution with a bit of soft plastic I had that was roughly the right size and shape. Put it over the end of the prong and refitted the roof making sure my bit of plastic didn't fall off (easier said than done). It has 100% solved all the rattles, squeaks and creaks coming from my hard top. You would not believe the huge difference such a tiny (10mm x 8mm) bit of plastic could make. I'll be getting a proper cap from PC tomorrow but the problem is now fixed.

angeneely · 02-27-2009, 10:31 AM

Some of my hardtop squeaking was not the hardtop. The hartop rests on a panel covering the softtop. When you latch the hardtop down, it pushes the panel down and causes rubber bumbers to engage the panel. I cured a lot of squeaking by removing the hardtop, partially opening the softtop, putting some wool socks on the rubber bumpers, closing the softtop and replacing the hardtop.
That was my temporary solution that became permanent this winter. Next winter, I will look for a more elegant solution.