Rattle in rear

[Hunderman]

I have a 2001 Boxter (30,000 miles) with a slightly annoying problem; there is a rattle that is only noticeable at very low speeds over bumpy surfaces. At normal driving speeds, the rattle is not noticeable. The rattle seems to be coming from the rear wheel wells. The tires were recently replaced and the mechanics (Porsche dealership) did not notice anything out of the ordinary in the wheel wells. They did not investigate my complain of a rattle further (too expensive). So replacing the tires did not change the rattle.

Any ideas?

[911sc]

u not alone ,i do have the same problem ,if u came across how to fixed it please let me know ,thank's

[aglsteven]

Guys,
When I was having a number of rattles attended to, the mechanic at the garage told me that I too had a rattle at the left rear wheel.

Same symptons as you had discribed. Only noticable at slow speeds over bumpy surfaces.

He told me this was actually coming from the rear shock absorber - and that they had noticed on a few Boxsters over the years. Solution - fit a new shock absober at only $500 each. Ouch. I'm going to put up with the rattle for a little longer.

[RandallNeighbour]

That would be $500 Australian dollars, right? My rear struts were 165.00 each, but I live in the USA where parts seem to be cheaper than other countries.

[luvguava]

Well, damn, what a coincidence. I am looking at a 2001 Boxster S with 30,000 miles too! And it has that rear left rattling. I am very happy to hear that it is simply a $200 or so part. That pretty much resolved the dilemma I had about getting the car but not wanting to risk an expesive repair. COOL! I guess I'll be posting here soon as an actual owner.

[RandallNeighbour]

Er, um, I was just doing a dollar conversion there. If the rear left is rattling in the Boxster you wish to purchase and it's diagnosed as a bad strut, you should ask the existing owner to replace them before you buy the car. It an expensive repair in my recent (two weeks ago) experience...

1. Can't replace just one — replacing both rear struts is important for your suspension so you don't go bouncing around with one new one and one old one. $350.00 + s/h if you buy them off a web site as I did. Bilstein heavy duty struts are what I bought (not the sport model, which are more $$ and provide a stiffer ride).

2. Labor to install them is about 3-5 hours, and part of the job requires two people if I am not mistaken. My mechanic only charged me $300.00, his rate being $75 an hour. My local stealership is now $98 an hour, but they quote and charge off a spec sheet from PCA, so it doesn't matter if the mechanic is fast... you pay the same, and it will be more than I paid. Call the Honolulu Porsche service dept. and ask what labor only is on rear struts.

3. A four wheel alignment is required after the rear struts have been replaced because it knocks the whole rear end out of alignment. I paid $78 + tax for a four wheel laser alignment that gave me a four page color printout. Firestone has the same equipment and will give a lifetime four wheel alignment for $120.00... I'm doing it with them next time.

Not to discourage you, but rear strut replacement, if indeed that is the source of the rattling, is going to cost you upwards of $750 or more.

Now it might just be a LOOSE Strut bolt... that's a five minute fix by most any mechanic... and I do hope that's all it is. When I bought my boxster I had a rattle at low speeds and found out it was a broken weld on the exhaust. Five minutes in a muffler shop to spot weld it back and no more rattle. Sometimes, fixes are cheap, but "cheap" has not been a word I've used often when discussing repairs on our cars.

Wanna learn all about Boxsters before you buy one? CLICK HERE

[luvguava]

THANKS for that insight! I would be purchasing the car from a dealer and they won't fix it at the price I am getting. They won't diagnose it either unless I pay for it. So it's a gamble. Damn! I was REALLY looking forward to getting this car. But I am not willing to spend $750 or so on the repair plus the price of the car. It is cherry though. Well, who knows? Maybe the dealer will play ball afterall. Time will tell. Thanks again.