new rattle

[Rick Hartley]

I recently hit a big pothole in my '02. Immediately thereafter the car started with a sort of squeak around the top of the drivers side door (at the rear of the door). It sounds sort of like styrafoam squeaking whenever I hit even a small bump. I have tried holding the door tightly with my hand but this has no effect.
any thoughts on the cause?? solution??

[indydave]

I bought my first Boxster last week, and it had the rattle you described.

While yours could be one of a hundred different things, here's something that's quick, easy, and free to test.

Wrap 3-4 strands of electrical tape around the door latch striker then test-drive the car. If the rattle is gone, it means your door striker needs adjustment (a plausible cause after a major pothole strike).

This proved to be the case on my Boxster, and was also the culprit for a maddening rattle I had in the back of a Mazda Tribute. It's hard to troubleshoot, because the sound is nothing you'd associate with a door latching mechanism.

Good luck!

Here's another thread on the same topic:

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12553&highlight=door+rattle