anyone seen rust around the engine vent area
 

im starting to view a few 986 this week

i saw a 2002 yesterday with rust bubbled coming from inside out under the engine vent grilles

ive seen one other owner on boxa.net complain of this...just wondering if its a common issue , as im keen to avoid a rusty car

Very odd, as these cars are known for being quite robust. Perhaps the paint was damaged at some point by the owner carelessly R&R the vent piece.

Good luck!

Porsche offers ten year rust through warranty, perhaps a drive to the dealership might be in order to document the problem for later coverage or solution.

Mine has never seen winter and only rain when caught in it, yet I have two little bubbles right under the intake, they are minuscule but they still piss me off.

I have heard of this problem but only from owners in the UK some thing about the sealant/foam around the inside edge of the vent holding moisture seems to ring a bell.
Might be worth "popping" the vent out and checking behind, it's only one screw and I can't see anyone selling a genuine car having a problem with you doing this.
Good luck with your search.

Mine has very small bubbles as well.

Very annoying as I try to take great care of my cars!

hmmm doesnt sound good if babied cars can suffer too

i wonder if its something most are going to do eventualy

anyone else got rust (state the year and weather its used in)

Since we all pamper our vehicles yet many from different locales are seeing this phenomenon, it leads me to believe it has something to do with the normal function of the intake. Perhaps moisture is retained, or directed in a way that promotes oxidation. I took it all apart and looked behind it but saw nothing, now I'm going to rustoleum the back regardless of whether it's apparently rusting back there or not.

the guy on boxa.net says theres spongey sealant over where it rusted , sounds like it holds moisture against the panel...even so 8 years isnt long for a quality to rust through

sounds like scraping all that sealer off then rust paint it ...and vents out at every service to check on it

Tony:

Don't use Rustoleum...

Get some POR-15 if you want to stop the rust.

Trust me on this one. I've been looking for the magic potion for decades, and this is the only stuff that I've found you can count on.

Regards, Maurice.

I have a little rust under the passenger side engine fan vent. It's a good two inches below it though. My car was someone's DD in Salt Lake City for many years, which explains it.

Is there a write-up on how to address the problem and it not look like a guy with no knowledge tried to fix it instead of taking the car to a body shop?

The best thing you can do to stop it from spreading is to sand or grind the surface down, clean it, and apply POR-15, and then any topcoat to stop UV damage.

Remember the song (or was it an album?) "Rust Never Sleeps"...truer words have never been spoken.

With POR-15, you don't have to grind down to bare metal, just get off any loose rust.

(BTW, no affiliation, but this stuff is the best. It cures by absorbing moisture, not by solvent evaporation. Don't get it on your hands. If it cures, the only way to get it off is for it to wear off).

Regards, Maurice.

Also got bubbles...
 

Although obviously not great, it's re-assuring to know I'm not the only one who has these little bubbles in the vicinity of the air vents. I've owned the 2002 2.7 for about 7 months and don't recall seeing them when I first inspected the vehice but noticed them last weekend - pissed me off too. I have one on offside and a few more the other side - roughly mid way between vent and sill. Will remove vents and take a look asap and let you know what I find.

Can this foam be removed permanently?

US car, 10 years old, driven in snow and salt, no
 

bubbles and never seen any rust on Boxster bodies.

I bought my '01 when it was covered with read salt. I drove it for several years through snow, slush and road treatments. Never worried about it. Now the bolt on the exhaust, for example, do get corroded. But not the bodies that I've ever seen.