What would cause the front bump stops to disintegrate like this?
My ‘00 S is in excellent shape all around except for this. It has just 68000 miles so I’m surprised the bump stops are falling apart. Any thoughts on the cause?
The rubber used in the suspension parts on these cars is junk, which seems to be common with German cars. Rubber degrades over time, and whatever specification of rubber that Porsche used on the front bumpstops degrades even faster than the rear rubber. As TeamOxford mentioned, your car is 20 years old now, so they are falling apart.
Mine were that way too, as in they were virtually completely gone with just a few shreds. The backs were actually pretty good still, and this was at around 110,000 miles on a 2000 S. They look to be made of the same foamy stuff, so don't know why just the fronts? They were pretty cheap so I replaced them when I replaced the struts.
I had a set of expensive shoes probably 10 years old. Used maybe 8 evening a year. Put them on and they felt funny. Both rubber soles were disintegrating, coming apart in little pieces. Not the first time I have seen that happening.