Cayman rear hatch rattle/squeak.

[pretzel]

I have had my Cayman since May of this year and have always had a rattling/squeaking noise emenating from somewhere around the rear nearside quarter of the car. The car is a very late Gen 1 (Nov. '08)

About 1 month into my ownership I brought the problem to the attention of my OPC. They said that there was a known problem with the tailgate counterweight and there was a fix, however when they stripped it down they found that the fix had already been done. Not to be deterred they repositioned the rubber 'bumper' that is located about halfway up the inside of the tailgate edge on that side of the car..

This seemed to quieten things down considerably for a while but gradually it began to deteriorate again. I told the OPC and they were only too happy to take another look. This time they repositioned the same bumper again, and, once again, it quietened thingd down for a bit but the problem is coming back. Now on some days it sounds like I havea a family of chipmunks living in the area concerned, other days - nothing.

I guess that the time of year and temperature variation could influence the problem but there seems to be no pattern.

I have searched various forums but not come uip with any info except the aforementioned counterweight fix.

Is there anyone out there that has or has had the same problem, and if so is there any other known fix?

Thanks in anticipation,

Pete B.

 

[Alan Woods]

Ours did it on and off, less with the windows down for some reason until we had an issue with the boot light coming on when it was closed which OPC fixed. Alan

 

[Waitforme]

Mine rattles but noticed it does not do it when my golf trolley is in the rear. I've removed the privacy mesh thingy and it appears to have sorted the rattle , for now anyway .....

 

[Parsifal]

I had this problem with mine and didn't have much luck with the OPC (they replaced the latch mechanism). In the end, I found the solution was to screw out the little rubber bump stops at the corners of the tailgate a bit to reduce the movement of the tailgate up and down. Trial and error is required to get it right, but it should be as tight as possible without making it difficult to shut. Certainly seems to cure the problem. I still get some squeaks from the plastic trim at certain temperatures (usually when cold) but they are tolerable. The rattling hatch was not! BTW, have you noticed how much easier it is to shut the hatch when the door or window is open? It would be good if you could program the window to lower when shutting the hatch like it does with the front doors. Only fault on an otherwise totally perfect car... []

 

[pretzel]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Parsifal - I have tried that particular trick with the bump stops at the tailgate corners but if anything it made matters worse, so I put them back to their fully screwed in position. As an aside I made reference to the recurrence of this problem when responding to an e-mail from Porsche asking me for feedback following a recent visit to my OPC before my warranty expired at the end of November. .My OPC has made contact with me offering to have another go at remedying the problem whilst loaning me another car for a few days so they can take a bit more time in trying to track it down. All FOC. I think this is quite impressive, bearing in mind I decided not to take out further warranty! It seems not all OPC's are the same. I'll post how they get on and if they manage a fix. Pete B.

 

[uknick]

ORIGINAL: Parsifal BTW, have you noticed how much easier it is to shut the hatch when the door or window is open? It would be good if you could program the window to lower when shutting the hatch like it does with the front doors. []

Apparently you can programme the windows to drop when you open the hatch. I assume they then close when you shut it. I think I saw this on the Planet 9 website.

 

[Nick_USA]

ORIGINAL: uknick

ORIGINAL: Parsifal BTW, have you noticed how much easier it is to shut the hatch when the door or window is open? It would be good if you could program the window to lower when shutting the hatch like it does with the front doors. []

Apparently you can programme the windows to drop when you open the hatch. I assume they then close when you shut it. I think I saw this on the Planet 9 website.

It is true the car can be programmed; I was the guy who wrote the article on the other website . ** Note don't expect all OPCs to be familiar or open to coding this for you ** First Control Unit (CU) (Required for all window options): CU = PAS Coding => Comfort via radio remote control => (Currently set to lock or inactive) => Change to Release (Note: The wording maybe "Active" depending on PIWIS version but for all Release = Active and Inactive = Lock). Coding => Comfort function Window => As above set to release Coding => Door and Window Comfort Function => As above set to release ** While the dealer is in this unit he can also change to delays for the keys and the way the doors lock after starting the engine or driving off I will not detail these as most of the dealers know how to do these, but what I will say is that these have to be programmed for each key individually. The other coding for the PAS does not need separate coding for each key. If the dealer does not know how to change the locks.....ok I will bite my tongue. OK back to the window functions, the next steps have to be coded for each door separately so I will only list it once: CU = Drivers Door / Passenger Door: ** Only do the bold text unless you want remotely controlled windows ** (Window Open) Coding => Open Comfort => Set to release as before (Window Close) Coding => Close Comfort => Set to release as before (Windows Drop when opening hatch) Coding => Window short stroke by Lugg Comp Op => Set to release as before Note (For window drop): If you now open the rear hatch/boot the windows will drop about an inch; this prevents back pressure from 'bouncing' the hatch if you drop to close it. You should be able to shut the hatch in a single drop without the need to press down the hatch afterwards. When the hatch is shut the windows close again. ********* Btw there is also a Porsche tech bulletin to cure the hatch rattle that was issued in the USA. [link=http://www.planet-9.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=143&act=down&actionhash=1290668189-984cda5b88dbf0614d0d6de6edc1a7a35664be99]http://www.planet-9.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=143&act=down&actionhash=1290668189-984cda5b88dbf0614d0d6de6edc1a7a35664be99[/link]

 

[uknick]

Nick_USA Thanks for giving the detail on this. Might just pop along to my local OPC to see if they are able to do it, and not for some ridiculous amount.

 

[Nick_USA]

ORIGINAL: uknick Nick_USA Thanks for giving the detail on this. Might just pop along to my local OPC to see if they are able to do it, and not for some ridiculous amount.

If you don't get any joy out of Guildford with the coding or they want more than the shirt off your back PM me as I am not far from there. I will code it for you gratis. The hatch rattle I cannot fix ..... of note though (and relating to US customers) the fix was done for free, not a recall but if you complained they fixed it.

 

[Parsifal]

Thanks - my Cayman is in the OPC getting its new winter wheel fitted. I'll ask if they can do this as well.

 

[pretzel]

Well, I said I'd post how the OPC got on in locating and fixing my rear rattling issue. The car was with them for a couple of days and, as it has been particularly cold here, it was noted that this would be a good time to sort it once and for all as the various parts obviously don't fit as snugly as in warmer times. They replaced the hatch dampers as I was advised it was possible that they were loose in some way. As well as that, various other unspecified adjustments were made. When I picked it up last Saturday it was absolutely silent, no problems whasoever. Just as you would expect a quality car to be. The weather has since become EVEN COLDER and the rattling has returned with a vengeance. Whether this is normal or not I don't know, however I'm going to wait until the weather warms a bit before going to see them again. The OPC is trying their best I suppose and I am grateful that they have continued to try and rectify this after the warranty has expired, but it is intensely frustrating for me, and I guess for them. I know I am not imagining it but sometimes I wonder.................Are my expectations too high?

 

[pretzel]

ORIGINAL: pretzel Well, I said I'd post how the OPC got on in locating and fixing my rear rattling issue. The car was with them for a couple of days and, as it has been particularly cold here, it was noted that this would be a good time to sort it once and for all as the various parts obviously don't fit as snugly as in warmer times. They replaced the hatch dampers as I was advised it was possible that they were loose in some way. As well as that, various other unspecified adjustments were made. When I picked it up last Saturday it was absolutely silent, no problems whasoever. Just as you would expect a quality car to be. The weather has since become EVEN COLDER and the rattling has returned with a vengeance. Whether this is normal or not I don't know, however I'm going to wait until the weather warms a bit before going to see them again. The OPC is trying their best I suppose and I am grateful that they have continued to try and rectify this after the warranty has expired, but it is intensely frustrating for me, and I guess for them. I know I am not imagining it but sometimes I wonder.................Are my expectations too high?

Update: Today the weather has warmed by about 5 deg. C (from -7 to around -2) and hey presto the rattle/squeak has almost entirely disappeared! I now have my own theory that the bumpstops on either edge of the tailgate get stiffer as they are cooled and reach a point where they rub rather than remain compliant when things move around. If it cools again I'll try some Vaseline on the suspect parts (oo-er missus) and see if that kills the annoying sounds. Pete B.

 

[Obijez]

I had this issue on bumpy roads (most !) - rattle from the tail gate. Tried winding out the bump stops (even padding out the recess the bump stop slots into to no real avail. The rear hatch seemed to flex more on the offside. During a service OPC Guildford did some dismantling (for modest reward) and situation much improved. Not sure of details, but something can be done.

 

[Nick_USA]

There was a workshop campaign in USA (not a recall) for those customers experiencing (and Complaining about) severe 'Trunk Clunk' see links below: [link=http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/miscellaneous/p176-hatch-service-campaign.html]http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/miscellaneous/p176-hatch-service-campaign.html[/link] [link=http://www.planet-9.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=143]http://www.planet-9.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=143[/link]

 

[horswill]

I also had an annoying rattle / squeak on my Cayman S. I have tightened the two rubber stoppers on the tailgate & it seems to have stopped!!

 

[mef]

Mine does this too, I tried adjusting the bumpstops but no real difference. I just accept it now that it rattles when on bumpy surfaces (most UK roads!). Martin

 

[spiker]

Mine is being checked again tomorrow - 2nd time lucky