slight rotational metallic squeal on left hand side 981 boxster

AcidMonkey · Sep 26, 2016

Hi everyone,

New(ish) member!

My 981 is making a slight rotational metallic squeal on the left hand side whenever the car is moving. I can pick up on it with the hood down, and under 25mph.

At sounds like a much less severe version of the brake squeal you get when you're on the last 50miles on a set of pads - but this sound is constant, and pads have about 4-5mm left on them. (Bent shimmy pad?)

My car has 34k miles on it, mostly motorway driving. I think a wheel bearing sound would sound more rough and grumbly, then this high pitched fine metallic rotational sound!

Has anyone had experience of a similar issue? Don't fancy taking it into the OPC for a £200 diagnostic, and walking out with a bill for ££££'s!

Tracy_Wilkins · Sep 26, 2016

Hi
Try dropping our Boxster register technical guy an email.
Steve runs an indy and is on hand to give advice to our members.
You can contact him at steve@jazweb.co.uk
Hope you get it sorted
Regards
Tracy

BrianJ · Sep 27, 2016

If the noise is from the rear, possibly a small stone down the back of the brake calliper. Maybe worth a look, because it is so simple. There's a neat little hollow specially designed to catch and trap such things. They then rest against the disk and squeak, or even make horrendous graunching noises which sound like something catastrophic has broken. They only seem to make a noise when the car is going slowly. I have had several over the years. Sometimes they pop out when you reverse the car; sometimes they last for months, on and off. My last one defeated the OPC in locating it at service time, and a high pressure air hose blowout of the area by a tyre fitter. I finally got fed up, removed the wheel, and found it easily by looking down the back of the calliper with a torch. It was about a 3mm stone resting against the disk. Poked it out with a piece of wire, job done, nice quiet ride again!