CAYMAN – ANNOYING REAR RATTLE

Nishwick · Apr 18, 2018

Hi all, hope someone has an idea to help me.

I have a 2011 Cayman 2.9. I've got a little rattle, rear passenger's side. I thought it was the left boot lid strut and though that had a rattle, there is still another, quieter one. If I hit the plastic around the rear speaker with the palm of my hand I can replicate it. The rattle happens on bumpy potted roads (which around my way are all too common).

Is it the speaker mount? Is it something else? Has anyone else had it? How do I get to that area?

Cheers

Nish

Brian_Innes · Apr 18, 2018

Have a look at the seat belt buckle. Is it rattling against the seat back?

Cure........adjust the buckle slider to reposition it so that the rattle stops. Or, if driving alone in the car, engage the seatbelt in it's slot.

Brian

Nishwick · Apr 18, 2018

Thanks Brian

Alas, it's not that. Great tip though.

Nish

Motorhead · Apr 18, 2018

Nish,

Are you sure that you haven't got something rattling around in the cubby hole?

I've a feeling that it may be a bit tricky to prise off the cover to get to the rear speaker, involving the removal of several panels.

Jeff

Nishwick · Apr 18, 2018

Hi Jeff

That could be it – great tip. Do the speaker cover just click in place? I tried to lift it off, but it seemed very well stick down, and I didn't want to snap it off.

Cubby holes – I keep them empty. Not the easiest things to get into from inside the car.

Cheers

Nish

Motorhead · Apr 18, 2018

Hi Nish,

Apologies - I edited my post to remove the pic because it was the wrong speaker (centre dashboard)..!

As said above, unfortunately I think that the rear speaker cover may require the removal of several other panels - probably multiple pins and clips will be involved, making things a bit tricky unless you know where they are. You're probably going to need some trim removal tools to do a good job rather than just trying to yank things off.

Jeff

Simon F · Apr 18, 2018

Hi Nish,

I had the same issue with my car (also a 2011) on both sides the rear speaker covers rattled slightly and created a buzzing noise over rough surfaces. As Jeff mentioned, I ended up getting a trim removal tools set online and using the guides on the Planet 9 forum on how to remove the various rear plastics, I managed to remove both sides and glued the speaker covers from the inside to fix them down and stop the rattle. A word of caution if you do go down this route that I tried a super glue at first which ran out through the edge of the speaker trim and stained the outside of the main plastic cover. This meant a new grill from my OPC was duly ordered and glued with a thicker glue to stop it running through the second time.

This was a couple of years ago and it’s never been an issue since... hope this helps.

Simon

Ray · Apr 18, 2018

Simon F said:
Hi Nish,

I had the same issue with my car (also a 2011) on both sides the rear speaker covers rattled slightly and created a buzzing noise over rough surfaces. As Jeff mentioned, I ended up getting a trim removal tools set online and using the guides on the Planet 9 forum on how to remove the various rear plastics, I managed to remove both sides and glued the speaker covers from the inside to fix them down and stop the rattle. A word of caution if you do go down this route that I tried a super glue at first which ran out through the edge of the speaker trim and stained the outside of the main plastic cover. This meant a new grill from my OPC was duly ordered and glued with a thicker glue to stop it running through the second time.

This was a couple of years ago and it’s never been an issue since... hope this helps.

Simon

My elderly Boxster has a rear speaker fitment which the grills kept falling out of. I used a bathroom sealant which is thicker and not permanent. Did the trick for me but I am sure there are many ways of curing the rattle problem.

Ray

Nishwick · Apr 19, 2018

Thank you Simon.

That description of the noise is exactly what I get, and where I have narrowed the noise down to. The weather is getting better, so I have a chance to investigate. I couldn't find the Planet 9 pages yet, but I am sure I will dig it up. Great tip on Superglue - I may try something else.

Cheers

Nish

Gwsinclair · May 10, 2018

Morning, just been reading this thread with interest.

I've had my Cayman for 4 months now and have been searching for the source of an annoying rattle, very similar to what you describe, ever since. I've had the rear hatch trim off and dampened all the clips with bits of cloth, put felt in every area imaginable that may cause a noise and yesterday, after all these hours of 'work', I found the rattle was coming from the outboard passenger seat folding lever! I haven't found a permanent solution yet but I've stuffed some foam behind the lever and it's stopped for now!

Very relieved to have finally found it.

These rattles will be different in each case but some are common to many Caymans, I may try and put together a list of all known areas so it wont take others 4 months to find!

Nishwick · May 10, 2018

Hiya

That's very frustrating - 4 months! I think I have cured the buzzing near the speaker, but the rattle is now from the pneumatic struts that hold the boot up. If I hit the car with the palm of my hand, I have heard it. It's VERY annoying. I have replaced one with an OEM part too.

Thanks for all the advice.

Gwsinclair · May 10, 2018

No problem, I read somewhere that if you rotate these around (i.e. upside down) the pressure is excerpted slightly differently and they don’t buzz. May be worth trying before buying some more!