Addressing the universal door check strap failure and avoiding an expensive fix.

Door check strap fix - IF making a loud “click”, “pop” or “cracking” sound when the door is opened or closed. 

You may have no sound but observe the strap mounting point on the A-pillar shifting slightly as you open or close the door, a sign of future failure. This is a long-standing 911 universal body weakness since the early 911 with an expensive (~$3000) body shop fix. Some, including myself, have attempted to reinforce the failed welds by welding or brazing the pivot to the facia of the "A" pillar door jamb facia. I have tried this method using both welding and brazing In both cases the repairs failed.

There is a DIY to modify the check strap on P-Car.com in the DIY section The modification reduces impact forces caused by the strap's center swing stop greatly reducing the likelihood of the check strap progressing to failure going forward. 

Just replacing the old strap mechanism with a new one will not address the root cause of the problem.

The problem is not caused by dried lubricant, dried or hardened tensioning blocks, or a failed or worn keeper strap.  It is caused by the fundamental design of the strap's mid-swing stay stop and the sudden loading and unloading it creates as it passes through the mid-swing door position. It hammers both the "A" pillar pin mount, the hole the pin is put through, and the welds holding the pin mount internally to the "A" pillar over time ripping the mount from its welds internal to the pillar.

I would do this DIY modification immediately on all 993 left & right side doors as eventually, they all will fail otherwise. The DIY involves disassembling the strap and trimming the rubber tensioning blocks just a small amount reducing the loading they produce when the door is opened and passes through the midpoint stop. See: “[Modifying] 993 Door Check-Strap Detent Assembly” on p-car.com or several other Porsche 911 how-to sites. 

Another alternative could be to partially grind down the mid-stop protrusion (detent) on the doorkeeper's arm.

With either remedy implemented above the feel of the mid-travel door stop is diminished or eliminated depending on how much the tensioning blocks are trimmed or the strap ground down. Some find this loss of the mid-stop annoying but it is a small price to pay to save the A-pillar from damage. 

When removing the arm assembly be sure to replace the old pivot pin that attaches the strap to the A-pillar with a fresh one as a used pin can be an additional source of the popping sound as it shifts in its hole. 

I suspect by grinding a divot impression into the strap where the protrusion is presently and adding a couple shims to the rubber tensioning blocks, one would have created an improved design that eliminates the loading and unloading force at the center stop while preserving a mid-swing stop. I leave this idea for others to explore.

Some 993/964 owners have also reported door frame sheet metal failures at the door side mounting point for the check strap due to the same forces described above. In this case, a small piece of sheet metal can be cut and formed into a reinforcing plate or one can be purchased as a kit. This does not eliminate the ongoing problem, it is just an option to reinforce the door side mounting of the check strap.

Here is discussed the Bodyshop repair of a failed check strap mount.

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