fredjchavez

I have porterfield ceramic pads. Zero noise and Zero dust. The only thing i'd say is to be careful until they come up to temperature!

I have found that the computer is optimistic to the tune of 10 or 15%. Ignorance is bliss i suppose! :)

I had the exact same hankook tires. I could not stand the noise from the rear. Porsche specs out lots of negative camber on the rear (maybe expecting everyone to corner like a mad man?). The titanium edition has option 20" turbo tech staggered wheels so I could not rotate them!!! :( The rears were half worn and I decided to replace them with yokohama. My other porsche buddies kept ribbing me and saying I had bad wheel bearings every time they rode with me!

agree...the wheel angle sensor has to correspond with the steering wheel. If the angle sensor is off far enough, you will throw a warning. The shop will adjust the tie-rods such that they aree with a perfectly straight steering wheel (which they lock into place).

look for loose tie rod ends (inboard mouting underneath the plastic ribbed covers).

the best combo is the one where you get the widest footprint and can run low tire pressure w/o busting the bead! for sand, wider is better!

Wow...a "platinum" policy does not cover the piping? Is there a platinum plus policy? Or maybe there is a triple platinum policy? This is getting rather ridiculous especially because particular coverage was requested per customer above. One of the things to think about or a point or argument with these warranty vendors is in asking them to state the maintenance schedule for the plastic pipes or at least sight a factory document that calls for an inspection and procedure for inspection (shame on all of us if there is a coolant pipe inspection procedure). If the manufacturer "intended" the plastic to withstand the life of the engine by the lack of inspection procedure, then the most basic aftermarket policy should cover replacement. I might buy the "consumables" position if there are o-rings attached to the plastic pipes that are leaking but not the pipes themselves. Shame on the manufacturer for not comping some of the cost or all of it together Shame on the aftermarket policy/warranty companies for wiggling out of this as the piping should not be considered a consumable item I really HOPE the aluminum pieces are the end all be all! Any competent shop should be able to replace the pipes and save you a bundle. I've seen the procedure and it does not seem to be a huge challenge if you know your way around an engine bay. Please let us know how things turn out!

Check the tie rod connections where they attach to the steering ram. Another symptom of a loose tie rod is tire feathering cause by too much toe in.

very interesting...i went for the hid lights simply because of my experiences. i have another brand, and not a single ounce of problems in almost 9 years. on top of that, simple to adjust (thumb wheels you turn while the head lights are burning). the stealer swore up and down that my cayenne hid's could not be height adjusted. they claimed that the reason everyone was holding up their hand to their rear view mirror at night was because hid lights are so bright and people arent used to them. if it doesnt make sense, then it isnt true! thanks to forums, i figured it out on my own and love rubbing the service clerks nose in it everytime i get the chance! LOL

there are two allen head screws...one for up/down, and the other for right/left. if you watch carefully, you can see the hid lens move so you will know exactly which is which.

Any resolutions here? I found this psuedo random play issue after burning my first mp3. I would not have done this had the factory system supported the A2DP bluetooth profile. At this point, I would be hysterically happy if I had any bluetooth w/o laying out major cash. I'm really bothered that $25k cars have bluetooth as standard items. I do not mind flipping 130-150 slong mp3 cd's but I do not wanna loose settings everytime I power down...:( I very much doubt the dealer will know squat about any of this...or maybe they will plead ignorance (viable tactic I have found through personal experience). this is in software and the service techs do not know their products well so software issues are likely going to be way over their heads. Speak up service techs and restore our confidence in you! lol Fred

Very good points. I have been shopping for chains/cables for my 20's but might wind up buying a new set of 18's with tires that offer better clearance with a regular chain. As I understand things, so long as the chains are tight and dont move around, they will be fine so long as their is at least an inch+ clearance on the sides, and 2+ inches on the tread. I only use chains once a year or so on when I get caught in show and have to get home but I've noticed that the damage is normally caused by loose chains and/or people driving too fast with them. Loose chains if you watch them will actually sling away from the tread. Anyway, I need something because CHP wont let you through at certain times w/o chains no matter what you drive. I strongly prefer chains and am going to look and see if I find small once with thick links. I do not have experience with cables but if anyone does, please chime in! fred

The dealer didnt probably know that the key needing programming! LOL

For those in the east bay and only want to pay 120 or so, I have a great shop that I've used previously. He actually tells you the as-found settings and then sits down to discuss changes. Although I still maintain that if everything is tracking ok and the steering wheel is off center, the steering wheel should be removed and reset. Nonetheless, I'll probably have things checked at the alignment shop...120 dollars is low compared to the downside of quickly wearing expensive tires! ;)

Wowser! turbo power required to muscle around 5000 lbs like that... Did you notice that most/all the times where there was risk of flipping he was on the gas? I wonder if that is how this works...I could not do it but this was fun to watch! :)

I do not mean to hijack but, should one expect to have a pulsing wheel (turn the wheel at a stand still) on some surfaces either slippery or really sticky? The older cars all did this especially the old fords with the slave cylinder... I am not concerned with a pulsing wheel so long as the effort is constant...ie, pump not providing the assist as required.

These look like Xenon...Here is what I found out (see picture).

I read through the comments...I clicked the link and it looks like 295.00 per wheel. What is a factory replacement? Unless the factory wheels are forged and the 295.00 arent, wouldnt it make sense to try them out? Likely the only issue is german made versus china unless there are major differences in strength...if you want strength, buy steel wheels?

I have the same situation...steering wheel slightly off. Micheal Steed in Walnut Creek wants to charge 400 dollars...they say 4 wheel re-alignment which is crazy because the vehicle drives fine. I cannot believe how this dealer manages to stay in business with all the bad advice...I wonder if people with 50k+ cars just nod their head and pay 400 bucks? Fred

Thanks for the warm welcomes. Here is a followup on the glaring headlight issue. I went into the Walnut Creek Porsche Dealer. The advisor informed me that the headlight aim was not adjustable as he stated on the phone...I was really hoping to get someone different as I was 98% sure they guy didnt know what he was talking about. I asked him to obtain higher authority...The service manager cam out and said that his car has the same issue as well...he stated "they all have this issue and they cannot be adjusted because they auto level". Very disappointing. I plan to write a letter to the owner after I get their names explaining the situation. In any event, here is a picture that shows how/where to adjust or compensate or adjust for headlight beam height. The procedure is mostly trial and error till you get the hang of how many turns it takes to alter the angle (2 complete turns is very noticeable). You do not have to remove the assembly all the way...just slide it out far enough to access the plastic adjustment screw. I would expect each side to be a mirror image (turning to the right for driver assembly is the same as turning to the left for the passenger assembly). If anyone could verify this, the picture would be complete.

I understood that PSM deactivation results in 1st gear launch. Have you tried PSM on and PSM off to check the differences? Sorry guys...missed the "above" responses due to my double screen...

Hello, This is an EXCELLENT resource! I have been reading the content for a long time. I just acquired a 2006 CST. I had been tracking the VW for years hoping reliability would greatly increase but could not seem to stomach the uncertainty. I never really considered the Cayenne as it was beyond budget (tell recently). What convinced me to look for a Cayenne was the "down ticks" in pricing for various marks. So, after deciding that the money made sense, I signed up for an account here. :) Prior to my ownership, the vehicle received a cooling pipe upgrade at the dealer via warranty and I hope I am good to go although one issue surfaced last night having to do with the HID headlights. Several drivers in front of me were holding up their hands to their rear view mirrors to block my low beam headlights. I verified it myself by driving in front the Cayenne and sure enough...both sides are too high. They appear to operate correctly as witnessed by the level changes seen upon power up and in the course of driving. I read the manual and found where/how to adjust the level but I do not have the proper tool to accomplish the task. I can sorta fit a flat blade screw driver but am not able to positively turn the plastic allen bolt (I do not want to strip it). Question: is the adjustment for halogen or bi-zenon lamps OR both? So I called the dealer in Walnut Creek and the Service Advisor claims that there is no way to adjust the height and they are designed to auto level and the lights are so great that is why people are blinded by them. I explained that other makes I have owned had adjustment (BMW's have a thumb wheel easily accessible when the hood is lifted). The advisor did not acknowledge my story and downplayed my concern. I also explained that page 373 in the owners manual covered the adjustment procedure and he indicated that it was for non-xenon. I gotta say that I HOPE there would be a note to this effect in the manual but maybe not. It is not a crime to be ignorant but wouldnt you ask your customer why he thinks there should be an adjustment capability and had he asked, I would have told him that there are two plastic doors with a headlight up/down symbol which leads me to believe they can be height adjusted. I cannot imagine that Porsche would deploy a system that cannot be adjusted by the service department. If halogen lamps are adjustable, it doesnt make sense that xenon lamps presumably twice as bright as halogen would not be as well. I conclude that I wasnt getting through to him and stop trying and politely offered to come in. Anyway, I hope this guy is a betting man and I am tempted to wager 100 bucks that says the height can be adjusted...rather easily if you have a allen head (or torq...cant tell) with a flex handle. Thanks everyone for taking time to post and help each other out. Without this resource, I would have had no clue what to ask, what to look for, or what to do as practically anything made by the luxury marks is very complicated. I also would not have made this purchase. Regards Fred