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fullbirdmusic

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Posts posted by fullbirdmusic

  1. I'm thinking of installing these stainless illuminated Door Entry Guards (http://www.suncoastp...ode=955S_Lights) in my car but I was wondering if anyone knows if the lights can be changed... I have a custom made red interior and would have these installed if I can change the light to red!

    Any thoughts?

    post-54575-127237157002_thumb.jpgpost-54575-127237162403_thumb.jpg

    I don't know for sure, but I imagine you could open it up and put a red film behind the logo in front of the light to get the red light effect you want. But that all depends on how they're built as well.

  2. I understand that the CEL is caused by misfires, however it does not explain that the CEL is lit after standstill with the key in the ignition, unless it is a coincidence. I would check the car with a PIWIS tool, especially the potential misfires and replaced the coils and plugs ASAP. The rest of the maintenance list can be done later on inclusive the serpentine belt at 90.000 Km. Take note that a belt replacement is not on the list, only a check, you must ask it by yourself and is very important to prevent issues.

    Right. I think it was a coincidence with the CEL. Incidentally (and somewhat intriguingly) the CEL turned on like that under the same circumstances at an earlier time - but there was a real exhaust system fault there, so nothing fishy going on. The dealer said that it's ok to drive until I can make it in for its 60k mi / 90k km service. It hasn't relit - if it does, it will be done sooner than later. I just don't have the time to make it in there before 2 weeks or so. Good thing is, I only have about 10km to work, so no heavy driving anyway. I'll replace the belt. Since I bought this car from an unknown previous owner, it's safer that way - thanks for the tip.

    No idea about the ignition coils pricing but I do remember having to replace almost ALL of them on mine (thank Lord, under warranty). On the 2006 V6s (the one I had) there was a design flaw where water accumulates somewhere on the top of the engine (thanks to the angle AND to the fact Porsche never imagined such thing would occur) and your coils get toasted. It could be the same on the V8s. This was only fixed from what I heard on the 2007 models.

    As soon as my warranty was over (Jan, 2010) got rid of the car. Too many issues (nothing major other than the coils) on a car that I got brand new.

    So got a Boxster instead. :-)

    CR

    I think this issue is probably just the 60k mi service is coming up, and they just happened to go bad. But I'll have my buddy look and see if he sees anything like that out of the ordinary. Thanks for the tip!

    PS - I'm gonna stick w/ my Cayenne ;-)

    Glad to read the gas cap resolved your earlier problem -- I remember that from another post of yours.

    I ran my '04 Cayenne S in the driveway to mimic your situation and no CEL -- but if your engine if off and the key is turned to the right one notch to power the accessories you'll have the steady CEL light (not flashing) -- but I'm not sure if that's what you mean. You also may simply need drive around at decent speeds to give the system time to cycle off the CEL. Stationary idling with a slight tailwind can flummox exhaust systems. Also use/consume high octane gas.

    Yes, this is exactly what happened. But when my wife took it to get it read-out, the guy said that those items needed to be replaced. They weren't the same faults as when the fuel cap needed to be traded out. FYI - the US spec vehicles (according to the Porsche Centrum here) have the CEL connected to an air sensor in the fuel line. If too much air is leaving the system, it causes the fault. This is supposedly not the case on the Euro-spec vehicles. FYI.

    Search this site for coil pack info -- I think that's what you mean by ignition coils -- pricing is not bad and you can possibly do it yourself. Replace all eight at once -- and ideally spark plugs at the same time. I recall seeing step-by-step photos.

    I did exactly that and did find your posts and that exact info - it was really helpful. As well as the maintenance checklists - this forum is really great. I appreciate all the info-sharing, photos, and file uploads! Really worth it.

    As to driving with blown coil packs -- not an ideal thing to do. You can foul more than the plugs. That said, I had to drive 150 miles back to my home town after the miss-firing started. I kept the RPMs low and did not go over 55/60mph on the freeway to limp home. All coil packs were changed (two of the eight were cracked) and then the 60k service was completed. Dealer found no further issues and since then plenty of miles from city to freeway to fire roads no problem.

    I don't think they're blown, really. Unless only being blown causes that fault. Too bad I don't have the fault number. Next time I'll have to remind my wife to write them down - I only sent her there because she's 9 mos. pregnant and the car was SUPER clean and they're always more willing to help her than my ugly mug :-)

    I'm definitely going to go in-depth on the 60k maintenance on not skimp on anything here - gotta a boy on the way! Any day now... :clapping:

    Thanks for the outstanding info everyone. :renntech:

  3. No, not missing anything. Here's the background and info I got today from my wife:

    1. Last weekend I started the car in the driveway while I was polishing and waxing for just a few minutes. It was maybe 65deg F, about 15 deg C, I think. Turned the car off and left the key in it. Went back an hour later to start the car, and the CEL was lit. No other changes to the vehicle other than just sitting with the key in the ignition.

    2. I've done that before with the exact same result, but there was an actual problem - gas cap needed to be replaced.

    3. Had the car read out today (my wife did) and unfortunately didn't get the error codes. BUT - they were for the spark plugs and ignition coils (??). Light is out now, but the guy who read it out said it will probably come back on. Car is in need of a minor inspection/tuneup as it's at 88,000km.

    My questions is this - are the ignition coils (I think that's what the guy called them; my wife doesn't remember that kind of stuff very well) expensive? I was going to make an appointment already this week for a tuneup/inspection at a friend's shop, so now I'm definitely not going to stall on that. But what is the danger of driving it now with spark plugs and new coils being needed?

    Sorry for the confusion! :)

  4. I got the darn check engine light on again. You know what I think it was? When I start the car in place and let it run for just a few minutes only and then turn it off, if I don't take out the key after turning it off the CEL comes on. That's exactly what I did when I was washing and waxing this weekend.

    Can anyone verify if this is normal? I live in Germany, but have a US spec car. Seems like such a silly problem. Thanks!

  5. I'm in Germany and I don't think the APO will ship an item that large. Even though it's under 70lbs, it's much too large (I'm pretty sure) to be mailed through that system. DHL will probably be your best bet.

    Even if the parts are mailed through the APO, the shipper will still need to fill out customs forms. It's not that much work to fill one of those out, and any customs fees are the buyer's responsibility - which you probably wouldn't have to pay if shipped from an APO. You might want to contact Porsche Centrum and ask them if they can help you out - maybe they can ship dealer-to-dealer for a lower rate. Worth a shot, and they speak English: info@porsche.de

    Good luck!

  6. Nevemind! I just figured out how to pop out the vents with a flat-head screwdriver. I really need to clean them because it smells a little musty and smoky in there from the previous owner.

    On another note - does anyone know how I can remove the small wires on the vents? What are they for?

    I would like to put them in a bucket to clean them and I can't do that with the wires! Thanks.

  7. First one at 31......Then 33....then 34...then 36.....You get the idea :) Addictive! Currently have four in the garage......And 3 kids in the house. Thinking of getting rid of a kid or two so I can add another Porsche B)

    LOL! I don't have kids, but if i did I would probably think the same thing.

    Hahahaha!! That's a very good idea!

    I'm 29 and got my first Cayenne S. I'm going to be a Porsche owner for a long time to come. :drive:

    It's somewhat "dangerous" for me here in Stuttgart with Porsche-Centrum here - they have every model, including the 450,000euro Carrera GT. It's ridiculously awesome. It's fun to put hand prints on the windows, though!! :eek:

  8. You can restore the headlight while it's mounted on the vehicle. You shouldn't have to remove it.

    With that being said, before you begin you should tape off the painted parts of the vehicle around the lens. That way, you prevent whatever polish you're using from getting on your paint. If you don't do that, you'll have to probably end up detailing the whole car! :)

    Then again, that would probably be fun anyway, as it's always fun to drive a clean, polished, and waxed ride.

  9. Could it be that the tranny just needs to "re-learn" the new driver's driving style? I thought the Porsche Tip was a "smart" transmission.

    i own a 2008 Cayenne S. Love the car but the upshifting of the tip seems sluggish and revs between 4-5 and 5-6. the 3-4/lockup seems to happen all at the same time. I have had it at the dealer and they said all was right. when cold it is more pronounced. Also when cold, it starts in 2nd, then downshifts to 1st.

    any thoughts?

    1st gear when cold is to warm engine up faster for emissions reasons(programed). I believe that is a normal function.

    Yeah, normal as far as I can tell on my '05 S as well. It revs high in 1st gear for about the first 5 mins or so then starts at 2nd once it's warm.

  10. Well, there was a vapor sensor that needed replacing and the gas cap. In all, I think it was $100 total including labor.

    The Porsche Centrum here in Stuttgart is great - very professional and it's fast as all get-out getting parts. And the prices are actually comparable to other outlets. The thing that's killing me though, is the exchange rate - but that's another can of beans!

    Thanks for the tips!

    Wes

  11. So I got this shipped from California since I'm living in Stuttgart. It's ironic that I had to reach all the way back to CA in order to get one I could afford (since they're made here in Germany) but it was the only way. These were taken on Thanksgiving. Weather was very nice so my buddy and I washed our cars in my driveway. He drives an '07 Corvette, so the Germans were looking at us crazy with those 2 cars!

    Anyway, here she is! It's an 05 Cayenne S with the 4.3L V8. Everything looks very nice and I'm very pleased so far with this long-distance purchase. Although there were some bumps in the buying process everything went well with Customs and registration/inspection so it ended well. She's in the shop today getting a new key and some other minor stuff. Hope you like the pics!

    Since I'm in Germany and the autobahn is somewhat more free as far as driving fast, I'm going to be making a video of this baby on the AB very soon. There's so much construction around the city now that I'll need to wait until I'm driving a bit farther out. But it's coming!

    Driving a Cayenne (or even a Porsche in general) is very nice here in Germany. Even though they're made here, they are still a bit more rare. And I think the service here on Porsche is much better than in some places in the US, but I can't verify that. For example, I've heard that in the US it's typical to charge "hookup fees" for hooking up the diagnostic computer. I've been to Porsche Centrum twice in one week and both times they took me with no appointment and didn't charge me anything. They're very efficient and they have outstanding customer service. That could just be a quality of the Germans working here, though. I'll let you guys know as far as pricing and other service once I've picked the car up. I'm sure there are many differences in Germany driving a car like this than the US and I'm only scratching the surface.

    post-51508-1259844900_thumb.jpg

    post-51508-1259844916_thumb.jpg

    post-51508-1259844932_thumb.jpg

  12. Great - thanks for the link!! I'll have to check that out. I'm going to ask the shop what the error codes are when they hook up the machine.

    I'm planning on making a video of my Cayenne on the Autobahn as soon as possible. I've met some other folks on Twitter that want to know about it because they want to switch from Volvo or something similar, so I'll definitely do that! Living in Stuttgart (Porsche headquarters) there are a TON of Porsche vehicles rolling around here, but not so many Cayennes, ironically. It might be because those are made in Leipzig and not here. The Cayennes I do see are mostly the S models.

    Since I got the car last week, people have been rubber-necking non-stop and staring at the car. Driving a Porsche here in Europe is almost more prestigious than driving one in the US and I was wondering why everyone was staring at me until I remembered what I was driving!! :-o In Stuttgart it's about what you drive, what clothes you wear, and wear you live. Unfortunately, I can't afford to "keep up with the Joneses" on every front, but I sure do love driving the Cayenne and would have one whether I lived here or not. I'll probably be a Porsche driver for a very long time... :)

    I'll post the video somewhere in the forum once I've got someone to hold the camera when I'm up to 100+ mph - my wife is pregnant, so she's out!!

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