acat2002

One of the best options that I've come to enjoy on my 2008 CTT is the PDCC. Does anyone have any idea of the total number of Gen II cayennes were produced with PDCC? As a percentage of total vehicles, or whatever makes sense. I would guess that not many "S" or base models were ordered with PDCC, or if it was even offered with those versions. Trying to figure out how rare it is and what kind of premium it should bring in a used 08 turbo.

I hate to say it - but asking about committing fraud on the Interwebz when Porsche can easily track you down doesn't seem to be the wisest thing in the world. Relax man! Nobody is committing fraud. I'm just trying to make sure that with 66,000 miles I'm not going to get stuck with a $1,500 out-of-warranty repair of something that is known to fail at this mileage. Just so happens that the outer rubber was already separating from the center support, so it's a non issue. It was already failing. I think the takeaway from my contribution to the thread is that even if you have no vibration or chirping, everyone should closely inspect the cardan shaft center support bearing (in particular the soft rubber cushion supporting the bearing). Maybe my experience could help save somebody some $$$$ if they know what to check for (even of everything seems fine).

Well, upon closer inspection, the center support is failing. Not failed but failing. There is no noise or vibration, but I was under there checking things before bringing it to the dealer for its final warrantied service and noticed cracks around the outer edge of the rubber bushing. Glad I checked and I have all the others here on the forum to thank for alerting me to the imminent failure. I have 66k miles BTW.

So, my '08 turbo has 66,000 and while there is no vibration/noise, my warranty is up next month (time, not mileage). I've scheduled a service appointment and fully expect that the center bearing will let go the day my warranty is up. I was under the car today and I was surprised at how "spongy" the support bearing was. No wonder it fails sooner than most. Anyway, if I go in and complain of "vibration and chirping under acceleration" and leave it at that, will they simply replace the card an shaft without asking any questions? I mean given the mileage, would it be a foregone conclusion that the center bearing/cardan shaft need to be replaced. Or should I make it fail somehow???

Funny you mentioned BMW. I feel like BMW build quality fell of a cliff after 2000-2001 or thereabouts. Wife's X3 has gone through more "non-consumable" parts than any other car......aside from her 2004 Range Rover, which guess what folks.......is also a BMW! Maybe I'll take a close look at the center drive shaft bearing and maybe it somehow, ahem.....develops a wobble or a noise within the next month. Thanks for the heads up on that. My cayenne stays inside a garage and I'm always making sure those little scuppers or drain holes are cleared out, I've even used compressed air.

Lattitude Sport 295/35/21 Had P-Zeros before and generally liked them. Just wanted to try Michelins. They're a bit better when really warm, but not worth the premium over Pirellis so far (unless the wear is different) I have a winter set on now 20" Pirelli Scorpion ice & snow which are awesome in the winter! Highly recommend,but then again you'll never need them in AZ:)

Thanks. I should be driving it more (and hard) to shake out any failure points before warranty expiry. Just dropped many thousands on new brakes, brake flush, new Michelins and I've been keeping a documented oil and fuel consumtion log book since I've owned it, so I'm one of those owners who actually cares for their high-end cars! If I were to trade it say on a 2012 I'd have a car payment again :( At the rate I drive these days, I could get another 4 years before it turns 100,000, so I gues that's the answer to that part of the question (Keep it). I just want to make sure I take full advantage of the Porsche CPO warranty before it expires in March. Those air struts make me nervous even though I never hear anyone gripe about them on this forum. Wife has a Range Rover and the air struts will absolutely fail after 80,000 miles and that's if you haven't burned out a few compressors in the meanwhile because of air leaks. I guess that's a testimony to Porsche build quality (solid). I'm going to invest in a Durametric module/software so I can stay out of the dealership as much as possible going forward.

I'm at a tipping point here. While I still love my 2008 CTT and have owned it since 2010 w/ 20,000 miles and have had every recommended service performed, skimping on nothing with regard to maintenance, the warranty expires at the end of March 2014 and I have to make a decision whether or not I want to commit to own this out of warranty. I think the original MSRP with all the options was $127,***, I mean that is approaching Turbo S pricing! I'm not sold on the merits of upgrading to a new Cayenne given the price of even the "S". This Cayenne does everything I need it to do and I know it's been cared for excessively. I'm leaning towards keeping it. What I'm looking for here is any input on what I should try to have addressed while still under factory CPO warranty. For example, what is the typical lifespan of the air struts/compressors? If I go into my dealer and ask if there are any TSBs, I get the usual company answer. I trust them, but I suppose its not within their expected scope of work to research my model and come up with possible failure points. Time = $$$ I get that and that's why I'm doing some research on my own. Car has been pretty solid except for a few things like a mysterious vapor vacuum recovery leak that took the dealer considerable time to chase down a year ago, and even though this model does have the aluminum crossover coolant pipes a leak still developed in the valley pan area about two years ago w/40,000 miles. It was a faint leak and we only knew because we smelled a little coolant in the engine bay (not like the massive blowups in the earlier models because of the plastic pipes). I had the rear seat entertainment system replaced under the original warranty (before the CPO kicked in) and there has really been nothing else notable going through my service records. What's been failing in the 60,000-100,000 mile range or what fails with 8-10 years of use? I realize that my question is sort of open-ended and could be debated to eternity.

I go two years or so without posting or contributing anything and Loren still replies to my question within a few hours! We don't deserve such dedication , Thanks man!

Loren, how about the p/n for items #5 and #6 on the diagram? I believe those are what holds on the composite corner piece, correct? I have a '08 Turbo w/Sport Package (option code 201 I believe, which covers the enlarges rear spoiler and sport rocker/sill covers) Thanks! (hope this is still on-topic for this thread as it's the same part group, but if it needs to be moved, so be it )

I read the same thing as you (torque converted seal), and asked my advisor who basically said the same thing as yours did. I try not to sound like a geek when I meet with the SA, but I also want to have a full understanding of how these problems can impact other systems in the vehicle. My extended warranty will not expire until 10/2014, but still, I want to make sure that some silly problem today isn't going to be responsible for a $4,000 failure in 11/2014!. Years of negative experience with service techs and service advisors has conditioned me to reduntantly research these things. I may not ever fully trust PCNA warranty reps or service advisors, but when we fellow owners get together and share our stories and knowlege it definitely helps. To answer your question, it has only been a few weeks since the coolant leak was fixed, so the jury is still out (though I have not seen any more drips on the garage floor).

Reza, my 2008 CTT was dripping coolant of the exact same color as you describe (looks very much like hydraulic fluid found in the PS system). It's oily too which throws a lot of people off, but I went over this to the point of exhaustion with my local Porsche Service Advisor who assured me that it is in fact coolant. There is some lubricating properties in the coolant Porsche uses. As far as the color, I have seen both pink and orange, maybe the color differences is a result of the coolant becoming dilutted as more distilled water is added at service intervals or when more coolant was required in the past? BTW, they tell me that the center connector pipes (in the center of the "V") are not the source of my leak, rather it is the thermostat housing seal. Improper silicon lub was used during assembly causing the O-rings to become damaged (or at least that is the service bulletin). That connection was repaired last week and I still noticed dripping on my garage floor. I'm told it's "residual" coolant which sounds suspiciously like an excuse, but I haven't noticed anything in a couple of days.

I tried to register but you've only listed up to MY 2006. I have a 2008 and the pipes have just begun leaking. I realize it's a different design, but the same inferior pipe. You may want to consider polling newer Cayenne owners as well.

Of the 20-or-so coolant pipe threads that appear weekly, I thought this may be the best recent thread to reply with a question. If I should start a new thread please advise. So, yes, the time has come for my 2008 CTT to have its pipes replaced. I didn't have the "sudden loss", but a gradual leak. That coolant is smelly, greasy nasty stuff! I haven't washed my Cayenne in a month or so (why bother in Boston, right?) I finally broke down the other day and washed. I noticed that the coolant has left tiny orange/yellow dots all over the rear tailgate/hatch. Now to the root of my question... Will Porsche factory warranty honor any ancillary repairs resulting from these pipes failing? I have heard of premature failure in the tourque converted seal, starter failure etc. not to mention that this has now probably compromised the clearcoat paint at the ***-end of my Cayenne. Does anyone have any experience with getting Porsche to acknowledge that there are side-effects to these pipes failing?

Dave, when you say you have a 2008 turbo S, you must mean that you've upgraded to turbo S components, correct? Turbo S was not re-introduced until MY 2009. I've seen other 2008s described as "Turbo S" models, so is this an embellishment, or was there a way to special order the "S" components when ordering an '08 turbo? E.G. My '08 turbo has all of factory bodywork and sport tailpipes found on the 2009 Turbo S, but not the upgraded intercooler, plumbing, and "power kit" chip, hence it is more of a "Turbo S look". I'd love an extra 50hp, but won't be pulling apart the factory equipment to make it happen. It would be cheaper to trade/upgrade to an '09 Turbo S. Incidentally, I also feel as though the Cayenne's "neck-snapping" thrust from standstill is lackluster........unless you launch in 1st gear. If you're not in "Sport" mode, the cayenne launches in 2nd gear and always seems to be hunting for the highesr gear in an attempt conserve gas. The other thing to remember is that the cayenne turbo has a very "solid" feeling and you're sitting higher off the ground compared to a sports car, so the illusion of speed is somewhat diminished. Remember, this is not an american muscle car where you mat the throttle and burn rubber. German cars are never about that.

is yours a 2008 or later? I have a standard 2008 Turbo and when in sport mode, accelerating from a rolling start WOT, that is about right (7 bar) how much boost can the 4.8 DI handle before becoming a grenade motor? I would imagine that the weak link would be drive shafts etc. if you start to push over 550hp. Not really a consideration for me yet b/c I'm still well within CPO warranty dates/mileage, but when it expires I'd like to have a plan in place to take it from 500hp to well above Turbo S levels. Still, not looking to create a fussy little monster (I will hopefully still be using it as a daily driver)

MMMbeer, Thanks for the feedback. I was reading thru some old Panorama's to get up to speed on the these machines and was reading an article about the differences between the turbo and the turbo S. They list the delta is boost pressure to be .3 bar, for a max of 1.9 bar, which thru me off a bit, I just wanted to make sure all is well. Thanks Keith Since you bring it up....what exactly is contained/included in the "power kit"? how is the boost increased? is there an adjustment on the turbos themselves, or larger turbos(mechanical), or through software upgrades? Does the kit also include larger intercoolers?

I know I'm late to the party and you may have already addressed the solution, but I had a very similar expereience after replacing all four tires on my 2008 TT. Intense vibration between 50-70mph on the way home from the dealer after 4 new Pirelli Scorpions were installed (and yes roadforce balanced). Called the dealer the next day who said bring it in immediately, but there was a chance that the suspension components became "unsettled" from being on a lift the greater part of a day. On the way to the dealer the next morning (when there was no traffic), I became frustrated at the vibration and decided to see if I could make it worse for the dealer by taking it up to 90-100mph. Funny thing is that the vibration completely dissappeared after 80-85mph and never came back. Of course I walk into the dealer 15 minutes later feeling like a toolbag for complaining, but the SA told me that the vibration is common until the car becomes "settled" again. Sounds a little strange to me, but ever since the suspension went through a raise/lower cycle, everything has been fine. You may or may not have PDCC, but I'm assuming that you've got air bladders. All I can picture is that these bladders need to be properly re-seated in their cradles (or however they are secured) after being lifted in the air and perhaps seperated from their "seats". Does this sound correct to any service techs here? In any event, make sure you thoroughly investigate this before dropping $1,000 on lower control arms. After all, no events occurred between the time you installed the tires and the time the vibration occurred, right?

Thanks egr58, that may very well turn out to be correct. I guess we'll know for sure when we're in for service first week of new year. It's always nice to have an idea what is going to occur at the dealer before you walk in, or even have a heads-up just in case they get lazy and tell me they can't find anything. @RFM - MY 2008 retains the plastic coolant pipes, just a redesign? I thought I heard something about aluminum pipes somewhere?, or is that just an aftermarket solution? cheers -A

This is not the typical (complete loss of coolant) story I read constantly on this forum. My Cayenne TT is a 2008, so I believe the plastic coolant pipe at the rear of the engine was corrected with an aluminum pipe for MY 2008 forward. I have 40k miles and more often than not I notice a faint smell of coolant when getting out of the car after a moderate trip (say 10 miles). I know the TTs run hot, noisy and use oil, but the coolant should be contained under normal conditions. This occurs under normal driving conditions in any/all temp ranges. No coolant level warning light, no temp. warning light and the coolant reservoir is holding the appropriate amount of coolant. Moreover, there is absolutely no evidence of any leaking on the garage floor. My guess is that a very small amount of coolant is leaking and perhaps evaporating on a hot surface (header, downpipe or something). Although I'm well within my factory warranty and any repair will be N/C, I still want to know what I'm in for in terms of loss of use. Also, it always helps to ask the "community" if they've run into anything similar because I doubt the service tech will do the same unless there is a SA published. Any thoughts? I hope they don't have to take the engine out to find the leak.

I went through my materials again and it appears I mistakenly wrote 23mm spacers for the rear, when in fact I used 18mm spacers. To answer your question though, the new bolt size GMP Performance sold me was 14x1.5x48mm, so 48mm. The front spacer was 15mm and the correct bolt is 14x1.5x45mm I recommend that you call GMP Performance as they will be able to help no doubt. Good luck

As promised here are some photos of the winter tires/wheels (some show how the offset/track is nearly identical to stock.....if not a few mm shorter so the rocks and gravel won't kick up on the paint).

As silly as this may sound, try Wikipedia. They usually have a table of production years for individual models, so maybe they also have an overall production table for manufacturers (including Porsche). If you want something more presentable (as in wall art), somebody out there must have something (but I'm not aware of it)

I meant to update this thread weeks ago after I finally sorted out the winter tire/wheel package. So here it goes. I went ahead and purchased a set of (4) 20x9 black GTS-style wheels from OEM Wheel Plus (you can find them on fleabay and on the internet) All four have an offset of 60ET and the staggared 21x10 wheels on my 08 Turbo were 50ET (front) and 45ET (rear). I wanted to keep the same offset and stock apearence of my Cayenne. So, allow me to pass on what I've learned from the experience: 1) WHEELS - I wanted to go down one tire size for the winter, so I found 20" wheels. While OEM Wheels Plus was good to deal with (prompt shipping and reasonable $800 price for all four), you definately get what you pay for. THey're not terrible and to the untrained eye, they look like perfect GTS wheels. However, I noticed that the inner part pf the wheel does not have the same glossy finish as the outside, nor does the inside of the lugnut recesses. You can't really notice while they're mounted, but would it have killed them to spray the inside of the rim before baking the finish? Also, the centercap Porsche logo is clearly a cheap Chinese label. Again, you can't tell from a curbside impression, but real Porsche crests have a nicer finish. I realize that the company probably cannot legally provide real Porsche crests. Overall, I'd give these wheels a "B" for a grade, but we'll see how I feel after a winter of NewEngland roads and if the first pothole warps them up. 2) SPACERS - The folks at GMP Performance in N.Carolina seem to know thier stuff with Porsches. The sales rep I spoke with (Stephen) took all the time needed to thoroughly understand what I was trying to accomplish before setting me up with H&R Trak Plus spacers (Type DR) and the appropriate longer lugs. The formula I used works perfect and consists of 18mm spacers for the front ($130) and 23mm spacers on the rear ($140). Lugs were another $200. I'd give these guys an "A-" overall. Would have been an "A+" except that two weeks after I ordered the spacers I called to check the status only to find out that they had been backordered - thanks for the notification! Wasn't a big deal this time b/c I was in no hurry, but imagine if I was sitting by the doro waiting for the UPS driver all week. Most importantly, the total track width and look is identical to stock - which is what I wanted. 3) TIRES - Pirelli Scorpions Ice&Snow 275-40-20. (106 load rating - V speed rating). I definately notice that the handling is not as sharp and there is a lot more road noise compared to the P-zero N-Spec tires I was running in the summer. I guess that is the price one has to pay for being safe in the winter. I'll report back at the end of the winter to tell you how the actually performed in the snow. 4) TPMS - After too many hours of research I gave up and had originally called Tire Rack (despite the warnings). The sales rep I spoke with was pretty knoledgeable and I repeatedly advised him that I'd been warned that Tire Rack had send out incorrect sensors in the past, but he assured me that they have learned from their mistakes (he sounded genuine). He offered me two decent choices. First he said they had a pair of "used" sensors for $50/ea, but I figured that I'd rather go for the new BERU units for $99ea (including sensor and stem). So, after getting all my stuff organized and ordered I scheduled a service with my local Prosche dealer for install and to advise them that a tire/sensor package would be arriving on my behalf. Surprisingly, instead of them squirming about installing Tire Rack stock, they offerd to try to beat their price. I was totally shocked. In my 10 years of experience with this dealership, this was the first time they had ever offered to try to SAVE me money. Sure enough, they were able to get the sensors/stems (and tires) for the same price as Tire Rack. Ironically, the tires themselves came through their wholesale account at Tire Rack. Of course they boned me for $100/ea for "roadforce balancing" and mounting, but hey, after already spending $1,375 on the wheels, lugs and spacers, I was not about to blow this thing up by takling a chance on incorrect sensors. I think I current sit at about $3,400 all in. White Cayenne TT w/ Sport Design package, black grill inserts and now with black GTS-style wheels. I'll post some pictures later, but trust me it looks fantastic. One intersting note is that after the install I had a bad vibration between 70-85mph. Called the dealer to explain the vibration (fearful that my choice of aftermarket wheels would come back to bite me) and they said give the suspension a chance to "settle" after spending several hours on a lift. Sure enough, the next day after finding astretch of road top open her up to 130mph, the vibration vanished. Although I'm still not totally comfident in the Pirelli Scorpions for extreme driving.