wrinkledpants

8000K will have horrible light output. The factory 4300K temp puts out the most lumens (light) and that's why it's chosen by most OEMs. HID bulbs decay over time, so there is a good chance you just need to replace them. I usually replace my bulbs every 2-3 years as that's when they've decayed enough for me to notice. If you have original bulbs on that 08, then they're probably overdue for replacement.

Where do you get 23 at? Is that a mountain hwy at 55-65 mph? That's **** good.

Is 22 on the 955? What speed is that at? That's really good.

All city (downtown Denver is where I live), I get around 12. A mix, 13-15 on average. Flat HWY at 75 mph, 18-19 mpg. 04 CTT with 100K on it. this is all assuming no WOT, or very minimal amounts of it and normal driving habits.

I always have mine on auto-recirculate, so I'm not sure if that needs to be turned on for the feature to work. Yes, the minute you engage the windshield washer - the HVAC will close the fresh air flap. You don't get any notification that it's happening - it just does it. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute later, the fresh air flap will re-open if it was previously open.

When you pull the stalk to turn on the washer's, the HVAC system automatically goes into recirculate mode so you don't get the smell of the washer fluid in the car. It should go back to fresh air after a minute. You may try and see if you can manually turn on and off recirculate yourself to make sure the solenoid is working that actually opens that fresh air flap. If you're unsure whether the recirculate solenoid is working, pull the dash pad down from beneath the glove box. The HVAC fan is right there, and you'll see the small motor that is connected to a long arm. You should be able to turn off and on the recirculate button and watch that open and close. If it's not working properly, my guess is that solenoid is bad. The fan will sound louder if you turn on recirculate as there isn't as much resistance on it. While you're under there, you should ensure your HVAC filter (cabin filter) is not clogged. It should be changed out every few years, and if it's really dirty, it could really restrict the airflow going to the HVAC fan.

Ignition timing in your motor is a well choreographed dance, and deviating from the OE spark plug doesn't usually net any gains (and often hurts them) unless your motor was tuned to run those plugs. Plugs aren't an arbitrary thing that are supposed to be improved upon. The fueling and timing maps are made specifically for the plugs the manufacturer specs.

That would be it! It's so **** dorky, but I just love reading this stuff. Just in the quick browse of the engine booklet, I now get why my coolant fluctuates between high noon and just past noon when I have the HVAC system completely shut off - even in relatively cool ambient temps. I would be idling in 60 degree weather with the HVAC system totally shut off and watch the coolant slowly rise, fans kick on, coolant goes down, fans shut off, rinse and repeat. But, everything was rock steady with the AC on. Searching the issue revealed plenty of posts stating "it's normal," and "it's not normal." Well, now I know it's designed to work that way. Most cars smooth out the engine coolant temp to prevent the unsuspecting driver from freaking out, but I'm glad to see Porsche didn't do that. I also had no idea the alternator was liquid cooled. This site rocks!

I've seen reference to this document/book that explains in detail the various systems on the cayenne. Anyone know what this is or where I can get it?

Wow. I can't believe Porsche couldn't figure out a better solution. Thanks for that info - will be shopping for a new seat belt from an 06.

I've seen it on a few other cayenne's rear seat belt, but not all of them seem to have it. It has a VW part number on it, so it's not after market. I've racked my brain and cannot understand what it's purpose is.

It's not "unapproved" by Porsche. Porsche doesn't create a list of oils you can use and ones you can't use. Petrol companies submit samples to porsche, porsche tests the fluid to make sure it meets the spec, and then the oil company is allowed to pay the license fee to list the porsche approval rating on their oil bottle. You can say "this oil is not currently on porsche's approval list," but it would be incorrect to say "this oil is unapproved by porsche." That would imply that porsche tested it and made a decision to not include it. That's why there are plenty of good oils out there that easily meet the spec, but aren't on the approval list. This is also why you see tranny fluids listing the VW touareg fluid spec, and not the cayenne. It's the same tranny - same fluid. Typically, you only see giant oil companies on the approval lists, and not the smaller ones. It's not because the oil sucks - but because the ROI on the licensing fees simply isn't there.

The ignition switch itself will have a little play in it, but the trim ring should stay on. When the trim ring is off, there is an outer bezel on the ignition cylinder (it's plastic) that you have to unscrew in order to push the cylinder back out of the dash. It's possible that is loose if you have a lot of movement in your ignition cylinder. It has a few cutouts on it that you can place a screw driver on and tap it tighter. That might tighten things up for you.

More reading material. http://www.chemcorp.co.uk/creo_files/upload/related-items/mobil_atf_3309.pdf

JFP - Do you have any evidence that suggest that whatever fluid Porsche is using - it's completely proprietary to this transmission? Serious question. Aisin builds the porsche tranny. Aisin also builds most of the Toyota Trannies which have T-IV for fluid. T-IV specs JMS 3309. It's been widely supposed that T-IV is just rebranded Mobil 3309. Mobil 3309 is not synthetic. 3309 is the porsche tranny fluid spec. Oil reports show porsche fluid and T-IV to be very similar in characteristics. Mobil 3309 is certified for the VW spec on the Touareg, which has the same tranny as the cayenne. My local porsche dealer told me that the fluid is just Mobil 3309 . That's not to say they are wrong, or that is the definitive answer, but just about everywhere I look, all signs point to the porsche fluid being Mobil 3309.

Figured it out. Apparently the aux water pump does run with the call for heat, on top of the after run circuit and rest function. Found a TSB that adds some sound deadening material to this pump to isolate it a bit more since it's hard-bolted to the area just in front of the driver's door. Cars after a certain VIN came with this from the factory. It's TSB 1945. Doesn't show a factory part that you need to add, just cutting foam strips and the places where you need to add them.

Was a bit chilly here in Denver yesterday, and turned the heat on. While driving, coolant not fully up to temp yet, I could hear my after run pump running. Mine is loud, and might need replacing, but not sure why it was even on. Coming home last night - same thing. However, with the climate control on "auto," if I moved the temp low enough (about 70 degrees), the pump would shut off. So, it seems that when the HVAC unit is calling for heat, it turns on the after run pump - at least in my case. Go back up a few degrees, and it would come back on. This is with the car running - not when it's shut off. And, this happens whether the car is up to operating temp or not. Anyone know anything about why this might be happening? I'm not sure if I'm just noticing it because my after run pump is quite loud, or if there is a problem and it shouldn't be running. Also - anyone else hear their pump? Mine is louder than the air compressor. I could hear it buzzing faintly over the radio and the HVAC fan while driving. I can also feel the front fender vibrating if I shut the car off and it's running as part of the after run system, or with the "rest" function. The aux water pumps I've had in other cars were whisper quiet. You'd have to listen closely after the car shuts off to hear it. The one on this car is clearly audible while driving - almost to the point that I have to turn up the radio.

They choose not to participate because it doesn't make business sense to do so. You see this all the time in various industries with regulating business aspects like this. You see it all the time in my industry, too. I appreciate where you are coming from; my family owned a motorsports dealership growing up and we only sold lubricant products that were "legal" for various reasons - most oriented around liability. For the rest of us consumers - Amsoil, Redline, RP, et al - they all make great products, and continue to do so. I'm not going to bring in the ethics aspect of how they market their product. Once you go down that worm hole - that brings in all sorts of other products of the auto industry. K&N comes to mind. And, you're assuming that Redline, RP, etc will, at some, point deceive us because they can. I can't fault you for thinking that, but I choose to use known good products until they they are no longer making a good product. In today's consumer society - it doesn't take long for crap products to be known. Doesn't mean they're not good buys (they may be priced cheaper than anything else), but at least the concept of value is a lot more stratified now than it used to be. As a business owner myself, I can't always choose to to partake in these organizations in my industry because they are simply too expensive. They're geared towards my competitors who's revenue stream is about 150 times larger than mine. Yet - I produce a better product than anyone. *shrug* For the sake of staying on topic - I choose to use the best lubricants I can buy. Outside of the ratings and porsche approval list - I have not seen any reason *not* to use some of these products. Most of the recommended fluids out there for the cayenne are good fluids. I have seen evidence of M1 0W40 not living up to what Mobil advertises. And, in fact - I have seen more "approved" fluids turn out to be crap, than I have non-approved fluids. In the end - we all have to make our own decisions, and it's in everyone's best interest to be an informed consumer.

Right - but what you're talking about is the business side of things. Whether RP, or anyone else, pays for the licensing and testing has zero correlation with the quality of their fluids. Because Amsoil, Redline, and a select few Motul fluids aren't submitted for testing means that they are relying mostly on reputation. There is no correlation between quality of fluid and being on the porsche approval list. M1 0W40 is a prime example. If RP has questionable UOA's all the time, nobody would buy it anymore. Same with Amsoil, Redline, and others. Licensing for API, and then licensing for the various OEM's is expensive. It's a business decision on their part not to do. The average joe at NAPA isn't going to plunk down twice the cost for Amsoil or Redline over Mobil1. The only people that will are the ones with a more discerning requirement, and as evident by their respective successes in the oil industry. Those discerning people aren't impacted by the lack of ratings. Ratings becomes a question of ROI, and if the ROI isn't there, then who in their right mind would expect them to do it? I can't argue with your ethics issue in suggesting the ratings they might meet. But, that's a conversation with a business context. That info has absolutely zero bearing on the fluid caliber. Compare Redline 0W40 to M1 0W40 - especially 5K miles in. Which one will still be in grade, and which one has the ratings? You're the one that said focus on the fluids ability to lubricate, and not whether it's on the porsche approval list.

TSB 3965 lists ESSO LT71141 for the t-case. The transmission is JWS 3309 (per another porsche TSB). RP - as well as most reputable synthetic tranny fluids meet both of those specs. I'm still not sure what I'm missing here. Maybe I should have rephrased my initial post to "you CAN run the same fluid in the t-case," per the published specs from porsche.

Really? Then why did you say this over on the Pelican side? "Much like their “N” rated tires, I wouldn't place that much credence in their "approved" oil list; I’d focus more on which oils perform best, and do the best job of protecting the engine.................." http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-996-997-forum/617912-104-degrees-texas-0w-40-stil-ok.html How do you explain Porsche specifically stating ESSO LT71141 for their tranny and t-case, an oil company meeting that spec, but it's not showing up on Porsche's approved oil list, nor is that oil showing the porsche spec? I mean - there isn't context for a given oil spec. It's not like the spec is one thing for this OEM, and another thing for this OEM. So, the only rational reason I can come up with is that RP didn't submit for licensing to Porsche, and that's why they're not on the p-car list. Amsoil and Redline both make incredibly stout fluids with plenty of UOA to back that up. If Porsche had a completely proprietary spec for the transmission, and it didn't show up on RP's list - then I would not recommend it. I'm not trying to say that "if you want to know if two fluids are the same, get a simple oil analysis done." But, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that porsche rebranded an established fluid, and the oil analysis is just one more piece of evidence to support that. Max ATF lists the VW spec, and it's the same tranny as the Touareg. And - I've never heard of RP, Redline, or Amsoil claiming to meet a spec, but then tests show they don't. If that's happened, I'd like to know about it. I have heard of them claiming to meet a spec, when from a licensing standpoint, they can't legally say that. It's one thing to design an oil that is better than the spec, it's completely different to submit a sample for licensing and get approval to "list the spec" on the bottle. For sure - some of the smaller companies have taken heat about listing a spec when they never submitted for approval. But, for the reputable companies that don't submit for licensing, lots of UOA have shown that they are very good oils. For instance, Redline says "suitable for" instead of stating "meets" when referencing a spec. I am holding a porsche spec sheet that shows ESSO LT71141 for the t-case. Again - if this isn't right, then I'm waiting for some other porsche document that shows a different spec. My opinion didn't come out of thin air - this is what Porsche is telling us. Do you have info from Porsche that states otherwise?

Nobody said it was a quest to save a couple of bucks - more to find the best fluid. Max ATF meets the ESSO LT71141 spec. If that's also the spec for the porsche trans - then I fail to see how this wouldn't apply. It's not like there is ESSO LT71141-C for the cayenne. I'm holding a Porsche document that specs ESSO LT71141 for the t-case. If this isn't right - I'll happily correct my statements.

Anyway you could post that list? The doc I have from Porsche specs the same ESO number as the tranny.

If you like Royal Purple - use their Max ATF. They're not listed on the Porsche approval list, nor is Porsche listed on the Max ATF sheet, but this oil does meet the Esso LT71141 spec, and the T-IV. The OE porsche trans fluid is just rebranded T-IV fluid, IIRC. Again - this likely gets back to the fact that Royal Purple likely didn't submit to Porsche to pay for the licensing fee, despite the fact that it meets the spec. There is an oil analysis floating around that shows the Porsche fluid and Toyota T-IV fluid is exactly the same. Aisin builds the auto trans on the cayenne, and also many of the transmissions for Toyota. So, if Max ATF meets the spec for T-IV, then it meets the spec for Porsche. Found it. http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/40735-porsche-cayenne-atf-vs-toyota-type-iv-atf/

The T-case is the same fluid that is run in the automatic transmission on the cayenne.