elc32955

Over 90 days from original post now, any status updates? My coolant pipes blew last Tuesday and I just finished the repairs.... Eric

Let me amend my last, I meant to say an all-aluminum radiator (tanks and core) possibly with more cores. I know the stock radiator is already aluminum with plastic tanks. My old radiator was two-core, the aluminum went to three core. Don't know if there is sufficient clearance to accommodate the additional thickness though... Sorry for the lack of clarity, on the first cup of coffee this morning.

Yep, the dummy key is cut differently and is physically shorter than the normal key. I had the Cayenne to the local indy today, they played with the system for a while and did some troubleshooting. Basically what I left with was some advice from them not to use the dummy key at all. Don't know if it's an optimal answer but since the blade keys both work correctly at this point it's probably not worth pursuing further.

What is the lowest temp thermostat we can run and not throw codes? Another alternative might be an aluminum radiator (if anyone makes one for the Cayenne). I had one vehicle that ran chronically hot, even after the stock radiator was rodded and cored. The solution was swapping to an aluminum radiator in conjunction with a 160 degree thermostat, it ran 20-30F cooler after that - problem solved. Be-Cool is popular for stock american cars, but they don't have much if any inventory for imports.

Quick question. I have a 2004 CTT with the comfort seat package in beige. I have an opportunity to pick up a set of sport seats in beige from a 2005 CTT and do a swap. Power & memory options are the same for both sets of seats. I'm thinking the additional support from the sport seats might be worth the labor & expense for the swap with the better bolstering. I know in the manuals there is a breakpoint between the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 seats. Does anyone know what physical changes were made between the 2004 and 2005 seats (apart from the obvious one between the comfort & sport seats)? I was thinking possibly electrical connections and the spot under the 2005 seat that takes the DVD drive for the nav (my 2004 has an empty drawer to put a fire extinguisher into). So, the question is whether the 2005 CTT sport seats will physically bolt up & interface into a 2004 CTT. If it's just re-pinning a harness that's not a show stopper, I'm more concerned with mounts & hardware being correct.... Thanks Eric

Nope, no marks or scrapes on the key. I'm guessing bad cylinder as well....

Just a little follow-up information to the above, I received my Durametric interface today and scanned the vehicle just now. The very first time I scanned, the alarm module indicated no communication. Clearing faults and then a subsequent scan indicated no faults found (Kessy module was communicating). Also I am not optioned for the aux. battery. Thanks Eric

Found another issue I'm trying to sort out. My Cayenne is optioned with Entry & Drive, however when I purchased the vehicle a few weeks ago the former owner did not have the dummy plastic Entry and Drive key. I ordered a new key and it came in the other day. The remotes are both working correctly, the vehicle is locking and unlocking like it should, all door buttons work on the outside. The problem appears to be the ignition cylinder. When the plastic E&D key is put into the lock, it goes in OK all the way, but has very hard resistance turning one position to the right although it does go. It will not turn to the start position to start the vehicle. From center it will turn to the left with no problem and then back to center OK. I've also noted the key can be removed in the "on" position where it would normally not be able to. Both flip keys work the cylinder flawlessly in all positions. Am I doing something wrong here or could I just have a faulty cylinder? My first thought was can the cylinder be lubed and if so what would be the correct lubricant to use? Don't want to shoot it with something that will zorch the lock & then be towed to the kindly dealer. I'm sure the plastic key is fine, it was a new Porsche part in the bag. Thanks Eric

Hi Marilyn Not sure where you're at in Florida, but LKQ's import yard in Orlando (LKQ Potomac German Auto South) is supposed to have plenty of Cayenne parts both on the shelf and in the yard. A manager there is a friend of mine and told me there was no problem with parts availability for 04's when he learned I purchased a Cayenne. (407) 423-1695. Just be aware LKQ primarily supplies insurance company shops for crash repairs and parts may be pricy, but definitely less than a dealer. My sunglass holder latch tried to disassemble itself the other day, the plastic button for some reason popped out of the socket and I was lucky enough to catch it as it fell. It's correctly latched closed but I'm sure the button is loose and I'm scared to try it again. It's on the list to look at as well. If you need good strong adhesive that sets up like a rock and won't de-bond with heat, maybe a thin layer of JB Weld? Just be aware once it's on and dry, it's not coming back off unless you grind it off.

Not sure at all. I know the washer fill is on the passengers side but I don't know how the washer reservoir sits in the vehicle since I don't have a shop manual yet. I use the Rain-X orange de-icer fluid, so the color would be close perhaps and I did add close to .75 gal worth to the reservoir. I'll hopefully find out for sure early next week when I replace tires and have the vehicle lifted.

Hi Don. Well, before I made the request I read these forums fairly carefully for a number of hours and found references to at least one other member that apparently obtained his complete service history by making nice with the local dealer. Some of the records I do have were from Porsche/Audi of West Houston, the records are in exactly the same format as GM dealers use (both using ADP's invoice system). This is a linked system at least in the GM world, but I know I can't assume it translates to Porsche. Just from a pure customer service perspective, the right thing to do in my mind would have been at least for the service writer or service manager to try to run the VIN to see what came up (noting your point on the warranty coverage the Carfax says there was a lot of early service visits and work done on the vehicle), but they didn't take the time to at least make the attempt. Sounds like from what you're saying the best I could have left with would have been a history for the first few years, but that would have been better then what I have now. I do know what dealer serviced the vehicle under the last owner, so maybe they will be accommodating if asked nicely. For the dollar valuation of these vehicles it seems rather odd that dealer servicing information is not easily obtainable when apparently Porsche is capturing warranty data elements already in a centralized database. Business decision perhaps?

Well, shouldn't have spoke so soon about no leaks. I had to change a bad front left marker light bulb earlier today and while I was inside the fender liner I looked down and noticed the vehicle very slowly dripping something pink from the area forward of the left wheel, also the inside of the left front wheel appeared wet. It was a very slow leak, only a few drops over a few minutes but it was definitely leaking pink. Looks like it's time for teardown next week.... sigh....

Howdy everyone! Just some quick background as an intro, I purchased a 04 Cayenne TT last weekend with 57K miles down in Ft. Lauderdale for use by my wife as a local daily driver. So, right now I'm in the process of de-bugging the vehicle to make it as reliable as possible. According to the local indy shop I'm using that services Porsche I've got one crushed transmission mount, the motor mounts are tired (but not bad), and they had the feeling something was loose in the suspension but they weren't sure - air struts all raise & lower the vehicle OK. From the initial inspecton it seems to run & drive OK however, no leaks or squeaks. I'm doing tires all around next week on a labor day sale (the last owner mixed two different brands of criminally cheap imported tires, I found major sidewall cracks in one tire after a 5-minute inspection!) and I've been doing some EBAY for nickle-dime replacement pieces. My local Porsche dealer did NOT win my initial vote of confidence yesterday, I went down & made a small parts order and asked if they could pull a service history on the vehicle for me to see if I had the coolant pipes upgraded, they used the line on me that "our computer system is not hooked to other Porsche dealers and you'll have to visit each individual dealer that serviced the car for a complete history". Yeah, right. And I'm coming back to your service department really, really soon..... hear the cold wind blowing? :) Anyway, to the point of the post. During my initial inspection, I heard and two other competent folks heard some rattling at the front of the engine. It wasn't the constant "tap tap tap" you'd get with the tired piston syndrome on the 4.5's like I've heard on the YouTube videos, but just a mid-frequency rattle of low to intermittent occurrence. Once I thought I had a whiff of coolant but I'm not sure. So, to err on the side of caution I'm probably going to do a water pump and at the same time do the coolant pipe changeout along with whatever T's I can replace with metal subs while the engine's open. Water pump brands. I know there's multiple manufacturers out there, OEM Porsche, Laso, Hytec Debartolo, Gates, Bosch, ASC Industries, GMB, and the list continues. Anyone know who has the best QA on the pumps to hopefully stave off another failure? Granted the first pump (assuming for discussion it is the original pump) lasted 10 years, but does anyone else stand out as superior? Also... on the coolant pipe replacement, I was considering strongly using the revised ECS Tuning kit. They seem to supply everything that's needed along with some extra, also ECS has a good reputation from folks I've talked to. So, has anyone used their kit as opposed to the one from the Porsche dealer? The ECS kit is $599 plus shipping. Here's a linky: http://www.ecstuning.com/Porsche-2004-Cayenne-955-Turbo-Sport_Utility-V8_4.5L/News/Porsche_Cayenne_S_Turbo_Coolant_Pipe_Upgrade_Kits_2003_2004_2005_2006/ES2594479/ Thanks for input before I start shelling out major $$$! Eric