Cheap Cayennes

[Rob]

Must be a keeper, Uncle.  Has she got a sister?

[Russ]

on the few Cayennes i looked at I kept seeing the cam sensor issue, and apparently it was pretty common

didn't know it'd stop the vehicle completely though :/

cleaned out your roof drain yet? apparently it's what causes issues with the amp and is my next 'project'

[Dreamr]

A word of experience ....

Our 2008 Cayenne was just written off by our insurance company due to water damage ....

We aren't 100% sure of the cause but the likely culprit is blocked drains causing the rain water to well up and flow back into the car .... caused a river of water to flow out of the passenger side once the car was driven on to the tow truck  .... from there it was mold city! .... didn't help that we had 3 weeks of torrential downpours either ...

Clean out your water drains people ....

[Uncle]

Another update.

270,000klms on the old bus now. I had some shed time on Sunday so I spent some time replacing the gearbox ECU. The old ECU was slow to change down gears requiring you to manually down shift every now and again. Not a show stopper but a little annoying.

I bought a 2^nd hand ECU out of the U.K for the grand sum of $77AUD ages ago but just hadn’t gotten around to doing the job. I had other more pressing stuff and the every now and again lack of downshift just didn’t read all the high in the list but after towing the 911 a couple of weeks ago I thought I really should get onto it.

Overall it’s an easy job. The ECU is mounted under the drivers side seat so all that is required is for you to unbolt the seat move a little stuff out of the way and swap it over. I guess it took me about an hour but I was helping my wife work on her ’73 Charger at the same time. Upon test drive it seems to be shifting much smoother and feels better to drive. I’m not sure if that’s because I’d just gotten used to it being lazy before or if because the replacement ECU is out of a later build date 955 and has updated hard mapping in it. Either way I’m glad I got around to doing the job.

Also it looks like this has become my car now so I’m thinking it needs a rear muffler update and some all terrain tyres. I’ve been doing a bit more deer hunting / camping so it makes sense to get some tyres more suited to the job.

Edit: Anyone know the minimum wheel size for the standard brakes? I assume 18"?

 

[ANF]

I always find this website handy when searching for any wheel info.

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/porsche_alloy_wheels/cayenne_9pa_955_alloys

V6s had 17s I believe.

[Coastr]

How is the cayenne for coolant and oil leaks.

Currently daily X5 has cured me of bmws and their incessant need to leak oil from oil pan, oil filter housing and rocker cover gaskets, as a prelude to exploding coolant tanks and radiator housings.

i thought the first one was bad luck, the second was maybe a pattern and the third BMW in a row with these issues I have reached my patience limit.  At 100,000 kms it's ridiculous that the engine cannot hold fluids anymore.

[LeeM]

@Coastr After I asked around a few owners and Porsche mechanics, the earlier ones have a problem with a particular coolant hose, yet swap that out for a later model one and they're pretty well sorted. I've not been told about any particular/normal oil leak problems

[ANF]

2 minutes ago, LeeM said:

@Coastr After I asked around a few owners and Porsche mechanics, the earlier ones have a problem with a particular coolant hose, yet swap that out for a later model one and they're pretty well sorted. I've not been told about any particular/normal oil leak problems

Pretty much what I found when I was looking to buy one. I bought a Merc ML instead which I am very happy with!

[Uncle]

Our car had had the steel coolant line update before we got hold of it. In answer to your question I can only say that our car has zero leaks.

[MR901]

I had the same issue with my Cayenne although not too difficult to fix...generally it was a reliable & not super expensive to service. I’ve also owned the ML which is a great 4WD but doesn’t feel as dynamic as the Cayenne to me. Having said that I’ve never driven the ML63 which I suspect could trump them both on everything but fuel consumption & towing capacity. Does anyone know why the Cayenne & ML300 both have a 3500kg towing capacity & some of the early ML63’s have only 2260kg ? Completely off topic....apologies in advance !!

[ANF]

2 minutes ago, MR901 said:

I had the same issue with my Cayenne although not too difficult to fix...generally it was a reliable & not super expensive to service. I’ve also owned the ML which is a great 4WD but doesn’t feel as dynamic as the Cayenne to me. Having said that I’ve never driven the ML63 which I suspect could trump them both on everything but fuel consumption & towing capacity. Does anyone know why the Cayenne & ML300 both have a 3500kg towing capacity & some of the early ML63’s have only 2260kg ? Completely off topic....apologies in advance !!

My first ML (both have been W164s) had 17s and was a bit floaty, current one has 19s and handles very well (for an SUV), I don't see nay major difference in the handling of the two. ML to me has a better interior.

Lower towing capacity would be down to tyres I would have thought, and possibly suspension too.

[MFX]

1 hour ago, MR901 said:

I had the same issue with my Cayenne although not too difficult to fix...generally it was a reliable & not super expensive to service. I’ve also owned the ML which is a great 4WD but doesn’t feel as dynamic as the Cayenne to me. Having said that I’ve never driven the ML63 which I suspect could trump them both on everything but fuel consumption & towing capacity. Does anyone know why the Cayenne & ML300 both have a 3500kg towing capacity & some of the early ML63’s have only 2260kg ? Completely off topic....apologies in advance !!

I use my ML500 as a tow car, and it has never skipped a beat. I have towed my massive lunk of a trailer with car on it from Adelaide back to Sydney, and it sat at 120 the whole way, no matter the hill. Not sure why the ML63 would be so much less, but I think @ANF may be onto it.

[ANF]

29 minutes ago, MFX said:

I use my ML500 as a tow car, and it has never skipped a beat. I have towed my massive lunk of a trailer with car on it from Adelaide back to Sydney, and it sat at 120 the whole way, no matter the hill. Not sure why the ML63 would be so much less, but I think @ANF may be onto it.

It is similar with XR and SS utes, they have a lower payload due to tyres.

[tats]

New member from WA - G'Day. Had a 928 in the UK before I emigrated. Just traded in my 05 955 S with air suspension I've had for the last five years for an 09 957 GTS after a long search - this one is a keeper. One owner full dealer history.

Older Cayennes are nothing to be afraid of if you know what you're doing, what you're up for and can find stuff on Rennlist/6speedonline/pelican parts/ECS tuning. But.... and here's the clincher, you must be able to do a little spanner work yourself. Labour rates from people that know the cars and are servicing the vulnerable are extortionate. It's a 150-250k vehicle, parts are not going to be the same price as a 10yr old falcon.

The 957 GTS has a number of differences from the S, it sounds and drives differently, and sounds and drives differently from the turbo too. Basically its a more road orientated car - closer ratios, 295/35 on 21s, more camber, stiffer roll bars, reduced final drive, lowered. The prices for the S and Turbo seem to be continuing down and some bargains are out there - the GTS seems to be bottoming out a little higher than these. Perhaps this is because people think an older normally aspirated donk is less risk than an older turbo. The seats in all of them fit me like a glove so I find them all superb long distance cars. The V8S drives like a big limo (and I think the Turbo drives like a superfast big limo) but to my butt the GTS drives a lot more like a sports car. Think of a 928S2 vs a 928SE if you've ever driven them. The GTS is just a bit sharper.

Powerflex are doing some great poly bushes to correct some of the suspension concerns. The plastic coolant pipes let go on mine and the fix took me 10 hours. Parts were cheap from the UK, but a couple of the pipes were a real PITA to get out of the housings. If I had to do it again I reckon I could it in 6-ish. Everything comes apart and goes back together i.e. no bolts are made of cheese and never encountered a seized bolt yet (did I mention the plastic pipes were a PITA).

There are a few issues that can be addressed by preventative maintenance easily. The driveshaft bush for one - grab some window weld and fill up some of the gaps around the original rubber when you get the car and it won't let go. I didn't do that and went down the vertex carrier route changed in 2 hours. It's easy on a driveway to work on the car because  if you fully raise the suspension there' heaps of room under it. Or you can do the 'jimi fix' on Rennlist if you want - but seriously window weld it. And while you're at it put some on the top mount from the engine strut or update it with a powerflex insert. Put some JB weld around the thermostat housing pipes to avoid them backing out if the factory glue fails. All easy DIY stuff to be honest. Drop links are 50 bucks each. Stabilus rear hatch struts are about 200-250 bucks and about 3 hours to fix (research before you do it tho as there is some nasty black glue you don't want to get on the headlining). Keep the drains clear. Use a CTEK battery charger in the lighter socket if you're not driving it. Brakes/Tyres are big and cost a bit too - but are you really going to resent paying for that when you have to stop a fast 2 and a half ton machine in a hurry? Paintwork is superb on the car so with a clay bar and polish they come up a treat. Stainless steel exhaust. Used genuine wheels on gumtree are super cheap and the plentiful 19s with bigger tyres ride better than 22s with rubber bands - but everyone seems to put on 22s? The variable valve solenoids get sticky if they've only had a 15k service interval due to oil varnishes gumming them up. Sounds like a top end piston slap as they tend to stick slighly advanced if they're going to do it. Don't change them initially - do a few oil flushes and changes and actuate the solenoid through both full ranges with a 9v pp3 battery every time it sticks and it'll generally sort itself out. 

You can tell I'm a bit of a fan-boy - but honestly the cars are built superbly well, parts and expertise is readily available and if you can navigate the web you can get them at good prices too. Stick your head under the car and look at the size of the anti-roll bar to get an idea of how heavily built these things are. I'm even thinking of getting an old one and putting in some drawers and making a bit of a camper conversion - there a bargain right now and cheaper and much nicer to sit in than a troopy after all..... 

Happy to help out on here if anyone has any queries, but browse through Rennlist for the real tech advice. Rich.

[Zelrik911]

Thanks for those tips .

Did you get & use 3M Window Weld in Australia (or UK?). Was it hard to find here?

[D2000]

What are thoughts on the going rate for a 04-06 Cayenne S with 120,000 to 150,000km?

Seem to be a lot on the market for c$20,000 but they also seem to stay there. 

Test drove one yesterday with an asking of $13,500 but was in need of new brakes, the boot struts had gone, there was a loud noise coming from the fan and some other issues. Seller was prepared to take less than the asking but wouldn’t hold it pending a PPI

[dan_189]

I'm beginning my hunt for a Cayenne S 957 now.

From my research the 2007 models seem to be well priced 

[LeeM]

On 18/11/2018 at 16:16, D2000 said:

What are thoughts on the going rate for a 04-06 Cayenne S with 120,000 to 150,000km?

Seem to be a lot on the market for c$20,000 but they also seem to stay there. 

Test drove one yesterday with an asking of $13,500 but was in need of new brakes, the boot struts had gone, there was a loud noise coming from the fan and some other issues. Seller was prepared to take less than the asking but wouldn’t hold it pending a PPI

 I was offered one privately months ago at $9500 that had full service history and just needed tyres but was a nice car. Her indoors wasnt a fan of driving a  Cayenne though. Neither was I to be honest. Offer them under $10k or walk away

[Coastr]

Do they have a tendency to start leaking oil?  Because I am so freaking tired of cars that leak oil once they are a few years old.

[dan_189]

3 minutes ago, Coastr said:

Do they have a tendency to start leaking oil?  Because I am so freaking tired of cars that leak oil once they are a few years old.

I hope not, I too HATE oil leaks! Or any leaks of any kind really 

[firstone]

2 hours ago, Coastr said:

Do they have a tendency to start leaking oil?  Because I am so freaking tired of cars that leak oil once they are a few years old.

Are they made by landrover?

Sorry @tassieman. 😆

[dan_189]

Went and saw an 09' Cayenne S today... had to walk away, didn't even test drive it.

Was already started when I got there... hurmm why? Had an oil leak that was quite constant and making a mess on the concrete, has a "chassis suspension fault" error and the air suspension didnt work, air con needed re-gassing and it had very cheap tyres. Also was advertised as black rather than metallic black - deal breaker.

[tazzieman]

On 15/02/2019 at 16:02, firstone said:

Are they made by landrover?

Sorry @tassieman. 😆

My Land rover doesn't leak oil. Because it has been buttoned up correctly and is maintained as all old cars (& people) should be.
Now if you mentioned old 911s...incontinent, you have to put a pad under them...
Though mine is as dry as...because...

Buying an old cayenne is every bit as scary as buying an old 928. In fact , even scarier. Sooner or later your house will look like a pelican colony.

[Rob H]

I have a vested interest in this topic as I am putting my '04 Cayenne S on the market.

I must qualify by saying I have owned a standard '89 3.2 Carrera, a 1975 or therabouts bitza track car with a  3.8 motor and all the other trick bits and a standard '86 944.                    All were great cars, that did their jobs incredibly well, including the Cayenne.

The Cayenne is comfortable, safe, solid, luxurious (by my standards), practical, and reliable. It has never let me down.                                                                                                    The paintwork is high quality and the interior durable and comfortable. The whole car is built STRONG. Everything on it works properly!

Since owning, the gas struts for the tailgate needed replacing. Not too bad, but I did swear a few times.                                                                                                                                    The steering pump was replaced and the cardan shaft, and the rear brakes. And yesterday the battery. I would say all these are just routine maintenance.

Buik Motorworks did the hard stuff at very reasonable prices with no fuss. Regular servicing was straightforward.

I cant vouch for other Cayenne's but my ownership journey was relatively pain free. (Fuel "economy"excepted)

I even did some spirited club runs through the hills and some follow the leader laps at Tailem Bend and had no trouble keeping up, the chassis, steering, brakes and power are quite impressive for a heavy car and AWD helps.

I hope I can be just as happy with the 986S I have just bought.

Any other positive Cayenne stories out there?