Discussion
I bought a 2005 3.2 just over a month ago, Porsche demo plus one owner (so lots of toys), FSH with 127k on the clock - spent a lot of time doing my homework, quite a few horror stories out there but for the 3.2 they seem fairly isolated, 4.5 955's seem to be plagued with issues though!
I called a local Porsche indie for a lowdown on common problems and he said the 3.2 was a solid set of wheels as long as it had been serviced, aside from a gearbox issue which is common across all models things to look for are;
> Gearbox shifting, some valve or another in the gearbox can cause gearbox failure (loads on the web on this issue) - two tests are to find a long-ish hill and floor it up the hill, gear changes should be silky smooth - if they're a harsh change this could indicate a worn valve. Also, drive using tiptronic, again changes should be smooth and more or less instant - clunky or delayed change then walk away.
> Centre bearing on the prop - these famously fail and sound like the transmission is going to punch a hole in the floor, replacement part costs about £80 to buy. If the bearing is failing it's apparent as it will sound like the floor is about to fall out when you accelerate or decelerate.
> Chain tensioners can stick or become noisy - again apparently not a biggie to change but a biggie if they fail - so preventative maintenance is the order of the day, uneven idle and a clunking noise on ticker is a giveaway - there are a few youtube videos out there with the sound to look out for.
> Rear boot struts fail - mine has just started to fail which is a pita as the boot weighs a tonne and when it lands on your head it bloody hurts!
> Check behind the trim in the boot for water ingress, apparently a leaky rear seal will give your ECU a good soaking given half the chance.
> Check the drivers footwell for water ingress, there is a drain in the engine bay under the window that gets blocked, somehow water then finds its way into the cabin.
> Check wear on the anti-roll bar bushes, given the Cayenne weighs the best part of a couple of tonnes they wear, not expensive but a pita to change. Also check the ARB's for rust, apparently they can suffer badly.
> Final common problem I was told to be aware of was the coil packs, they have a habit of failing but are not very expensive to replace - lumpy tickover and crappy acceleration at low speeds are a tell tale sign, along with the smell of rotten eggs (I kid you not).
My air-cond wasn't working when I picked it up, garage took it back and had to replace the compressor and condenser then re-gas it - glad it was warranted as the bill came to the best part of £700! Moral of this story - buy one with a warranty and check the air-cond (as well as the 12-13 year old electrics)
I have to say I love my beast, enjoy driving something a little older that stands out a bit and makes a fantastic noise. The press about the cost of fuel is all true, around town I'll get 18-19 mpg, m-way at a sensible speed it will do 22-24 mpg - combined m-way/around town - 20 mpg. Oh, and it does not like 95 ron petrol - will run OK but is MUCH smoother on 98..........
I called a local Porsche indie for a lowdown on common problems and he said the 3.2 was a solid set of wheels as long as it had been serviced, aside from a gearbox issue which is common across all models things to look for are;
> Gearbox shifting, some valve or another in the gearbox can cause gearbox failure (loads on the web on this issue) - two tests are to find a long-ish hill and floor it up the hill, gear changes should be silky smooth - if they're a harsh change this could indicate a worn valve. Also, drive using tiptronic, again changes should be smooth and more or less instant - clunky or delayed change then walk away.
> Centre bearing on the prop - these famously fail and sound like the transmission is going to punch a hole in the floor, replacement part costs about £80 to buy. If the bearing is failing it's apparent as it will sound like the floor is about to fall out when you accelerate or decelerate.
> Chain tensioners can stick or become noisy - again apparently not a biggie to change but a biggie if they fail - so preventative maintenance is the order of the day, uneven idle and a clunking noise on ticker is a giveaway - there are a few youtube videos out there with the sound to look out for.
> Rear boot struts fail - mine has just started to fail which is a pita as the boot weighs a tonne and when it lands on your head it bloody hurts!
> Check behind the trim in the boot for water ingress, apparently a leaky rear seal will give your ECU a good soaking given half the chance.
> Check the drivers footwell for water ingress, there is a drain in the engine bay under the window that gets blocked, somehow water then finds its way into the cabin.
> Check wear on the anti-roll bar bushes, given the Cayenne weighs the best part of a couple of tonnes they wear, not expensive but a pita to change. Also check the ARB's for rust, apparently they can suffer badly.
> Final common problem I was told to be aware of was the coil packs, they have a habit of failing but are not very expensive to replace - lumpy tickover and crappy acceleration at low speeds are a tell tale sign, along with the smell of rotten eggs (I kid you not).
My air-cond wasn't working when I picked it up, garage took it back and had to replace the compressor and condenser then re-gas it - glad it was warranted as the bill came to the best part of £700! Moral of this story - buy one with a warranty and check the air-cond (as well as the 12-13 year old electrics)
I have to say I love my beast, enjoy driving something a little older that stands out a bit and makes a fantastic noise. The press about the cost of fuel is all true, around town I'll get 18-19 mpg, m-way at a sensible speed it will do 22-24 mpg - combined m-way/around town - 20 mpg. Oh, and it does not like 95 ron petrol - will run OK but is MUCH smoother on 98..........
Spoke to soon! Me and the other half have sloped off for a long weekend in Bath. Leaving the city center heading up an extremely long steep hill the gearbox sounded like it was about to make an appearance through the floor, suspect the prop bearing has turned it's last! I'll update on the cause and cost of repair once I know....
Edited by MadDad on Sunday 9th December 19:11
MadDad said:
Spoke to soon! Me and the other half have slapped off for a long weekend in Bath. Leaving the city centre heading up an extremely long steep hill the gearbox sounded like it was about to make an appearance through the floor, suspect the prop bearing has turned it's last! I'll update on the cause and cost of repair once I know....
I got a returbished one for about £80jonny996 said:
MadDad said:
Spoke to soon! Me and the other half have slapped off for a long weekend in Bath. Leaving the city centre heading up an extremely long steep hill the gearbox sounded like it was about to make an appearance through the floor, suspect the prop bearing has turned it's last! I'll update on the cause and cost of repair once I know....
I got a returbished one for about £80Well that turned out to be quite 'emotional'! Very long story short, the warranty had only expired a week before the prop gave up so I looked at extending it however, the garage spoke with the warranty company and they wouldn't cover the part as it was considered 'wear and tear' - plus, the cost of extending the warranty would be over £800.
Looked at the kits but the garage advised against them, they've fitted 3 in the past and all failed within a few months so the owners ended up having to buy new prop's anyway. I ended up with an entire new prop with a 2 year warranty and labour at cost which came to £599 + VAT, so £720 total.
Expensive entry into aging Porker ownership for me but the minute I jumped back behind the wheel had a smile on my face again. On the upside the mechanic gave the car a good look over and considered it solid with no other issues I need to be prepared to part with more £££'s for - so fingers crossed that will be the last big bill for a while.
Looked at the kits but the garage advised against them, they've fitted 3 in the past and all failed within a few months so the owners ended up having to buy new prop's anyway. I ended up with an entire new prop with a 2 year warranty and labour at cost which came to £599 + VAT, so £720 total.
Expensive entry into aging Porker ownership for me but the minute I jumped back behind the wheel had a smile on my face again. On the upside the mechanic gave the car a good look over and considered it solid with no other issues I need to be prepared to part with more £££'s for - so fingers crossed that will be the last big bill for a while.
My Cayenne started running a bit 'lumpy' recently, tick over was fine but pulling away there was a slight lurch in low 2nd gear and under low acceleration at 30-40 mph it just didn't feel right.
After much tinternet trawling I decided to change the coil packs and spark plugs (although it wasn't throwing any errors) - wow, what a difference, it's like a new car! Tick over is now super smooth and under acceleration it feels like I've got another 50 bhp, gear changes are so much smoother.
I had also noticed a bit of a smell of sulphur from the exhaust on tickover once the engine was at running temp - this has also stopped since the change of coils/plugs.
So, another £150 on top of the £700 for a new prop, still love it though....
After much tinternet trawling I decided to change the coil packs and spark plugs (although it wasn't throwing any errors) - wow, what a difference, it's like a new car! Tick over is now super smooth and under acceleration it feels like I've got another 50 bhp, gear changes are so much smoother.
I had also noticed a bit of a smell of sulphur from the exhaust on tickover once the engine was at running temp - this has also stopped since the change of coils/plugs.
So, another £150 on top of the £700 for a new prop, still love it though....
Gassing Station | Front Engined Porsches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff