Porsche Cayenne S 2003 - 4.5 V8 Issues

[Awale23]

Hi guys,

Need some advice. Looking at buying a
Porsche Cayenne S 4.5 V8 2003. It has the below issues. What are your thoughts?

Dash Fault - light adjustment
Dash fault - left cornering light not working
Electric mirrors not moving from inside switch
Slight vibration between 60-70mph

[honest_delboy]

Whats the rest of the car like - regularly serviced with evidence and sub 5 owners, or tints, black wheels and exhaust mods ?

Its a 21 year old car so expect some "character" , are you handy with spanners ?

[h0b0]

I had a vibration at 60-70mph. It was a wheel out of balance.

[poppopbangbang]

Awale23 said:

Dash Fault - light adjustment
Dash fault - left cornering light not working
Electric mirrors not moving from inside switch
Slight vibration between 60-70mph

Dash Fault - Light Adjustment and Left Cornering Light Not Working: Likely the headlight control module with integrated ballast that lives under the headlight unit has failed from water ingress, this is doubly likely if the headlight fogs up when it's damp. Replace with either a genuine Porsche one or genuine Hella one, cheaper variants do not program and as such will only illuminate the HID. Once fitted needs programming with PIWIS.

Electric Mirrors: If they don't fold either then it's likely the switch has failed. Each mirror is seperately fused IIRC so unlikely both would pop a fuse at once.

Slight Vibration: Wheel balance/buckled wheel. It's rare it's anything else as most of the joints and bushes on this era Cayenne look like they should be on a 7.5T truck!

[RDMcG]

I had a slightly later 4.5 ( 2008) from new which I finally sold to a neighbour with 325,000km on it including 50,000km towing a car trailer. Generally bulletproof. Camshaft lifters at 225,000km or so, ( not cheap),A/C compressor at 250,000km and an inexpensive exhaust fix at about 280. It is still running fine with 350,000 on it.

[Luke.]

The original Cayenne is a simply brilliant. Built like tanks. Drive brilliantly. Effortlessly practical. Had a 2003 Turbo. Currently toying with the idea of going back to a 2009 Turbo...

[Hereward]

Awale23 said:

...Slight vibration between 60-70mph

No harm having the propshaft centre support bearing inspected since that is a weak point. Very simple check. Generally manifests itself at lower speeds, though.

[honest_delboy]

CCM replaced my propshaft bearing, I had no warning it just let go. Noise was like someone thumping the transmission tunnel from below.

[TEKNOPUG]

honest_delboy said:

CCM replaced my propshaft bearing, I had no warning it just let go. Noise was like someone thumping the transmission tunnel from below.

Exactly the same as mine @ <100k. Replaced under warranty by OPC.

[braddo]

The risk of bore scoring in the engine is the elephant in the room.

[gareth h]

braddo said:

The risk of bore scoring in the engine is the elephant in the room.

Wait what, there’s an elephant in the room?

[RDMcG]

gareth h said:

braddo said:

The risk of bore scoring in the engine is the elephant in the room.

Wait what, there’s an elephant in the room?

What elephant?

[braddo]

Just wanted to make sure the OP could see it

[Hereward]

poppopbangbang said:

...Slight Vibration: Wheel balance/buckled wheel. It's rare it's anything else as most of the joints and bushes on this era Cayenne look like they should be on a 7.5T truck!

Interesting. When I took my 2003 Touareg for its first MOT the tester hadn't worked on one before. Mid-test he emerged from under the car and excitedly told me that some component (cannot recall what) was "twice the size of those on an X5".

I still have the car and cannot bear to part with it.