Cardan Shaft Replaced
05-23-2011, 12:34 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cardan Shaft Replaced
It's funny. I've had a lot of cars over the years. I try get a handle on what the common types of issues are on certain cars as it becomes obvious on particular models that the same types of problems arise over and over. When I say "over and over" that usually means more common than average.
What I found out about the Cayenne is that the hit rate for common problems is more like 100%. It's not a matter of "if" but "when".
I've been lucky that in the past cars I've found, many of them so-called "problematic" cars such as various A4s, TT, Touareg - I've been lucky to avoid virtually any issue. Not so with this new (to me) Cayenne I purchased a few months ago.
Few weeks after I brought it home I had to replace the coolant pipes. After I fixed the pipes I still kept getting a leak and found out the coolant reservoir tank had cracked. After a few weeks of driving around in "no coolant issue" bliss - car started violently shaking and I knew it was the Cardan Shaft.
Ordered from Vertex after doing some research. Came in 3 days. Cost $389 with free shipping. Looked beefy and in good shape. Had my indy install it - took less than an hour. He removed the exhaust, unbolted the old shaft and installed the new one. Then replaced the exhaust. Charged me hour and a half labor.
It's strange to me that I am on the losing end already on two of the three "trinity" of Cayenne problems. Especially since it's only been a few months. I guess I've just been unlucky - or maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Depends how you look at it. I also think that the previous owner really babied this car with weekend excursions on the highway. Car had 54K when I bought it on original wheels that didn't even have a spot of curb rash! No scratches or dents anywhere.
Now that I brought the car back home to NYC and it has experienced the nightmares or pot hole ridden street after street, and stop and go traffic daily - I think it is just rebelling on me a little bit.
Thank God for my Indy Mechanic who changed my coolant pipes in under four hours and who now did a quick turnaround on the cardan shaft. I feel like I dodged a bullet in some ways with both repairs because I was able to drive around a few days with the coolant pipe and same with the Cardan Shaft. Neither of the issues were sudden or extreme. Also I spent little more on the repairs than I would have on any issue that I had on previous Audi A4's.
When the car is fine, it's been such a blast to drive. My wife loves the car more than I do! Hopefully I've gotten the gremlins out and the car has grown out of his rebellious stage...
What I found out about the Cayenne is that the hit rate for common problems is more like 100%. It's not a matter of "if" but "when".
I've been lucky that in the past cars I've found, many of them so-called "problematic" cars such as various A4s, TT, Touareg - I've been lucky to avoid virtually any issue. Not so with this new (to me) Cayenne I purchased a few months ago.
Few weeks after I brought it home I had to replace the coolant pipes. After I fixed the pipes I still kept getting a leak and found out the coolant reservoir tank had cracked. After a few weeks of driving around in "no coolant issue" bliss - car started violently shaking and I knew it was the Cardan Shaft.
Ordered from Vertex after doing some research. Came in 3 days. Cost $389 with free shipping. Looked beefy and in good shape. Had my indy install it - took less than an hour. He removed the exhaust, unbolted the old shaft and installed the new one. Then replaced the exhaust. Charged me hour and a half labor.
It's strange to me that I am on the losing end already on two of the three "trinity" of Cayenne problems. Especially since it's only been a few months. I guess I've just been unlucky - or maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Depends how you look at it. I also think that the previous owner really babied this car with weekend excursions on the highway. Car had 54K when I bought it on original wheels that didn't even have a spot of curb rash! No scratches or dents anywhere.
Now that I brought the car back home to NYC and it has experienced the nightmares or pot hole ridden street after street, and stop and go traffic daily - I think it is just rebelling on me a little bit.
Thank God for my Indy Mechanic who changed my coolant pipes in under four hours and who now did a quick turnaround on the cardan shaft. I feel like I dodged a bullet in some ways with both repairs because I was able to drive around a few days with the coolant pipe and same with the Cardan Shaft. Neither of the issues were sudden or extreme. Also I spent little more on the repairs than I would have on any issue that I had on previous Audi A4's.
When the car is fine, it's been such a blast to drive. My wife loves the car more than I do! Hopefully I've gotten the gremlins out and the car has grown out of his rebellious stage...
05-23-2011, 03:17 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
Wow, my '06 Turbo S has 52K on it and I think the shaft is pretty much the same as a regular Turbo's or even that of and 'S' so you would think the extra TQ would beat it up soon. I'll be ready for it when it happens I guess.
