Jay Wellwood

I didn't see anything like this created. Seems like the coolant pipe issue dominates the discussion for the 955's.

I'm looking at 2011/2012's - what say the crowd? What to watch for/be mindful of besides the obvious wear & tear?

North Shore 911

The only 2 probelms I've had on my 2012 Cayenne S are the Transfer Case (replaced at 50k under CPO) and the coolant bridge (also replaced under CPO at about the same time). There are a decent number of threads on both of these items here on RL to hear about other folks' experiences. I did have the starter replaced at 53k, but I don't think this is in the same catergory of "known issues" as the Transfer Case and Coolant Bridge...

deilenberger

The most serious problem with 2011 and early 2012 Cayennes is with the Variocam assembly on the V8 engines. I'd suggest spending some time reading: http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/c...s-failure.html

That thread tells all - including handy-dandy photos to make it easy to see if the vehicle you're considering may have an issue with it. Best case if it does - spend $2,600 and get it fixed on your own dime until Porsche is forced by NHTSA to recall it, worst case - ignore it - it happens and the new engine cost of $30k+ makes your Cayenne virtually valueless. I went the $2,600 route - which you can read about in that thread.

FWIW - some of that info COULD be reproduced here. It's rather strange to me that a thread on the subject never really got going here, but I attribute that to this forums tossing all Cayennes in the same bowl and leaving it to the members to sort them out. That one-bowl is going to get really crowded and confusing as the next series Cayenne is due out within a year.

The transfer-case issue seems to be hit or miss. There are lots of Cayennes in the 958 series running around with lots of miles on them which have never experienced an issue. There are others that have experienced repeated problems. Those ones - I think there is something else going on (different diameter tires? launching?) It also doesn't appear that it's a case of an under-designed component, since there isn't a pattern I can see related to HP (about an equal number of V6 models report failures as Turbos - of course there are probably a lot more V6's on the road too..)

There is some sign that the diesel doesn't suffer from the transfer case problem (I can't recall reports on the diesels,) but AFAIK - the diesel also uses the Tourag 4WD system, while all the gasoline models use a bit more sophisticated Porsche one (the Tourag does 50/50 fixed front/rear distribution, the gas models are roughly 70/30 and variable distribution.) That means different transfer cases.

A general 958 buyers guide would be useful, but I'm not going to make an effort on it until we do have some model segregation here. I may consider doing it on the other forum though..

Jay Wellwood

Dayum...that is a helluva an issue. Can't say I've read about this before, thanks for sharing.

Based on the info it appears to be limited to the 2011 model year. An ounce of prevention is definitely worth the pound of cure in this case.

deilenberger

If you go through the production dates - especially using some of the info that can be tracked down due to the Japanese and Chinese recalls - it appears some very early 2012's also had the bad bolts. Easy enough to check.. and if the vehicle you're considering has them - factor in the $3k cost to make the problem go away into the purchase price. Good bargaining point actually..

And I agree on the ounce of prevention. I had mine done even though I have an extended warranty that would cover them. I did it because I was going to drive the CTT from NJ to CA and back to NJ with wife as copilot. The thought of them going bad somewhere in BF Dakota wasn't a pleasant one. Decided they had to be done. Figure if Porsche does a recall - I'll get the $$ back, otherwise when enough cases build up, some Class-Action attorney will decide it's worth his time to file suit, costing Porsche lots more than simply fixing them would. They seem to be a slow learner on that. Maybe it's the VW influence.

CarGuyNVA

To be honest, the same thing said above regarding the transfer cases can be said for the Variocam assemblies as well.

deilenberger

Absolutely - but failure of the transfer case doesn't destroy an engine.

CarGuyNVA

Point taken...hence the strong recommendation ad nauseam to cover oneself with a quality warranty. Engine, transfer case, whatever....all expensive. These vehicles can be potentially very expensive ownership experiences from many angles, but in most cases aren't too bad it seems. The 958s are fairly robust for this class of vehicle.

Researching 2011 MY problems from several sources (not just automotive enthusiast forums) yields considerably more hits related to the transfer case issue in V8 equipped models vs. the variocam issues....and becomes even more skewed when factoring in the V6 model transfer case issues as well.

On my own vehicle the transfer case has been replaced at about 32k miles.

So, Variocam adjusters, transfer cases.....what else on the 11/12s? Those are really the only two I can think of that come up with any degree of regularity, most other issues seem rather random.

deilenberger

Clock second hands falling off (about a 30 minute fix even if you are REALLY slow..)

Possibly an issue with a pipe glued into the coolant bridge on the rear of the engine. Dealer will want to drop the engine to fix it - and charge for a new coolant bridge. Smart money removes the fuel pump above it, then glues the pipe back in with some JB Weld and if really paranoid uses a tether on it.

What we haven't seen is a lot of 955/957 issues like: pano sunroof failures (simpler design - 2 panels instead of 3); driveshaft failures; exploding coolant reservoirs; persistent water leaks into the passenger compartment; failing horns; failing steering column lock (requiring the replacement of the entire column assembly); scored cylinders; exploding coolant pipes under the intake manifold; leaking auto-transmissions and sticky AT valve bodies; failing Bose amps and probably a few other common failures I've forgotten. Things like the air suspension seem more reliable - having a sealed nitrogen filled system vs and open system.

ScootCherHienie

>hence the strong recommendation ad nauseam to cover oneself with a quality warranty.

"Quality warranty"... some would argue there is no such thing when the warranty companies will universally try to spend the least possible amount of money repairing your vehicle... I mean the more money they spend, the less money they get to keep. (which is why I laugh out loud at these insurance company commercials where the person in the commercial says something like "All I had to do was send the insurance company photos of the damage and they sent me a check to cover the repairs." Bull crap. The insurance company sent you a check that paid for 1/2 of the repair and when you cashed the check, you signed away your rights to go back and get the full cost of the repair. Warranty companies are simply insurance companies. They make money 90% of the time and if they don't. they go out of business leaving "policy" holders with worthless paper. Also, the warranty company may have language in their contract that stipulates that they are not liable for repair costs over the life of the warranty that exceed the purchase price of the vehicle. So if you pay $20K for a used Cayenne, the $4000 to $6000 warranty you get will likely not cover more than $20,000 in repairs over the life of the warranty. And it would be just my luck to pay $4000 for a 4 year warranty and not have the first big problem till the 5th year. Also, some warranty companies will refuse to sell you a policy directly on vehicles over a certain number of years old and/or over a certain odometer reading limit... you may still be able to purchase the warranty from the dealer where you purchased the car, but you may not be able to cut out the dealer's middleman profit. Dealers often quote 30% or more over the real cost of the warranty. We got an extended warranty on a new electric car in 2015. The dealer initially wanted $1500 for the full coverage (including rental car while vehicle is being serviced) and I balked at that price for a brand new vehicle and they immediately dropped the cost to $900 for the same warranty plan (beware big warranty price drops... they often put you into a different warranty plan that doesn't cover as much when they do that so you think you're getting a good deal but don't realize you just paid an inflated price for a warranty with less coverage than you thought you were paying for. Dealers are so slimey, new, used, doesn't matter much. With a private party purchase of an older Cayenne with miles above 50K, you may find you cannot purchase an extended warranty from any company or if you can, the cost may be through the roof.

Jay Wellwood

Soooo...in retrospect, it would appear that while the cam bolts and the transfer case are nothing to be trifled with or otherwise minimized as to the potential impact on one's wallet - in comparison to the previous generation the identified problems thus far are fewer.

CarGuyNVA

Much of what you say is absolutely correct, but if your vehicle qualifies, there are some very good warranties out there (just as there are many horrible ones). As always it's up to the consumer to shop carefully and digest all the fine print. The one I got through my Porsche dealer at time of purchase recently paid a $4200 repair bill no sweat. I had to do zero. The full coverage warranty policy didn't cost anywhere near that.

4ocious

0, nada, problems with my 11 CTT, about to turn 55K, love it, very reliable. But I also have a warranty.

deilenberger

I think that's a fairly accurate summary. They've been out long enough now that repair hotspots should have been identified, and besides those two - there don't seem to be a lot of endemic problem areas. And they are way less than the 955/957 series, particularly the early 955's.

cuttinsod

I have 83K on a 2011 CS and 52K on a 2012 CS.....no major issues....washer fluid level sensor failed on the '11 but fixed under warranty....that's pretty much it....