Fix or Sell 08 957 Cayenne Turbo?
05-29-2018, 11:42 PM
#31
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Slavie - Thank you for your input, that’s probably good advice, I’m definitely crushed by this and I want to pursue it with a clear head. The oil leak seems like it has been going on for a little while now based on the amount and condition of the surrounding area, I put about a quart or two every 1500 miles and again I’ve only put about 3800 miles on it since purchase so as far as a standard of metric, I’m not sure if that’s a lot.
Not 100% sure if the wiring harness on the passenger side is corroded but it is likely, the transmission wiring is completely soaked and draining, I will try and re-size the video my tech took of it so I can share the extent of it. Thanks again
Not 100% sure if the wiring harness on the passenger side is corroded but it is likely, the transmission wiring is completely soaked and draining, I will try and re-size the video my tech took of it so I can share the extent of it. Thanks again
05-30-2018, 12:17 AM
#32
Yikes, that is a lot of corrosion!
I don't think any of these things should total the car. I still don't understand what his diagnosis is on your original problem, though. These are very complex machines. The problem is that now you have had it long enough to be spoiled. No car is going to have the same feel or ride at the 35k price point. If you decide to keep it, you are going to be much better off if you start learning how the car works and how to fix some of these things yourself or it will bleed you well beyond your limit.
I don't think any of these things should total the car. I still don't understand what his diagnosis is on your original problem, though. These are very complex machines. The problem is that now you have had it long enough to be spoiled. No car is going to have the same feel or ride at the 35k price point. If you decide to keep it, you are going to be much better off if you start learning how the car works and how to fix some of these things yourself or it will bleed you well beyond your limit.
05-30-2018, 12:23 AM
#33
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If there wasn't an accident, technically the car can't be "totalled" as that implies that an insurance company is unwilling to pay to repair it because the repair cost exceeds more than 75% the value of the vehicle, but these are mechanical or maintenance items, and not something covered by vehicle insurance. Maybe you're using that term personally where you're unwilling to invest that type of money into an older car with rust damage and other future issues, which is fine.
05-30-2018, 01:00 AM
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Yikes, that is a lot of corrosion!
I don't think any of these things should total the car. I still don't understand what his diagnosis is on your original problem, though. These are very complex machines. The problem is that now you have had it long enough to be spoiled. No car is going to have the same feel or ride at the 35k price point. If you decide to keep it, you are going to be much better off if you start learning how the car works and how to fix some of these things yourself or it will bleed you well beyond your limit.
I don't think any of these things should total the car. I still don't understand what his diagnosis is on your original problem, though. These are very complex machines. The problem is that now you have had it long enough to be spoiled. No car is going to have the same feel or ride at the 35k price point. If you decide to keep it, you are going to be much better off if you start learning how the car works and how to fix some of these things yourself or it will bleed you well beyond your limit.
To clarify, I’m suggesting by insurance standards this vehicle would be considered “Totalled” meaning the cost of repair exceeds 50% of the vehicles value today. There are some cases where my insurance would cover some of these costs given a proper inspection and claim, however rare.
05-30-2018, 01:12 AM
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If there wasn't an accident, technically the car can't be "totalled" as that implies that an insurance company is unwilling to pay to repair it because the repair cost exceeds more than 75% the value of the vehicle, but these are mechanical or maintenance items, and not something covered by vehicle insurance. Maybe you're using that term personally where you're unwilling to invest that type of money into an older car with rust damage and other future issues, which is fine.
I am willing to invest that much into this vehicle, I guess my question is - is that maybe a problem as well? Haha
05-30-2018, 03:08 AM
#37
Fixing wiring harnesses isn't too difficult. Its tedious and time consuming work which makes it very expensive to get it done professionally but very cheap to do yourself.
The leaks are worrying but in my experience gaskets, o-rings etc are cheap; its the many hours of labor to replace them that costs a lot. Of course what/where matters a lot too but I don't think you should give up just yet. Still too many unanswered questions about all of these issues and so far none of the information conclusively says to abandon all hope.
The leaks are worrying but in my experience gaskets, o-rings etc are cheap; its the many hours of labor to replace them that costs a lot. Of course what/where matters a lot too but I don't think you should give up just yet. Still too many unanswered questions about all of these issues and so far none of the information conclusively says to abandon all hope.
Last edited by NelaK; 05-30-2018 at 10:53 AM.
05-30-2018, 11:49 AM
#39
If you shop smart, you may be able to fix the car up for much less than you may imagine. These cars are now old enough to where used parts are available. For example, new TCM from the dealer is $800 or so, but a used one is $100-150 on eBay, and may be even less if you call around your local salvage yards. The module will definitely need programming, so keep that in mind as well (used or new, both need programming). A salvage yard may be able to hook you up with a harness as well, but yours may be salvageable if all it is is soaked in oil and not damaged.
For your current TCM, chances are good you can take it apart and clean off the oil with electrical parts cleaner or something along those lines. If it's not fried, there may be nothing wrong with it after cleaning.
Do your research and see if you can tackle some of the jobs yourself, because labor cost if your biggest enemy at this point, not parts prices. You may have to pay for transmission service, I'm going to guess $1000-1500 bill to re-seal or replace connectors with new tranny filter and fluid, but harness and TCM I'd do myself first.
For your current TCM, chances are good you can take it apart and clean off the oil with electrical parts cleaner or something along those lines. If it's not fried, there may be nothing wrong with it after cleaning.
Do your research and see if you can tackle some of the jobs yourself, because labor cost if your biggest enemy at this point, not parts prices. You may have to pay for transmission service, I'm going to guess $1000-1500 bill to re-seal or replace connectors with new tranny filter and fluid, but harness and TCM I'd do myself first.
05-30-2018, 12:03 PM
#40
Burning Brakes
05-30-2018, 02:37 PM
#41
Yeah, good point. I would go ask for my money back on those PPI's and/or let us know who did them as they clearly missed some pretty obvious leaks. With the level of difficulty and amount of maintenance these cars require, I personally would opt out of one with a ton of rust. Are the fasteners and steel parts around the rest of the car as bad as the ones in this pic? It will make every little project a lot more difficult from replacing suspension parts like control arm bushings to minor things like new diverter valves, both projects your car will soon be needing if they have not been done yet.
05-30-2018, 09:09 PM
#42
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Estimate
Update May 30: Got the official quote and itemized list of repairs needed, looks like the total with labor is about $14156.50 give or take, with an estimate of 40-45 hours of labor - save the minor things like battery swap. Have a look below.
@nodoors - I’m afraid in my area most vehicles experience this level of rust - it’s unfortunate but replacing the vehicle with another within 250 miles of my location might have the same issue. I’ve heard of some in my area treating parts to slow the rust process - I don’t have a great pic of the complete underside of the vehicle, I would assume there would be rust in other areas as well, I saw some on the cats when I poked under there in dealer garage.
05-30-2018, 09:31 PM
#43
- Battery replacement - dead easy. There's no programming necessary. Just buy a decent battery at the right size which should run you about $200 and it'll take 30 minutes to an hour to install. Its under the driver's seat. There's tutorials on the forum.
- Repairing corrosion on the cables and replacing a seal is also easy enough.
- Valve cover gasket is doable to my knowledge. (https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...cement.doc.htm)
- I can't really speak to the TCM but other people mentioned that you can possibly do this yourself really cheaply.
The PDCC one is the only thing I'd recommend letting the dealership handle and that's because it'll probably require PIWIS.
Tires are up to you - you don't have to buy Porsche approved tires (usually just means expensive). There's lots of threads on what tires people run depending on their driving style. I personally use the Continental DWS06. You're going to lose some of the excitement that you get with the Porsche recommended Michelin's but the Continental's will also last more than 1 summer.
Also! Its entirely possible that fixing the corrosion, switching to an appropriate battery and fixing the TCM could resolve the PDCC issue.
So I say pay the actually knowledgeable technician for their diagnostics, go yell at the lazy/clueless tech's that did the PPI's and possibly get your money back and use that money to pay for your repairs.
- Repairing corrosion on the cables and replacing a seal is also easy enough.
- Valve cover gasket is doable to my knowledge. (https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...cement.doc.htm)
- I can't really speak to the TCM but other people mentioned that you can possibly do this yourself really cheaply.
The PDCC one is the only thing I'd recommend letting the dealership handle and that's because it'll probably require PIWIS.
Tires are up to you - you don't have to buy Porsche approved tires (usually just means expensive). There's lots of threads on what tires people run depending on their driving style. I personally use the Continental DWS06. You're going to lose some of the excitement that you get with the Porsche recommended Michelin's but the Continental's will also last more than 1 summer.
Also! Its entirely possible that fixing the corrosion, switching to an appropriate battery and fixing the TCM could resolve the PDCC issue.
So I say pay the actually knowledgeable technician for their diagnostics, go yell at the lazy/clueless tech's that did the PPI's and possibly get your money back and use that money to pay for your repairs.
05-31-2018, 10:24 AM
#44
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Thanks, NalaK - I’ve performed a battery install on the vehicle, needed replaced shortly after purchase and it was relatively painless - as far as the sunroof drain and fluid migration of the wiring harness, the wiring could be salvageable but I’m hesitant to simply clean and reinstall because I still don’t know if there is corrosion or damage to the pin connectors or transmission relay - I think you’re correct with the PDCC, that is an issue best left to a professional with a diagnostic, will need calibration after the repair as well.
Looking at the work order - how would you guys prioritize the repairs?
Looking at the work order - how would you guys prioritize the repairs?
05-31-2018, 11:25 AM
#45
Another $800+ Porsche battery swap... 2 hours of labor is silly to replace the battery for someone who is getting paid $185 an hour. They should be able to swap the battery in less than an hour in the dark.
I would do the least amount of work possible to get your original issue fixed and then go from there. I would also start inspecting these things on your own and get educated if $14k is a lot of money to you and the thought of spending that and the car still not being totally sorted is a bad dream. You clearly don't get any kind of discount for getting all the service work done at once.
I would take a look at the wiring harnesses yourself in the footwells to see if there is actually corrosion and which side. Tell us more about that water situation as you have not really brought it up other than us telling you it might be a contributing issue. On an '08, I would think that the drain connections leaking above the headliner is the least likely of the known water ingress scenarios with the Cayenne. Much more likely to be a clogged drain in the sunroof or down in the fender wells - especially with the timing of the recent pollen season. How much water is in the car when you pull all the drain plugs and which ones have the most?
The ATF seeping into things is a bummer. Porsche had supposedly fixed that by the '05 MY. It will ruin anything rubber it comes in contact with, but should clean up okay. Are you or are you not having shifting problems or were there TCM codes? Or does the tech just want to replace the TCM since it has ATF in it now? Like others recommended, I would get new harnesses, but replace the TCM with an identically numbered used part and have it reprogrammed to save a couple thousand dollars. They are not known to commonly fail.
I would do the least amount of work possible to get your original issue fixed and then go from there. I would also start inspecting these things on your own and get educated if $14k is a lot of money to you and the thought of spending that and the car still not being totally sorted is a bad dream. You clearly don't get any kind of discount for getting all the service work done at once.
I would take a look at the wiring harnesses yourself in the footwells to see if there is actually corrosion and which side. Tell us more about that water situation as you have not really brought it up other than us telling you it might be a contributing issue. On an '08, I would think that the drain connections leaking above the headliner is the least likely of the known water ingress scenarios with the Cayenne. Much more likely to be a clogged drain in the sunroof or down in the fender wells - especially with the timing of the recent pollen season. How much water is in the car when you pull all the drain plugs and which ones have the most?
The ATF seeping into things is a bummer. Porsche had supposedly fixed that by the '05 MY. It will ruin anything rubber it comes in contact with, but should clean up okay. Are you or are you not having shifting problems or were there TCM codes? Or does the tech just want to replace the TCM since it has ATF in it now? Like others recommended, I would get new harnesses, but replace the TCM with an identically numbered used part and have it reprogrammed to save a couple thousand dollars. They are not known to commonly fail.