Pillow

A topic that should prove lively as people share their story of maintenance in keeping the Cayennes alive!

This may also show the mix of Spam vs Caviar eaters here

deilenberger

Another option exists: private mechanic.

Pillow

LOL you beat my poll to the punch I'm going to guess that most folks are in the Mom&Pop small specialty shop group. Just a guess, lets see what happens.

I'm a DIY guy for the basics and specialty shop for the tougher stuff as needed... Dealer as a last resort or where no workaround exists.

hatchetf15

slavie

DIY what I can, take it to the dealer for tire mounting/balancing, alignments. Also, dealer for anything that requires PIWIS because I have little choice otherwise (local shops with PIWIS charge almost as much as the dealer).

I'm seriously on the verge of ordering one of those knockoff PIWIS II multiplexers to reduce my reliance on the dealer somewhat. And, before you ask, no, I do not feel any moral remorse whatsoever about buying a knockoff in this case since Porsche has failed to provide a reasonable alternative to the DIY crowd (this is pretty much for any car dealer as they're all the same in this regard). I would not buy a knockoff VCDS, for example, as that would be hurting Ross Tech who is trying to help DIY guys at a reasonable price, but a fake PIWIS is fair game.

davis391

I DIY what I can, but that's not much -- mainly because I haven't bought the tools and lift (or jack stands) to do so yet. But some day, for sure. While I'm a desk jockey, I have a not-so-secret fantasy of chucking that and becoming an expert Porsche mechanic and opening my own shop. But that's really a pipe dream, just like buying lottery tickets is a prudent retirement strategy.

Wisconsin Joe

I DIY almost everything on my Cayenne, 928 & 944. I have a decent set of tools and a fair amount of experience.
But I would NOT be able to do as much as I do without the communities on here.

I have a friend who owns a shop, and I pay him from time to time to do stuff I'm not equipped to do.

I had him (or his employee to be more exact) do the fluid in the trans, T/C & both diffs a couple weeks ago.

A lift to get it up, experience removing tight drain plugs and the ability to extract broken bolts (broke one of the trans pan bolts - took an oxy/acetylene torch to get it out) all made it worth it.
Being a friend, I was allowed to help some - R&R's the belly pans, cleaned up and replaced O rings on drain plugs, read the temp on the trans (Durametric) when filling, cleaned up and painted the little heat shield at the back of the trans (really rusty), that sort of thing. I also inspected the Jimi Fix and replaced a couple zip ties on that.
It also allowed me to ensure that everything was done correctly. I trust them, but it's comforting to be under there when the work is being done and know that it's right.

19psi

DIY and it's NOT because I'm on a budget.

tats

DIY again, not because of budget - these cars are a joy to work on and I'm a mechanic's son. Try working on a 1980's Lotus as a comparison.

jeff spahn

Same here. It's fun.

Libast

DIY, Dealer, and indy.

Just depends on how much I want to screw with it. Dealer gets me a nice loaner.

Petza914

DIY anything and everything possible. None of my cars have been to a garage for work in about 4 years.

Haven't been to my Indy in so long, didn't even know they moved across town until I received their annual chili cook-off party invite.

When passing someone in triple digits, I like knowing everything was put together right and torqued properly.

kraeburn

-DIY or indy depending on the project and my mood. Certain things might require special tools or open up the possibility of damaging something expensive, therefore I go to the indy for that. Also, sometimes I don't have the time to deal with an issue.

I tend to DIY almost everything that falls into the category of "low degree of difficulty, high possibility of success (low stress)". Also things that might be time consuming that would chew up lots of costly indy time. I have had the indy do simple things like oil changes at times because its already going in for something else or I just don't feel like it. At the end of the day I need the vehicle to work and I won't let it sit around waiting for me to complete projects--write the check and be done with it.

As an example, these last couple weeks:
DIY:
-Battery
-Position light bulb replacement/Headlight bulb replacement
-Oil change
-Hardwired dashcam
-Misc squeaks and rattles fix
-Brake pads
-Wiper blades
-Fixed water leak into cabin

Indy:
-Control arm replacement (I acquired the parts)
-Alignment
-Diagnosis of a high pitched noise from the engine bay (I'll wait and see what they say it is to determine how I'll fix it)

dr914

I am blessed because I have a Porsche repair shop so simply drive my cayenne back and fourth each day to the repair shop!

Pillow

Impressive replies so far!

More grease ***** in here than I expected But the logic holds, and I concur, that if you want it done right then do it yourself.

Perfect example... If maintenance was that great elsewhere... Then why is the oil drain plug always a little bit messed up? No one seems to own a proper socket in a "professional" shop! And that chaps my *** as sloppy.