Buying a Turbo from afar
 

I'm starting my search for a 2003 to 2006 Cayenne Turbo.

I'm finding them in different parts of the country, which is fine, but I'm wondering the best way to determine if a car warrants further pursuit.

I've had 3 911s (current is 996 3.6) so I'm no stranger to DIY. (Also had an '04 Jag XJR... talk about DIY!!!) Coolant pipes, the other stuff, doesn't scare me. Bore scoring does.

Can I hear bore scoring over the phone? I don't want to trust someone telling me there's no knock, and I don't want to waste money on a PPI if it has it. Any other ways of detecting it off the bat? I figure if a seller will open the hood, and shoot a video of the engine running while walking around the engine bay, I'll be able to hear any knocking. Yes?

What else should I do to make sure I don't waste my (or the seller's) time in narrowing down my ultimate choice?

Not sure if I would by a Turbo from afar. Have the seller take several videos and post them here for feedback. Better yet if you have a rennlister in that city do a RennFax for you.

GL.

:typing:18 years and 33 posts, that's like 1.8 post a year, meaning you have less than 1 post left to research buying the turbo...:D

Ha! Fair enough. When I have a question, I usually find what I need using search or contribute some $$ to get into the special areas. Truth is, my 911s have been pretty reliable. And by the time I have something valuable to give back, someone else has already posted something similar. I know, I should give back. :) Truth is, I spend a lot more time on a certain airplane owners forum where my post count is in the thousands. :)

I have one I'm contemplating. 196K miles, but that doesn't bother me. In the Carfax I ordered, I see where it was flat-bedded with a coolant leak about 40K miles ago. I'm willing to bet it's got aluminum coolant pipes. No other smoking guns noted in the Carfax. Seemed to have been serviced by the dealer for the first 12 years and it looks like the transmission was flashed about the time that started becoming an issue. Pictures look good. Just waiting for video right now.

I spent about a year looking for the right Gen 1 Cayenne Turbo. There weren't many on the market and I found a huge variation in the quality and condition. I limited my search to within about 300 miles because I don't believe there is a substitute for an in-person inspection and I was willing to drive that distance to get a look. There were a couple vehicles I was interested in, but once I saw them in person, I was no longer interested. The vehicle I finally bought was 299 miles from my home. Fortunately my son lives in the area and was able to make an initial in-person assessment. 15-17 year old Cayenne Turbos can get real expensive really quickly, so the more homework you do up front will pay off later. A PPI by a mechanic familiar with the Cayenne is a must. There will always be someone here on the forum that can give advice on shops near where the vehicle is located. If the seller doesn't want to do a PPI (even at your expense), walk away. You can also usually find someone on the forums that will go look at a vehicle for you. As for the bore scoring - this isn't as much of an issue with the Turbo motor, but there are plenty of other items you want checked. Good luck on your search!


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4dc52658b4.jpg

I got a video of the engine running. I don't hear the tick-tick-tick.
I found a shop in the area from a previous thread. (See TRINITONY, I used search. :) )

I wouldn't think of trading cold hard cash until I've personally driven it and inspected it. I just don't want to start driving all over the USA. I'd rather do the pre-research, then go look at the most promising one.

Sounds good to me especially for the miles, but I'll let one the experts @brett968 chime in.

Sounds OK to me too, although it's not the most convincing video.

Anyone in the Tampa area who can drop by and look at it? I'm having a hard time convincing the sales guy to drive it a couple of miles over to Vortex for a PPI. I need to talk to him again as I actually have cash in hand ready to make a deal right now, which I'd like to make contingent on a PPI showing nothing fatal. I don't mind changing out all of the coils and plugs and stuff. I just don't want to get caught with something that is about to turn into a roller.

If no luck here, try the OT forum and put A post there. :evilgrin:

I think I'm just going to go down there. I've got my Durametric loaded up and ready to go.
What tools should I bring?

I figure I'll follow the checklist below and if I don't uncover anything scary, I'll close the deal.

- Check OBD computer with Durametric.
- I am already expecting to see codes related to coils since the sales guy said it needed some. He says it needs a good "tune-up."
- Will the transmission module show anything related to the TCU version and any bad solenoids? Cardan-shaft?
- Look for any coolant leaks from anywhere. CarFax shows some coolant work after a "flatbed" about 40K miles ago. I'm taking that as a sign for aluminum pipes.
- Pull all of the coils and spark-plugs and check for signs of over-rich/oily plugs.
- My thoughts are this would flag any cylinders low on compression.
- What socket sizes, extensions would I need? I'm guessing 18mm for the plugs. 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, and 13mm for other connecting bolts?
- Take it for a drive and listen for signs of cardan-shaft wear. Check 4-wheel positions (stepper motor failure.) Check ride height operation (air pump and suspension.)

I figure anything else is relatively minor that I'd eventually fix. I just replaced the crankshaft position sensor on my 996 and a few years ago replaced the AOS, water pump, etc.
I'm not looking for a perfect car, just something that's not going to become a paperweight in the near future.
What else should I check before handing over the cash and driving the 500 miles back to Atlanta?

What tools should I bring in addition to the following:
- Durametric
- 3/8 torque wrench with ??? (length?) extension
- 18mm, 13mm, 12mm, 10mm, 8mm sockets
- Flat head and Phillips head screwdrivers
- Mirror on a wand

Will the seller let you do all that work on the car as a non-professional PPI?

If you're going all the way to the spark plugs, you may as well do a compression test. With the coils out, you can inspect for cracks. The last two digits in the part number are the revision number. My 2004 were single digits, and now they are in the 20's at least.

Check carefully on the tools you'll need. On my 2004 S, at least, to get to the spark plugs you need to remove the torque arm / bar, which requires Torx E10 and E12 for the bracket, and M12 XZN (triple square; can use a Torx T55 if needed). And then of course all the stuff you take off will need to be reinstalled with proper torque specs, etc. I'll post my notes on all that at the bottom of this post, but I would not be surprised if the seller balks at having you open things up. If you limit things to bank 2 (driver's side) you don't have to deal with the torque bar.

Spark plugs on my 2004 S (different vs. the Turbo in this regard) take a 16mm or 5/8" spark plug socket; I'd guess the Turbo plugs are different plugs, but take the same size socket.

Removal of the plastic covers might "require" removal or loosening of the secondary air pumps, unless you bend the plastic (can definitely be done). But is not rare for people to scratch or damage those covers when wrestling them out of there.

I would not worry at all about the Cardan shaft other than the issue of driving it 500 miles home. It is an inevitable failure that every car has, with a cheap and easy (or other) fix if you want it.

Turbo owners may have more directed suggestions, but I'd be full-on paranoid about bore scoring, and not very concerned with anything else.

Here are my notes from taking off the plastic covers, etc., which I made when I first took them off to do my own PPI (buying from my brother in law, so it was OK), figuring I'd have them off frequently. But I actually only needed to take off the torque bar to fix the bushings in that, and no other time.

Engine cover stuff
service manual, general, p65
spark plugs - M14x1.25 - 30 Nm new, 25 Nm reinstall
Coils - M6 - 10 Nm
Torque bar bracket - lower 2 Torx E10 M6 - 10 Nm, upper 2 Torx E12 M8 - 23 Nm
torque bar - M10 - 60 Nm - 16mm hex on rear ends, M12 XZN on front end of medial bolt. Torx T55 is a close fit to the M12 XZN
plastic covers over coils - M5 - 5 Nm
Secondary air pumps - M6 - T40 - 10 Nm