tsill13

Cant see the true effects of bore scoring without looking at the bottom of the stroke, which unless someone has found a procedure for getting a camera in that area, is not possible without engine removal.

Also, I've looked at buying so many of these I cant count, before I finally found 2 in this first gen that made sense. I will tell you that every one of them, when you hear it recorded from a camera phone, all sound like the rod is coming through the side of the block. Camera phones are not a reliable way of determining bore scoring. just my .02 cents.

brett968

This is about the clearest case of piston slap due to bore scoring that I've seen on this forum in a long time. Any money spent on oil changes, borescoping, diagnostics, etc. is a complete waste. It needs a new/replacement engine.

Malibu955

Agreed. Punt it or part it.

tsill13

If you do decide to do the oil change, save some of the oil and send it in to get analyzed, that will also help with a diagnosis,

RealPolItiK

Great idea.

PumbaaSA77

CONCLUSION
So I serviced the car yesterday. Oil and filter change. Used good quality synthetic oil and an additive. Also changed the plugs (on the remote hope that old/bad plugs could have been part of the problem). There is zero improvement and the slap is now more of 'cluk cluk' than a 'tic tic'. In addition there was oil in plugs 1, 2 and 5 so signs that both gaskets have gone too

I have now satisfied myself that I have bought a real lemon and not going to spend any further cash on it . Will try sell to recoup whatever cash I can and now on the hunt for a later model with hard evidence of being properly maintained.

(Frustrating thing is that she still pulls like hell and I'm really loving driving her. I just cant live with the horrible noise!)

Thanks for all the thoughts, suggestions and advice.

Malibu955

Yup, that's the best decision. Sorry this one didn't work out but I'm glad to hear that you're going to find a better sorted one as they really are great vehicles. If you're going to look for a 957, get an '09-'10. If a 955, look for an '06. That being said, climate plays a huge part in the overall health of these engines alongside maintenance. I'd steer clear on the '07 and '08 957s as they tend to have a higher reported instance of bore scoring in the 4.8 DI V8 (yes, I'm including '07s intentionally since OP is from the UK where there was an MY07 Cayenne).

tsill13

The gaskets are inexpensive and not all that bad to change, you can do it in a day with never having done it before.

is it bore scoring, chances are yes, but not 100%, I'd say its more like 60/40, no way of knowing until you properly diagnose it. I do understand not wanting to go further.