I did the search and have seen the frivolity this board is capable of.

My question is this: Is the towing/lights problem only an issue with the Porsche option. If I have an aftermarket controller installed does this get around the issue? I have not read the engineering description from Lewis that was alluded to in a post or two, but am guessing that it's a current draw problem. On my ML430 a seperate line was run from the battery for power, would this solve the issue with the CS?

And a second question: Is this resolved in '06 models? I know of Arnaud's (AW) problems but thought that his was a very early production model.

 

Tom,
I like the word 'frivolity'... welcome to the Cayenne forum, where the offical drink is Purplesaurus Rex, MadFox is in charge of my medication and where we generally try to have fun.

It is NOT current consumption. Rather it is the extention of the in vehicle bulb diagnostic 'feature' to the trailer 7pin connector.

Basically, the Cayenne is incapable of knowing exactly what type of lighting load is conencted to the 7pin connector (very different from the situation of bulbs installed at time of manufacture...headlights, parking lights, directionals, brake lights, etc).
Therefore, the designers (IIRC, the tow control module was designed by Westfalia for PAG) made ASSUMPTIONS on what constitutes a NOMINAL lighting load for an attached trailer.

Too low a current draw (as would be the case with LED lighting for example) and you get a "!" Check Trailer LIghts warning, as the system believes that one or more bulbs are blown.

Too high a current draw (as would be the case with 'skl' for example on a standard configuration enclosed car hauler with incandescent bulbs) and the system believes there is a short circuit and triggers the "!" Check Trailer Lights.

Of course, I'll skip over why the system decides to shut off the headlights, which is why 'skl' only tows in daylight (and has to unplug running lights on the trailer in order to get his headlights to stay on) or why I pull into the paddock at 5AM with 2 Maglights attached to the vehicle with racer's tape (I'm getting to the track no matter what!).

Of course, NONE of this is mentioned in the owner's manual, and NO ONE knows what the magic # is for lighting load/configuration.

Yes, you could avoid all of this by installing your own trailer lighting controller (voiding any PCNA warranty in the process), but at least it would not generate the "!" Check Trailer Lights warrning.

BTW, this has NOT been resolved. Any Cayenne with option 1D6 (factory tow) will exhibit this behavior. I am aware of AW's problem, as well as others (skl, JFSCheck, thecleaner, etc).

The 06 Cayennes have the option listed at 1D8, but I have been unable to determine what the differences are or what changes were made (if any) to address this issue.

Suffice it to say, I have spent many hours dealing with this issue, on behalf of myself and other owners, and there is no end in sight I'm afraid.

 

So, if I buy a CS without the factory towing option and have my favorite shop install the hitch and brake controller (and associated wiring), it is unlikely that I'll have the lighting issue?

 

I just had mine in for service last week and asked about the 1D8 module and if it could be updated from my 1D6. According to my dealer you CAN'T upgrade the module. BTW, by disconnecting several of my running lights, I do get the remaining trailer lights to work and have luckily not had the total failure experienced by Lewis (no knock on wood icon???) Still get the ! however every time I turn on the headlights with the trailer hooked up. NO problems whatsoever towing the same trailer with a friend's Nissan Titan or Suburban...

Tom- would love to hear how your CS will work with aftermarket wiring. When I first had problems (before thinking of disconnecting lights- my dealer's solution when I took it in- I thought of running power directly from the battery to the lights to bypass all that diagnostic bull****...

 

Tom,
So as long as your installer puts in:
1. an electronic brake controller
and
2. a trailer lighting control unit
(keeping in mind these are 2 seperate modules/tasks)
and
your Cayenne has NO 1D6 or 1D8 installed/programmed
then
Yes, you should be just like every other 'normal' tow vehicle (Ford, Chevy, Dodge).
As skl mentioned, when I tow with my bride's 2005 Ford Excursion Eddie Bauer 6.0l PowerStroke diesel (quite the cowboy cadillac....her 2nd Excursion), everything works the way you'd expect it to.

 

Hmmn, diagnostic 'bull****'.....of course you meant 'bullsh!t'.

 

Thanks guys. A couple more follow-up questions.

Is the Porsche controller (either old 1D6 or new 1D8) any good? I'm more familiar with the Tekonsha brake controllers and use a ModuLite for lighting control. Has anyone tried a ModuLite as a work-around for the Porsche system?

 

As long as you have a 'neutered or spayed' Cayenne (no 1D6 nor 1D8), you are free to do as you please and it will work like a 'normal' tow vehicle.

The lighting controller you mentioned would work just fine (good quality product)......in fact you can even mount it where the factory unit goes.....cargo compartment, passenger side, behind the wheel well/side panel.

 

Ah, my apologies to Doug - I didn't mean to hijack the thread. My ML does have 86k miles and it's time to look for a new tow vehicle/daily driver. End of the year/quarter should be a reasonable time to buy...

I had heard that the CS had 2+ problems per 100 cars according to JD Powers (i.e. pretty bad). Have they fixed the quality issues (other than towing )?

 

05's and later (after dealer does PDI updates) seem to be pretty 'bug free'.
Early on, the Cayenne was prety bad with respect to quality issues...it's been discussed.

The general concensus is that no one (except me...there's always one odd duck in the flock) is really comfortable about owning one without warranty protection.

MadFox had a recent thread saying that one aftermarket warranty company (I forget which one) was no longer offering it's product on Cayennes....high claims/loss ratio for them.
6yr/100K mile CPO from Porsche seems to be the most popular at the moment.

 

OT: SRT Grand Cherokee? Not quite in a ["status"] league as Porsche/BMW but maybe worth a look. It isn't "Trail Rated" AFAIK but it recieved good C&D initial look... (or, if I'm on crack, just ignore this post).

 

Would you happen to know the towing capacity/rating for that vehicle?
It's the first I've heard it mentioned.