skl

We towed the Miata and trailer once with a friend's Titan and yes those mirrors are great! And of course extendable which really helps. The lights worked just fine like you'd expect. It did get horrible mileage though, in fact worse than the Cayenne towing the same load over the same roads. Nice interior and nice truck- enjoy the absence of !!!!!!

ltc

Now THIS is a tow vehicle:
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=97134

12,000 towing capacity, seats 7 comfortably (Captains chairs front and rear, 3rd row bench seat), rear seat DVD, front/rear A/C systems, leather/heated seats, HUGE heated telescoping proper tow mirrors (split mirrors: normal on top/paroramic 'wink' mirror on bottom, 44 gallon tank, Power Stroke diesel, 5 speed transmission with selectable "Tow" mode, 18-19mpg unloaded, 12-14 mpg towing, 4WD, solid axles. Tows like a dream. No "!", Beep, Check Trailer Lights.....imagine that.

Now if I can just get the bride to let me use it

ltc

AW,
Congratulations on your escape from Cayenne Island.
Think of us from time to time.

Best of luck with the new Titan

skl

I'll admit it's a great tow vehicle Lewis (would love to have one for that) but honestly the Cayenne is more "fun" to drive around town isn't it? As long as you're not towing something...

ltc

I hate to have to tell you this, but according to PCNA/PAG/PCNA Legal.....

There is no fix, since there is nothing wrong in the first place, since there is nothing in the owner's manual related to electrical requirements for towing, nothing in the owner's manual related to "Check Trailer Lights" and what it means nor how to correct it.

Besides, if you do hook up a trailer that the Cayenne was not designed to be compatible with (of course how would you know since nothing is documented) they'll likely just say you voided your warranty in an effort to make you go away.

Please, don't take my word for it, ask them yourself.

ltc

I agree 100%.

However, much like the situation you face with driving on the track (driving a 'stock' street Porsche as a compromise to a fully prepared (safety gear, cage, fire system, battery kill switch, etc), the Cayenne was a compromise between a dedicated tow vehicle and a 'towing capable' daily driver.

They did come pretty close to pulling it off however (slightly slarger fuel tank and some sort of mirror extentions definitely would have been needed), but the "!" Check Trailer Lights situation killed it.

So, in the end, like owning a dedicated track appliance AND a garage queen (and maybe a garage princess ), it looks like owning a dedicated tow vehicle AND a daily driver eliminates all compromises.....and the requirement to tow ONLY during DAYLIGHT hours AND unscrew a few running lights, just in case.

Bob Rouleau

Lewis, is it possible that the Nav upgrade issue is PCNA's way of telling you to "get lost"?

wingless

As Lewis states, Porsche does not have a fix for the trailer light issues.

There are several options. One is to wait for a potential future fix and endure the lighting problems. Another is to modify the trailer, so that it functions properly with the Cayenne AND with all other vehicles.

It may be that some future Porsche fix would provide complete lamp fail coverage for the trailer. Or they may decide to provide none at all. Currently, the Cayenne has a poor lamp fail implementation, that permits many lamps to fail without indication, causes the Lewis ! for LED trailers and causes the lamps to flicker when LOTS of incandescent lamps are used.

If the decision is to modify the trailer there are several options. For LED trailers additional draw is required. The easiest is to add additional incandescent lamps. These could even be internal, on enclosed trailers. Another option is to add load resistors.

For trailers with too many lamps a relay may be the best choice. If the trailer draws so much current that the lights are flickering, that is a BAD thing and I would implement a change, rather than risk damaging the vehicle.

Another option is to select ANY other tow vehicle, besides the Cayenne.

MadFox

Okay...
FIRSTLY -- before ltc and AW respond....
BINGO!!! You broke the code.. for serious "haulers" either take your trailer to the dealership before you buy and "test it"... and take pictures.. I want to see their faces!! or skip a Cayenne (do you hear us PCNA/PAG)...

SEVENTHLY --- No, they aren't getting back at ltc re: the NAV CD's (or is it EWVD - I thought this cute and no one said so!!! ).. the NAV situation is SIMPLY a paperwork DRILL (do you hear us PCNA/PAG) and they need to NIKE that -------- i.e. JUST DO IT!

wingless

That is a given. There must be a match between the tow vehicle and the trailer.

That extends way beyond this lighting mismatch, which may be resolved by the previously defined modifications.

The towing capacity, tongue weight and sizes are all critical for towing near the rated capacities. Those with experience will try a towing combination prior to purchase.

AW

I thought I read somewhere that the Touareg had a similar 'check trailer light' issue and that VW had a fix for it. Anyone knows anything about that? It could be worth asking a VW service dept.

AW

ltc

Yes, and I knew that before they did....this genius IQ thing really sucks sometimes

You mean endure driving with no lighting at 3AM. What a great idea. Why didn't I just think of it much sooner. Would have saved me a LOT of time and money.

Again, modify a perfectly functional trailer to work with a disfunctional Cayenne.
Brilliant!

Maybe, but I would doubt it.

That is the safe bet.

No, "poor" would be an improvement from what they have now

Agreed and previously discussed amongst several owners.

And void both the trailer AND Cayenne warranties along the way.

BINGO!

ltc

Perhaps, but as time goes on, the 'lessons learned' from the Cayenne experience has taught me to not compromise.

Yes, the Cayenne is more fun than driving the Excursion (which is a pretty comfortable ride for something that can crush a Cayenne) around town....but it's not more fun than:

Towing with the Excursion (and not worrying about it getting dark)
Driving the 996TT (only when NORAD shows no clouds East of the Rockies)
Driving the 968Cab (looking forward to seeing the wife enjoy it)
Relaxing at the track in the 964 Euro Cup.

wingless

How does increasing the current drawn by the trailer, from a very low LED draw, to a higher draw, that approximates that of incandescent lamps, void the warranty on the Cayenne?

The changes I've defined are to modify the trailer so that it works with the Cayenne and all other vehicles. My responses have not defined modifications to the Cayenne.

wingless

Could you please provide a link to any solution you've proposed that would permit a Cayenne owner with these problems to use a trailer today without lighting issues?