Got some questions about the Cardan Shaft for a 2004 Cayenne:

1. Mine is a basic Cayenne. Is the Cardan Shaft the same as the S and Turbo Cayenne?

2. What kind of signs/symptoms should we notice when the Cardan Shaft is about to fail?

Thanks

 

Same shaft for S and Turbo. The Turbo S has a different shaft.

Thumping sound at low speed increasing in frequency as speed increases.
Also may hear a sqeaky bearing noise from under the shift lever when the bearing is showing first signs of impending failure.

 

mine was kinda drastic. Sounded like a midget in the center console with a hammer trying to get out. Most of the time its more of a "Holy S**T, what was that?" rather than a "shhh, do you hear that?"

 

Good info, soo how much range would you have after this to get it home or is it a pull over and call the flatbed deal?

 

you can get it home, sounds awful but you can take it easy and get it home. It wont explode or come apart. the less stop and go the better, once its spinning steady its fine. the stop and go is when she bangs around. its bangin inside the bushing carrier, not the body.

 

Does anybody have experience with the shaft from Vertex Auto (http://www.vertexauto.com/ShowItem/2...Rebuilt.aspx)?

Thanks

 

You may want to spend some time searching here (and on RennTech) - quite a few people have used the Vertex shaft, and I doubt if they'll bother to write up their experiences again. In general - the experiences were positive.

 

How about replacing the bearing only instead of the entire shaft? What would be the advantage or/and disadvantage of each method?

 

There are some threads on the issue of new or re-built, just had my shaft on my 2004 S replaced this week, new. My symptoms were, the car would lose some power going uphill and turning, their was a slight rumble/vibration to it at idol under the driver seat. The car drives so much better. I think it is a cost benefit issue of re-doing the bearings and if I remember correctly from the thread it is not alot more to buy new.

 

There are DIY's on doing exactly that, and I suspect that's all Vertex does with the shafts. Apparently the CV joint doesn't wear out. Cost of a new bearing (search Ebay) is $60-80. If your labor is free - that's the cost of doing it. If you start paying shop rates to have the rebuild done - it's gonna be more cost effective to have the rebuilt Vertex installed.

FWIW - around me there is a driveshaft repair shop that I'm certain could handle the bearing replacement at a reasonable cost. That does require the truck being off the road while the rebuild is being done, and if the car is on a mechanic's lift, most won't want it hogging the lift while they wait for the rebuild.

 

I bought the Vertex shaft when mine went out; had it installed at the local Audi dealership for $75, if I remember right?? No problems whatsoever. It came with a warranty as well. Many other members have used the Vertex shaft and I couldn't find any who thought it was a bad idea/decision. I'd go that route again if I had to.