marshcat

I'm looking to buy an '04/'05 Cayenne as a daily driver, but at this point I've only owned Volvos (XC70, C70) and Mercedes (SL, S). I took a friend's Cayenne S for a spin a few weeks ago and found it a great balance of performance and practicality.

I do nearly all of my own work, and I know the engine bays in the 955 can be cramped. Is DIY doable or does everything need a Porsche computer?

I researched the coolant pipe replacement, and I'm comfortable performing a repair of that difficulty. Replacing an engine, however, is out of my league. Are there any common, catastrophic failure points on the 955? I'm thinking of systems like the Active Body Control on my old M-B S500.

Finally, any suggestions on where to find the right car? I'm definitely looking for a higher mileage car that has had most of the big stuff already done.

957Turbo

I would not say you need a Porsche computer, get a durametric. DIY on the Cayenne is for sure more difficult compared to MB or BMW, everything takes forever to get to and even simple jobs like battery or air filter replacement are a pain in the neck...it's all worth it in the end when you drive it and feel that twin turbo kick in!
As far as catastrophic repairs, I believe 955 are petty solid when all the cooling problems are sorted. Driveshaft is another big repair so watch out for that...

jimmiepop

Purchased a 955TT 2 months fonths ago and loving it. Known maintenance issues are in a sticky on this forum. Lots of DIY info here and at the pelican and 6speed forums.

The most significant catastrophic risk I could identify is engine failure due to piston scoring. You can search this forum for that info, specifically posts from Jake at Flat 6.

I searched nationally for a car, which I recommend. Autotrader and craigslist were by far the best resources. Searchtempest allows one to search craigslist nationally. If I had it to do over, I would only look at the TT, would screen more aggressively for sellers who would not allow a PPI by my independent (was surprised to find so many) and cars not near a good independent, and would have a better understanding of the (numerous) options and how to screen for them (VIN configurator).

Potentially brilliant long term driver. Good luck!

CarreraCup03

The CTT has additional piston oil squirters, so piston scoring is much less of an issue in the Turbo's compared to the Normally aspirated motors. I would be concerned with whether or not the coolant pipes had been upgraded and all the T's had been changed out.

There are tons of nice ones out there. Definitely buy a durametric ..well worth the money.

wrinkledpants

I wouldn't say that the 955 is any more difficult to work on than any other german car. It's not at the Touareg V10 TDi level of madness where the motor comes out for everything. You will want to get a durametric, but it's one of those things you buy it once and you're done.

Coolant pipes, control arms, cardan shafts, and the two coolant lines on the back of the motor are common failures. Coolant pipes are a 1-time fix, but a pretty straight forward DIY, too. The t-fittings are plastic and eventually crack. They're cheap parts to replace with factory, or make a metal fitting from the hardware store and solve the problem indefinitely. Interior wise - the flapper motors that control the HVAC system seem to fail more commonly than other cars. Not a tough DIY, though.

All things considered, I wouldn't say there is anything catastrophic that fails with any frequency on here. The cayenne S seems to have the piston scoring problem, and it's common enough that I would never buy one. I would consider the Audi FSI V8 with the timing chain tensioner issue requiring a motor pull to be catastrophic as it's a 6k price tag. The HPFP issue with some of the TDI cars (jetta, passat, A3) that are a few years old to be catastrophic as it requires the entire fuel system from the tank up to the injectors to be replaced. Another 7k fix.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a CTT with any mileage on it if it's in good condition with good records. If any of the major driveline parts fail (t-case or diff), you can get them at salvage yards from newer models pretty cheap. The valve body in the tranny is 680 rebuilt, and a pretty easy DIY if it ever fails. That's about it.

Compared to other high end Audi, BMW, mercs, and Porsche's, I'd put the CTT in the reliable category by a healthy margin. You're smart to buy one with some miles on it. You could get one with close to 200K miles for low teens. I've saw a few that I should have bought when I was looking, and they all looked to be in tip top condition.

J'sWorld

Just because you buy an 80-150k dollar car for 20k doesn't mean that repairs or parts are going to come down in price accordingly. The Cayenne has its share of problems just like every other vehicle on the road. Bar none. If its got tires or ti** your going to have problems with it.

jimmiepop

In addition to the oil squirters, the CTT has greater piston clearance, which, I am told by folks wiser than I, is the principal mitigant of the scoring issue in the TT. Nonetheless, there have been scoring instances in CTT's from cold climates. I purchased a southern 955TT, which I recommend as there are tons available. I also did a full PPI with compression/leakdown. Paint me paranoid, but its cheap insurance.

david_alford

It seems to be very easy for p-car service depts and/or DIYers to overtighten bolts on the engine so be very careful to check the specs from Cayenne Tech Manual first, and I would buy all new bolts before doing plugs/coils.

The dealer who serviced my '05 CS for the previous owner over-torqued several bolts in the engine bay...2 on the torque dampener mounting bracket and 3 of the ignition coils. Thus after I changed the torque damper bar, plugs and coils they would not thread back in again. Had to have my indy p-car shop chase threads which required several costly hours.

Divot

I've barely touched my 955. Guess I've been lucky as it's naked as a bluejay for years. The 996, that's another story.

I think I'd rather work on a dozen 996 problems than one 955 problem. It weighs a billion tons, and I have zero experience, so any fix would be an adventure. And by adventure I mean PITA.

marshcat

Had the second appointment to see an '04 S today, but the first guy bought it. Can't blame him. Looked in great shape aside from a bum radio, and the seller was only asking $5k.

Also missed out on a beautiful 1-owner, dealer maintained '04 S for $8.5k.

heelwheeller

Try to look here http://claz.org/classifieds/vehicles...q=2005+Cayenne

Borntovin

To give you an idea, I bought a 04 CS with 135k miles for 9k, this was 3 weeks ago. There are a lot 04 - 06 CS coming on sale under 10k, get PPI and find something without obvious issues .

GDA

DIY is above average on the difficulty scale for the 955 CTT; primarily due to access issues. Build placement on most items seems intuitive when you have to take them apart. Definitely need a Durametric for dealing with codes and trouble faults that may occur.

Other than that special tool, the other item you will need are some bigger sockets and more special tools like triple square drivers etc.

I diy all my work on my BMWs (E34 M5, E34 540/6 and E46 330) and did same on my LR Disco II which I had before the CTT. Ironically my E34 M5 is the easiest car to work on as it has the most access being a large body and inline 6 cylinder.

I have done the following since buying mine in 2012 and putting on 34k miles:

Full brake job - rotors and pads
Plugs, coils and front O2 sensors
Replaced both emissions air pumps
Replaced both fuel pumps and fuel filter
Replaced both front wheel bearings and front stub axles
Replaced both primary and secondary electric radiator fans
Replaced wiring harness for both front xenon headlight assemblies
Replaced rear hatch shocks
Oil changes and front / rear diff fluids

All in it is very diy able but you will need bigger tools for dealing with certain items as they are most likely bigger and heavier on the 955.