Hello forum. Yesterday I purchased an 05 Cayenne S with 140K miles. I hope the pics aren't too big but I did resize them to half their original size.


Previous Cars from age 16 to present: All cars and Subarus are manual transmissions.

97 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited

00 Infiniti G20t

03 Nissan 350Z Track

01 Subaru Forester (still own but not roadworthy)

02 Subaru WRX with 2.5L swap

04 Subaru Forester (still own)

04 Cadillac Escalade EXT


Other cars I looked at before purchasing Cayenne:
04 Acura MDX
05 Acura MDX
05 VW Touareg

The Acuras looked dated, especially the interiors, and the Touaregs have a weird button wear problem on the dash that makes it look like smeared lipstick on the buttons.

Why I went with the Cayenne? Best interior of any used car I looked at by far and in my opinion that is the toughest and most time consuming thing to replace. Plus, new interior parts means off-gassing and I’m health conscious.


Issues with the Cayenne:

1.Hatch won’t stay open. Takes 10 full seconds to fall from top to close.


2.Hood won’t stay open. I can cut a metal bar for this.


3.Paint is sun-faded on hood and a little on the fenders and roof.


4.Aluminum trim on doorsills has some fade.


5.Small clunk when accelerating. From what I’ve read it is the driveshaft. The Touarag I drove had the same issue but much worse. That car felt like it was coming from more below the armrest though and the problem continued as you accelerated. My Cayenne only clunks once when accelerating and it feels more like it is further in front than on the Touarag. I will go under the car and have someone accelerate to see if the driveshaft shakes violently. I found this supposed fix: http://www.cayennedriveshaft.com/



My plans for the Cayenne in order of importance:


Timing belt, fix clunk, repaint entire car and possibly the aluminum trim, newer Porsche wheels


I welcome any feedback on the issues or plans for repair. Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome and congrats on your purchase.

1. Will need to replace rear gate and window glass struts so that the hatch will remain open.
2. Same on the hood, replace struts
3. It is common that the trim fades, it can be painted but is a tedious job
4. Probable that the center support bearing is shot on the driveshaft and the complete shaft will need to be replaced or you can try the EPS option

All the issues are common on the Cayenne and many posts available on each listed. Nice to see another Florida Cayenne owner on the boards.

 

Thanks Km1.8t! I figured these were common problems and knew a little about the center support bearing from researching Touaregs. If I get the whole car resprayed I may have the trim done at the same time. Not sure if I'd keep the aluminum color, black, or body color but I need to take care of the other things first. I read that the S has a timing chain so that is one less thing to do. I fixed the hatch supports on my 350Z myself and will do the same on the Cayenne. Winter Haven is a beautiful area by the way. I'm down in Jupiter. One more question:

Will more damage result if I don't replace the center support bearing sooner rather than later?

 

Go under the car and look at the bearing and see if you can move the shaft up and down. It will not get better and I would repair as soon as possible so you are not left stranded. I have replaced them several times and it is not a big deal to complete.

 

Replace it sooner. You will regret waiting as once the symptoms start, the center mount rubber deteriorates very rapidly. The EPS solution only takes 90 mins to install, including repacking the bearing. If your Cayenne has more than 100K on it, I would consider a complete rebuilt cardan shaft. A bit longer to install, but then you will have a new guibo, bearing and balanced shafts.

Aloha,
TomF

 

Welcome. I am from Jupiter. Borne and raised there and would still be there if my job didn't take me elsewhere. I do visit as often as possible. What part of Jupiter are you in? I grew up all around Tequesta back on the river and then some by the intracoastal.

Anyway, looks like a fine purchase. Cayenne prices in South FL are fantastic for a buyer. I bought my 09 CTTS for about 10k less than I could find one anywhere else in the country.

 

@Km1.8t Thanks, I'll check it soon and it is good encouragement to hear it is a job that can be completed at home. I'll look for guides on the forum or Youtube.

@TomF Is there a common place, possibly a site sponsor, that most people on the forum buy the rebuilt cardan shaft? I saw there were many things on Ebay cheaper than the EPS option but I learned a long time ago to use the same parts that are most popular on the forum for your car.

@loxxrider I live in Jupiter Farms, hence the name GoatMaaan. The CTTS is sweet. If I was ten years younger I'd buy its wheels and stick on its emblems to pick up chicks.

 

Haha the bark has to match the bite though!

On that note, the Porsche v8s sound great when uncorked a bit. Throw a rear section on that thing and you'll have fun

As for the Cardan shaft, there is a member here who fixed his for about $10. Search for Jimi and you will find it. Very similar concept as the eps support, but diy and very easy /cheap. I will do it if the center bearing on my CTTS goes. I'm not trying and don't have to be cheap either, I just believe in smart fixes.

Hope to see you around the Jupiter area when I'm in town. Keep an eye out for various vintage BMWs. That'll probably be me

 

Treat it like a P!g. They love it.

 

Thanks loxxrider, I found the Jimi solution and that is my kind of fix! I was already thinking about constructing my own support but this saves me time. I will get metal-reinforced fuel injector hose and stainless steel zip ties as suggested by others. My sound isn't bad and doesn't chirp like the Touarag I drove so it should work.

 

+1 on the color!
My clunk was the upper control arm bushing