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Just spoke with a shop that used to do work on my BMW, they'll do the PPI and a leakdown if I choose.
Visual PPI - body panels, belts, A/C etc all the ticky tack stuff.
Leakdown - Remove each sparkplug and test the compression/ability to hold air in each cylinder.
I had a leakdown down on my 964 before buying, but we're talking about a 25 year old semi-handbuilt engine with a reputation for leaking oil. Is it necessary or even worthwhile to do a leakdown on a 10-year old Cayenne?
*also to put in perspective, the total cost of the leakdown + visual inspection is close to 4% of the total value of the car. Not huge dollar amounts, but still...
There is no way a BMW mechanic is going to draw up a thorough list of issues and do a leak down with the price range you're talking about.
Does the car run? Check. Does the transmission shift? Check. I feel like the price ranges and conditions you're looking at - anything above this is going to be a bonus. The blocks are solid - so I wouldn't be too worried about it.
That's kind of what I was thinking myself, but wanted you to tell me that I was being stupid for not doing the all-out inspection!
I know there will be some costs to incur just from owning this or any high-performance, out of warranty car; but if the engine and tranny seem fine, at my purchase price I really can't screw it up that badly.
What is somewhat reassuring is that this car is definitely not a lemon, not with this many miles on it and being serviced at the same dealer for 10 years/170K miles.
If I continue to spend the money the PO's have, I can definitely make this last for many years/miles in to the future and it would definitely be worth it given the fact that I've got one of the most badass SUV's (very reasonable) money can buy.
Just got off the phone with the very helpful customer service tech at Stevens Creek who helped me decode the jibberish that was at the top.
Big items
- Coolant pipes replaced at 92K miles
- Control Arm bushings replaced at 92K
- Coolant reservoir replaced at 158K
- 160K service done at 158K
- Headlight replaced at 168K due to "dip beam" error
- Rear brake pads/rotors changed at 172K
- 2 new Potenza's at 172K (does the front/rear wear similar to a 911?)
- Cardan shaft replaced at 172K
- Engine Torque shaft replaced at 172K
- New Battery at 172K
- Brake fluid flush and alignment at 172K
Car has been serviced by them since Mile 5. As in 05. In the past 1.5 years, the car has been serviced/inspected 6 times by the dealership.
I guess the only thing of concern is that the control arm bushings were replaced at 92K, which if they weren't built better, should be coming up in the next 10K miles or so. But nothing's perfect...
I'd be most concerned about the transmission and whether or not the valve body will need to be replaced. It had the 160K service so the trans was supposedly filled with fresh fluid and the filter replaced, but that's a lot of miles on factory fill.
Control arms are something you can do yourself, not hard at all.
Just got off the phone with the very helpful customer service tech at Stevens Creek who helped me decode the jibberish that was at the top.
Big items
- Coolant pipes replaced at 92K miles
- Control Arm bushings replaced at 92K
- Coolant reservoir replaced at 158K
- 160K service done at 158K
- Headlight replaced at 168K due to "dip beam" error
- Rear brake pads/rotors changed at 172K
- 2 new Potenza's at 172K (does the front/rear wear similar to a 911?)
- Cardan shaft replaced at 172K
- Engine Torque shaft replaced at 172K
- New Battery at 172K
- Brake fluid flush and alignment at 172K
Car has been serviced by them since Mile 5. As in 05. In the past 1.5 years, the car has been serviced/inspected 6 times by the dealership.
I guess the only thing of concern is that the control arm bushings were replaced at 92K, which if they weren't built better, should be coming up in the next 10K miles or so. But nothing's perfect...
Both upper/lower control arms, tie rods - etc. You'll be due for a full suspension overhaul. Likely in the rear, too, though a tad cheaper. Engine mounts are probably toast - that's an engine out job. Water pump, coolant T's, wheel bearings, HVAC stuff, fuel pumps, oxygen sensors. The control arms being worn is probably why they replaced only 2 tires.
My guess is if you end up having to do all in the next year or two, it'll be around 6-8K.
Both upper/lower control arms, tie rods - etc. You'll be due for a full suspension overhaul. Likely in the rear, too, though a tad cheaper. Engine mounts are probably toast - that's an engine out job. Water pump, coolant T's, wheel bearings, HVAC stuff, fuel pumps, oxygen sensors. The control arms being worn is probably why they replaced only 2 tires.
My guess is if you end up having to do all in the next year or two, it'll be around 6-8K.
Seems pretty reasonable; I'm hoping to keep operating costs at around 3K/year, so if I do the above in 2-3 years I'd be right on budget.
After the above is done, car should be good for another 100K miles, right? Let's pray oil prices stay low!
First, it's a great looking car. No dents, scratches, or other cosmetic issues.
Second, car drives well, and similar to the prior one I drove. The acceleration is there, but not necessarily the neck snapping I would have thought given the HP stats.
The only issue I could find was when I floored it (on ramp to highway) I did notice some smoke/unburnt fuel coming out the back. Normal or symptomatic of something?
The seller says that they add oil between oil changes as well; not a lot, but since they are on the 1 year vs 5,000 mile oil change plan it may either be burning oil or just loss over time. Having an aircooler, this seems par for the course, but any color on this would be great as well.
Air suspension worked up and down. Does it raise the front first then the rear? I felt like it raised it up, then settled after raising the back.
Much thanks! And a picture from the subsequent hike:
Maybe it's time to compare to other SUVs or wagons with similar performance?
If you're not wow'd by the lack of neck snapping power, then maybe the CTT is not for you?
Compared to my Dad's similar vintage Jeep GC, the Cayenne is so much nicer to drive in every way. Same with the ML and I'm not a fan of the Q7 so can't say whether it drives similar, probably does?
For us, the CS does well enough and has plenty of power for road trips. Like you, our fun car is air cooled and is a blast when we get it out to play.
Originally Posted by dhc905
Ok, just finished up with the car.
First, it's a great looking car. No dents, scratches, or other cosmetic issues.
Second, car drives well, and similar to the prior one I drove. The acceleration is there, but not necessarily the neck snapping I would have thought given the HP stats.
The only issue I could find was when I floored it (on ramp to highway) I did notice some smoke/unburnt fuel coming out the back. Normal or symptomatic of something?
The seller says that they add oil between oil changes as well; not a lot, but since they are on the 1 year vs 5,000 mile oil change plan it may either be burning oil or just loss over time. Having an aircooler, this seems par for the course, but any color on this would be great as well.
Air suspension worked up and down. Does it raise the front first then the rear? I felt like it raised it up, then settled after raising the back.
Much thanks! And a picture from the subsequent hike:
Travis, I think you're right and maybe I just haven't been expressing myself all that clearly - the car is super fast, maybe dangerously so. But it doesn't really "feel" like it. When I was shopping for my 964, I test drove a member here's 996 just so I wouldn't be making a mistake buying mine. The car was immaculate, the speed was astonishing, but if the speedo wasn't saying I was going 70, I would have thought I was actually going 40. I got a very similar sensation with the CTT.
Since my wife is going to be driving most of the time, this is probably for the best anyway.
Oh and one other positive, they are second owners since 35k, and have a glove box and owners manual full of service records.
Originally Posted by Travis
Maybe it's time to compare to other SUVs or wagons with similar performance?
If you're not wow'd by the lack of neck snapping power, then maybe the CTT is not for you?
Compared to my Dad's similar vintage Jeep GC, the Cayenne is so much nicer to drive in every way. Same with the ML and I'm not a fan of the Q7 so can't say whether it drives similar, probably does?
For us, the CS does well enough and has plenty of power for road trips. Like you, our fun car is air cooled and is a blast when we get it out to play.
Guys, I'm still a little concerned about the black smoke that came out during hard acceleration. A little more research on other forums (couldn't find much here) and I found this:
i burn about 1 quart every 2500miles......i have a 2004 CTT. with 8 cylinders, it is expected that you will burn some oil.....the scraper rings are not 100% sealing. when you drive in vacuum (not accelerating) the condition become worse.....there is less combustion pressure forcing the rings out to seal on the walls.as for the burning oil on full acceleration....at first i thought it was a bearing seal on one of the turbos, but when i discovered was that on the driver side intercooler (same side as the oil breather) fills with oil over time from the case vapors..... once i emptied mine out, no more black smoke on acceleration.
06-15-2016, 01:31 PM
