Kigiin

I want to buy a 2013/14 Cayenne Turbo but my independent Porsche Mater mechanic, whom I trust explicitly, says don't. He said he is seeing more and more in his shop that need the steering rack replaced to the tune of $10k. He owns a 2005 Turbo and after replacing the coolant lines has been very happy with it; but, he says these newer ones are not as reliable. Thoughts?

Slickdvl

First time I’ve heard of that - I have 100k on mine

onehot

Steering rack Not a common issue

midwesterner

The 958 cannot be compared with previous generations reliability. While the 958 turbo has a few weak spots, they are not the same as the other generations.

deilenberger

I think your mechanic is FOS.

I can't recall a single posting about a failed steering rack here, or on any of the other 958 forums I frequent (and it's a lot of them.) The actual 958 potential trouble spots are few - and very thoroughly covered in the sticky about buying a used 958.

Also his price is WAY out of line. A brand new Porsche sourced rack can be bought for about $2,000. A rebuilt one from Porsche - $1,400. A rebuilt one from elsewhere - $500-600. A used one - $150-300. That leaves $8.000 - $9,000 for labor? The steering rack slides out through the wheel-well opening. There are several hoses to disconnect, the tie-rod ends, and the steering shaft coupling. Perhaps 5 hours for a slow mechanic. Throw in a 4-wheel alignment and you're well under $1,000 in labor.

How long ago was the mechanic a "Porsche Master Tech"? He doesn't sound like someone I would trust implicitly. If he's replacing steering racks at $10k a pop - he's making a lot of money for something that probably didn't need doing. BTW - Porsche doesn't make the rack, ZF does. ZF makes about every steering rack used in every German car. They're known to be a good rack, troublefree and long lived. The same rack is used in VW Tourag and Audi Q7 SUV.

He's right about one thing he said - the new ones are not as reliable as his old turbo - they're MUCH MORE reliable. Most of the big bugs like exploding engines and transmissions and driveshafts and cooling pipes are limited to the 955 and 957 series cars. I think he's trying to convince himself.

garrett376

Well said!

Randyg308

Bravo

DAVfoto

I wonder why a mechanic would just throw bs info out like that. a 958 not as reliable as a 955? What tha $$$$?

fatmatt0116

he probably doesnt want you owning a nicer car than he does! lol!

chsu74

Who would pay the mechanic's bills if OP buys a reliable car?

Mark7000

Did he mean that only the turbo ones have this issue or all of the newer ones? First I have heard of rack issues on any year. Transfer case - different story.

Kigiin

I haven't spoken to him in a while but will clarify what he told me - perhaps I am mis-remembering.

140.6er

I have a 2013 Turbo and love it. So far very reliable. TC is an issue but overall rock solid.

clubrcr

I have a 2016 CTT. I have enjoyed many miles with no issues (except transfer case) which was covered under warranty. I, like many of the other posts, would have a hard time understanding why a 955 would be more reliable than a 958. Porsche has had issues over the years, of course, but they are resolved in the newer generations of that vehicle. As Bruce Anderson use to say in his books, "buy the newest Porsche year you can afford". In your case, buy a 958 and if you are worried, get a CPO or aftermarket extended warranty.

RAudi Driver

Maybe the mechanic wants to get you in to a nice 2005 Turbo