daniel213

Hello everyone,

I've been looking around for a 2011 Cayenne S. I've found 1 with just 40k miles. However, I'm not sure if it is a wise choice since the first owner has not replaced the camshaft or the coolant pipe. I'm not sure if these 2 problems still happen on the 2011 model? Besides, are there any issues/problems i need to check with the owner before buying the car?


Thank you so much for helping out.

Rvca3112

Camshaft was never a issue. You're thinking cardan shaft which effected earlier bodied cayennes. Also the coolant pipes did not effect the 958 body cayennes that you are looking at, again only effecting early body cayennes.

ventoGT

Do an "advanced search" in the Cayenne forum for "958" and you will find a lot of threads around 958 specific models [the 2011+]

Good luck!

chsu74

There are reports of camshaft bolts shearing on the NA V8s in addition to the TTs

User 52121

Find a good, local, independent repair shop. Or a Porsche dealer - one that *isn't* the one you'd be purchasing from (assuming you're purchasing at a dealer...) and have a PPI done.

Tex Willer

What should a good PPI cover? I have seen cases, where they do only trivial mechanical and visual checks, such as light bulbs, radio, windshield wipers, tires, exterior dents, worn interior etc. which do not disclose any expensive problems.

I think a proper check should include at least check of cylinder compression with visual inspection of spark plugs and coils, as well as reading vehicle specific fault codes. An oil analysis report would be good, but takes a bit time.

Which checks important for a Cayenne should be included?

User 52121

IMO stuff like compression checks, etc *should* be included in a good PPI.

If somebody pays for a PPI and all they get back are details on the tire condition... then that wasn't a good PPI if you ask me.

I'm new to the Cayenne world (but not Porsche) and would expect things like compression, oil and fluids condition, drive belts, inspection of joints, inspection of the common failure points, etc. and would expect any reputable Indy would do such things.

Always worth asking the shop, before committing, what kinds of things they include when doing a PPI.

nodoors

The inspection is only as good as the mechanic performing it.

Tex Willer

Good points. Anyone with a Cayenne knows a few points to be checked, but if you are buying your first one, it is very difficult to know what to require. Many of the the shops will probably answer that "We check practically everything, it is very thorough inspection." Unfortunately it sometimes is not.

Dilberto

Make sure the Carfax is complete. That, basically is 1/2 of your PPI...

leftlane

Good shops will have a PPI checklist that is usually 140+ items to inspect, many of which are quick visuals. The shop I use charges around $300 and they do a 3 hour inspection that covers a ton, but not compression and leakdown without an additional charge, which they only recommend if something is suspect based on their initial inspection.

Ask your chosen shop for their inspection checklist - if they don't have one, find another shop. I always get the printed report filled out by the inspecting tech and it covers a lot of stuff, then use that as a bargaining tool for items that need to be addressed that aren't deal breakers.

daniel213

thank you so much for helping out guys. I will definitely bring the car for a PPI before purchasing the car. Do you guys recommend any local shop around Orange County, California?

I've done some research, and so far this is what i have found. It looks like the coolant pipe hasnt been a problem so far on the 2011 Cayenne S model (958). However, i found one post about the Snapped Camshaft Adjuster Bolt. Here is the link:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/c...s-failure.html

Please take a look!

CarGuyNVA

Good morning. Others have already provided some excellent advice here.

Forgive me if some of this is redundant. From my personal experience with two CTTs so far (957 & 958), here's my take....

1) Do get a thorough PPI, either from a known Porsche independent or preferably an authorized dealer.

2) It's preferable the vehicle you're considering has thorough service records with it.

3) Carfax obviously.

4) For the 2011 and '12 models, do yourself a favor and search for 'WC-22' and 'transfer case'. Those are probably the two main areas of potential concern related to the 958s discussed in the various online Porsche forums. WC-22 is the potential for the heads of the aluminum bolts used on the camshaft adjusters to shear off in some instances thereby causing obvious issues, sometimes very serious issues. The transfer cases on these vehicles also seems like an almost expected fail at some point. Once initially replaced however, they seem fine after that. So I'm not sure if the newer transfer cases being installed are re-engineered to some degree or what? Of these two potential issues, the transfer case seems much more common, but if you do happen to win the WC-22 lottery (the one you DON'T want to win!), the outcome can be much more catastrophic than the transfer case certainly. The overall frequency that the WC-22 actually occurs is much debated online, but in my discussions with three P dealers in a fairly populated area, it happens, but not as frequently as these forums might lead you to believe. Who really knows though. Because of this unknown, on to point #5....

5) GET A WARRANTY.....whether CPO or a solid independent warranty, invest in one. You may never need it, but when you do...well. Great peace of mind. I believe many here have agreed that even though these are generally very solid vehicles, they still wouldn't own one without a warranty because just one 'hit', and the warranty can pay for itself.

The 2011 S like all 958s overall is a pretty sane choice and generally reliable. Great enthusiast SUV. So I wouldn't let all of this information we're throwing at you scare you away by any means. You're likely to find the same with almost any vehicle. Cayenne or otherwise, no vehicle is perfect and without their known maladies. Some are certainly worse than others, but I don't feel the Cayenne comes anywhere close to the "steer clear!" category, on the contrary I recommend them.

Enjoy and let us know what you end up with...best of luck!

deilenberger

I'll agree with CarGuy - WC-22 is real, but shouldn't scare you off. If you decide to buy one that has the questionable bolts - you can ask the dealer to perform WC-22 at your expense. In my case it cost $2,600 for it to be done by the Porsche dealer. I also have a warranty - but didn't want to worry about dealing with that failure while on a coast-2-coast-2-coast trip I recently took (~8,000 miles of driving fun..)

For all the info on WC-22: http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/c...s-failure.html For some reason this never got picked up here, I suspect because of the inclusion of all Cayenne years/series in one forum here.

It's trivial to check for the "bad bolts" - takes about 60 seconds. If the vehicle you're considering has them - then I'd include the remedy cost in the negotiations.

BTW - still on original transfer case. At 71,000 miles now. Knocking on oak-grain-Formica(tm)