02m2

So my 18 gts 45k was making a clunking sound in reverse when turning the wheel lock to lock. Called my independent porsche mechanic and he said it sounds like the transfer case and to call the dealer. Was told the transfer case failure is a know problem and most likely porsche will cover it even if out of warranty. Dropped it off to my dealer and am told the left side upper and lower control arms are bad. The dealer got porsche to cover 90%. Is a control arm problem a known problem with theses cars?

VAGfan

Yes, the rubber bushings of the two upper control arms of the front suspension do not last as long as other vehicles. This is due to the unique front suspension design, which puts added stress on these bushings. This has been a problem since Audi introduced this suspension design circa 1995.
Cracks in the rubber typically start to develop around 20,000 to 30,000 miles. Most of these bushings won't last past 75000 miles.

02m2

Thanks makes !! My last well built porsche was my 92 c2 964. Just ordered a 24 macan gts hope they fix some of this crap. Also had the upper timing bolt cover bolts replaced. Also a design issue.

chassis

I wouldn't expect a new Macan to have better suspension bushing life. Premium German cars have large, soft bushings and mounts which deliver good comfort and vibration isolation. The downside is short life. Cayenne, Macan, and analogous Audi models share the same suspension type and similar bushing (short) lifetimes.

02m2

excellent explanation..thanks

///Bruce

Might I suggest you look at the overall reliability of the Macan. TCC leaks don’t leave you stranded. Neither does a clunky TC. Upper control arms failing is a nit in the grand scheme of things. For me personally, it reminds me of early M3’s: over-designed intentionally for abuse. Remember the early reviews of them? Porsche recommended the Press use LC! An SUV?!?! I’ve had the TCC leak early on when they were dropping the engine to repair. Alternator failed due to the oil leak. They replaced the A/C line then as well. Upper control arms were replaced at 70k miles under warranty. Other than that, at 75,660 miles, still going strong.

DHL

75000 mi is great for control arm lifetimes. My BMW E24 and E28 upper control arms would barely last 10-15K mi. When they fail they introduce body shaking shimmy which eventually makes the car undriveable.

///Bruce

For me, I had originally scheduled it for an alignment. My complaint was it reminded me of a newer BMW: floating on-center… Sure enough the tech put it on the rack and after turning the wheel to lock you could see the play in the bushings.

DHL

Those mid 80's BMWs (and many after that) use "float on center" bushings. The shimmy is introduced as the control arm goes from tension to compression (usually under light braking) where the force on the bushing is zero. When worn, the zero force control in the bushing is poor and any vibration in the strut causes shimmy. I actually developed aftermarket bushings comprised of a spherical bearing surrounded by a urethane layer to provide zero force control in the strut which eliminated the shimmy altogether and were essentially lifetime bushings.

RennPart

FWIW if you jack up your Macan all the control arms will have Audi rings on them.

I found this out when working on my 16' S as I had to buy replacement control arms due to a previous owner's incident with a curb. I bought replacements that would fit any Audi from 12-up. (not sure on exact start date).

I was shocked to see that pretty much every Audi uses the same front suspension design (S4, Q5 etc).

The upright is essentially the same as the Audi too- but the Porsche brake caliper bolts into the upright where as all the Audi uprights the caliper bolts on with holes on the back.

--Aaron

chassis

Add these to the all-same-front-suspension list:

Urus
Flying Spur
Bentayga
Cayenne
Panamera
Macan
and a plethora of Audi models, and a VW or two (eg Touareg).

///Bruce

[QUOTE=DHL;19326868]Those mid 80's BMWs (and many after that) use "float on center" bushings. The shimmy is introduced as the control arm goes from tension to compression (usually under light braking) where the force on the bushing is zero. When worn, the zero force control in the bushing is poor and any vibration in the strut causes shimmy. I actually developed aftermarket bushings comprised of a spherical bearing surrounded by a urethane layer to provide zero force control in the strut which eliminated the shimmy altogether and were essentially lifetime bushings.

[/QUOT
I was referring to the newer generation of BMW's having issues on-center. I have a 20-something year pin from BMWCCA. Yeah, I've owned a few. Too many. The e39 and e38 chassis were great. Also the e36 and e46 M3's. Never had an issue with steering. Never. Yet, every article I read about new BMW's I read the same thing: steering on-center sucks. Great on the track; just not sure-footed in a straight line. As far as you developing your own stuff, not knowing who you are and your background, good for you. Reminds me of how Steve Dinan got started; making suspension peieces and parts. GL...

DHL

[QUOTE=///Bruce;19328353]I've owned BMWs since the E21 '78 320i. Did consulting work for Alan Hardy of Hardy and Beck (before Steve Dinan) in Berkeley CA, where I got introduced to the first M cars (the M1 and later the M635 and M535) at the Frankfurt auto shows. Had a couple 85 M635 Euro gray market cars that H&B federalized, then had Dinan Engineering put a 3.8 L stroker in. After that engine passed 130K had Frank Fahey of Fahey Motorsports upgraded it to 4 L and 400 HP. BTW, Fahey was the first to introduce that bushing design. I just improved on the design somewhat and made them easier to manufacture. Also owned an E39 M5 which I loved but for strange electrical Gremlins that kept showing up. Debated about keeping the E39 but mind was changed a few years ago when I test drove a 2017 Porsche 991.2 Carrera S.