pmichaelis

I've owned my panamera 4S for 5+ years now, it has 40,000+ miles and only issue was a computer early on that suffered bugs, it was reprogrammed and problem never returned. As has been suggested, only those with problems become audible...

DNorby

Thanks for your reply, I am glad to hear that you have had no problems. I do like my car. However, there are three owners on this post that have had an engine replaced and that does concern me. Bad news does sell and there is much good news that I will probably not hear about. I am thinking about trading my car towards a 991 9111 with a CPO warranty. I was never a big fan of warranties until now. I guess I could wait, the car has all the maintenance it will need for a while, but when it happens to you, it is a different experience. Thanks, David

DNorby

An older Cayenne being inspected:

targa996

That's what happens when you don't change oil frequently enough and/or do lots of short trips without letting engine get up to temp. Problem is even worse on many modern DFI engines ...

DNorby

So, I decided to trade my 2011 Panamera 6 (base) with a brand new motor installed by the dealer for a 2013 911S. I received no warranty with the new motor (the warranty expired on the car as well) and I have about 3.2 yrs. of warranty on the 911. I really don't know how common this engine problem is but the paperwork guy at the dealer has seen a few lately. I got 42k for trade, the cars are selling in the mid to upper 40's. It's too bad, quite a nice car but I can't help the feeling of it happening again. The car only had 24,500 miles with a brand new engine and all service is new, but the motor replacement actually devalues the car.

Gus_Smedstad

Why does the motor replacement devalue the car? I understand why it makes you feel bad, and I'm not arguing with your decision, I'm talking about market value if you had sold it as a private seller. A replacement engine is not at all like a car with an accident in its history.

Did the dealer actually outright say they wouldn't offer as much in trade because they'd replaced the engine?

I'm also surprised you replaced it with another Porsche. I had the impression that this incident had made you question the build quality of the brand. The 911's engine is presumably built to the same standards as your Panamera's. Or is it your thought that you'll get out of the 911 when the warranty expires?

DNorby

When they title a vehicle with a new motor they will transfer the title with the mileage unknown, at least in NC. The new motor is fantastic and all maintenance is done and what a great thing. They would not warrant the new engine because is was replaced after the warranty expired. I could have sold it to a private party, but probably for somewhere in the mid 40's at beast. I paid $56k in June of 2014 and that was a wholesale price. Since the dealer was selling the 911S 2013 loaded, with 38k mi and it was moving a bit slow, they were willing to work with me. Mostly for me it was about having a warranty, when your engine fails it will change the way you feel. The 911 has had 50 years to get things right. The Panamera is another thing and the engines do use a lot of oil from what I have seen. I had a chance to get out and trading made it quick and I picked up a very nice car. My 911 cost about 145K new and I traded my Panamera and 31k cash. My warranty gives me a little over 3 years and Porsche's warranty is fantastic.


I truly loved driving the Panamera and I thought it was a beautiful car. I got lucky with my engine failing 2 wks before the warranty expired and I don't know that I would own a Porsche without one. Their CPO warranty makes good sense and it worked for me.


Thanks,
David

Gus_Smedstad

I can see how "mileage unknown" on the title would put people off. That's irritating that it would affect official documents that way.

Porsche is still getting things wrong with 911 motors, 50 years of history or not. I'm thinking specifically the 2014 GT3 engine recall, where they replaced some 785 engines because of a design error that could lead to catastrophic engine failure. 911 engines are somewhat infamous for consuming oil as well.

In any case, you've got the warranty, and it sounds like you got a pretty good deal. I hope (and expect) that you'll enjoy the car.

DNorby

The title issue is unfortunate and Porsche does a good job on their end. I drove a brand new Cayenne for 3,500 miles for 2 months while they were working on my car. I heard about the GT3's and I also read that all of the 918's were recalled. Porsche seems to push materials to the limit and, in their case, it is not to save a few pennies but to save a few ounces. On the new Boxter Spider they use straps for interior door handles to save weight, I think that is going too far. I really loved driving my Panamera and it was quite a luxurious car and very easy on the eyes. As for resale it would seem that a lot of people find it unattractive and very un-Porschelike. Now their big seller is the Macan-makes no sense because I think the Panamera is the perfect sports sedan and is much closer to the 911. Overall, Porsche is a risky bet for a long-term vehicle in long-term reliability (IMO) but the driving experience is something else. Funny thing...you would think women (based on what men think) would be attracted to a man driving a Porsche-a friend of mine says: "it makes you better looking," but I get the most attention from the male gender. My girlfriend loves the cars, the 911 even better and, luckily, she cars more about me and would love me if I drove a Honda Civic.


The Panamera is a fantastic car!

gt3_4_me

My 2011 Panamera Turbo had engine failure at 82k miles due to camshaft adjuster bolts shearing off. I would advise anyone with a 2010-2011 Panamera to get those checked.

DNorby

Was it under warranty by any chance? I am pretty sure those same bolts broke off in my as well. The other issue was the amount of oil the engine used. I drove that car for 9,000 miles and I did one oil change and added 4 or 5 quarts of oil.

gt3_4_me

No it was not under warranty unfortunately. PM me if you want for more info. Bottom line though is that Porsche knows about this and chooses not to act on it in the US. It's disgraceful really. This is a really cheap fix if I understand the failure mode correctly.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0VH06C20150207

DNorby

That must have cost you quite a bit. Luckily for me I had two weeks left on the warranty. They attempted to repair the motor but ended up replacing it. The local dealership never called me to tell me what was going on while they had it for two months until it was finally repaired. I did get to put 3,500 miles on a brand new Cayenne they loaned me. If they were using these engines on the earlier Cayennes it would seem that they would have had time to figure these things out. I did not feel comfortable driving the Panamera after my experience and I traded it in on a 911. I suppose the recall costs in the U.S. would be too expensive for Porsche, probably a bad decision.

lic265

So, what i dont understand is that there has been no recall in the US; dont they put essentially the same engine in all cars regardless of country for delivery?
If i keep mine past the warranty i wonder how expensive it would be just to check/replace the bolts in question

gt3_4_me

I was told by an independent Porsche shop that if they recalled it in the US they could face a class action suit over the failed engines prior to the recall.

To check the bolts, I think you only need to remove the valve cover to get to the camshaft adjusters, not sure as I have not done it myself.

Another link on the topic:

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/c...s-failure.html