Been looking at Cayennes for almost a year now , GTS's and Turbo S, and finally bit the bullet last week on a "good" deal for a beautiful snow white 2016 GTS (3.6L petrol with 121,000 kilometers/75,100 miles) with bordeaux (maroon red) interior, which btw is in immaculate almost.

I also have been lurking in this forum for a while looking for opinions and experiences which helped a lot in making the decision to go with this purchase, and as soon as i got it took it in for an oil and transfer case fluid change instantly. The dealer (the only one we have here) said they never had the transfer case issue (I live in a middle eastern country so might be different specs / super hot (35-45C) and somehow dusty for 3-4 months of the year, but rest of it is nice weather ) , or even engine or transmission issues, but i digress.

The dealer prepared a nice fat quotation for other things they found while doing the oil change, and this is where i need some advice:
1. full brake kit (pads, rotors and warning sensor, etc): they slammed me with a ~3,200USD quote including labor cost. Obviously, I want to order a good kit online (recommendations?) from a vendor who ships internationally (also, recommendations?)
2. Engine leaks which i knew existed when i bought the car but it doesn't look it's leaking heavily, I never saw spotting under the car when i leave it parked, but i only had it for few days: Dealer quoted my for a total of 1+1+6 gaskets , 2+2 O-rings, 17+7 oval head screws (i broke down the counts because thats how they quoted me, assuming different types of each. Total Quote is equivalent to ~1,085 USD incl. labor. I feel they want to swap out every single gasget and o-ring , which is fine with me but the price is crazy for some rubber replacement job, or is this normal ?. again i want to order a good set and have my local mechanic do this job, any recommendations for a good set/place to order ?
3. Vacuum pump issue (labeled as oil leak): they quoted for replacement (of course they did) , the total cost for a new one with bolts/screws/labor/etc is ~480 USD. Is it normal to replace the pump after 8 years ? or should i just swap out the o-rings since it's labeled as leak ?
4. Rear Left door lock replacement (~391 USD): The issue is as follows; external/internal door handles work but the door won't unlock with key or driver panel switch. The weird thing the damn thing locks , just won't unlock, i have to reach in and pull the handle from the inside to unlock it. Can this possibly be a programming issue ? It's not a hot priority for me atm, but it's annoying as i usually use the door behind me to hang my jacket and place work bag before commuting back/from office.

Thanks in advance, and I'm happy to be now officially part of this fantastic community.

 

Guess you do not have any kids, so kidneys it is.

Your location please.

1. full brake kit (pads, rotors and warning sensor, etc). Measure the amount of brake pad left. Google or search Amazon using "Brake Lining Thickness Gauge 8 Piece SAE & Metric Steel". 8 piece tool. Easy to use with the car on the ground and wheels still attached. Just need to measure the outside pad remaining. This video is okay, but he needs to get the tool laying against the active friction surface (shiny part). The brake pad sensor is a simple design. When the rotor cuts the end of the sensor the brake pad light will set to on. You will have about 2 - 3 mm left which for my driving style is about 20k-30k miles remaining.

2. Engine leaks which i knew existed when i bought the car. Please be more specific as to what is hitting the ground: Coolant, Engine Oil, Power steering fluid, transmission fluid, etc. Wet, weeping, dripping or running out

3. Vacuum pump issue (labeled as oil leak): Wet, weeping, dripping or running out

4. Rear Left door lock replacement (~391 USD): Not a bad price for parts and labor. Needs to be addressed if you want to lock your car

 

Im new to the Cayenne too, looked at a 2014 GTS that was at a tempting price, umm petrol V8🤤 but just too many stores! So opted for a 2016 V8 S unfortunately with the fuel of satan! But it drives really nice, arguably better than the GTS.
I also need new brakes soon, front and rear, but will do it myself, from what I've seen the parts are quite cheap really, compared to what I was expecting! (VW?) seen prices online around €500 for a complete set!

So perhaps find an Indy to do the brakes with your suppled parts, and swallow the rest with the dealer, without know exactly what they're doing, it's difficult to say, but the quotes don't sound that bad to me.

 

A good indy will do the brakes for MUCH less than that. I had mine done (2016 GTS also) for less than 2k with OEM parts from local trusty indy who is not particularly cheap either.

 

Am in the middle of this - bought rear kit from FCP euro, and front pads and HW from them as well. Front rotors were cheaper from dealership for CTT 2018. Along with oil, filter, air filters and TC kit, I have about $1200 in parts, all OEM/dealer parts. Labor is limited to cost of beer and Motrin. Add in the price of a good scanner an you still save $$$$ doing this yourself. Fronts were completed last night, tackling rears along with TC today - oil change this weekend or next.Great opportunity to put eyes on everything - so far confirmed this vehicle has been well cared for...

One surprise (for me) - the pads I removed were Akebono. However I was unable to find ceramic replacement from them so went with Textron.

 

R1 concepts slotted/drilled rotors and pads all around should be under $600.

 

FCP Euro is one of the easier places to buy parts. I am in Australia and use them. Punch in your year model and you can see everything that is available and fits your car - all the options including genuine or quality after market parts.

I just did the rear door locks on my 958.1 after putting it off for almost 2 years. I wish I did it sooner, it wasn't too difficult at all just need to pull a number of bits apart and there is a very good youtube of what to do I posted in another thread recently. The first one took me a few hours and the second one took me half that. I used aftermarket locks due to the price of the genuine. Figured they would be easy to swap next time if they don't go the distance. WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T ENABLE YOUR CHILD LOCKS WHILE YOUR REAR DOOR LOCKS ARE FLAKY - Then you can't open them from inside or outside and the job will become much much worse.