So my drive shaft bearing damper gave out (2006 TTS 65K miles) and in looking for repair options I came across this brand new product:

http://www.vertexaut...%20Support.aspx

http://www.youtube.c...u/0/kP5IQxph_yY

So, I am looking at doing this repair instead of replacing the entire drive shaft assembly.

Has anyone used this yet??

Thanks

2GOFAST

 

Does not seem like much of a solution to me if it is going to cost you the same or more than an updated factory part or custom shaft from a local shop.

Porsche has updated the part several times. Who do you think is the better engineer, Porsche or this company?

No reason that part should cost $550. $50 maybe

 

I think its a good idea. Its the same price for the part but obviously a much cheaper install.And just because Porsche "engineers" something doesn't make it good. I.e. plastic coolant pipes and this bearing in the first place

 

Porsche is often going to know exactly what the design goal is for a certain part. The hardness and flexability of hte material, etc. Plus they have millions of miles of test vehicles to collect data from on exactly what and when things go wrong and how to at least try to fix it.

This may be a decent product. But how many miles of testing are there? Was it an "around the block" test? Has their only test rig had this on for "a few months" without issues?

What was the standard for the material used? Why was it chosen? Availability and cost?

Just things to think about. I'm all for aftermarket solutions and love when a good idea comes up. I'm just not seeing it in this part at this time.

How long did your original one last? It seems most of these go at about $60k-ish. So I would imagine that with an updated part number the new one should last "at least" that long if not longer. So it should last the rest of your ownership period in most cases.

 

^ sorry but I disagree for this part. The calculations that go into a simple bearing like this is actually pretty easy. The original from porsche should have been a 2 piece like the first place.2gofast, you have my blessing. go for it

 

Then why do they fail? Even after redesign?


There is something more to it.

 

My issue with it isn't that they fail, but rather its so hard to fix. Its a simple bearing. For a wheel bearing to fail at 60k mi isn't that big of a deal, you replace and you're done. There is no reason for this bearing to be as complicated as it is. Its pressed onto the center of the shaft making it hard to replace. Long drive shafts have existed long before the Cayenne... On trucks, ships, factories and they all have intermediate bearings. They don't have to cut a whole ship apart to overhaul one of many shaft bearings. They simply replace it and align it with the shaft still in place. This new design is actually a good idea. If the original bearing was a 2 piece system nobody would really care because its pretty easy to fix. And if the new design was mass produced on a scale of the amount of cayennes it would be much cheaper than $550.

 

But to your point, you're right. Maybe this particular one isn't good. It looks good but who knows. And its much simpler

 

Kindda amazing how many private companies out there came up with a better solution than Porsche engineers. Like LN engineering's IMS & RMS parts and this, I'm pretty sure forgetting something.

 

A second set of eyes always help. But really, its hard to change the design after manufacturing has begun. A lot goes into it like obviously new drawings and calculations but purchase specs, parts, tooling. All in all, i'm happy with my cayenne but maybe someone will come out with a play-dough that you pour into the coolant that prevents the plastic coolant pipes from bursting ever

 

So I cooked my driveshaft and have been researching solutions.

One guy on another forum pointed out somthing about this product I thought I would share here. This thing retains the stock bearing. Just cutting off the outer torn rubber and steel shell. What if the reason these are failing is because the bearing is starting to seize?

I ended up just ordering a stock heavy duty one for $110.

 

Your concern is exactly the same one I had - and what happens when the old bearing seizes?

 

So, you're going for the 'replace the bearing' instead of the 'replace the entire shaft assembly' solution?

 

There seems to be no reason to replace the entire shaft other than simplicity ( laziness I suppose). You can replace 5-7 bearings for the going price of a rebult shaft. Which is just a shaft with a new bearing and fresh paint anyway.

Or 10-15 bearings for the cost of a new shaft.

Of course we will see how I feel about this after I do it! Not my first driveshaft rebuild.

 

Where can I go to get more details about the bearings vs. the damper fix shown in the video?