I might soon be a newbie Cayenne S owner if PPI (pre-purchase inspection) goes well. Getting an 03 Cayenne S with only 20k Kms on it. It has been sitting by the window beckoning me for quite some time now. I think I will be succumbing to it very soon.

I've been trying to search for 'weaknesses' or 'things to look out for' on the 955 Cayenne S and found only 'drive shaft' at the moment. Is there any other things I have to worry about other than the drive shaft being faulty or defective?

On the 996 models, they say that the: RMS (Rear Main Seal), IMS (Intermediate Shaft) and AOS (Air-Oil Separator) , WP (Water Pump) needs to be checked and replaced immediately before purchase. Does this apply to our 955's?

 

Do a search on coolant pipes too - that's probably right up there with the drive shaft issue. Regardless, all these issues are resolvable so just make sure they're taken care of and you should have yourself a great SUV.

 

Thanks Jay, appreciate this! Cheers!

 

Who is this "They" that's telling you the scare stories? Water-pumps aren't a particularly prone to failure item (no more then any other German car, and probably less then most BMW models).. Air-Oil-Seperator - can't recall hearing of any failures. Rear-main-seal? Really? Again - not standing out in my mind as a high failure item.

The big three:

1. Cardan shaft - mebbe, especially if the P!G has been used hard. Not so much if babied.

2. Coils - like all stick coils, they basically are a sucky design. And they go bad, then the coil manufacturer changes the part number and it's supposed to be fine. Repeat adnausium. The design sucks. All German cars use'm. They all fail. Deal with it. Carry a spare since in reality - only one fails at a time.

3. Coolant pipes - Design flaw. This is IMHO, a must-do because it's a true PITA when they fail. You're not going anywhere (unlike the 2 above where you can limp home usually..) It also seems use related (more miles = more likely to fail) and perhaps environmental (hotter climate may cause earlier failure.) Porsche has a fix for them. Some people have DIY, some people had Porsche do it, some people have independent mechanics do them. Allocate $1,700 USD for the repair, and if you DIY, you'll have $1,000 left over to buy other toys for the P!G with.

As scary as many people make the Cayenne to be, I've found it no worse (and in some ways better) then other premium German cars/trucks. BMW's have exploding water pumps, exploding cooling systems, plugging-up emissions air passages in the V8's, failing window-regulators in everything. Mercedes have grenading engines. Audi just is Audi - and dunno enough to point to particular failures, but I have heard of some engine problems in Audi and VWs.

If you want safe and sane - don't buy a premium German SUV. It will disappoint you. You'd be better served with some boring, not very good handling Japanese SUV. If you want something that's fun to drive over the long haul, makes you feel good when driving it, something that always feels very competant no matter what the conditions are, then you're ready for a Cayenne.

Plus we enthusiasts are a special breed of nutcases, and you'll be accepted as one of us once you get the P!G.

 

I think he was talking about the 996 for the AOS and RMS issues.

FWIW - the Cayenne uses the same RMS as the 996, although they aren't really known for leaking. Also, I've replaced the primary fuel pump and the water pump on my Cayenne.

 

i'm a n00b myself and have completely fallen in love with my '06 in the almost 3 months i've had it. i had a brand new custom bmw x5 i drove for 3 years (among several other bmw's over the last decade) and never did i love it as much as i love my cayenne - it's just SO much fun to drive.

i did run into the cardan shaft problem (bonus - it kicked in arriving in las vegas on a drive from los angeles) but it was an easy in-and-out job for the shop there and it happened soon enough after buying that the dealer covered the costs. so no big deal.

i say do it.

 

@deilenberger - thank you for your post. This is indeed very useful information! The big three you've identified were exactly what I was looking for.

@Dennis C - yes you're right. I was actually referring to the 996 issues. My concern was I think addressed already by deilenberger is what are the issues of the Cayenne equivalent to the 996 perennial issues I have identified. Will try to keep everything in mind. Thanks.

@aenemated - thanks for the response. Its great to know that we are somehow in the same situation. I am also coming from an 03 BMW X5! With your comment, I'm really excited to upgrade. Will keep a sharp eye on that cardan shaft. Thanks fellow former bimmer! :-)

 

no problem! on the test drive, i was expecting the feel of the x5 which i've now been describing to friends as "a great truck." the cayenne, though, feels so much smoother and more balanced.

as i was coming back to LA from vegas (after said cardan shift issue and fix) i rolled to the right on the 15/10 interchange at a good 85-90mph. on the x5, i'd always have to pull back with that "whoooaaa ... " feeling, but the cayenne moved right through like a champ.

like i said, i'm still a n00b to this truck (and this board) but in terms of performance and handling in my relatively short experience; that rad old x5 of mine wasn't even close.

good luck!

 

Just wanted to upgrade the thread and inform everyone that I went with a 2004 Cayenne Turbo instead of the 2003 Cayenne S. It cost a little bit more but it clocks 40K Kilometersor 29k miles looks and smells brand new inside and out. I just hope it does not have major issues hidden somewhere there. I will do a PPI with the dealers tomorrow. I will definitely mention all the things discussed here. Wish me luck!