Adventures in a £4k Cayenne Turbo
Discussion
Morning all,
I have been a long time lurker and very occasional poster but thought some of you might be interested in the trials and tribulations of my 12 months in a 2004 Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
A little bit of a backstory first; I've owned a mix of sensible diesels and slightly more interesting straight six BMWs. A new job with a 600 mile weekly commute persuaded me to swap my BMW M140i for a very practical and slightly dull Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI. Whilst it was a great car for motorway cruising it was a bit boring and another move for work reduced my weekly miles down to a more manageable 150 miles.
At this point man maths kicked in; why pay finance for a car to sit in a car park all week when I could sell it and scratch the V8 itch. Reliability and economy weren't too much of an issue as I could always commute on the train and have accommodation at work if needed. The search began and I narrowed my choices down to a B6 S4 or a Porsche Cayenne V8. Horror stories of timing chains on the Audi and quickly rising prices helped me to decide the Cayenne would be a good choice.
After weeks of searching and viewing I came across a black Cayenne Turbo on PH for a very reasonable price. Not only was this Turbo the same price as most of the S and V6 models I'd seen, it was also fitted with LPG! This even meant that my totally car-uninterested partner was on board with the idea.
So, a practical (boot space is key for work and dogs and bikes etc) and economical(ish) V8 with 450 bhp for £4k! I made the trip on the train to collect it the day after my birthday. It's by no means perfect and there are have been a few issues which I'll detail later but the interior, which is a sea of leather and alcantara, was in great condition and a lovely place to be. The engine ran smoothly and pulled well on both petrol and LPG and the journey home was uneventful and enjoyable.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/KAyHHQSj.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/6KbdA9mE" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/6KbdA9mE.jpg)
A couple of snaps just after I'd bought the car home.
I have been a long time lurker and very occasional poster but thought some of you might be interested in the trials and tribulations of my 12 months in a 2004 Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
A little bit of a backstory first; I've owned a mix of sensible diesels and slightly more interesting straight six BMWs. A new job with a 600 mile weekly commute persuaded me to swap my BMW M140i for a very practical and slightly dull Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI. Whilst it was a great car for motorway cruising it was a bit boring and another move for work reduced my weekly miles down to a more manageable 150 miles.
At this point man maths kicked in; why pay finance for a car to sit in a car park all week when I could sell it and scratch the V8 itch. Reliability and economy weren't too much of an issue as I could always commute on the train and have accommodation at work if needed. The search began and I narrowed my choices down to a B6 S4 or a Porsche Cayenne V8. Horror stories of timing chains on the Audi and quickly rising prices helped me to decide the Cayenne would be a good choice.
After weeks of searching and viewing I came across a black Cayenne Turbo on PH for a very reasonable price. Not only was this Turbo the same price as most of the S and V6 models I'd seen, it was also fitted with LPG! This even meant that my totally car-uninterested partner was on board with the idea.
So, a practical (boot space is key for work and dogs and bikes etc) and economical(ish) V8 with 450 bhp for £4k! I made the trip on the train to collect it the day after my birthday. It's by no means perfect and there are have been a few issues which I'll detail later but the interior, which is a sea of leather and alcantara, was in great condition and a lovely place to be. The engine ran smoothly and pulled well on both petrol and LPG and the journey home was uneventful and enjoyable.
A couple of snaps just after I'd bought the car home.
The first few months of ownership were pretty uneventful.
It took me several attempts to work out how to get the european LPG adapter to work including a few aborted trips to the local Morrisons where i ended up just filling the petrol tank. Thee LPG filler is actually hidden behind the petrol filler flap, which is a nice touch but involves screwing in an adaptor to fill up. It seems that every now and then you find an older LPG pump which is unhappy with the adapter, resulting in a frustrating 5 minutes of faffing followed by me just giving up and draining my wallet on petrol. However, being able to run the V8 on LPG at 80p a litre is great. On the 50 mile motorway run to work I average around 20 MPG on the computer so i reckon with the vaguest of calculations I'm getting he equivalent of around 35-40 MPG when you account for the price differential... not bad at all!
I very quickly changed the original headunit for an Android one. The original was temperamental and I really wanted to be able to plug my phone in for Google Maps and music etc. The new unit was £150 and is meant to look like the newer version of the Porsche PCM. It was relatively easy to install, and was mostly plug and play apart from splicing a couple of wires for the box that lets it work with the factory Bose speakers. I think it looks fine and the touchscreen with Carplay works really well especially considering the price.
Naturally, as time went by I began to notice some of the issues with the car.
The first one was the very intermittent nature of the parking sensors. The car has front and rear sensors and I have now learnt that if just one sensor is out it throws the entire system. This is not very helpful on such a long car that also has a tow bar sticking out the rear. So began the process of replacing the sensors. I managed to trace it to three of the rears and after wrestling with the rear bumper swapped them out. Unfortunately this was only a short lived fix and it soon became apparent that the whole loom was knackered. I managed to trace a couple of broken wires and tried to join them back together but with no success. So, i found a new loom on eBay and once again got the bumper off to change it all over. All was well for two weeks and then the font sensors decided they'd had enough so once again the entire system went down...
The front bumper was far more challenging but i managed to peel it off and swap out the faulty sensor. Six new sensors, a wiring loom and a new in-depth knowledge of Cayenne bumper fitment later I now have fully working parking sensors!
It took me several attempts to work out how to get the european LPG adapter to work including a few aborted trips to the local Morrisons where i ended up just filling the petrol tank. Thee LPG filler is actually hidden behind the petrol filler flap, which is a nice touch but involves screwing in an adaptor to fill up. It seems that every now and then you find an older LPG pump which is unhappy with the adapter, resulting in a frustrating 5 minutes of faffing followed by me just giving up and draining my wallet on petrol. However, being able to run the V8 on LPG at 80p a litre is great. On the 50 mile motorway run to work I average around 20 MPG on the computer so i reckon with the vaguest of calculations I'm getting he equivalent of around 35-40 MPG when you account for the price differential... not bad at all!
I very quickly changed the original headunit for an Android one. The original was temperamental and I really wanted to be able to plug my phone in for Google Maps and music etc. The new unit was £150 and is meant to look like the newer version of the Porsche PCM. It was relatively easy to install, and was mostly plug and play apart from splicing a couple of wires for the box that lets it work with the factory Bose speakers. I think it looks fine and the touchscreen with Carplay works really well especially considering the price.
Naturally, as time went by I began to notice some of the issues with the car.
The first one was the very intermittent nature of the parking sensors. The car has front and rear sensors and I have now learnt that if just one sensor is out it throws the entire system. This is not very helpful on such a long car that also has a tow bar sticking out the rear. So began the process of replacing the sensors. I managed to trace it to three of the rears and after wrestling with the rear bumper swapped them out. Unfortunately this was only a short lived fix and it soon became apparent that the whole loom was knackered. I managed to trace a couple of broken wires and tried to join them back together but with no success. So, i found a new loom on eBay and once again got the bumper off to change it all over. All was well for two weeks and then the font sensors decided they'd had enough so once again the entire system went down...
The front bumper was far more challenging but i managed to peel it off and swap out the faulty sensor. Six new sensors, a wiring loom and a new in-depth knowledge of Cayenne bumper fitment later I now have fully working parking sensors!
Electrics sort of ticked off for now it was time for mechanicals...
The first task was the front brakes. Whilst they weren't super worn they were looking a bit tatty and there was a small lip on the discs. Then brake pad sensor pinged on the dash which spurred me in to action. I found some M-Tec discs and pads for a fairly reasonable price and got to work changing them over. It was a fairly uneventful process although the discs themselves are enormous (as you'd expect for a 2.5 ton 450 bhp wagon) and weigh an absolute ton. I had to get a mate to help me hold them in place whilst I got the retaining bolts in.
Next on the list was the lower control arms. Whilst it is possible to change the bushes on these parts, the recommended path is simply to replace the whole arm which contains the bushes. Mine were decidedly floppy and worn and were definitely the original 17 year old parts with 109,000 miles under them. Having watched numerous Youtube videos and reassured myself it 'wouldn't bb that bad' I got to work... it was a NIGHTMARE! Every bolt was sized every joint was stuck. What I was promised would be a 2 hour job took me 8. The only positive was that when I took it for an alignment the garage barely had to make any adjustments, although I think that was look rather than skill.
You can see the the two lengths of pipe I had to use to on a breaker bar to get some of the bolts out. I have no doubt this job would b much easier on a proper lift but on the floor with a trolly jack and axle stand it was a real pig and I think I'll let the garage look at any future suspension work...
The first task was the front brakes. Whilst they weren't super worn they were looking a bit tatty and there was a small lip on the discs. Then brake pad sensor pinged on the dash which spurred me in to action. I found some M-Tec discs and pads for a fairly reasonable price and got to work changing them over. It was a fairly uneventful process although the discs themselves are enormous (as you'd expect for a 2.5 ton 450 bhp wagon) and weigh an absolute ton. I had to get a mate to help me hold them in place whilst I got the retaining bolts in.
Next on the list was the lower control arms. Whilst it is possible to change the bushes on these parts, the recommended path is simply to replace the whole arm which contains the bushes. Mine were decidedly floppy and worn and were definitely the original 17 year old parts with 109,000 miles under them. Having watched numerous Youtube videos and reassured myself it 'wouldn't bb that bad' I got to work... it was a NIGHTMARE! Every bolt was sized every joint was stuck. What I was promised would be a 2 hour job took me 8. The only positive was that when I took it for an alignment the garage barely had to make any adjustments, although I think that was look rather than skill.
You can see the the two lengths of pipe I had to use to on a breaker bar to get some of the bolts out. I have no doubt this job would b much easier on a proper lift but on the floor with a trolly jack and axle stand it was a real pig and I think I'll let the garage look at any future suspension work...
Very jealous. A few years ago i had the chance of a 2004 VW Touareg 4.2 V8 for £2500 (trade in at work). Absolutely mental car for the money.
My car history was (and still is) very much of of the Shed end of the scale...having never spent more than £2k on a car....so the chance of this Touareg (which seemed a decent one) was mega alluring....yet potentially £££ in terms of running costs.
I bottled it and whilst it was probably a wise decision in terms of avoiding a money pit scenario....i do regret it a lot....
My car history was (and still is) very much of of the Shed end of the scale...having never spent more than £2k on a car....so the chance of this Touareg (which seemed a decent one) was mega alluring....yet potentially £££ in terms of running costs.
I bottled it and whilst it was probably a wise decision in terms of avoiding a money pit scenario....i do regret it a lot....
Edited by M1C on Wednesday 26th October 10:55
Edited by M1C on Wednesday 26th October 10:57
Countdown said:
I'm in total admiration of your spannering skillz OP 
I also have to say the Mk1 Cayenne doesn't look as vomit-inducing as it did when it was first launched. (Sorry!)
Haha thank you - I’m not sure skills is the term I’d use, it’s more of a have a go and hope for the best approach! I also have to say the Mk1 Cayenne doesn't look as vomit-inducing as it did when it was first launched. (Sorry!)
I’m of the same view. I really wasn’t a fan when they came out and whilst it’s not the best looking car, from the right angle I think they’ve got better with age!
essayer said:
Bravery - but what a lot of car for the money!
Also trolley jack on a brick is brave, hope you had other things holding it up
Considering the age I really don’t feel like I’m missing much - super comfortable, lots of toys (it even has heather rear seats?!), fast and fairly practical. Also trolley jack on a brick is brave, hope you had other things holding it up
Hahah there are a couple of axel stands under there too! The block works surprising well as a short term fix
Would suggest healthy soakings in Plusgas with any siezed items
https://www.plusgas.co.uk/en-gb
This stuff is 10 times better than WD40, even it does smell like diesel.
https://www.plusgas.co.uk/en-gb
This stuff is 10 times better than WD40, even it does smell like diesel.
After the trauma of the "Bork bus of Pain" It's good to someone else taking the plunge. These do look like an utter bargain, and time has been kind on the styling.
I've got two impact drivers. A nice, compact, cordless one for every day and a big, heavy, corded one for when I just need a bolt to be undone, at any cost.
I've got two impact drivers. A nice, compact, cordless one for every day and a big, heavy, corded one for when I just need a bolt to be undone, at any cost.
Cambs_Stuart said:
After the trauma of the "Bork bus of Pain" It's good to someone else taking the plunge. These do look like an utter bargain, and time has been kind on the styling.
I've got two impact drivers. A nice, compact, cordless one for every day and a big, heavy, corded one for when I just need a bolt to be undone, at any cost.
I was reading that thread around the time I got mine. Definitely buried my head in the sand and decided a Turbi would somehow be more reliable! 🤦♂️I've got two impact drivers. A nice, compact, cordless one for every day and a big, heavy, corded one for when I just need a bolt to be undone, at any cost.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff