2008 Porsche Cayenne Turbo

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY TEMP GAUGE STARTED CLIMBING AND THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A PORSCHE MECHANIC. HE LATER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE PIPE OR TUBE THAT CONNECTS TO THE WATER/COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR CAME LOOSE SPILLING ALL OF THE COOLANT OUT, WHICH COULD OF LED TO A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. NOT SURE WHAT THE COST IS GOING TO BE YET. MY MECHANIC SAID HE'S SEEN THIS FAILURE ON 957 CAYENNE V8S MANY TIMES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS THING TO HAVE HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY.

UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION A COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR PIPE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND SPRAYED/LEAKED COOLANT ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY AND UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT THE BACK OF THE ENGINE WHERE A PRESSED IN PIPE FITTING CAME LOOSE FROM THE ENGINE CASTING. REPAIR REQUIRED REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE AT A COST IN EXCESS OF $3.500. ALL THE COOLANT WAS LOST FROM THE ENGINE AND LUCKILY I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND NOT THE HIGHWAY. *TR

IN 2010, I BOUGHT A '08 CAYENNE TURBO AT 40K MILES. PRIOR TO DELIVERY, I HAD PORSCHE DEALERSHIP RUN A SYSTEM CHECK TO CONFIRM THE VEHICLE WAS MECHANICALLY SOLID & FREE OF DEFECTS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY PERFORMED A REPAIR ON THE COOLANT PIPES (STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY) AND ASSURED ME IT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION TO PURCHASE. 105K MILES: CAYENNE'S STARTER WAS MAKING NOISES AND NOT FUNCTIONING 100% OF TIME, SO I BROUGHT VEHICLE TO THE SAME PORSCHE DEALERSHIP WHO HAD BEEN SERVICING IT SINCE 2010. THE STARTER WAS IMMERSED IN COOLANT. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY (PREVIOUSLY "REPAIRED") COOLANT PIPES HAD A LEAK & REQUIRED REPAIR. I REVIEWED MY PREVIOUS INVOICE FROM ORIGINAL "REPAIR" UNDER WARRANTY AT 40K MILES & IT APPEARED TO BE THE SAME ISSUE, SAME PART #S, ETC. I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL A FEW DAYS LATER INFORMING ME THAT MY CAYENNE NOW HAD A SECOND COOLANT LEAK AT THE CROSSOVER PIPE TOWARD THE BACK OF THE ENGINE NEAR FIREWALL (REQUIRED REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE IN ORDER TO REPAIR). THE SERVICE GUY & PORSCHE TECH TOLD ME THE SECOND LEAK OCCURRED BECAUSE THE "FIRST" REPAIR (ACTUALLY THE SECOND, IF YOU CONSIDER IT WAS ALREADY REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY AT 40K MILES) THEN PROPERLY PRESSURIZED MY COOLANT SYSTEM, CAUSING THE NEXT LEAK, REQUIRING THE "NEXT" REPAIR. APPARENTLY THE INITIAL REPAIR DONE AT 40K MILES WAS ONLY ENOUGH TO HOLD OUT UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. PORSCHE MADE THE REPAIRS & REPLACED PLASTIC PIPES WITH ALUMINUM ONES THIS TIME, ON MY DOLLAR. I HAD TO PAY FOR TWO COOLANT REPAIRS, + A NEW STARTER, SOLENOID, & BATTERY, ALL COLLATERAL DAMAGE DUE TO THE PIPE LEAKS. '03-'06 CAYENNES HAVE WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED COOLANT PIPE DEFECTS RESULTING IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST PCNA (SEE: CAYENNECLASSACTION.COM). '08S + ARE SURE TO FOLLOW. I CONFIRMED DUPLICATE PART #S/LABOR FOR WARRANTY REPAIR (NO COST) AND THIS REPAIR ($$$). $5,000.00+ REPAIR. NOT A TYPO. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, ALL OF THE SUDDEN FELT A STRONG COOLANT SMELL, SLOWED DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND DROVE HOME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE COUPLING PIPE THAT INSERTS INTO THE WATER DISTRIBUTOR WAS COMING OUT. THE GLUE THAT HELD THE PIPE IN PLACE FAILED AND THE PIPE WAS 60% OUT! I STOPPED IN TIME BEFORE THE PIPE COMPLETELY BLEW OUT AND SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT OCCURRED, THE PIPE WAS LITERALLY FINGER TIGHT, NOTHING HELD IT IN PLACE ANYMORE. PORSCHE QUOTES $3500 TO REPAIR!!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE A SERVICE ACTION CLEAR AS DAY. *JS

THE CAR SUDDENLY DEVELOPED A HUGE LEAK IN COOLANT. AFTER DIAGNOSE, IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT ON THE COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BEHIND THE ENGINE THERE IS A COUPLER WHICH WAS GLUED ONTO THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE GLUE WILL BREAK DOWN OVER A FEW YEARS AND THE COOLANT PIPE BE BLOWN OUT CAUSING THE ENTIRE ENGINE TO LOSE COOLANT, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS IS A PURE DESIGN ISSUE AND PORSCHE DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL ON. THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING IS THAT IN ORDER TO FIX IT, THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION HAS TO COME OUT, WHICH WILL COST MOST THAN 5000 TO 6000 DOLLARS

I PURCHASED MY 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO AS A SECOND OWNER BUT BEFORE THE PURCHASE WAS COMPLETED THE COOLANT HOSE RUPTURE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE REPAIR WAS AT A COST WELL NORTH OF $2000 AT THE MOTOR WERKS PORSCHE OF BARRINGTON. I ALSO HAVE A 2002 PORSCHE 996 TURBO WHICH JUST RECENTLY RUPTURED THE COOLANT HOSE. THE COST IS ONCE AGAIN RIGHT AROUND TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. I'M JUST FED UP THAT THIS EPOXY FAILURE WITHIN THE COOLANT SYSTEM WHICH HAS AFFECTED SO MANY PORSCHE OWNERS. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT FIXED EVEN IN THEIR LATER MODELS BUT VERY HAPPY TO FIND OUT THAT MAYBE SOMETHING WILL ARISE WITH THESE COMPLAINTS. *TR