Originally Posted by Cannoli

I was just going to say this too ... I'm not sure when Porsche switched to the aluminum tubes - it could be with 957 4.8L. What we are talking about are plastic tubes, I believe there are three of them, that run between the heads under the intake manifold, transporting fluid from the rear to the front of the engine. These tubes are part of the engine cooling system. The engineer who specified PLASTIC (ABS or Nylon) to be used next to one of the HOTEST areas of the engine should be fired! What was he or she thinking? The update to this shortcoming is now aluminum tubes. If the plastic tubes spring a leak, the intake manifold must be removed.

My RUF Dakara 550 is based on the 2004 955 Cayenne Turbo and it has been rock-solid electrically and some minor mechanical issues have been dealt with during the warranty period.

I'm VERY pleased with my 2004!

Originally Posted by porschespeeddemon

There wasnt a "year" split for the aluminum cooling pipes. It was more of a date of mfr split on the engine numbers which I do not have, however I have replaced a few Cayenne engines, and one new one came with plastics, Porsche wanted the aluminum ones put in prior to engine installation. Since then, all new engines (or reman) come with metal pipes. 957 cayennes use a different system, but have also had a few issues near the T-stat with some minor coolant leaks. Aaron, PM me if you have any questions.

Originally Posted by Cannoli

Good info ... thanks for clarifying.

Originally Posted by FastForwardwheels

I hear a lot about the 03 & 04 models and lot's of pos+ on the 05 & 06....

But can anyone contest to this who has FIRST-HAND knowledge??? Gant it that the 03-04 have been on the earth 2-3 years longer than the 05-06 so of course there will be more mechanical failures if compared side to side.

I'd prefer the owners step up rather than speaking 2nd hand such as "my neighbor" as times will tell many of those guys over-state their business for attention etc. First hand experience would be the best.

Just my .02, hope to hear honest and down to earth replies....

-Eli

Originally Posted by glowone

Ill keep all this in mind. Thanks for any more input.

Can I see these pipes if I look in the engine?

Originally Posted by mpatrizio

For what it's worth...

I think you're searching for info for this on the wrong site. It seems that most of the "beta" Cayenne owners are on the other message board. But if you listen to some of them, they'll convince you that there's no such thing as a good '03 or '04.

I wander over to that site for more technical answers since those guys seem to have had much more bad luck than this group... Either that or their bad luck group is more outspoken!!