Hello everyone,

I just signed up as a member this evening as I am about to make a purchase of this 2011 Cayenne S

http://www.smailmercedesbenz.com/use...db3093f5c7.htm

The vin # is WP1AB2A21BLA47001

I've been in touch with The service manager of Porsche Auto Palace here in Pittsburgh over the past 2 years as I have been trying to nail down the perfect Cayenne and this evening I wrote him an email in regards to this WC-22 issue. The carfax states this in regards to repairs completed in 2013...

Camshaft adjuster solenoid replaced
Valve cover gasket(s) replaced

Does this look like the issues described in this thread being rectified? I will know more tomorrow I hope with the reply from the SM. I am really trying to keep my hopes up in regards to this Cayenne. I am going to get it for a pretty good price ($31,600) but man I'll tell you all these issues are scaring me away from my 1st Porsche.

Any input is much appreciated!

TJ

 

Unfortunately, it does not sound like those repairs you mentioned include WC-22. There have been about a dozen incidents reported here on 6speed. In 2011, there were about 13,000 Cayennes sold (all models) in the U.S. The odds seem low that the failure will happen to any one particular Cayenne S. Porsche seems to be paying for repairs (bent valve repair all the way up to new engine) for Cayennes that have this issue if they have less than 80K miles on them.

Cost to have WC-22 done is about $3,000. You may want to use this to help negotiate a lower price.

 

8/80 Federal Emissions Warranty only covers...

Catalytic Converter
Emission Control Unit (Digital Motor Electronics)
On-board Diagnostic System
Battery Control Unit

This failure would however be covered under the 7/70 state mandated emissions warranty for the following states for MY2011... CA, CT, MA, MD, ME, NJ, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA. If the car is not registered in those states or if you're over 70k miles then your dealer would have to submit it for goodwill consideration and go from there.

The Federal 8/80 Emissions Warranty in the past just covered the DME and catalytic converters. Now some state level mandates cover over 20 components, they vary from year to year, car to car, and state to state. It's quite difficult to keep up on everything. I have seen several instances of where dealers don't even realize that emissions warranties cover much more than they used to and honestly that's due to a combination of factors such as frequently changing policies from manufacturers/states/federal gov without regular updates and training, understaffed dealers that don't allow their personnel the time to familiarize themselves with new changes, the government not announcing changes in a way that's relayed to dealer employees, etc. etc. etc. I'm not making excuses for them, just remember that service advisors have one of the most stressful jobs in the world and they work in an environment that is very fast paced and always changing. It's ok to question them if you don't agree with what they say but just ask them to please research it to verify and run it past the service manager or warranty admin to make sure. Cut them some slack as they're only human and no human knows everything. I've been in the business for 15+ years now and I still learn something new everyday. This business is nothing like what it seems when you're looking from the outside in. Building a good relationship with a service advisor can make or break your experience with any brand or dealer.

 

Just going from the info on the failures we have on here:

edmtwentyone had 72K miles and arknet had 75K miles at the time of failure and Porsche covered it.

Stat101 had 82K miles and margom had 99K miles and Porsche did NOT cover the repairs.

 

Those 2 instances were almost certainly covered by a goodwill gesture and not the emissions warranty. Many things factor into goodwill offers, most of which pertain to customer loyalty. Factors like are you the original owner, was it a CPO car, was it purchased from a Porsche dealer, is it serviced at a Porsche dealer for both customer pay maintenance as well as warranty repairs, etc. etc. If you are the 4th owner and didn't purchase it from a dealer and you don't service it at the dealer either then you have very little chance of getting any goodwill assistance. Goodwill is meant to build or restore client loyalty and if you haven't demonstrated that you are a loyal client then Porsche really has no reason to believe you will become loyal just because they threw some money at you and fixed your car the one time you came to the dealer because you didn't want to pay for an out of warranty repair.

 

Well, I took the plunge and bought my first Porsche. First day was amazing, the 2011 Cayenne S drove like a dream. 2nd day...massive failure and system warning lights.

Took it to my local specialist and they diagnosed this very issue in B1. B2 was starting to fail, as well. They seem to have found all but one small piece of the sheared bolts. They are confident that they will find it after draining oil and blowing air through the system. Also, they ran leak testing and see no signs of valve damage.

Luckily, I've known the sales manager at the dealership I purchased at since we were kids and they are covering most of the repair costs...even though they aren't obligated to at this point.

Will keep this thread updated as progress moves along.

 

i just had this happen to me and luckily was able to limp it to the dealer without a tow. Anyhow, mine is registered in AZ with 50K miles and my dealer said the emissions warranty was what covered it.

 

Thanks for letting us know wthayer and 0Dogg. The frequency of the cam bolt failure is getting concerning.

Would you mind reporting your incidents to the NTDSA at 1-888-327-4236 or https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint ?

Those of us yet to have the issue would greatly appreciate it!

 

can it be done if your replace the bolts only + gasket and labour ? I mean not buying the whole acurator which is 550$ a piece ?

 

I don't think you can. Its one kit.
Just received my two camshaft adjusters, the car has been in the shop waiting for those parts ( dealer wanted 950+tax for each. Got both for 1100 total).
Does anybody know where you can rent an engine timing adjustment tool for 2011 CS in Illinois???? THANKS in advance.

 

hmm I think not much shops will be able to do timing wright :/

 

hmm I though you need the tool to do it and manual which most shops have or can obtain.

 

I'm with stas101 this isnt some magical unicorn of an engine that no one but a Porsche dealer can fix. Is this the tool you are looking for? https://www.amazon.com/Porsche-Engin.../dp/B01BO56BCA

 

Got the Cayenne back today. Total repair including new oil and filter was a little over $2700. Dealership covered all but $500. Repair shop told me that all went as planned and should have no issues again. Apparently new bolts are engineered to resist shearing. I don't know enough about this issue to explain further.

TLDR; Have Cayenne back now...expensive repair, new hardware is better. Didn't pay much even though I legally owned vehicle when parts failed.

 

The 5th photo in Amazon is the timing tool that's needed.

It is NOT possible to just replace the bolts. Apparently they were assembled with some thread locker on them, and the soft aluminum heads aren't strong enough to break the bolts free.

If this was doable I'm sure it's the path Porsche would have taken on the recalled (Japan and China) and Workshop Campaign (USA and Canada) engines.