Drove car today after getting it back from changing upper control arms last week and radiator hose fell off motor!!! It’s not a clamp on hose. It looks like it was epoxied in. Anyone had similar issue? Had to tow it to dealership.

 

yep that's the infamous thermostat housing failure

it's my biggest fear - new ones are bolted in

 

Uh oh. I'm about to have the intake manifold pulled. Looks like I have something new to consider!!!

 

So, anyone use/interested in using EVANS waterless coolant to prevent this???

From SDS/MSDS research EVANS is pretty much pure ethylene glycol run without mixing in water. From people who use it the system pressure is so low that you can open it even when the engine is hot/warmed up.....

 

Evans Waterless Coolant: Been using it for years now with my '13 Jaguar XK 5.0 liter V8 with zero issues. No change whatsoever in operating temperature; and no coolant leaks from the notoriously fragile water pump.
Check out John Fitch on Wikipedia, he was one of the developers of this product. Fitch was a giant in the auto world, and was very ethical. Anything Fitch developed and marketed, in my opinion, is worth considering.
Evans Coolant is often used with older cars that don't have a pressure coolant system. Jay Leno uses it, so do many classic car owners..
I will use it on my '14. What's holding me back now is the hassle of fully draining the Porsche's coolant system.

 

Seems like a good product. Would need to inspect it a little more. Right now its a matter of getting it fixed. The service rep. is aware of the issue and has seen other cars come in for the same problem. I told them that once they diagnose the problem (when they are done with the paper work), I would like the thermostat housing upgraded to one that does not require epoxy.It looks like they will reach out to extended warranty once more and see if they will pay for it. But I will B.... and gripe if they do not. I feel like the dealership should pay for this. The warranty company may say to re-glue the part. Since I took it overnight, no loaner. So to date since my purchase in September I have changed the air compressor twice, both front shocks, both front upper control arms, and both sway bar bushings. Any idea whats going to be next?

 

Just looking at your photos, I don't see any clamping options or possibilities. Best, I think, to have dealership reglue, since the car is still under its warranty. Automotive "glues" continue to evolve. Be sure that the dealership is using the latest and greatest adhesive and technique from Porsche.
However, if this was being done on your own nickel outside of warranty, I would do some heavy research of metal adhesives. In particular I would inquire wit J.B. Weld. I once knocked off a corner of an aluminum cast transmission case (Honda). "Glued" that little corner piece with J.B.Weld, without special clamping.. No problems for another 4 years/75k daily-driven miles. I also contacted J.B.Weld for advice prior to install. They emphasized that it is critical that the bonding surfaces be "surgically-clean".

 

Watch this video to see the difference between the old vs new design of the thermostat housing... start at 1:10 to 2:15. Part number 948-106-080-02 is the revised thermostat housing.

 

I'm pretty sure you're going to want the revised part to prevent this issue from happening again in the future. I had mine done proactively and I don't remember it being all that expensive, no more fear of a coolant system failure in some remote location.

 

Thanks for your support guys. Yea I’ve already made it known to the Porsche dealership that after they finalize their formal diagnosis that I would like the upgraded part. We shall see what happens.

 

Yup, the thermostat housing and suspension bushings are the 2 biggest issues with the gen 1, and unfortunately you experienced them both in a short timeframe. I wonder whether whoever sold you the car was aware of the situation ? Suspension usually starts acting up when it's cold (so this person could have observed it prior winter) , while issues with the thermostat can be detected before it pops.
I have all the parts to swap out the housing (and the thermostat) in my garage and will use a quiet weekend to address the issue. The stealership 'offered' me a fix which would set me back close to 3K$, claiming this is a 10 hour job. I just bought the brand new parts from Sunset Porsche for 300$ and will do it myself.
From what I understand there is litigation going on somewhere in the US, so I wonder whether this could result in a recall. Let's be fair, this does not seem to be designed to withstand the test of time, or a decade for that matter.
In the meantime I'll just fix it myself, and keep the evidence and receipts.

 

I just looked at my invoice and I stand corrected. The thermostat housing by itself was 300$, however, while being in there I also decided to replace the thermostat (which can fail by itself). This was another 155$. Then there's also some other gaskets and o rings. Please ignore the rest of the invoice which was for general maintenance (coils, etc)

 

Thanks for sharing this detailed review! I got everything needed for a coolant system cleaning (I hope, it's 000 043 305 64 which is 20 L of "TEST CLEANING AGENT", which is supposed to be mixed 1 to 1 with distilled water), to replace the K-Seal added coolant in the system now. I purchased 4 gallons of Peak Global Lifetime, which is also not a Porsche approved product, having tried it in a '10 Cadillac CTS-V and a '92 Mercedes 190E, (and topping off a '17 Alfa Romeo Giulia without any noticeable bad side effects). But now I have to consider this preventative measure.

I'm so glad to read you have some sort of extended warranty going for you. I'm sitting on top of over $1000 in various parts and fluids and may go up to help prevent this from happening to us!!!

Thanks for sharing this snippet of your receipt! I noticed you did not purchase the expensive thermostat grease noted here down at the bottom of the list, part # 000 043 205 93 (if I can post the link properly) :

https://nemigaparts.com/cat_spares/p...0/535u/105000/

 

A follow up to this topic with my Porsche service adviser. They've seen the failure with 2010 and 2011 V8 (Panamera and Cayenne). Not to say the failure cannot happen on other model years, but they have not seen it for 2013 model year. If you are concerned, preemptively check the two coolant pipes that are attached to the thermostat housing for looseness or play.

 

Mine is a 2012. I talked to service adviser yesterday, and he confirmed that the fix is to replace the housing with ability to bolt on hoses via clamps. This is what they are pitching the extended warranty. Warranty company is supposed to go today to inspect and approve/deny claim. They've shelled out about $7k to date and maybe an additional $2k here since September. Let's hope they approve this one.Wish me luck.