Hey all,

Well I have driven about 500 miles (I know not much) since I took possession of my 2011 Porsche Cayenne S with 66,700 miles on it the Friday before Thanksgiving. Since then I've had it tinted, changed out the puddle lights, added new spark plugs, had the brake fluid flushed, DIY'd the cabin filter and engine filters and just replaced the 2 all season Conti's on the front. All seems fine except for this occasional noise I get sometimes on acceleration. I can't quite pin it down its kind like a push pool clunk I feel when going up a hill. At first I thought the tires were the cause on the front so I replaced them but driving home today it still seems to be there. I have roughly 90 days left on the warranty and if there is an issue I want to get it in the shop before it expires. Can anyone associate with what I am talking about. I can only explain it as it doesn't 'feel' right or smooth but again I have never owned an all wheel drive vehicle before this. Any thoughts? Thanks. I appreciate it!

 

Is it only on hills, or on flat surfaces as well? And does it happen while accelerating from 2nd-3rd-4th gears, almost like the transmission is "slipping" as it shifts? If so, it may be a failing transfer case..... these tend to go around the 50k-60k mark, so you will definitely want to get that checked out while it's still under warranty.

I just Got this done on my 2012 Cayenne S that I bought CPO 3 months ago.....

 

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out how to prove that this is the issue. It sucks trying to relay issues like this that you can feel isn't right. I appreciate the info. Thanks again and happy new year!

 

Is your warranty thru Porsche? If so I'd advise you to take it and explain it as best you can, have your SA document as thoroughly as possible, and see if they can duplicate it. At least this way you have a legitimate paper trail that starts while you are under warranty - it will definitely help when you get past the next 90 days.

 

Actually no it's through the Mercedes dealership I purchased the Cayenne from. I'm scheduling a service appointment with them for next week. Thanks for all your input fellas.

 

I have narrowed this 'clunking' down between 2nd and 3rd gear. Was coming up a steep hill at a snails pace and it was a loud clunk as i slowly accelerated up the hill. It's going into the shop next Friday. What do you guys think I can expect. Oh and if that isn't enough, the BRAKES WEAR warning came on today and all the brake pads were replaced 4oo miles ago. What a few months this journey has been already.

 

Well the car is going from the Mercedes dealership where I purchased it to the Porsche dealership this week after spending 3 1/2 hours in the waiting area at Bud Smail Mercedes in Greensburg yesterday. 3rd gear is a clunking nightmare. I suspect from my research on this forum and others its either a software issue or in need of a new transfer case. Thankfully I caught this under the 3 month warranty phase of the car purchase. I will be getting some sort of Mercedes SUV as a loaner.

Out of curiosity, how much would this cost approximately to have repaired if it is the transfer case? Why is it 3rd gear that is mostly affected? Thanks.

67,900 miles on it now.

 

I am guessing 1 of these 3 TB's is the issue??

 

Closing out this thread with the transfer case replacement cost. This is information I could not find anywhere online so I hope it is useful for the forum. Doesn't hurt to prepare yourself. I am thankful mine was under the 3 month warranty period.

 

My Cayenne S has just under 65K miles so considering I have no warranty or CPO so I'm willing to accept paying out of pocket is a possibility although I will be doing 2 seperate TC fluid changes (luckily I have air suspension) hoping to prolong any substantial issues and a recall which I heard isn't too far away

 

I doubt very much if there will be a "recall" - recalls are to address safety issues - and so far no one has demonstrated that a failing transfer case causes a safety issue where it is likely someone will be injured. It makes the car uncomfortable to drive - but not unsafe to drive.

The issues you've listed above were addressed by "Service Campaigns" - aka Workshop Bulletins. This type of coverage is different from a recall since it isn't mandatory for the manufacturer to fix/replace the part being addressed UNTIL and UNLESS it fails. And even in that case, there may be some exclusions involving warranty and mileage on the vehicle (BMW has had a LOT of Service-Campaigns - which typically extend the warranty on the failing part to 100,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first.)

I don't expect Porsche to do much more than put in place an extended warranty on the transfer case - if they do that. And then replace them on a case by case basis. Some service-campaigns are done at the discretion of the dealership - if they go to bat for you - Porsche may cover it. The way to get them to go to bat for you is convince them that you're a future new Porsche buyer, and it's in their interest to keep you thinking great things about the brand.

Just a heads up - I'm not sitting around waiting for a letter from Porsche asking me to bring the CTT in to get the transfer case replaced before it fails. I just don't think it will happen. It should be obvious that Porsche was remiss on issuing a recall (acceptance really - since they knew if they didn't - NHTSA would force the issue) on the Variocam issue in the USA - which does present a safety issue. I see no reason for them to change their normal operating procedures (which is to apply grease to the squeaky wheel - ie - if enough noise is made about an issue they may decide to do a service campaign.)

Talk to the people with 996's and failed intermediate-shaft-bearings. Obvious to me it's a safety issue - and Porsche's response is - we'll fix it if the car is under warranty. Of course perhaps the people with those cars might learn something from the history of how the VarioCam recall came about. Or not. I don't think they think a Cayenne is actually a Porsche.