[iTradeShips]

Just had my 2012 Cayenne S Hybrid in for its 150,000 mile service (153,XXX on the odometer). This vehicle has been in service for 87 months since we bought it new.

I'm was a bit shocked in that I asked the dealer to pay extra attention to the battery and brakes since the car still has its original factory battery and the current set of brakes pads have 92k miles on them. I figured that's kind of an invitation for them to run the bill up on me if either are even close to needing replacement. Surprisingly, they claimed both are still good for now. Brakes still have 5mm on them and the battery shows 12.8V under load of vehicle in the on position but not started/running. I just find it insane that in car with that much mileage and that many years on the original battery they wouldn't recommend replacing it. I would be curious to hear how much life other people have managed to get out of their batteries?

The car has been so much more reliable than I thought it would be when my wife originally bought it. The 6 year 100,000 mile extended warranty ended up being worthless (they complexity of the hybrid system alone pushed me to purchase my first ever extended warranty). The only unscheduled maintenance performed in the 7 years....at 110,000 miles I had to have the fuel tank level sender relay replaced and I just had the fuel pressure regulator and tank flanges replaced on this service visit.

Dealer says the car is in good shape. No fluid leaks from any of the seals. Dry and clean as a whistle underneath. I generally burn a quart of oil every 3000-4000 miles. I find oil burn is very closely associated with long sustained highway drives with no traffic where I can cruise around 85mph which gets the oil temp up around 215. If the oil temp stays down around 205 oil burn is much slower.

I did make the mistake of asking them what the 160,000 mile service would cost as it is comprehensive. They quoted me $3600 (versus normal 10k service interval charge of $650). They also said the battery replacement service would be $750. Starting to wonder if I need to find a good non-dealer Porsche mechanic? There’s a DIY battery change instruction on Rennlist that looks fairly straight forward that would knock that bill down by $500.

I figure I'm looking at a minimum of $6500 in maintenance if nothing breaks in the next year. The snow tires that just came off the car will need to be replaced next winter in addition to the services above. If anything else breaks, my maintenance bill is going to start looking like a car payment. Do I try to put 200k-250k on the car or just say thanks and move on?

Would be curious to hear other people's mileage levels and non-routine mechanical maintenance needed. Thanks.

 

[FirstCayenne]

No transfer cases replaced ever? do not fall for $3600 take it to independent mechanic or do some of it yourself - oil change, spark plugs etc.
If you are in NY I can help you with spark plugs - coils come up very hard - I just did them 2 weeks ago, was intimidating at first.

 

[iTradeShips]

I've had the transfer case lubricant replaced as per Porsche's schedule, but no issues with the transfer case/gear sets themselves. I did just have to do my catalytic converters at 165,000 miles, and my oil level sensor had to be done at 160,000.

I did switch to an independent service facility that specializes in Porsches. They are very active in the Porsche rally car racing circuit, so they aren't just some guys claiming they know how to service German cars. They did the 160,000 mile service for 1/3 of what the dealer wanted, albeit without doing the transmission fluid service. Their take on the ATF service is, on high mileage vehicles with no evidence of transmission issues, its best to just leave them alone. Their experience is - you run the risk of draining the friction material that has worn off the clutch pads out with the fluid, and then you develop slipping with the new fluid. I posed the question to the service writer - what would you do if it was your car? He said don't do touch it.

I did also switch to BMW run flats with my new winter tires, and plan to do so for the summers when they need replacing. Tired of having to call a tow truck when I run over a nail and then having to wait a day or two for matching tires to arrive. Wish I had done it a long time ago. The car actually handles better with the stiffer sidewalls (265/50/19's).

 

[ViciousKing]

I've had the transfer case lubricant replaced as per Porsche's schedule, but no issues with the transfer case/gear sets themselves. I did just have to do my catalytic converters at 165,000 miles, and my oil level sensor had to be done at 160,000.

I did switch to an independent service facility that specializes in Porsches. They are very active in the Porsche rally car racing circuit, so they aren't just some guys claiming they know how to service German cars. They did the 160,000 mile service for 1/3 of what the dealer wanted, albeit without doing the transmission fluid service. Their take on the ATF service is, on high mileage vehicles with no evidence of transmission issues, its best to just leave them alone. Their experience is - you run the risk of draining the friction material that has worn off the clutch pads out with the fluid, and then you develop slipping with the new fluid. I posed the question to the service writer - what would you do if it was your car? He said don't do touch it.

I did also switch to BMW run flats with my new winter tires, and plan to do so for the summers when they need replacing. Tired of having to call a tow truck when I run over a nail and then having to wait a day or two for matching tires to arrive. Wish I had done it a long time ago. The car actually handles better with the stiffer sidewalls (265/50/19's).

Talking about transmission cooling systems: I have a problem right now. I'm not sure about it, but my friend have said that I need to change transmission cooler. I asked him to look inside my car when I've heard some weird noises from inside. My car is 6 years old and I never had a need to repair it. And now I need a new cooler for transmission. Can you give me some advice about how to choose one? BTW, not so long ago this friend of mine sent me a guide about it. Like if I did understand something in these freaking' coolers. On the other hand, it looks interesting.

Here's a guide itself, BTW: https://transmissioncoolerguide.com/best-transmission-cooler/

 

[johndensmore24]

Thanks for sharing, guys

 

[ruth1977]

No transfer cases replaced ever? do not fall for $3600 take it to independent mechanic or do some of it yourself - oil change, spark plugs etc.
If you are in NY I can help you with spark plugs - coils come up very hard - I just did them 2 weeks ago, was intimidating at first.

i have a 2012 Porsche cayenne that is having transfer case issues. i've owned the car about 2 months. driven about 10 days total. been in the shop for various issues since. now the transfer case... the warranty expired November of last year. lesson learned about a used car. that's a whole different story. I was just quoted $5900 from the dealer! Does that sound right??