Burst 2004 Porsche Cayenne S coolant pipe

[nvadivel]

I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne S. It is a US manufactured vehicle.

Last summer the coolant pipe burst and drained all the coolant. Since then, I parked the vehicle in my garage and drove my 2010 BMW X3. Last week I took my Porsche to the dealer and the dealer quoted me about $3000 CAD to replace the plastic pipe with aluminum.

I have also sent in a claim to the US coolant pipe settlement court claim last year and I have not heard from the claim administrator yet.

What should I do Now?

The dealer also mentioned about transmission fluid leak and a weak battery.

Where in Toronto could I get a battery for cheap?

[iamtheari]

Canadian Tire and probably every other major chain should carry a battery the right size. I got mine at NAPA here in the USA and they even had one in stock at my rural location. Make sure to check if your Cayenne has dual batteries (one under driver seat and one under floor in the cargo area) or just one (which would be under the driver seat). The work to change the battery under the seat is not hard but you do need a XZN / Triple-Square socket set to remove the front bolts on the seat and tilt it backward to access the battery.

The coolant pipes on my 2004 Cayenne Turbo were replaced before I got the car, thankfully. Probably most of the $3,000 price you were quoted is labor to get enough of the intake manifold taken off of the car to access the pipes. If you enjoy working on your car yourself, it does not look like a very difficult job, just a time-consuming one. If you keep the parts and tools organized and work a little bit at a time, you can fix it for a lot less money than the dealership wants. It sounds like you have garage space and another vehicle so you won't have to rush through the job.

Good luck. The V8 models of the Cayenne have a few maintenance headaches but they are fantastic cars when they're running.

[Determined]

I'm getting ready to change my own this summer. I had an extended warranty which expired 25 miles ago and my draft shaft carrier just went out, figures!

I'm going to install the new Vertex design since I've heard good about it and it does not require dropping the driveshaft.

[iamtheari]

I have a shiny new drive shaft sitting in my garage, too. I got the bolts out once a year or so ago but the shaft was corrosion welded to the transfer case. As I had a one-stall garage at the time and had stupidly done this work with the Cayenne parked on the driveway, trapping my other car, I had no choice but to put the bolts back in and give up. My shaft hasn't gone yet but I wanted to do this as preventive. Someday I'll find time and a bigger hammer to get the old shaft out. The Vertex bearing design seems like a lot less work, at least!