the Walnut Diary

My third-hand 2004 Cayenne S was built in 2003, so I guess it qualifies as an example for your question. Ruby came to me by railroad from Vancouver where it had led a sheltered life, I believe. With 125,000 km and evidence of a few minor fender-benders, I expected little from the $10,000 CDN car purchased off Craigslist.

The Ontario mechanics who inspected it were amazed at how new the car looked. “We don’t get 2004’s in that condition in here.”

To be fair, before its owner let it go, he had his mechanic pull the valve covers and repair a small oil leak, an “O” ring. This indy mechanic had done oil changes at 5,000 km throughout the car’s life, and he gave it another one on the way out the door.

So Ruby had a pretty good chance at its new life in Ontario.

The first thing to set right was the rear hatch. I replaced the struts. Things went back together well. The air conditioning was next. It was a mess of non-functioning actuators which clicked. I expended quite a bit of time and health switching out seven a/c actuators for a set off a 2010 I found on eBay. This was a very hard job when conducted from the foot wells by reaching up into the dash.

My constant worry with the car was the coolant pipes. I was convinced they’d fail at any moment. In fact they had already been replaced, but I had bought the parts and lifted the intake manifold before I figured that out. Bathos. Even with a good scope I couldn’t definitely say if a Cayenne has had the coolant replacement process or not.

Earlier I tracked a coolant leak to the reservoir and replaced one in perfect condition. The seal between the rubber hose and the reservoir had gotten a little crusty. All it took was a good rub with a finger, when disassembled.

The other worry has to do with cold-weather starts. #5 piston apparently doesn’t get enough lubrication for the first second of a sub-zero start on the S model, and this can produce a cumulative scrubbing of the cylinder liner, which produces a clicking sound and the eventual extinction of the engine.

So I keep Ruby in an insulated garage all winter and worry if I have to start it outside in the cold.

There’s been a deep rumble in the drive train since I bought the car. We couldn’t find it. Diffs and axles are fine, and it has not changed in 50,000 km.

The factory-installed trailer hitch opened up and plugged in nicely when I added the parts from Amazon.ca. But it won’t provide running lights to my trailers, and the unmodified hookup only fires the right signal light. I took it to an expert indy who suggested supplying the headlight/running light feed with a separate power supply because VW/Porsche trailer lights are so confounding to install. That works, sorta.

These gripes obscure my growing awareness that the 2003 Cayenne S, extra battery in the hatch and all, is by a wide margin the finest car I have ever owned. It was intended as a shop project and has become our main vehicle.

I do all maintenance in our hoist-equipped hobby shop. First came lower control arms for the safety check, then a front half axle removal and re-lube with fresh boots. Ignition coils were a perennial problem until I bought a set from Porsche. Then things settled right down. An O2 sensor failed and things settled down again as soon as I installed a new one, again from the increasingly-friendly Porsche parts guy.

Oil changes are quite a job. It takes about twenty minutes to remove the bottom plate which bars access to the two drain plugs. The plugs are torqued to 35 ft lb, which is just under the torque at which the 8mm Allen fittings destroy themselves. I keep extras. Don’t skimp on the compression washers which Porsche insists that I use to cushion the drain plugs. Every time I have recycled one, it has dripped a measurable amount of oil through until the next service.

My verbosity on the subject (sorry) shows my enthusiasm for this car. I love to work on and drive Ruby, and often make excuses to myself to take it out on long, solitary expeditions. In return, Ruby has proven reliable and not a major pain in the wallet, with the exception of fuel cost.

Is the 2003 Cayenne a good car? No. Fuel costs are too damned high. If that is your main criterion for a vehicular selection, buy a Prius. If you look at a car as an interesting Rubik’s cube, an early Cayenne which has had loving attention will provide a lot in return, especially if you have a hoist in your shop.