by John Glynn | Dec 30, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
I put a few hours aside over Christmas to get stuck into a Porsche Cayenne brake change on my Cayenne daily driver. Starting at the front, I had the wheel off, disassembled the pad retaining arrangements, clamped the brake flexi hose, pulled the caliper off (lovely lightweight 6-pot calipers) and removed the front disc.
I then found I had ordered the wrong front disc – 330mm instead of 350mm on the 18″ brakes – so had to put the rotten old disc back on with nice new pads. Talk about disgusted! I’ve sorted out replacements and will do the slightly pikey thing of fitting new discs and these new pads, assuming they are not too grooved from the old discs. Otherwise will buy new pads.
Rears are yet to be tackled. A job for the weekend. I’ve done 150 miles on the new front pads and they are bedding in nicely. I’m feeling a tiny bit less bite than the Pagids (badged Brembo/stamped Pagid), but I think that will improve when the new discs are on. Hope so, anyway.
While at a workshop today, I got the guys to stick the Cayenne on the ramp and help me check for this annoying front end squeak on steering. Was easy to find it: the split balljoint boot that’s been an advisory on the last two MOTs has finally capitulated, and the corroding old balljoint is creaking.
Balljoints can’t be bought separately, so the solution is changing the complete front lower control arm, which start at about £100 a side for pattern parts. The job means a suspension alignment afterwards, so I’m tempted to strip the complete front suspension both sides, change top and bottom wishbones with bushes and check the strut top mounts at the same time. Future proof the lot in one hit.
Option two is change the one lower arm, do the alignment and set a few days aside this summer to do both sides completely. Or maybe I’ll just take option three: let it creak a while longer and then refresh the lot in time for the MOT. Sounds a bit more like it. Oh, got a split in the NSF outer driveshaft gaiter too. A previous owner’s attempt at glueing it has given up the ghost. Easy job for someone!
![Porsche 911 Carrera RS Replica New Zealand]()
by John Glynn | Dec 22, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Too many pictures being shared by down-under Porsche friends on Facebook, as they enjoy their summertime with long, sunny days and warm, bright nights. The bad news for them is we’ve just had the Winter Equinox, so the solar pendulum is swinging back towards the Northern Hemisphere.
The sunshine reminded me of this shot from Porsche buddy Thorsten earlier in the year, as he toured Sicily in a rented Fiat 500: there to see Stuttgart’s planned RSR re-run at the Targa Florio. “The faded sign looks incredibly cool!” said T. “I can’t believe nobody took that over the years. Maybe it’s protected by La Familia!”
Porsche 911 Carrera RS Replica
This picture recently arrived from New Zealand might ring a few bells, as it shows a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS replica that I inspected in Frankfurt for a NZ Porscher before the 2013 Nurburgring 24-Hour. The deal went ahead, and the RS has since arrived down in Wellington. New owner Graeme has been enjoying RS competition and some Porsche social, too.
“My car arrived in NZ mid-August but I was away until late September, so couldn’t get it registered. Final compliance took about two weeks and, once the 911 was legal, I drove it the 600km from Auckland to Wellington.
“Had a 5-day tarmac rally at the end of October, so prep and event took precedence over leisure time. Work has ruled the calendar since, but I’m looking forward to a few drives during the holiday summer break down here in NZ. The pic shows a Porsche Club NZ evening at the Bose Store in Wellington.”
Ah, Summer. We’ll have our revenge on NZ next year with the 2014 Le Mans, Le Mans Classic and all the glorious motoring that goes on here in the sunshine. Can’t wait for it.
by John Glynn | Dec 19, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
It’s been a rough few months for cashflow, with the end of a loft conversion, end of a tax year and Christmas all at once. The brake pad warning light came on while I was driving to have the Porsche Cayenne LPG Conversion fitted, so I knew the brakes were getting low. I started researching my options for a complete Porsche Cayenne brake replacement without costing myself a fortune.
Thankfully, what’s left has lasted a few weeks of school runs. With the discs just about past it and the pads on their way out, I figured I’d change the lot. My replacements arrived today, so I figured I’d show you the size of these things. The PCM 2 navigation CD shows scale and, believe me, these are HEAVY.
Most Cayenne S models come with the 18″ brake setup, same as the standard Turbo. Turbo S is a whole other ball game: Porsche-only parts. The brakes are just incredible – one of my favourite things about the Big Pig. So I didn’t want to fit ultimate-cheapo aftermarket stuff.
Porsche Cayenne Brake Replacement
Cayennes allegedly possess expensive appetites for brakes and tyres, but I’ve not found that to be the case. The discs were getting low on mine when I got it, but I’ve logged about 6k miles now and they are still going strong. It’s almost 900 miles since the pad light came on and no sound of grinding as yet.
Tyres – well yes, they might like a bit of summer rubber. But if you’re OK with playing around on tyre choice, then you can do OK on spend. I’ve got a set of part-worn Pirelli winters on at the minute that only cost me £30: a new set would be circa £650 for a mid range brand. They’ve done about 1500 miles now and no sign of huge wear so should see me out of winter. After that, I plan to stay on 18s for the much better ride, and will experiment with summer tyre brands.
Back to brakes. I had a look around eBay for the best price on OEM Pagids. Discs are about £110 an axle and pads maybe £75-80, so call it £350 for discs and pads all round. I’ve always had Mintex on my Subarus and find them pretty good when worked hard, so I bought a full set of Mintex discs and pads for the Cayenne from Premier Factors on eBay, costing £196 delivered. Add £10 for the warning looms front and rear from a local guy in Milton Keynes totals a shade over £205. I’ll change the brake fluid when doing this job: should cost me less than £225 in bits.
Is £225 a lot of money for full brake consumable refresh? I don’t think so. OPCs charge £90-100 just for the fluid change and they keep the brake change prices POA. Perhaps the “Cayennes are pricey on brakes”reputation comes from people who lean hard on the brakes rather than keeping some flow in their driving, and then have them changed at Porsche dealers. Yes, doing things that way would be properly expensive. I’ll share some pics of this job when it happens over Christmas.
by John Glynn | Dec 13, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Oxfordshire roads are dry and there’s lots of winter sun around at the minute. It was shining down on Tuthill Porsche when I stopped by this week, and spotted a line of classic 911s at Tuthill’s Wardington workshops for servicing.
Porsche 911 Winter Driving
It’s always good to see older 911s on the road in December. Some rightly take advantage of the workshop availability and service discounts to be found at some Porsche specialists in the slower months of winter, as they just can’t bear to be without their cars. I can totally understand this.
Winter is all about “to use or not to use” for classic Porsche enthusiasts. Do you keep the car taxed and ready to go, and catch a few dry days through December and January, or does it come off the road at the end of September, and go back on the road at the start of April?
There’s a lot to be said for keeping the car ready to run all year around. Parking a car for six months at a time is no good for anything, and the cost of keeping it taxed is minimal compared to the joy of driving on empty roads over Christmas and New Year. Whenever they are working, I keep my cars taxed year-round.
No one with some Porsche blood flowing in their veins would refuse to pay £30 for a drive of their classic Porsche, to escape visiting relations on Boxing Day. Five of those drives and the tax is paid. Tuthill Porsche can steam clean the underside of a classic Porsche on their outside car lift, before protecting it with waxoyl to remove all worries of corrosion. On the worst days with salt on the roads, you just leave it in the garage.
Where the weather allows, I think keep the Porsche ready to rock over winter. Early 911s spent many winters ploughing through snow and ice, living the life of a daily driver. I’m not saying make it suffer through winter, but no sense locking it away for half the year, either.
by John Glynn | Dec 9, 2013 | Project Cars, Porsche Cayenne
The Big Pig (Cayenne S) continues to rack up the miles. Except now it’s doing it fuelled by Liquid Petroleum Gas/LPG, which is proving rather cheaper than petrol. I also just put a new battery on it: made no difference to anything, but it’s another maintenance item off the list for winter. Seen here with good old Northants dirt, winter tyres on 18s and 11 year-old Ciara in the front seat.
I’ve run LPG cars for a few years and been really pleased with the ownership experience. Cayenne creates a few problems when run on LPG, but it’s nothing to do with the fuel. My current issues are all to do with the design of the chassis – specifically the shallow rear floor – and the amount of power the V8 shoves out.
Porsche World might run a story on the conversion, so I’ll save some details until that’s been in print. The basic plot is I was intimately familiar with the kit I’ve been running for the last few years, so had my own views on what might work best for the Cayenne. I emailed a bunch of LPG places to get what the experts felt, had a few crazy quotes back to convert it and did some more research.
In the end, I went for a 59-litre tank in the wheel well and the same OMVL system as used in my Subaru Outback up front. It runs a treat at speed – had 120 out of it thus far and no problems – but it doesn’t much like screaming out of roundabouts or really quick throttle openings in M3/M4 to overtake, so flicks seamlessly straight back to petrol when I do that. Which is fine apart from the LPG alarm beeping.
It’s either a pickup issue (which I doubt, as it happens on an almost-full tank) or just the evaporator can’t handle the sudden demand for all gaseous horses to report to the intake manifold. The installer said the system would handle this motor at full tilt so it is probably just an adjustment issue. I’ll give him some time to sort it out.
The only other issue is a max fill of 43 litres at the minute. I’m getting 18 mpg with air con on and not driving flat-out everywhere, but that’s still only 160 miles. I would love another 160 per tank so the only solution to maintain the boot space would be to cut the boot floor about and squeeze in a 100-litre tank.
Luckily, I know a man – Mr Rob Campbell at Racing Restorations – who can do that fabrication stuff. He loves a challenge and has already promised to make the Big Pig louder, so what’s a little boot floor between friends when the exhaust is being chopped?!
That bottom pic is a six-foot sofa in the back of it last Sunday. Yes, the tailgate closed – who said Cayennes were too small?
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
by John Glynn | Nov 26, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
A quick look on eBay last night at recent Cayenne listings threw up these oddball things: a pair of headrest DVD screens and a crazy leather-trimmed player, with a Buy It Now of £50. The seller was unsure whether they were factory, but that stitching looked 100% Cayenne to me, so I had a Google and found the answer on Rennlist (of course).
The system definitely is factory, and doesn’t sound like it was all that special. The DVD player sits on the centre rear seat when in use. “That design was a last-minute absolute POS. I’m not sure how many sold, probably less than were scrapped.” says one Rennlister. “The newer ones (self-contained in rear seat) are a bit better, but rear seat video was not part of the original MOST design spec for the system.”
I’ve found a few pics of it now, and it really does look like a last-minute afterthought. As if the Cayenne externals weren’t challenging enough, they went and screwed this to the back of the seats! Sometimes I just can’t get my head around Porsche thinking. That said, when Cayenne becomes a classic, it’s the weirdo dealer options that will really draw the crowds in.
There’s a roof-mounted Sony DVD screen in my Cayenne, but then no sunroof or conservatory windows to worry about. I guess Porsche had a gap for dealer fit DVD screens that did not need a roof to screw into, and this is the best the product crew could do.
Gawky afterthought it may be, but it’s already got some bids on eBay, even without headphones or remote controls. The Buy It Now must have been switched to get things going and now it’s all kicked off, so I missed a chance to nab them. All in a day’s work, but count me not too bothered.
My Cayenne is off for its LPG conversion this weekend – that is pretty cool. The converter is Avon Autogas in Bristol.
SHARE • EXPLORE • SUPPORT
Ferdinand blogs my freelance adventure with Porsche at the centre. To support the blog or engage with me in other ways, you can:
