Winterizing the 996

[Einsteiger]

About the time I get the 996 "winterized" the weather clears. I too use the CTEK charger and a lot of the other suggestions above. I may have to hunt down that alleged notch in the door weatherstrip.

I also throw in a desiccant bag ala' Griots Garage inside to help keep the interior electronics somewhat dry.

[OceanBlue2000]

I thought you were supposed to inflate the tires to the maximum limit to lessen the contact patch. If you lower the pressure you will be increasing the contact patch and there will be a huge flat spot.

Anyway, sorry for the bad weather and having to put the car to sleep. What a pain!

Well, in my defense I'm a dummy. Max pressure it is!

It is kinda a pain, but not as much a pain as hearing that salt rattle around under the car when I drive through it! I am currently working on the wife so I can buy a more 'permanent' winter car (the CrappenWagen has too many issues for how cool it is). That car I am hoping is a Cayenne because I'm a masochist. But we'll see.

[gnat]

CrappenWagen

That would be VW's name in our family. Or in the correct German: ScheißeWagen

That car I am hoping is a Cayenne because I'm a masochist.

Prices have dropped substantially so see if a 958 is in the cards. Especially an oil burner if you can find one. I just past the 8 year mark in November and other than a painfully slow body shop I have had zero non self inflicted issues with my P!g.

[FRUNKenstein]

It is kinda a pain, but not as much a pain as hearing that salt rattle around under the car when I drive through it! I am currently working on the wife so I can buy a more 'permanent' winter car (the CrappenWagen has too many issues for how cool it is). That car I am hoping is a Cayenne because I'm a masochist. But we'll see.

I've always loved the Mercedes cars, but have to give it to Kalash for coming to the conclusion that the issues that crop up as they age just don't make it worth the effort & expense to harbor one.

We have had 2 '06 Cayenne S models (still have one). I sold the silver one to my paralegal back in 2019, and he still has it. The blue, driven by my son in college, is still holding up well, even with 165k miles on it. Looks like you can pick up a decent 955 "S" model for $6,000 to $8,000, which puts it in the beater category. I think in the 955 model, the S is the way to go. The base model is anemic with its 6 cylinder and the Turbo requires quite a bit more maintenance (based on the posts I see in the forums). They are pretty stout, and there are a lot of parts shared with the Touareg (meaning parts are reasonably priced).

One other consideration that you have already discovered - the DIY support on the Mercedes forums is crap compared to the Porsche forums. I think most Benz owners are more "take it to the guy" types rather the Porsche guys who will tear apart a $50 window switch to engineer a way to salvage it rather than buying a new part.

[gnat]

I think in the 955 model, the S is the way to go. The base model is anemic with its 6 cylinder and the Turbo requires quite a bit more maintenance (based on the posts I see in the forums). They are pretty stout, and there are a lot of parts shared with the Touareg (meaning parts are reasonably priced).

I agree the V6 in the 955/957 is very underwhelming and the S is the place to start. That said, it is the VR6 so there is even more room for cheap VW parts over pricey Porsche part numbers. The S and TT V8s are both pure Porsche designs so while there are shared Audi/VW parts, they are harder to identify.

The 958 dropped about 500lbs from the earlier generations as I recall. Beyond the obvious benefits, that also makes the VR6 a viable motor in it. It is still not awe inspiring, but you don't feel like needing to get out and push...

The 958.1 also added a Hybrid option (stay away) and diesel motors. Like the VR6, the diesel is VW's TDI with only a few modifications so it too is easy to find cheaper parts for. It also shared the Q7 and Touareg platform that was launched around the same time.

It's been awhile since I've been involved in Rennlist (dammit), but as I recall the big thing on 955/957 was to check the coolant pipes to make sure they had been replaced and if there was any sign that they had broken. If they had they dump coolant on the alternator and xfer case. The alternator goes pretty quick, but the xfer case seal can end up failing well after the fact (e.g. if it looks like the pipes blew, make sure the xfer seals got replaced). On the 958 V8s there was a recall for the head bolts. Otherwise all generations have proven pretty solid.





Oh yeah. One more thing. Bore scoring is a thing in the Cayennes too

[OceanBlue2000]

It is kinda a pain, but not as much a pain as hearing that salt rattle around under the car when I drive through it! I am currently working on the wife so I can buy a more 'permanent' winter car (the CrappenWagen has too many issues for how cool it is). That car I am hoping is a Cayenne because I'm a masochist. But we'll see.

I've always loved the Mercedes cars, but have to give it to Kalash for coming to the conclusion that the issues that crop up as they age just don't make it worth the effort & expense to harbor one.

It drives really nice. The view from the driver's seat may be the best I've ever had in the car, the hood just drops off in front of you. The switch gear in the interior after 17 years still feel right.

The biggest issue is the transfer case is whining. This apparently means that its on the way out and is about a ~3K repair. That alone makes it untenable for what it is, but the fact that I'm still debating it is weird. I do like the car.

We have had 2 '06 Cayenne S models (still have one). I sold the silver one to my paralegal back in 2019, and he still has it. The blue, driven by my son in college, is still holding up well, even with 165k miles on it. Looks like you can pick up a decent 955 "S" model for $6,000 to $8,000, which puts it in the beater category. I think in the 955 model, the S is the way to go. The base model is anemic with its 6 cylinder and the Turbo requires quite a bit more maintenance (based on the posts I see in the forums). They are pretty stout, and there are a lot of parts shared with the Touareg (meaning parts are reasonably priced).

One other consideration that you have already discovered - the DIY support on the Mercedes forums is crap compared to the Porsche forums. I think most Benz owners are more "take it to the guy" types rather the Porsche guys who will tear apart a $50 window switch to engineer a way to salvage it rather than buying a new part.

yeah, I still cannot find anything about the brake pedal being stiffer than it should be. So damn odd. These cars are not that complicated.

[OceanBlue2000]

I think in the 955 model, the S is the way to go. The base model is anemic with its 6 cylinder and the Turbo requires quite a bit more maintenance (based on the posts I see in the forums). They are pretty stout, and there are a lot of parts shared with the Touareg (meaning parts are reasonably priced).

I agree the V6 in the 955/957 is very underwhelming and the S is the place to start. That said, it is the VR6 so there is even more room for cheap VW parts over pricey Porsche part numbers. The S and TT V8s are both pure Porsche designs so while there are shared Audi/VW parts, they are harder to identify.

The 958 dropped about 500lbs from the earlier generations as I recall. Beyond the obvious benefits, that also makes the VR6 a viable motor in it. It is still not awe inspiring, but you don't feel like needing to get out and push...

The 958.1 also added a Hybrid option (stay away) and diesel motors. Like the VR6, the diesel is VW's TDI with only a few modifications so it too is easy to find cheaper parts for. It also shared the Q7 and Touareg platform that was launched around the same time.

It's been awhile since I've been involved in Rennlist (dammit), but as I recall the big thing on 955/957 was to check the coolant pipes to make sure they had been replaced and if there was any sign that they had broken. If they had they dump coolant on the alternator and xfer case. The alternator goes pretty quick, but the xfer case seal can end up failing well after the fact (e.g. if it looks like the pipes blew, make sure the xfer seals got replaced). On the 958 V8s there was a recall for the head bolts. Otherwise all generations have proven pretty solid.

I've heard about the coolant pipes. I think you look for them being "pinned" already?

Oh yeah. One more thing. Bore scoring is a thing in the Cayennes too

The biggest issue with this of course is that the oil debates on the Cayenne forum must be similar.

[theprf]

I have (had, actually) a 955 3.2 VR6 in one of my Corrados. The 3.2 VR6 with a tune (250hp, 250 tq) moves the 2670 pound Corrado with serious enthusiasm. I may try a 3.6 VR6 next time.

[gnat]

I've heard about the coolant pipes. I think you look for them being "pinned" already?

Nah that is the 996TT thing.

For the Cayenne's the issue is a plastic Y that either cracks or the glue lets go (both sound familiar to the 996TT crowd). The fix is to replace the plastic Y with an aluminum one.

[gnat]

I have (had, actually) a 955 3.2 VR6 in one of my Corrados. The 3.2 VR6 with a tune (250hp, 250 tq) moves the 2670 pound Corrado with serious enthusiasm. I may try a 3.6 VR6 next time.

That Corrado is a bit over half the weight of a 955/957. Think it would be as peppy with 2/3s of another Corrado strapped to it?

The VR6 is a good solid engine and I like it. It was just under performing in a "performance" SUV is all.