On Becoming a Macan "Expert"

[FRUNKenstein]

About a month ago, a 2016 Macan S showed up at the local dealer's auction. It was black over "saddle brown" (think milk chocolate color) and pretty well optioned with 72k miles. Like new condition. It went cheap enough that I bought it ('cause, you know, I'm cheap). Picked it up on Wednesday and by Sunday it was sold (friend of a friend needed a car right away because wreck). I offered her one of the Jaguars (F-Pace & XJ) first, but she stubbornly wanted the Porsche that I literally just freaking got. Macan S, I hardly knew ye.

So, I says to myself "Self, that actually worked out pretty well, so let's get another one." But, there aren't a lot of Macans on the market, and only a few come through the KC auction each year, so I went nationwide on my search. Because I'm in the center of the country, shipping is generally between $500 and $1,000 through the auction.

I joined MacanForum.com, which actually reminds a bit of this place.

Like pretty much every Porsche model ever made, they have some Achilles Heels. And like pretty much every Porsche model ever made, after an initial period of wailing and gnashing of teeth, the aftermarket steps up to fix Porsche's foibles. For example, there is one bolt on each side of the timing chain cover (TCC) that breaks because Porsche made them out of aluminum. Oil commences to leak. Left unchecked, it takes out the alternator and other stuff residing below. Porsche's initial fix was a $12,000, engine-out service to seal the TCC. Flat Six Motorsports came along with a $35 repair kit (two steel screws) that takes about 2 hours to install from on top.

In addition to the aforementioned TCC leak, the transfer cases are crap. There are 2 kinds of Macans - those that have had a transfer case failure and those that will. It's about a $5,600 fix at your friendly neighborhood Porsche retailer. Now, you can get a Genuine Porsche reman transfer case for about $1,450 (plus tax, shipping and core) from a dealer selling parts online (Gaudin Porsche out of Vegas for example), and it's about a 3-hour DIY project. You can also get a Chinese reman for $1,200 with the same 2-year warranty that Genuine Porsche gives you, free shipping and no core charge. Or, lastly, you can buy the parts to rebuild it yourself following DIY threads for about $500. Takes about 2 more hours to rebuild the transfer case on top of the remove & replace time.

Also, the PDK on the Macan is actually an Audi DSG. You know, the ones that stop shifting correctly after a few years. The good news is that there are 2 parts to the tranny: the hardware (gears and such) and the electronics (aka Mechatronic valve body and circuit boards). Apparently, 99% of the time, it's the Mechatronic. It's also a DIY repair - drop the pan and the Mechatronics unit is right there for the swappin'. You can get a rebuilt Mechatronic unit for $700, or you can buy a circuit board repair kit for anywhere from $150 to $580. Plus fluids, it isn't a deal killer. Now, had you taken your Macan to a Porsche dealer, they would quote you $20,000 for a new tranny. That's just how they roll. Although, if it is still under warranty, apparently Porsche will also just do the Mechatronic swap with a new unit costing (Porsche) about $2,800.

Those are the 3 main problems with the Macans. Of course, other stuff can go wrong, but those are the main things, and the car is apparently pretty reliable other than the $12,000 and $5,600 and $20,000 repairs that owners were quoted by the dealers in the first several years of the car's existence.

[32wildbilly]

About a month ago, a 2016 Macan S showed up at the local dealer's auction. It was black over "saddle brown" (think milk chocolate color) and pretty well optioned with 72k miles. Like new condition. It went cheap enough that I bought it ('cause, you know, I'm cheap). Picked it up on Wednesday and by Sunday it was sold (friend of a friend needed a car right away because wreck). I offered her one of the Jaguars (F-Pace & XJ) first, but she stubbornly wanted the Porsche that I literally just freaking got. Macan S, I hardly knew ye.

So, I says to myself "Self, that actually worked out pretty well, so let's get another one." But, there aren't a lot of Macans on the market, and only a few come through the KC auction each year, so I went nationwide on my search. Because I'm in the center of the country, shipping is generally between $500 and $1,000 through the auction.

I joined MacanForum.com, which actually reminds a bit of this place.

Like pretty much every Porsche model ever made, they have some Achilles Heels. And like pretty much every Porsche model ever made, after an initial period of wailing and gnashing of teeth, the aftermarket steps up to fix Porsche's foibles. For example, there is one bolt on each side of the timing chain cover (TCC) that breaks because Porsche made them out of aluminum. Oil commences to leak. Left unchecked, it takes out the alternator and other stuff residing below. Porsche's initial fix was a $12,000, engine-out service to seal the TCC. Flat Six Motorsports came along with a $35 repair kit (two steel screws) that takes about 2 hours to install from on top.

In addition to the aforementioned TCC leak, the transfer cases are crap. There are 2 kinds of Macans - those that have had a transfer case failure and those that will. It's about a $4,000 fix at your friendly neighborhood Porsche retailer. Now, you can get a Genuine Porsche reman transfer case for about $1,450 (plus tax, shipping and core) from a dealer selling parts online (Gaudin Porsche out of Vegas for example), and it's about a 3-hour DIY project. You can also get a Chinese reman for $1,200 with the same 2-year warranty that Genuine Porsche gives you, free shipping and no core charge. Or, lastly, you can buy the parts to rebuild it yourself following DIY threads for about $500. Takes about 2 more hours to rebuild the transfer case on top of the remove & replace time.

Also, the PDK on the Macan is actually an Audi DSG. You know, the ones that stop shifting correctly after a few years. The good news is that there are 2 parts to the tranny: the hardware (gears and such) and the electronics (aka Mechatronic valve body and circuit boards). Apparently, 99% of the time, it's the Mechatronic. It's also a DIY repair - drop the pan and the Mechatronics unit is right there for the swappin'. You can get a rebuilt Mechatronic unit for $700, or you can buy a circuit board repair kit for anywhere from $150 to $580. Plus fluids, it isn't a deal killer. Now, had you taken your Macan to a Porsche dealer, they would quote you $20,000 for a new tranny. That's just how they roll. Although, if it is still under warranty, apparently Porsche will also just do the Mechatronic swap with a new unit costing (Porsche) about $2,800.

Those are the 3 main problems with the Macans. Of course, other stuff can go wrong, but those are the main things, and the car is apparently pretty reliable other than the $12,000 and $4,000 and $20,000 repairs that owners were quoted by the dealers in the first several years of the car's existence.

WOW! Porsche Stealerships have definitely earned that name.

Aren't they susceptible to bore scoring or is that the other Porsche SUV.

Did you get the opportunity to thrash the Macan S? I hear they are quite spunky.

[FRUNKenstein]

So, I bought my second Macan, a 2015 Turbo, two weeks ago out of the Manheim auction in Fredericksburg, VA. It arrived last week. It was sold "As Is", which is dealer-speak for "you get to play find what's wrong with it." It drove perfect for the first 3 short errands, then the timing case started thunking. You unplug the transfer case to verify, and sure enough, it is as smooth as silk in FWD mode.

So, I have a reman transfer case on the way. I'll let you know how hard it is to swap out, but from reading online and looking at it on my lift, it looks like about a 3 out of 10 difficulty level. (famous last words)

Other than that, it is really nice. 69k miles. 2 owners, no accidents. It has almost every option other than PCCBs, adaptive cruise control and Porsche crests in the headrests. I'm very impressed with the way the Macans drive and handle. They feel much smaller than our Cayennes. Once I get the reman transfer case installed, I suspect it will sell very quickly.

Window sticker below:

[FRUNKenstein]

WOW! Porsche Stealerships have definitely earned that name.

Aren't they susceptible to bore scoring or is that the other Porsche SUV.

Did you get the opportunity to thrash the Macan S? I hear they are quite spunky.

I haven’t run across any discussions about borescoring.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to put the car through its paces. When the transfer case is in the Turbo, we’ll have a little fun.

[FRUNKenstein]

So, the transfer case for the black 2015 Turbo will arrive next week. I'll get it installed and have it ready to advertise for sale within a day or two. I've been driving it to work, and even in FWD mode, it's nice. I have a couple of people interested in it, even though I haven't put it up for sale yet. I expect it to sell quickly at $30,000. So, yesterday, I bought another one (cue irritated wife). It should get delivered the middle of next week. It's a Plano, Texas car that I sourced out of the Shreveport, LA auction.

It is a 2018 Turbo, white over garnet red interior. 66k miles. Not quite as nicely optioned as the 2015 Turbo, but still has Sport Chrono mode (no Sport Exhaust, though - bummer). Has one accident (shows previous owner rear-ended someone) on Carfax listed as minor damage, no airbag deployment, then another entry a few months later of just "minor damage" that isn't linked to any accident nor does it have any amplifying info. My guess is that second notation is when it went in for repairs. It needs brakes and a section of the leather dash is peeling up, so I'll have to do a little work on it.

Here are a couple of pics. You can see the leather dash separating between the steering wheel hump and the clock.

I'll need to get $38,000 out of it, but that's still over $7,000 below Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value. Looking forward to getting it and doing a little wrenching and detailing.

Here are some pics of the 2015 Turbo that's going up for sale next week:

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[Dr_Strangelove]

Wait a second, wait a second. You are CERTAINLY interested in Macans. You have TWO of them!?

Ok I'm very interested to learn, I'll admit. By the way; how fast is a FWD Turbo Macan anyway?

[FRUNKenstein]

Wait a second, wait a second. You are CERTAINLY interested in Macans. You have TWO of them!?

Ok I'm very interested to learn, I'll admit. By the way; how fast is a FWD Turbo Macan anyway?

Yes, and I got reprimanded a bit by the Bride of FRUNKenstein today when I told her I bought the white one: “How about we wait until you get one sold before you buy another one?”
Pfft, where’s the fun in that?

[5chn3ll]

Heh. This VERY MUCH reminds me of when I bought my 996. Mrs. S. was not pleased with my plan, so she said "FINE, do whatever you want."

She did not mean it, of course, but I interpreted it as permission.

[32wildbilly]

Heh. This VERY MUCH reminds me of when I bought my 996. Mrs. S. was not pleased with my plan, so she said "FINE, do whatever you want."

She did not mean it, of course, but I interpreted it as permission.

I keep telling my wife "Words matter..."

[Dr_Strangelove]

I always interpret "Fine, do whatever you want" to mean "The next one is the last one."