Found a lovely 04 CTT

[ALEV8]

Spied a lovely 04CTT Silver and black, immaculate condition, 100k mi at my local independent dealer. I just bought my wife a new 4.8i X5 and we adore it. I bought myself a 328i coupe (I'm so sensible) and we both deplore (my 40 year old weekend warrior back) how rough it rides with the Sport suspension, 19s and hard seating, plus how low it is, but love the design, and overall aesthetic of the car. So, I started drooling over CTTs this year, but decided to get that small coupe as I've never had one. Now I know why. Where I live in Dallas the roads are beyond horrible and that car will knock your teeth out. I cringe at every pothole, dip and sewer manhole cover both for my back and the car's suspension. I switched out the runflat tires, small comfort gain. Getting to be not fun. Also I hunt and fish a lot in the fall and spring and have zero gear room in a 3 coupe. Long roadtrips suck in a 3. The 3 is however far newer obviously that an 04 CTT. So driving the 400hp X5 has me thinking CTT again...... Yesterday I saw the above, sat in it, admired the interiors and exterior condition, and started it up. The car idled roughly for about a minute or so while I played with the A/C, switches, sunroof, air suspension, NAV, etc. Finally everything smoothed out but a warning flashed in the instrument cluster saying "service vehicle soon" or something to that effect. WTF is that? Second, while cycling the suspension fully up and down, at the highest point there was one strong jolt from the rear, not a pop or a noise, more like something coming unstuck. I continued to cycle the suspension up and down several times without issue. Finally the car flashed "air suspension reservoir refilling" message in the instrument cluster. The idle had smoothed out just fine (this car has been sitting un-driven, I am 100% certain). Not too scary..... I started the NAV and it seemed to be stuck at the first bar of the "Starting Navigation" screen, no cd perhaps? Anyone? I will test drive it very soon and if I like it, have the coolant leaks checked, etc. This car had to have been driven by someone's little wife, not a mark on the seats ,etc. Factory 20s, super nice. My office is a mile from home, tops, and I'd love the extra room, ingress/egress ease, and I've always wanted a CTT. I could easily do the coolant pipes (have access to a full shop with lifts) over a weekend if I had to. My 3 is a commuter's car and nobody in my house "commutes". Any CTT gurus care to shed light on the above experiences with the idle, warning messages, etc? I will do a thorough PPI obviously if compelled to buy. Thanks!

Edited June 12, 2011 by Loren

[PKN]

I have an 06 CTT which had 50K on it when I bought it. Even though I love the car, I dont think I would go as early as an 04 if I had a choice. Some of the issues you mention could be very expensive and I would not buy it without some kind of warranty (probably very unlikely with 100K on it).

Cycling the suspension several times in quick succession may cause the pump to overheat so that might account for the pop you heard - also dont cycle with your foot on the brake because the car will need to move slightly. If it hasnt already been done, the coolant pipe replacement is overdue and you also need to check the coil packs have been replaced as well as the drive shaft. None of this is for certain but the odds are up there.

As far as ride goes, the pavement where I live is not too bad but when lightly loaded, the back end sounds like a truck. It does however do a reasonable job of soaking up the bumps in comfort mode.

I hope all of this helps you make a decision. The Cayenne is a great touring vehicle and can carry a lot of stuff - the main reason I bought mine but for what it is worth, my opinion is to buy as late a model as you can afford and hopefully with a warranty because repairs can be very expensive.

PKN

[ALEV8]

Warranty ain't happening unfortunately. I wil look for 05-06s though. A well cared for vehicle should be fine, considering my automotive connections for shop space and wholesale parts.

I would not purchase this vehicle without a thorough PPI.

I know about coil packs and coolant pipes and cardan joint replacements.....I have been handbuilding a 76 FJ40 Landcruiser since 06. Worked on my M BMWs and Benzes prior to this latest set of vehicles.

This car doesn't scare me and my mechanic friends say Cayennes at any mileage are still great cars, but I will look for newer ones......this 3 is kicking my ***.

Edited June 12, 2011 by ALEV8

[ALEV8]

Carcheck shows it was sold as a Porsche CPO in Vienna, VA (PCNA) @ 55k mi......maybe that helps service history?

[mudman2]

to many unknowns. sound like a 55k cpo to 100 then dump

[ALEV8]

As part of the deal, my dealer will take all steps necessary to assess and replace the coolant lines, coils and plugs, and driveshaft issues.

Beyond that the vehicle is in beautiful shape inside and out.

Further, what more could I ask for if the preceding items are 100% fixed?

[mudman2]

try for a warranty on the airstuts, at least 1. also the compressors will need rebuilt

sounds much better

[ALEV8]

TTT

Edited June 22, 2011 by ALEV8

[ALEV8]

Well I have the CTT today to tool around in and man it drives GREAT. Porsche mechanic went over it. I asked for pre-emptive coolant pipe strike. Meh....

My guts say I should trade the coolant pipe issue for new tires as part of the deal. The sole things bugging me are the creaky dash/instrument cluster on rough roads and when I cut the wheel hard/max to make a tight turn there's some noise from the diff or something near it, I dunno. Feels like when you bind up steering on a 4X4 truck hard. I think it's probably the tires scrubbing, and with 20" tires = lots of scrubbing....are our diffs LSDs?

Anyone have a creaky squeaky instrument cluster or the scrubbing in uber tight turns?

I think I'll do the coolant pipes myself.

Edited June 22, 2011 by ALEV8

[ALEV8]

Also hard to start....

[bigbuzuki]

A fuel tank cap not sealing correctly has been known to cause starting problems, as has a faulty fuel tank vent valve. Quite common.

If not, could be plugs, fuel pump etc.

[ALEV8]

Do all these need to be visually assessed for problems? What about an old battery causing starting issues?

Edited June 23, 2011 by ALEV8

[mudman2]

if its having trouble cranking then battery yes if not, other more serious issues, maybe vent valve

[ALEV8]

Buying it.

Battery replaced and it starts perfectly.

Got the coolant pipes and a new battery in the deal against my new tires and battery on my trade in BMW coupe. Will do coils and plugs at his cost as well.

I think that covers it.

[bigbuzuki]

Don't forget to do the T piece coolant fitting at the back of the engine when the coolant pipes are getting done.

[ALEV8]

Picked it up today. and confirmed the ENTIRE coolant line job was thrown in along with a brand new Porsche battery. Stoked as hell. I paid Loren to become a contributing member!

Mech is out of town until next Wed and I want to do the pipes preventatively. Is there a way with a mirror to peer under the intake from the rear and see if the pipes are aluminum? Are all replacements aluminum?

I need a new key.

Reading my Owner's Manual and looking for a firmware upgrade and new NAV disc. Anyone have a torrent feed for these?

[deilenberger]

Picked it up today. and confirmed the ENTIRE coolant line job was thrown in along with a brand new Porsche battery. Stoked as hell. I paid Loren to become a contributing member!

Mech is out of town until next Wed and I want to do the pipes preventatively. Is there a way with a mirror to peer under the intake from the rear and see if the pipes are aluminum? Are all replacements aluminum?

SEE: http://forums.rennli...ke-removal.html

And yes and yes.

I need a new key.

Reading my Owner's Manual and looking for a firmware upgrade and new NAV disc. Anyone have a torrent feed for these?

I believe Loren will explain to you the forums policy on asking for illegal copies of copyrighted software. You just bought a how many 10's of thousands vehicle and you want to steal $300 worth of software? Buy a new factory disk. There are reports of the copied DVD's bricking the PCM. Edited June 26, 2011 by deilenberger

[ALEV8]

Will do and my apologies........thanks for the heads up Don. I an an open source software guy so I "some" difficulty wth that however I do understand we need to support our dealer network and PNA.

[deilenberger]

It isn't even so much an issue of "supporting" the dealer/PNA - it's encouraging Navtec to continue to make available updated maps. Rather obviously if everyone stole the maps by making copies or downloading torrent feeds Navtec would have no reason to continue making updates. There is always the "unintended consequences" issue.. and this could easily be one. I have no difficulty understanding this since I spent many years writing software and other intellectual properties, and would be rather upset if someone decided to steal my work.

FWIW - I installed a new map set (2010 mapset - dated 08/2009) last night. Cost was $300 from one of our supporting vendors, and it included all the disks needed to update the PCM operating system and navigation software. Not a bad deal IMHO.

Edited June 27, 2011 by deilenberger