Not another coolant pipe thread :-)

[BonitaBeast]

Hi all.  I'm new to the forum and after reading quite a bit about the dreaded plastic coolant pipe failures, I've decided to do the pipe replacement as one of my first projects on this car.  I'm about to place the order for the parts I need for the job, but I wanted to get some additional input before I do so.

 

I just purchased a 2008 Cayenne Turbo 4.8DFI with 29,000 kms.  Well cared for but I am almost sure it still has the plastic pipes.  There is no coolant loss at this point but I want to be able to use the car for a long time with confidence.  I live in a very hot climate so I don't want to take the chance for pipe failure as the mileage increases over time.

 

Aside from the plastic pipes failing, I read somewhere about the barb on the water distributor housing coming loose with the hose still on the barb.  Meaning the barb comes off the housing itself.  A common fix is to glue the barb back on with loctite red.  Another common fix is to insert a set screw into the housing by drilling a hole into the housing itself and into the barb to hold it in place.

 

My question is, should I bother doing this as a preventative measure when I go in to replace the coolant pipes if mine hasn't come loose yet at this point?  Would anyone know if the replacement water distributor housing I can order has an upgraded barb?  Or is it still the same water distributor the car came with? (part #94810606106 )

 

Here's a shot of the barb failure from someone's 2009 CTT with 50k miles.

 

And here's the fix he did with a set screw

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[gllever]

coolant pipe problem is only applicable to 2003 thru 2006 4.5 v8