Cars - love hate relationship

Anyone else have this sometimes?

I'm having a bit of a bad run of luck with vehicles at the moment and it's really causing me to rethink everything about my relationship with them. I think it'll pass, but it's amazing how things that can bring so much joy and often somehow overwhelm any rational financial thinking can make you pull your hair out and wonder why you bother....

Two examples for you:

Last week I was overjoyed that the motorhome passed its MOT with nothing other than a numberplate bulb needing replacing. The celebration was short-lived. A recurrent boost/limp problem returned. I was delighted when I ordered a new boost valve controller and fitted it myself for less than £100. Boost problem solved, back on the road, prepping for a week (work from home) in the Lake District given the missus is away.

Boost problem solved, now a major hesitancy under load - sounds like a washing machine turning over a load slowly. It'll accelerate but very jerky.

I took it to my Commercials guy who's looked at the vacuum pipes, turbo wastegate, injectors, fan coupling...only to conclude it's a problem with the gearbox. After speaking with a couple of gearbox specialists, they believe it's the torque converter. £350-400 part...........10-12hrs of labour to fit!

So, currently mulling my options in terms of whether I send it to a specialist (probably have to have it recovered) and let them do the work or leave it with my commercials guy since he's already got it and try and negotiate a deal with him.

And then this....



The Porsche has managed to lunch either its transfer box or its gearbox. Either way I don't care since it's under warranty, but it has left a pretty poor taste in my mouth.

Given how much I'm paying for it and the fact it's been in the garage so many times already, I'm getting increasingly close to accepting the Motorway/WBAC offer and calling it a day.

At this stage, I'm two weeks away from throwing in the towel on them both and completely re-evaluating my relationship with cars and the money they cost.

 

Thanks chaps. It is really very disappointing. Notwithstanding the transfer box issues the Macan had, that car was everything I wanted it to be (apart from it ultimately being a little too small in the end) and performed like I expected a Porsche to do, as well as generally being exceptionally well engineered.

This one feels like it should be great, but there are these underlying issues which niggle and wear away at you.

If it is just the transfer box and it can be sorted swiftly, then I'll be laughing. It will be the car I wanted and works for us. But if it's going to be one of those ongoing battles where they try one thing, then another, then another, then I will lose patience (pretty quick), cut my losses and move on. Life's too short, even if it is THE car I want to be driving right now.

@Wynne71 - it's not necessarily hidden. It's right that I didn't know about the other transfer box, but it's not unexpected. What I was intrigued at was whether there were other gremlins in the service record (gearbox or engine issues). The sad fact is that most Macan's & Cayennes will have had a new transfer box at some point in their lives. My Macan had had two by 40k miles too and had another just before I sold it.

Let's hope that's the issue here. The first one was replaced at 17k miles - by that reckoning, it's now overdue another given it's done 24k since then.

 

Oh man, what a pain. Have to say I'm very surprised at the amount of transfer box failures, just bizarre. If it's any consolation I went through 12 months of absolute pain with the RRS but since then, touch wood, it's been trouble-free and a joy to own. Even Mrs CO really likes it now and she absolutely hated it when it was going wrong all the time.

 

Some good points in here. I’ll reply properly this evening.

In the meantime the update is - Porsche hasn’t even seen the inside of the workshop yet. Evidently they’re ridiculously busy. Bit annoyed if I’m honest, although incredibly glad I’ve taken the courtesy car option as the cost of that will focus their minds on getting it sorted.

So this turned up on my doorstep today. Could’ve had a Volvo XC40 if I’d needed a car urgently yesterday. Chose to hang out for something more “special”, as promised by the Enterprise lady yesterday.




15k miles on the clock and 3l 6 cylinder 271bhp.

First impressions (just 25miles travelled), very good. Goes nicely. Still Rangey when it comes to the corners - for a Macan rival, it’s nothing like it. But a genuinely nice place to sit/steer. Good fuel economy and performance (32mpg). But feels flimsy in places and some questionable plastics around the dash. Plus a rattle around the nearside front door.

Will be interesting to see how long I have it for. I’ll report back on what it’s like living with it. So far rather taken with it, but obviously a very different animal to the Cayenne.

 

I'm curious to see how you get on with the tech! I've not driven a Velar and have to say that when I first started beaking around LRs I just wasn't interested, don't like the styling. Suspect it'll be fine place to spend some time but FF/RRS for me.

 

Well, it seems like it's going to be a while before I'm back in the Porky. It hadn't been anywhere near the workshop already - stuck in the yard waiting for a slot. Then I get a phonecall about an hour ago from an apologetic lady on the Service Desk announcing that 3/4 of the dealership had received Track & Trace texts and that they're to immediately isolate.

So apart from the Workshop Controller and 1 Technician, the whole place is closed. Evidently my vehicle is marked as urgent (presumably under the SLAs they have with Porsche Assistance as well as the cost of the Enterprise courtesy car) but I guess they can only do what they can do.

Watch this space. I'd be very surprised if I get my car back before end-next week now. At least it'll give me a proper opportunity to get acquainted with the Velar.

So far it's a real mixed bag. I am loving the performance from it - it's got a real appetite to go, even if that is the usual diesel bluff which runs out of puff when you rev it out. It is very economical for its weight & size - 32mpg pretty much every journey so far with some good hammering of it and then dual carriageway cruising. Easily capable of 40mpg+ plus on a run, I'd say. But I'm confused about its place in the range. It's not as luxurious as it first appears. Ride is also confused. Wafty on the face of it, but has some real hard edges sometimes and can be really upset by some road surfaces. Then there's the look of it - confusing mix of Rangey, Evoque, coupe etc. Odd.

I'd never buy one. But it has been interesting to experience a JLR product and made me more tempted to try a FF Rangey or RRS.

Equally, I'm very keen to get the Cayenne back working and to see how good it is when everything is tight, new & working!