This smart Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI recently arrived at the JZM workshop in a state of some distress, or so the dashboard warning lights would have us believe. The owners were convinced the engine was in trouble and that the bills would be huge. Cayenne engines are generally reliable so we plugged it in to our official Porsche PIWIS 3 diagnostic set up and had a look at the fault codes being reported.
PIWIS 3 has a direct connection to the factory at Stuttgart and downloads technical updates daily. If Porsche know a model has an issue, bulletins are issued to PIWIS 3 users which explain how to solve it. JZM Porsche is one of only two specialists in the UK using Porsche PIWIS 3 – it is an expensive tool but absolutely essential to properly maintain the newer models.
Our first instinct with urban Cayennes – especially diesels – is that they are usually choked up from sitting in traffic most of their lives. This gives emission problems as the catalytic converters can only recycle and burn off pollutants when the car is on a long run at speed. PIWIS 3 checked every operating system on the Cayenne and pointed out a few faults: mainly emissions-related issues.
The owner confirmed the car was not solely used around town, so it had been going through its emissions cycles. We recycled the cats using PIWIS and, while it improved the situation, it did not solve it completely. We then checked other areas including the data being fed to the ECU – was this a sensor issue? While PIWIS had already shown its merit in manually cycling the catalytic converters, the process of finding faulty sensors is where it comes into its own.
PIWIS checks and reports on the condition of every part on the car in real time. With the car running for an extended period, we could see that a number of temperature sensors were not reading sufficiently high. Incorrect temp readings would obviously affect the ECU function, so we tracked these parts down and went through further checks to narrow it down to a single component.
After numerous emails and phone calls to Porsche, checking their opinions and knowledge of similar issues, we went with our best instinct on which sensor was likely causing the issue. Finally the Cayenne had a spring back in its step. It had been a long process to find the issue, but we would never have found it with the PIWIS system and a technical hotline to Porsche, just in case.
If you are running a late model Porsche – anything from a 981 or 718 Boxster/Cayman to a brand new 991 GT3 RS or 918 Spyder, only PIWIS 3 can correctly communicate with your vehicle and ensure it is functioning correctly. With our service workshop labour rate an average of £40 per hour cheaper than official Porsche dealers, why take it anywhere else? Email service@jzm.south.co.uk to discuss your next appointment.