When should the battery be replaced? I asked the dealer recently, and they said not to worry about it. This is my first Porsche. My experience with Honda's and Audi's is anywhere between 4-5 years.

2000 996 purchased in May 2000. 26,000 miles.

 

If it is a daily driver, I wouldn't worry about it, and treat it like any other car's battery. However, if it is a weekend car, I strongly suggest you use a battery maintainer during the week. It will lengthen the battery's life by 100%. Otherwise, a Porsche battery's life span is between 2 and 3 years if driven less than daily.

Click here to see the Porsche battery maintainer.

 

I changed mine because it was 5 years old and I just didn't want to get stuck somewhere. The Porsche battery is not available at every gas station.
However Batterys Plus stocks them by original mrf. I chose to get a sealed Optima Battery instead. I had to make a new hold down out of some heavy duty plastic I had laying around. The Optima is shorter.