Dominick

Well it finally happened. Had the car for almost a year, tried to drive it as much as possible and then on Saturday morning, as i panned a nice long morning romp through our great garden state, behold a dead battery.

I have been reading all the posts re dead battery issues, dreading the day I get stuck. Luckily I was at my sister's house and my brother0in-law was able to give me a jump

Question. I now have a battery tender hooked up to the car. Assuming the battery is still good how long should it take to charge?

If the battery is shot, what are my options as far as OEM versus aftermarket (specifically optima or other quality battery)? Cost?

smankow

I just replaced my Diehard battery - after only 10 months. Fortunately, it has a long warranty period.

the problem with the optima batteries is securing it. They have "feet" on the long side of the battery.


Steve

pat056

My experience says once a battery dies and leaves you stranded, replace it. However, I would find out why it's dead. 10 months is way too short for a battery's life. I suspect another problem on something draining charge.
My Tundra was as simple as an exposed wire touching the terminal and quickly draining the battery.

BruceP

+1 on both items. A fully discharged lead acid battery permanently loses some capacity. And you have a parasitic draw somewhere in the car.

Dominick

Thank you for all the information - Looks like i'll be making a purchase tonight. After my brother-in-law jumped me, i droive forabout 15 minutes and it died again. I guess that should have been a tell tale sign

yet another silly question;

going forward, now that i have a battery tender. Could that be installed via the terminals in the engine compartment or does it have to be connected direct to the battery?

BruceP

Lots here will suggest cheaper ways to do this, but FWIW: Porsche's delightfully overpriced battery minder uses the cigarette lighter and it works like a charm. It's not a trickle charger, so it won't cook your battery, and it has a clever little light to tell you the battery's condition. And it's quite compact. And it's got the Porsche logo on it, so that's, like, a hundred bucks right there.

BruceP

Oops. Sorry. Didn't catch that you'd already bought a tender. Never mind...

PJorgen

It sounds like you're trying to charge the battery with the Battery Tender - will take forever! Battery Tender is meant to maintain the charge, not charge a dead battery. You need a good 20-30 amp battery charger or buy a new battery.

Dominick

I was hoping that the drive would have charged it, but I guess not

Fingers crossed, Im going to look through my CPO documents tonight to see if some of the cost are covered by warranty

spiderv6

I dont think 15 minutes driving is anywhere good enough after its gone dead.

I'm pretty sure CPO will cover none of the cost - mine was replaced while under full warranty last summer and it was all my cost.

gota911

Dominick - I recently got a Duralast 48-DL battery at Autozone for $80 - $82.

Autozone's computer database lists the Duralast 49-DL battery as the correct one for the Porsche, but it is about 1" too long and didn't fit. The hold down bracket can not be bolted into the tray because the battery covers the bolt hole.

I told him that many guys on THE Porsche Forum (obviously I was referencing Rennlist) said the Duralast 48-DL (vented) was the correct battery. It is about 1" to 1-1/2" shorter than the OEM battery, but that is OK, because there are two alternate bolt holes in the battery tray to accommodate shorter batteries. Gotta love Porsche engineering!

Phil G.

I went through the dead battery issue as well. Several others have posted about batteries that appear to have died a premature death. Make sure there's nothing draining amps from the battery. Others have mentioned defective switches, etc.

Dominick

That brings up yet another question...

Other then going to a dealer, is there anyway I can test this myself ?

BruceP

I recommend it. I ended up paying my indy for several hours of labour to find and fix the problem I had (though I'll admit it was an unusual one). I didn't have a choice, because I don't have time or a place to work on my car, or any electrical experience. But I think it's a matter of putting a tester on the battery and pulling the fuses one at a time until you see the draw drop. Then you've identified the circuit. After that, it's an open question whether you can rectify the specific problem, but at least if you know where it is you can save yourself some diagnostic money when/if you have to take it in.

I'm sure someone who's done it will chime in.

Orient Express

Most folks never check the actual level of the electrolyte in the battery. Over time the fluid will evaporate out, and that will diminish the capacity of the battery.

Simply get a gallon of distilled water and top each cell off. I check my battery's fluid level twice a year, end up having to add some water at least once a year, but I get 4-5 years of useful out of a battery.