Hi All,

Been a while since last which means all has been going well so far, but as the saying goes all good things must come to an end (well it's not that bad but still).

Today I thought that it was time for the C4S to get a quick wash. When I turned the key to start the car, it was very slow in turing over the engine and I also noticed the the driver side window dropped for a split second and went up again (the door was closed) as the engine turned over. It took maybe 3 or 4 turns before it turned over, but quite slow (if it makes sense). Oh, I opened the door with the key (turn to the left 2 secs or so) and then when I wanted to disarmed the alarm it didn't work before I had to insert the key once again (turn quick to the left) and then it let me disarm (makes senes?). Usually it works after one single key turn to the left but not this time.

Background:

I have not driven the car very much over the last many months as we got a second car which is more useful (but not as fun) as where before I'd take it out every Saturday and Sunday for longer driver (2 hours +). Now maybe 10 min per drive twice a week.

I got a new battery about 2 years ago as the old one died on me and the power gauge shows around 14V when driving, falling to 13.5V at times.

When in idle (i.e. engine not running) it drops to a tad under 12V.

This resulted in me taking the car for a 20-30min spin around the area and when I got home and parked the car I thought I'd do another "start test". This time the engine started up quicker (window did not drop) but still not as quick and smooth as usual.

[U]What now?[/U]

I have planned to have the car serviced in April 2017 as I have a few other little things I need fixed so do not want to bring the car in right now for this only.

So what is your take on this?

1) Is it the battery that needs a booster or should I just get a new one? Anything I can do to "keep" it running until April 17? I don't need the car running at all at the moment or even up until April. I just need it to start at spring when I take it to Bern for the above mentioned service.

2) Do I need a new starter/solenoid I wonder? I did get the solenoid fixed by Porsche 2 or 3 years ago so not sure if this is the issue

3) ________ (<= Something third)?

Any pointers/thought are welcome and is there anything else I can check up on (not confidence with starting taking parts off by myself tbh so better leaving that to the pros)?

PS. There were no messages on the on-board computer if it makes any difference.

 

Depending on the brand of battery, 2 years is about what you get out of them. Your symptoms sounds like a dying battery. You may also find the rear spoiler pops up when it gets really flat. 2 options really, go and buy a new battery, or try and charge up the battery. On a battery charger over night. that might get you through the winter, depending on how cold it gets. 20-30 min drive will not be enough to fully charge the battery up, especially with heated seats, lights on etc. really need a once a week long drive or a trickle charger if you really want to hold out until next year.

 

Thanks a mill sammaw for your reply.

This is actually what I was hoping for as it will in such case be pretty straight forward.

Thanks again for taking your time answering.

 

Why not leave the car on a smart battery tender? When I store mine in the winter I simply plug it into the cigarette lighter and into the wall. It maintains the battery perfectly.

 

Under 12v is basically 80% dead.

You need a trickle charger and hope you can bring it back.

 

All the symptoms of a dying battery. I agree, if you are simply going to store the car for a few months, get a trickle charger on it, then replace the battery in the spring. A dead or dying battery will never fully come back and you will just continue to have weird electrical problems.

 

Do you have an auto parts store near you who can test the battery for free? If yes, I suggest you take out the battery for testing (or drive the car over) and if deemed dead/dying, you can buy a new one on the spot and turn in the old one for a core exchange.

While there, buy a battery tender as already suggested and make it a habit/practice to keep your new battery hooked up when not in use. Best of luck.

 

Thanks all for the valuable feedback.

It seems like all are on the same page here so new battery it is.

The car is parked in a communal parking space in a basement so I do not have a close enough access to an additional power plug to keep the battery charged.

Either-way as said before I'm actually happy it's the battery rather than anything else.

Once again, thank you all for the fantastic feedback...