ciel7

Good morning all,
I just bought my first Porsche, my life's dream! It is a 2008 911 C4S. It came with a charger. Can anyone tell me when this is supposed to be used? Is there a time period when the car is not being driven that the charger is hooked up or should it always be on when the car is garaged?

tinroof

Congrats on your purchase! I've had my 2006 C2 for just about a year and I really love it.

If you plan to drive it regularly you should not need to use the charger. But if you leave your car weeks at a time without starting it then you may find the trickle charger to be handy.

I drive mine at least a few times a week and I've never had any issues with the battery running low.

If your battery does go dead you will need to connect the charger by way of the fuse box which is on the left side of the driver's foot well. Instructions on how to connect the charger are in the owner's manual or elsewhere here on the forum.

Ironman88

Can you post a photo of the specific charger that you have?

street rod

If you typically let the car sit over a week then use the charger. Make sure its one of the newer types that shuts down after your battery is full. That way you can leave it plugged in all the time with no worries.

Bxstr

I say anything over a week should use the charger. I drive my car once a week typically, so I will put it on the charger after my drive and take it off before my drive. Also, over winter storage is when it is most needed.

You could probably go a couple weeks without needing the charger, but I know that sometimes I can go weeks without driving it and it's easier to just put it on after every drive and not have to think about it.

4Driver4

Folks, a trickle charger is rarely a good idea unless you are trying to slow charge a weak battery over a couple of days.
For winter storage, you want a battery tender aka battery maintainer aka float charger.

A trickle charger has no shut off and can overcharge a battery, while a maintainer just keeps the battery topped up.

Bxstr

Yes, I should clarify that I use a CTEK3300, which is the Porsche Battery maintainer, just without the Porsche logo.

DesmoSD

I have had mine sit for 3 weeks without the maintainer and it started without any hesitation. It switches to low power/sleep mode after 7 days. I have the Deltran Jr pigtail to the cigarette lighter adapter so no need for the expensive CTEK.
.

Petza914

All my cars (and dirt bikes, and boat) get plugged into Deltran Battery Tenders whenever they're parked. I get ridiculous battery life from my Optima batteries by doing this. The one I changed in my 914 2 years ago was 12 years old at the time. The one in my 997 is 7byesrs years old, the one in my wife's 997 is 6 years old, the one in my 928 is also 6 years old.

If you don't drive the car twice a week or more, plug it in between uses. Depleting a battery to even 70% of its capacity and recharging it over and over will shorten its life, even an AGM battery. Personally, AGM batteries are my choice as they don't require any maintenance and they don't evaporate the electrolyte away during charging. With the CTek charger, plug it into either the ashtray outlet or the passenger footwell outlet (not the center console one under the lid) and select the snowflake mode.

3Series

You're correct but I think everyone means a tender. Do they even back straight up trickle chargers anymore that aren't smart enough to shut off??