jeffc2731

Searching through the various threads, I can't find a definitive answer on whether to leave my 997.2 unlocked or locked (without interior monitoring - 2 lock button presses) to reduce battery drain. I would think leaving the car unlocked is better but one thread implied putting the car into 'sleep' mode reduces battery drain.

margus

I had the same impression for some reason. But I've managed to drain the battery within a week or two with car unlocked. No issues after 6 weeks when car was locked.

ADias

Locked with 2 lock button presses to reduce battery drain.

Wayne Smith

This!!!

Tj40

After a week with the car locked to minimize battery drain it turns off the radios listening for the remote key fob signal so you will have to open the door with the key.

They designed the car to reduce battery drain when the car is locked.

speedracerf4i

If you lock your car, and for some reason the battery runs out, you'll be in a lot of trouble. Good luck opening the Frunk using the 12V hot wiring method, or the wheel-well cable pulling method. Just keep your doors unlocked and hooked to a battery tender.

slicky rick

Never tried the locked with disabled monitoring... how exactly is this done??

E39Nutz

This is a non-starter. You can always use the key to open the driver door.

sandwedge

Absolutely. But with a dead battery the ultimate goal is obviously to get the frunk open. So does the frunk switch in the door sill work without battery power or maybe it'll work if there's a tiny amount of power left in the battery. But if that's the case then it would seem like the middle button on the key should work as well. The red CB on the CB panel seem to be hit and miss based on previous posts so I wouldn't rely on that.

What I do if I have to park the car for any length of time (10 days or longer depending on the age of the battery) is pop the frunk, disconnect the battery and put an old towel over the frunk locking mechanism making sure it stays unlocked. I've had the car sit for a month like this a couple of times. Cranked like a champ once the battery was reconnected.

Wayne Smith

Or you can add an extra cable from the bottom of the frunk release lever to behind the right front fender light and open the frunk easily in under a minute.

I wrote this up here a year ago but since then videos have been made proving a picture is worth a thousand words.

Petza914

I think lifting the driver's door handle when it's locked and asleep wakes it up again so the remote then works without physically using the key, but could be wrong as I leave mine unlocked on Battery Tenders.

Petza914

I've done this in both my 997s without any issues. Seems to me people are doing it wrong or with the wrong type of jumper cables or trying to use the sill switch and not the remote when it doesn't work...

Fracture

I always garage park and knew of this drain issue pretty early on

It only took one instance to to learn some preventive measures
First I got in the habit of always popping the frunk, unless I knew I was going to drive it
in the next couple of days

If I had no idea of the next time I'd drive the car, it goes right on the CTEK
Semi-permanent install






Takes all the guesswork out of it

jeffc2731

Thanks for the responses. So, 2 lock presses it is.
When I know the car won't be driven for a while, I either pop the frunk (frunk light goes off after ~2 hours) and/or hook it up to the battery tender.

jchapura

On a 997.1, is there a way to tell if the cabin monitoring has been disabled without actually testing it by moving around in the cabin? Perhaps the lack of a blinking light, or some such?