USCHANDPOD

Nothing was plugged into anything in the car.

My CD player swallowed a CD 2 months ago and would not let it go and it would not play it. Other than that NAV and all other radio features worked without any problems.

Rusnak Porsche found the following:

Battery was unrepairable. They replaced it.
The cd player was unrepairable. They replaced it.
Explanation---- none really but they did believe that the problems were unrelated.

They recommended that if the car sits 3+ days that a charger be left in there to keep the battery going. East coast / midwest hibernators what brands/type do you recommend?

To the guy who said there is a manual release in the boxster that is not the case here. Although there is a manual release if you are locked inside the front compartment (I guess that is for kids and dwarfs)

Finally. Rusnak did a great job. They had no notice. They took the car right in and gave me a rental for free. Everything was under warranty. No charge whatsoever. Turnaround under 24 hours. Great job Neil!!! Just in time for another great SoCal weekend with my 997S.

USCHANDPOD

Porsche Roadside Service towed it for free too. On a flatbed.

OCBen

Hey Glenn, here's what I recommend for a battery maintainer:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showpost...87&postcount=9

USCHANDPOD

Thanks Ben. At what point do you use the thing. How many days of no driving warrant hooking it up?

This battery charging thing will be good practice for when we are all driving electric cars. Seen the Tesla anyone? What will the exhaust guys talk about then?

Cheers.

jhbrennan

Tubi or PSE synthesizers...unless they draw too many amps.

OCBen

No problem Glenn.

I usually drive mine every weekend and when I do I never plug in the charger. But if a weekend passes and I didn't get a chance to take her out (as it happens too often lately because of my remodeling work) I'll plug her in Sunday evening. I have even gone two weeks without trickle charging and the battery survived okay. But it's not a good idea obviously to let that happen often.

It's also a good idea to check the water level in your battery and add if necessary. I'm going to do that today myself, as it's been a while since I last checked.

Mike Murphy

I use a Deltran Battery Tender, 4-stage charger, which is a computer-chip-based charger. It's better than a trickle charger because it will "float" under maintenance mode, whereas a trickle charger may not and overcharge the battery. Paid $50 for it, but it only produces up to 1.5amps, so if you need to charge a dead battery overnight, get a different charger.

Sharptt

From prior experience with my 911s and CTT, I can tell you that Porsche is very good about replacing batteries IF you can demonstrate you have been using a Porsche battery maintainer. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the dealership and/or the factory rep. For the few extra bucks, I sleep better knowing my cars are plugged into the charger the factory recommends and stands behind. Just my $.02

tbill

So...are we never suppose to leave our cars in an airport parking lot for a week-ten days? Return to find battery is dead would not make for a great day after a returning flight!

OCBen

Batteries are not replaceable under warranty, neither are tires nor brake pads. According to my dealer a typical battery in these cars lasts about two yrs. When I had to replace mine after 3 yrs in my Boxster they told me it lasted longer than average.

If you think your dealer is going to give you a free battery if you can show him surveillance tape evidence showing regular use of a Porsche battery maintainer, then by all means sleep better at night, if that's what it takes. I know that I replaced the battery in my Boxster for less than the price of one of these overpriced Porsche battery maintainers!

I sleep better at night knowing I don't waste money. Just my $40.00 worth.....of savings.



You should be okay, Tony, for up to two weeks, provided you don't leave a radar detector or other battery draining device plugged in.

Mike Murphy

A battery can last 1-7 years. Most will not last past 4 or 5 years. A good maintainer helps a great deal, but it also matters how you treat your battery. The most you use it, the shorter the lifespan. If you're the kind of person who regularly turns on the headlight while working on the car and listens to a high powered stereo for hours at a time, then you'll be going through batteries quickly.

Not sure about the 996, but most cars can go at least 30 days sitting without a charger on it. If your battery drains in less than 1 week, something is wrong with the car.

911Dave

It seems to me if the car is going to sit for a while and you're worried about trunk access, then pop the trunk before you leave. That way you can keep the jumper cables in there and it's already open if the car goes dead.

OCBen

996???

The 997 is much different in that regard compared to a 996, and certainly much different than most cars. It's not easy to run the stereo with the engine being off for too long, as a warning in the PCM pops up to alert you that it will shut off after a minute or so. I haven't taken it to that point yet, but I suspect it will shut your radio off as it says.

I seriously doubt a brand new battery will survive a whole month in a 997 without a trickle charger attached. I know I certainly don't want to test to see if it does.

Edgy01

EVERYONE with multiple car families will benefit by having a battery charger/starter in their garages. The ones from Sears are fine. Get one that can actually start the engine as well as recharge it.

N2XSSPD

Interesting that Audi, at least, covers everything including brake pads, battery, wiper blades for the 1st 4years of ownership. I know, they replaced 2 batteries and a set of wiper blades for me and brake pads during my warranty period--no questions asked.
I was told by my salesman to invest in a trickle charger for all the reasons listed on this post.