kyrocks

text display came on today while I was in a high pressure non-touch car wash, stayed on for 20-30 seconds then went off. I have an '11 GT3 with 450 miles that has been sitting on a CTEK charger for a couple of weeks due to the weather. It was 40 degrees or so today so I took it out for a couple of long drives and then decided to wash it to get any salt off. While I was in the wash idling, the "Warning Battery/Generator" message came on the onboard computer display when the water hit the car and went off after about 30 seconds. The car wash finished and I drove off without any issues. Should I be worried about anything? I called my dealer and they said they have heard of this message coming up on Panameras while idling since they have had issues with the battery not being charged below 2000 rpm. They have not heard of any such problems on the GT3. Is it a coincidence I was in the car wash or did it have something to do with the message? I guess I'll just watch and see if it comes on again. Love the car, but still breaking it in. Any info/experiences would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kyriacos

Clifton

Did you get any part of the engine wet or spray the engine department directly? The reason I ask is that in the past I may have inadvertently killed my alternator's voltage regulator by being a little to thorough while cleaning. My alternator light started coming on and finally staying on which ultimately required replacement of the alternator. The car only had 23K miles on it so it was too young to die normally.

Makes me wonder if your alternator got wet and had difficulties due to minor temporary flooding. I could see that triggering the battery/generator light.

kyrocks

I thought about that, but I didn't directly spray the engine compartment. Who knows though?...with the pressure of those non touch sprayers (that I never use on my cab) and all the vents on the back of the GT3 I wouldn't doubt some water got in the engine compartment. Thanks for the response.

911SLOW

FYI the new 10 alternators are quite different from the older 996/997.1 ones. Basic difference is that the voltage regulation is done by the DME itself and not by the regulator circuit board on the alternators body.
So although a direct contact with water might trigger a temporary fault code there is also a chance that the ECU read something it didn’t like in the first place.
On an older thread carreraGT had mentioned that his tech informed him of a possible bulletin regarding alternators/ batteries.

axhoaxho

No drive-thru (while the engine is still running) car wash on my GT3 for me, ever.

No excuse -- either put some effort to wash the car myself, or at least pay some reputable detailers (who know how to deal with nice cars like the GT3) to hand wash/detail it. At the very minimum, go to one of those self-service carwash stations, stop the engine and use the pressure wash nozzle to rinse0off the undercarriage salt/dirt/etc. myself, carefully.

Regards,

kyrocks

I understand. I spend hours to wash/detail my cars myself and am very **** about it. I just didn't want to run my water +/- pressure washer at 35F when I got home. Won't do it again unless there's a gun to my head. Thank god I'm moving to Texas in a few months!

CRex

When you get the engine belt wet it'll slip a little against the the alternator pulley on startup, which is why you get that message. I won't be exceedingly worried if it goes away and never reappears (until you wet the belt again, that is).

911dev

I realize that you sprayed the car to get the salt off, but remember that GT3s do not have corrosion protection and that salt can get everywhere.