RJFabCab

I have an '06 Tit.S and want to top off the battery chambers with some distilled H2O and hook the cig lighter up to the Porsche factory battery maintainer.

I started RTFM and ran out of time before heading into work. I thought I came across something in the manual about removing the subwoofer and changing the auxilliary battery.

I have the collapsible spare tire in back and it looked like I could see a Bose subwoofer underneath the spare. So, I should only have ONE battery underneath the driver's seat, correct?

My Rennlist search says that I should only have one battery, but RTFM has thrown me off, and I didn't have time to take everything apart in the back of the truck.

In the morning, I plan on lifting the driver's seat, topping off the battery, and hooking the maintainer into any of the auxilliary power outlets...

Dennis C

Since I just had a battery issue, I am somewhat familiar with this.

If you have a spare tire and the Bose sub in the back, then you don't have an aux battery back there. This is the case in my Cayenne also. My understanding is that the dual battery configuration is more common on earlier Cayennes too, alphas and betas.

When I was at the dealer last week, I asked him about the need or possibility of topping off the primary battery under the driver's seat. He told me that it is a sealed, maintenance free battery and that it is not necessary to top it off.

RJFabCab

Thanks, Dennis.

This is what cracks me up about this... I just reviewed the manual again and it:

1. Talks about topping up the cells with distilled H2O.
2. Talks about removing the spare, then removing the subwoofer, then removing the auxiliary battery.

It never says a word about whether or not I should have an auxiliary battery and it never talks about hooking up a battery maintainer via auxiliary power outlets. It just talks about charging the battery with cables once the battery has been removed.

Well, I'm heading out to the truck to have a look-see...

Dennis C

Interesting. Let me know what you find. The manual is not very helpful in many situations.

Slow Guy

Shouldn't you be able to go by the Option Codes whether you have the aux. battery in your vehicle? The sticker is back under the lid over the spare tire carrier in the upper left corner. I'll look up the code from the RennTech.org site in a min.

From the MY "06 Order Guide the "Second Battery" Option Code is J2C

RJFabCab

As usual, the Annals of Rennlist held true.

I only have a spare tire and a subwoofer in the rear... even though the owner's manual has a section on removing the auxiliary battery.

So, I moved on to the driver's seat and realized that I don't have the exact tool to remove the two bolts holding the front of the driver's seat down.

It looks like I need a 12 spline 9 mm bit, and of course, I only have an 8 mm and a 10 mm.

So, I'm getting really tired of this action. I don't have any square bits and don't really want to run about town in search of a 9 mm spline bit. I have some other bits that 'sort' of fit, but I don't want to strip the factory fastener.

Does anyone have a picture of the uncovered battery under the driver's seat? Is it truly a sealed-no maintenance unit? Or do the cells need to be topped off with distilled H2O as my owner's manual suggests?

All the Moll Batteries in my 911s need to be topped off. Go figure.

RJFabCab

Thanks, Bill.

ltc

I believe the answers to your question can be found in the owner's manual, in the section right next to the explanation of "Check Trailer L!ghts " "!" .... oh, wait, that isn't even in the owner's manual.... never mind.

BTW, did you happen to crawl underneath the pig and look for a (battery) vent tube under the driver's side?

RJFabCab

Wunderbar, Lewis! Just changed the dag-gum batteries in my flashlight and am heading out for another look.

FWIW, I just talked to the SA at the local dealer... and they say that it's a maintenance free battery. This would be the same dealer that thought my 'GT3' was an Audi.

So, the PET shows the pig battery with six little covers over the chambers. And, the owner's manual talks about filling the chambers.

Man, I gotta get the cover off of that stupid battery!

Dennis C

Cayenne batteries only last for 6 months... so you'll have to change it anyway.

Maybe the seat removal procedure explains the $300 charge for a battery...

ltc

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch......

Batteries dying, trim falling off, rear windows opening by themselves, remotes with a 6" max range......always finding something to bitch about.

The Cayenne is the ultimate force in the SUV universe. Any complaining is futile.

Dennis C

If we didn't bitch, then what would we talk about??

I end up spending lots of time in the OT area when nobody is here bitching about their Cayenne.

For God's sake man... I had to post a photo of my lawnmower this week to get conversation going!

ltc

Yes, Cayenne ownership, like this forum, is the Porsche rest home.

Slow Guy

OK, I've been putting it off but I guess it's time to check. I've been wondering the same thing you were about the battery (truly sealed vs. pretend sealed) and asked the same thing in Dennis' failed battery thread, no answer though.

I have 3 or 4 of the "3 square" wrenches, hopefully I have the right one. BTW, the manual says you're supposed to replace those bolts each time, I think that's overkill myself.

RJFabCab

Ok, after 2 quarts of the highest quality PurpleSaurus Rex, lots of 4 letter words, and a nice nap, I have the answer to the battery question.

*The main and only battery under the driver's seat in my '06 Tit.S is a Moll no maintenance sealed unit with a very small vent tube at one end.*.

There is a visual service indicator on the top of the battery. Mine shows green, but if it shows clear or yellow, then the battery should be replaced (this is written on top of the battery).

The two bolts holding the front of the driver's seat down take a 12 spline 10 mm driver. I had the correct driver... just had to work to get it in there. I reused the 2 bolts with some blue Loctite and had no issues with achieving the spec of 37 ft-lbs.

The first pic shows the battery cover. I couldn't get the seat to tip all the way back as shown in the manual, but there was enough room to pop off the cover to see the battery. The second pic is the uncovered battery. The small third pic, cropped, has the service indicator in the center of the pic. The last pic shows the small vent tube which was not visible with the battery cover in place.

My final words are, "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".