Dont let the battery go flat ! - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

I have a 2005 987 and after holidays etc its been unused for some 5-6 weeks. Like an idiot I completely forgot to leave the trickle charger connected. When I came to use it on Sat it was totally dead. Put key in ignition just to see but nothing happened and worse than that the key was then locked in the ignition ! Obviously cannot open the front bonnet to get to the battery so refer to manual assuming there must be a way. So following the manual I connect my other car battery to the positive terminal on the fuse box and the door hook but to no avail - nothing happens at all. So now its AA or try myself ! Google forums and find there is an emergency bonnet release in the passenger wheel arch. After a painful process of removing the liner in the wheel arch I found the cable - had to pull it pretty hard and quite a long way but finally bonnet opened !! Battery was then charged overnight only to find it was still completely dead and a new one had to be bought !! Car now in working order again. Wont forget the charger again.....

I'd suggest that your old battery was on its last legs. Otherwise it should be able to hold the charge after being charged overnight. If this was your first battery, then 9 years is not bad.

Battery might indeed have been on its last legs - but not sure how old it is as I only bought the car in February.

It is also worth noting that cars with the heated seats and/or headlamp washers appear to sometimes 'forget' that the options are installed if the battery runs down completely. The OPC charges 30 minutes labour to run the handover process again, so that adds a little extra cost especially if a new battery is required as well.

If the battery is dead and you can't open the bonnet...would a trickle charger connected through the cigarette lighter open the bonnet ??

kingston12 said: It is also worth noting that cars with the heated seats and/or headlamp washers appear to sometimes 'forget' that the options are installed if the battery runs down completely. The OPC charges 30 minutes labour to run the handover process again, so that adds a little extra cost especially if a new battery is required as well. This is why Porsche wanted to charge me... Ridiculous.

Porkerjag said: If the battery is dead and you can't open the bonnet...would a trickle charger connected through the cigarette lighter open the bonnet ?? It would seem to depend how dead the battery is. I didnt have a cigarette lighter connection so had to get into the bonnet - but even then 24hrs on my trickle charger didnt give it any life whatsoever.

SkinnyP said: This is why Porsche wanted to charge me... Ridiculous. My first quote was for a full hour of labour to do the handover. At OPC prices that is almost as much as the heated seats option cost when the car was brand new! Even half an hour is a rip off, but unless you have access to your own PIWIS, I guess there is no choice.

how about buying a "porsche" unit then getin an indi to fit for you or get the indi to het you on and fit it. just dont include any information in your documents with the car.

So on this topic what's the recommended charger of choice and where do you connect it, battery, fuse box, cigarette lighter? I'm away for 3-4 weeks soon so need to get something lined up before I head off.

Freakuk said: So on this topic what's the recommended charger of choice and where do you connect it, battery, fuse box, cigarette lighter? I'm away for 3-4 weeks soon so need to get something lined up before I head off. Buy a CTEK... http://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-Battery-Automatic-Tem... Either hard wire it or get a cigarette lighter adaptor.

I use an optimate charger - bought originally for motorbike but used with Ariel Atom, MX5 and now Boxster. Keeps the battery in perfect condition but maybe not enough power to come from nothing ? In reality I think my battery was done anyway.

I've got exactly the same problem...after buying my first Boxster back in April, I had a brand new Bosch battery fitted ( after putting the hood down before I stsrted the engine!!). First few weeks were fine - I had kept the car garaged and unlocked, along sided my Chimaera which has always had an Accumate plugged into the cigarette lighter. On one weeekend I went to start up and there was nothing. Fortunately I had left the bonnet on the safety catch so was able to connect up a battery charger ( the one mentioned in this thread..from Amazon). I've subsequently been told that with the bonnet "on the catch", the light inside will still drain power even when it's not illuminated,. so I've taken the bulb out. Further advise is that I must keep the car locked. So..it's been locked since last Sunday week. Now this afternoon I have gone to start up, and there's nothing ( fortunately just enough juice to unlock the doors so I could release the bonnet. Could it be the battery, or is the Boxster prone to sucking the juice out of its battery this quickly? I just need to know if I'm doing something wrong>

c,teck hard wired off battery on mine opc fitted it when i bought car new strangely leave my car for weeks at at a time and never need it

Go any buy the Lidl one this Thursday 2nd Oct does the exact same as the Ctek I have both and they work the same trust me had them both for years. Lidl price £13.99

Porkerjag said: If the battery is dead and you can't open the bonnet...would a trickle charger connected through the cigarette lighter open the bonnet ?? Most trickle chargers need to "see" a battery before they will start charging it so if the battery is really low the trickle charger won't ever do anything. It sounds like this is what has happened to the OP. In this case jump leads to get the car started, run it for at least 5 minutes (or drive it for as much as 30 minutes) and then attach the trickle charger to "finish" the battery charging. I recently had to open the front lid on a 987 boxtser via the external battery to the fusebox method. I found I had to leave the battery connected for a couple of minutes before the front lid release button would do anything. I suspect the flat battery was sort of using up all the current from the booster battery. OP, you did remember to use the release button and not just supply the 12 volts?

I left my big Merc battery attached for a good 10 minutes and there was nothing at all. Couldnt use the release button on car or fob - tried 3 times in the end with no luck. I agree that with the battery clearly completely dead the trickle wont register a battery so does nothing. The battery was clearly old and has never sounded like it was a powerful as it should - so I got a new one rather than try and salvage the old.