Battery problems? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

So I went away on vacation for a week – when I got back, the Box wouldn’t start. I jumped it – ran no problem. Then I drove the car around for 10 minutes thinking that would charge me up enough, but the next morning when I came out to start my car, it was dead again. So I jumped it again and drove around for a little more than 30 minutes, thinking that would surely be enough to charge the battery, but sure enough the car wouldn’t start again the next morning. Does the Boxster need more running time to charge up than I am used to with other cars? Is there some trick to this? The car is an ’05 987 with only 6000 miles. There are no idiot lights on when the car is running either. Any advice?

you have a dead cell in your battery.

It should be under warranty, isn't it? Do you have anything plugged into a power outlet left in after shutdown (cell phone charger, radar detector, etc.)?

Hi, You could be suffering from a Variety of issues. I'm inclined not to blame the Battery since it's got so little Service Life (although to be fair, most Mass Produced Goods fail either early in their Life or Very Late, an indicator of how well they were made). Possible causes could be: A Short somewhere in the Charging Circuit which causes the battery to drain. A Loose Drive Belt, although the Accessory Belt also drives other Ancillaries besides the Alternator, so you would probably either hear it or see it manifest itself in other faults such as running HOT as this also powers the Coolant Pump. Battery Cables not properly tightened. Failed Alternator. There are a variety of easy Tests you could perform to narrow the cause. But, since it's definitely still a Warranty Item, I'd simply make it the Dealer's Problem. Charge up the Battery and bring it in. But, insist that they check out those things mentioned above and not simply slap a new Battery in the Car as this could just cause a repeat of your current dilemma... Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Thanks. Yes, I figured I needed to take it to the dealer, I was just hoping to avoid that. Of course if they will give me a 911 turbo loaner I think it will all be OK.

Wow. I just got off the phone with Paul Miller Porsche to make an appointment for tomorrow morning. The guy on the phone was already telling me that this would not be covered under warrantee. Apparently, he said that I don’t drive the car enough – I have never heard of this. I bought the thing in October and have put 6,000 miles on it since then. Plus, we don’t even know what the problem is yet. Poor service at that place. I should have expected it – we went there originally to buy the car (it is close to our house), but the salesman was so rude we wound up buying elsewhere.

This just doesn't smell right at all. I would be interested in hearing what Paul Miller Porsche says Porsche's minimum driving requirements are. Of course, you will be interested in seeing it in the official Porsche warranty document. Good luck.

Yes, I should have included the second part of the conversation. He told me that I would not be covered and would need to purchase a “battery maintainer” for $85. This was after I told him my mileage and how long I have had the car. I asked him what the minimum amount of miles I would have to drive to be covered under warrantee and he told me 600 miles per month. I walked him through the math of how if I have had the car for four months and the car has 6,400 miles on it, that should be around 1,600 miles per month and almost three times the minimum amount to be covered. He backed down at that point, but it just doesn’t set the tone for a great customer relationship.

RUN!!!!! To a new dealership you go!!

Not to hijack my own thread or anything, but why did you sell your ’05 Elise?

In short, Porsche will not replace a dead battery under warranty if you drive under 12K per year. If you let your Box sit, your battery will die. The car will NOT charge up a dead battery by driving it 30 minutes. That is only a 2 AMP charge for 30 minutes and that will not do it. Buy a battery charger (at least 10 AMPS) and charge battery fully. Then, see if it will hold that charge fully. If not, the battery is shot and you need to replace it. If you need a battery, pick one up at Costco for under $50. Then, buy a battery tender if you are still going to drive only 6K per year. Good luck!

Thanks for your comments Bruce. If 30 min won't do it, what will? 1 hour? 2 hours? Any idea? Does the Porsche engine just need more battery power than other cars? I have left my lights on or done other things on different cars and was able to get back in the game quickly after driving around for just a few minutes.

"Thanks for your comments Bruce. If 30 min won't do it, what will? 1 hour? 2 hours? Any idea? Does the Porsche engine just need more battery power than other cars? I have left my lights on or done other things on different cars and was able to get back in the game quickly after driving around for just a few minutes." That is a great question and my experience with other cars is similar to yours. I don't really know why the Porsche alternator will not bring back batteries but I have had enough bad batteries in my Porsches to know that a long ride most times will just not do it. Hence, I have a 10 AMP charger sitting on most of my Porsches sometime during their stay with me. Go figure!

Looks like you are making headway. I'd still like to see where the warrantee states minimum monthy mileage or specifically excludes the battery. I don't remember my salesman highlighting that during the sales negotiations or afterward during the "ownership orientation." A battery charger / maintainer would be a good idea for future use. If you can get a Porsche Tequipment battery charger(made by CTEK) for $85, that's about $45 cheaper than I paid at a NH dealership in October.

Everyone, thank you for your help and support. Bruce, I took your advice and got a battery charger last night – that did the trick. It was the best possible answer: I didn’t have to go to the dealer and I got to pick up a new tool in the process. Thanks!

Glad that worked for you. A charger is a good thing to have around anyway!

Anytime you can get a new tool it's worth it!