£465 for a new Porsche battery!! - Page 3 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I have just been quoted £465 to supply and fit a new battery to my 2012 Boxster 981 which I find mind boggling. As a PCGB member they reduced it to £440 For battery only I have been told its £280 For me physically it is not a problem to change over, my concern is what will be 'knocked out' in terms of any electronics which rely on a permanent current to them when I disconnect the + and - cables, The car has PCM

Do you have a Porsche extended warranty? If not then buy a better battery than the Porsche one at half the price and fit it yourself. If you have the Porsche extended warranty then you will have to bend over and pay their ridiculous price. In terms of fitting, not sure on your car but on my 996 the key needs to be in the ignition and it turned to position 1 to avoid the alarm going off when the battery is disconnected. After fitting the new battery I needed to input the PCM security code and reset the windows for one touch. I understand another option is try and use a temporary battery or powerpack to maintain power to the car but I haven't tried this.

£160 to fit a new battery? It's 20 minutes work for someone who's never done it before.

Unfortunately its not that simple. The battery needs coded to the car. Yes - honestly!

On a 7 year old car there will start to be a few more frequent wear and tear items, so I guess a new battery is just one of those things. As said, if it's under Warranty you will need a Porsche battery (even though it's only a re-branded item). But you could buy just the battery and get a competent local garage to fit it for 30 quid(ish). Saves getting your hands dirty

Thanks for the replies What if i connected a battery charger, black to ground earthing point and red to part of the positive terminal clamp This would maintain a current while I change the battery over, would this work and avoid recoding?

Olderandwiser22 said: Unfortunately its not that simple. The battery needs coded to the car. Yes - honestly! no if like for like, if you fit a dry cell battery you have to code it, but again it's a 3 minute job. batteries, oil, tyres, keys all rip a off.

The process involves entering the battery serial number into PIWIS so that the power management works as intended. Having said that, I have a same model non-Porsche serial number battery in my 981 Cayman and everything is fine without the PIWIS serial number process. If extended warranty, check other local OPCs to try to get better price. If not get the correct Banner battery from design911 or wherever and have Indy or self-install.

Get in quick .. Brexit will pit the battery price up 10%

Have you tried a specialist ?

I don’t think you will have any issue at all certainly not from my experience just get on to europarts order a good Bosch and a straight swap in ten minutes anyone can do it

What a pisstake. No matter how rich I was I couldn’t accept that.

Just one of the many reasons I avoid the OPC wawwanty Though it’s true it depends what car we’re talking about, age, condition etc.....

I get 65 quid ones from motor factor and my mechanic fits it for free when doing bigger work. Just treat it like the consumable it is. I don't give my money away, it takes long enough to make!

Thank you for all your help I am going to buy a Banner battery which is Porsche marked with OEM part number. Will then fit it myself using a charger in the background so that current is maintained while I swap the batteries over. I am going to continue with the Porsche warranty

A charger won’t do it unfortunately. You need a power supply. It’s neatest to supply power through the OBD port whilst you swap the battery. Reverse powering the terminals whilst you hoik the battery in over the arches into the bulkhead area is very awkward. Then, The resetting basically tells the ecu you have a new battery and so it alters the charging profile back to new battery mode. Any decent motor factor (we are one but we are in Cheshire) has the power saver kit and recoder and can do this job for you very cheaply - you don’t need to go to the dealer.

Depends on the charger, mine have a 12v supply option which would do just what the op wants.

When my OPC quoted similar I said I'd nip up on my lunch hour and change it for them to save paying the labour. "It's OK we won't charge for fitting" was the response.

Just OPC normality i think. Ive just booked my Cayman R in for a service and as it has only done 1800 miles in the last two years i decided against a brake fluid change and airbag inspection. Well you would have thought i had spat in the service advisors coffee by her reaction to me not throwing money at them needlessly.

The fact they are charging so much for a substandard battery is bad enough, the ridiculous fitting charge on top of that is crazy. I was quoted a huge amount for replacing the battery in my 987 and fitted a Bosch one myself for about a third of the price. I then found out that there is a bug built into the car that means it 'forgets' that it has the heated seats option if you don't keep the power constant when changing it - a convenient half hour labour charge for the OPC unless you know someone witha PIWIS.

I had the RAC swap mine in a 997 GT3 for about £180, they fitted a Bosche battery, no issues. Porsche charging prices like this was the main reason I stopped using their extended warranty and using them for servicing on cars over 3 yrs old. Use an independent now and wouldn't go back. Other friends do the same. You get much better service and I do not miss the feeling of being ripped off....

Replaced the battery in my 2012 997.2 with a Bosch, simply took the old Porsche rubbish out and replaced. No power feed, no problem, the PCM even retains it's memory. Replacing with a non genuine part does not affect the warranty unless that part can be held directly responsible for the claim, standard insurance exclusion. This old chestnut has been going around for years. I know from experience that Porsche will not inspect your battery, pads, discs etc to avoid a warranty claim.

Had my battery die on my 987.2 whilst out and about so had to drive to the nearest Halfords having been jumped started. Had their own top battery (only decent choice, 5 year warranty, heavy duty etc) fitted in the car park by a chap in a few minutes. No issues, no lost memories, radio channels etc all for about £100 quid. My only issue was my tracker people didn't even notice either!

£465 for a battery is utterly insane. I’d just pick up a Bosch one from Halfords and fit it myself. Crazy.

I think this is when I reconsider the real value of full main dealer history. Its hard not to come to the conclusion that people who pay main dealer prices once out of warranty are technically ignorant (sorry for the generalisation) and will fall for the B***s t they are told to justify silly charges. IMO these individuals are the scariest people of all to buy from as they actually don't care what oil does or how a cooling system works and lack the mechanical sensitivity needed to make a car last well into six digits.

dbroughton said: I think this is when I reconsider the real value of full main dealer history. Its hard not to come to the conclusion that people who pay main dealer prices once out of warranty are technically ignorant (sorry for the generalisation) and will fall for the B***s t they are told to justify silly charges. IMO these individuals are the scariest people of all to buy from as they actually don't care what oil does or how a cooling system works and lack the mechanical sensitivity needed to make a car last well into six digits. Rather sweeping statement. I would be the last to defend OPC's but they can be useful. I found that one was £380 cheaper than a suitable indy for a PDK service. You do need to know what you are doing, but we are not all gullible / stupid.

Well to finish off the story!! I had found a genuine Porsche battery at Design911 for £213.55 including delivery So I tried OPC Leicester and they quoted me £289 and I then asked if they would price match. that was met with a sharp intake of breath after I told them what I could get it for and then said he would have to ask his manager and ring me back. 20 minutes later and much. to my surprise he said yes and gave me the final price of £209.87 Result!! Two days later I picked it up and checked date of manufacture, week 51(Dec) 2018 and a Banner battery, that's ok for me. Today I installed it. After removing the tyre compressor box, horn, and battery retaining brackets I connected a battery charger to a secondary bolt on the + terminal and the ground point. Then loosen and and disconnect the battery terminal clamps and lift the battery out. New battery dropped in and re-attach the terminals, remove the charger. Everything worked, no window resetting, PCM perfect, no warning messages So I saved c£255 and can keep the Porsche warranty going at renewal.

Result!

Fast forward 4 years and current price I've just been quoted from OPC for a new battery for 2014 981 GTS...... £573.03 Breakdown: Battery - £339.03 inc VAT Labour/code £234.00 inc VAT

Gareth-C-1980 said: Fast forward 4 years and current price I've just been quoted from OPC for a new battery for 2014 981 GTS...... £573.03 Breakdown: Battery - £339.03 inc VAT Labour/code £234.00 inc VAT They’re still at it then! I wonder if the Porsche batteries are any better than they used to be? I swapped out a dead Porsche battery on my 987.1S when it was five years old. Thirteen years later, I still own the car and have just swapped it for another new Bosch. The first Bosch was still going well after all that time, but just seemed like it was too old, so worth changing anyway for £100.

Wow... I'm glad my old snotter of a 911 is long out of the Porsche network... I fitted a nut to the battery tray of my 997, so I could fit a badass 100 Ah and 900 cca to the car. Cost £110 delivered and took 5 minutes because I cleaned the tray. ETA: I know, many like to go for small lightweight fancy batteries, but I'm no racing driver and I prefer being able to start the car at first crank even when it stood for 4 weeks. Like Boris the Blade said in the movie Snatch: "Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable." Edited by Filibuster on Tuesday 24th October 09:00

Do you still need to run these overpriced “genuine” batteries? I read a thread recently that seemed to suggest n rated tyres were no longer required for warranty.

Service manager advised has to be porsche branded item. I'm a bit cheesed off as design911 have 2 identical spec Banner batteries. 1 without Porsche sticker and 1 with. Without £167+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/car-battery-80ah-ban... With £309+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/99961108012-car-batt... So an extra £140 for a Porsche badge and QR code for the BMS.

Gareth-C-1980 said: Service manager advised has to be porsche branded item. I'm a bit cheesed off as design911 have 2 identical spec Banner batteries. 1 without Porsche sticker and 1 with. Without £167+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/car-battery-80ah-ban... With £309+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/99961108012-car-batt... So an extra £140 for a Porsche badge and QR code for the BMS. How long is the car under warranty for? Just to add further insult, the Banner battery has ‘4 year warranty’ splashed all over the listing, the Porsche one doesn’t so presumably only has 12 months. This is definitely the frustrating element of the extended warranty on older cars, it’s not that bad value in itself, but having to buy overpriced parts to keep the car compliant adds a lot to the cost.

Extended warranty until next September/October '24 currently. Think I'll end up taking the badged battery but fit it myself as that would grieve me paying for that!

For my 991 I’ve just ordered a new Bosch to replace my 11.5 year old factory battery!!! I’ve also ordered a iCarsoft 2.0 to code it. I know a lot of debate about whether coding is required or not but I thought best to do it properly given I’ve squeezed so much life out of the original. All up will be £300 including the iCarsoft so still well ahead of OPC costs.

Here's a handy thread about the ol' battery coding myth... porscheclubgb.com/ forum/tm.aspx?m=1066941 Sorry can't post the full link, for some reason the archaic PH system won't let me.

Boardingnath said: For my 991 I’ve just ordered a new Bosch to replace my 11.5 year old factory battery!!! I’ve also ordered a iCarsoft 2.0 to code it. I know a lot of debate about whether coding is required or not but I thought best to do it properly given I’ve squeezed so much life out of the original. All up will be £300 including the iCarsoft so still well ahead of OPC costs. Nice one. I'm sure I can get the battery coded for a couple beer tokens but had already looked things up and think could use this to do the same job for <£50 https://www.autelstore.co.uk/wholesale/autel-maxia... The link regarding not needing to code doesn't specifically say that the Porsche BMS system is a self learning module so I'd be inclined to think if want it to see the battery is brand new 100% giving it the required information might be beneficial to ensure the car doesn't try and over charge or anything like that.

Replaced mine with a Porsche branded one a few years back, no coding as believe it learns as mentioned in the link. No issues - dead easy to fit & works fine - so far has already lasted longer than the original coded one. That said the cheap coding tool looks reasonable if you prefer that route, but wonder how much an indy would charge to code it .

tommy87912 said: Here's a handy thread about the ol' battery coding myth... porscheclubgb.com/ forum/tm.aspx?m=1066941 Sorry can't post the full link, for some reason the archaic PH system won't let me. Linky dink

I read that link the other day and if you go to the Banner website it shows for each manufacturer whether coding is required for BEM. For what it’s worth they say Porsche needs to be coded. I’m sure many have not bothered and been fine but if I can get 11 years out of a battery that was coded, I’m inclined to stick with that process.

Gareth-C-1980 said: Service manager advised has to be porsche branded item. I'm a bit cheesed off as design911 have 2 identical spec Banner batteries. 1 without Porsche sticker and 1 with. Without £167+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/car-battery-80ah-ban... With £309+vat https://www.design911.co.uk/p/99961108012-car-batt... So an extra £140 for a Porsche badge and QR code for the BMS. Buy the cheaper one, peel the Porsche sticker off your old one and put it on the new one. Battery is self learning. Job jobbed and looks the part for warranty.

tommy87912 said: Here's a handy thread about the ol' battery coding myth... porscheclubgb.com/ forum/tm.aspx?m=1066941 Sorry can't post the full link, for some reason the archaic PH system won't let me. Re this they quote the Banner site but on searching the Banner site they say that coding is necessary with Porsche suggesting the BMS is not self learning: https://www.bannerbatterien.com/en/Battery-knowled... Porsche It is absolutely necessary to configure all Porsche models, otherwise the start-stop function is not ready for operation. Without configuration or by installing a replacement battery from the free aftermarket, this may cause restrictions in the functionality and increased battery wear due to incorrectly functioning shut-off stages. Banner conclusion: Registration required; start-stop does not work without registering the new battery; a check of the electrical functions after changing the battery is recommended.

Gareth-C-1980 said: Re this they quote the Banner site but on searching the Banner site they say that coding is necessary with Porsche suggesting the BMS is not self learning: https://www.bannerbatterien.com/en/Battery-knowled... Porsche It is absolutely necessary to configure all Porsche models, otherwise the start-stop function is not ready for operation. Without configuration or by installing a replacement battery from the free aftermarket, this may cause restrictions in the functionality and increased battery wear due to incorrectly functioning shut-off stages. Banner conclusion: Registration required; start-stop does not work without registering the new battery; a check of the electrical functions after changing the battery is recommended. So instead of paying someone to deactivate the start stop you can simply install a much cheaper battery and getting rid of the annoying start stop is the free cherry on the top??

Filibuster said: So instead of paying someone to deactivate the start stop you can simply install a much cheaper battery and getting rid of the annoying start stop is the free cherry on the top?? The problem is that if the car thinks you've still got your old battery, if it is like other systems such as Mini, it will ruin your battery from over charging. My wife was quited nearly £400 for an original Mini battery so these prices are just as ridiculous. She ended up getting a cheapo battery, got it coded, all for less than £100 and it's been fine, I know of others who just got the battery replacement and were replacing the batteries within warranty.

Been running a replacement uncoded battery for years longer than the original coded one, without issues. Start stop also works fine. The £50 coding tool would seem to be the easy option if you are concerned, perhaps the more recent models have different requirements.

As far as registering the battery its more in play in European cars and they claim to change the charging profile as the battery ages. I'm sure it its actually accurate to a small degree but a bit of baloney in another sense being that they require a number to register your battery but that number is only on Porsche batteries or Volkswagen batteries or others that are partners, and its a way to ensure you to use one of their batteries (at a very high cost) when in fact you can use ANY AGM or like battery. Be very surprised indeed if anyone has actually been negatively impacted by a lack of coding.