Which battery for 981? - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

2014 2.7 PDK - came up with "Low battery - start engine" today after 4 days in the garage. Might be the beginning of the end for the battery? It seemed fine after a 100 mile run. Last used Saturday for a daytime 50 mile run. Prior to that, not a lot over the Christmas break. As for a new battery, if it needs one, what would be recommended? Car's under warranty so I need to be a little careful it's a decent one my OPC won't snub. Thanks for your suggestions.

If you want to keep the warranty you have got to fit a oem battery. From what I remember it was near £400 fitted😩

I doubt battery failed, just needs more regular use or connecting to a CTEK battery conditioner when not being used.

Olderandwiser22 said: If you want to keep the warranty you have got to fit a oem battery. From what I remember it was near £400 fitted?? That is absolutely ridiculous.

Ridiculous but true. Is it the battery or is it not being charged properly by the alternator?

gtsralph said: I doubt battery failed, just needs more regular use or connecting to a CTEK battery conditioner when not being used. Do you know if the CTEK has to be plugged into mains to work or is the 12v socket an alternative to this? I should really get one as my driving is restricted to 40/50 mile weekend blasts at the moment. The problem I have is no power supply to my garage.

7184c said: Do you know if the CTEK has to be plugged into mains to work or is the 12v socket an alternative to this? I should really get one as my driving is restricted to 40/50 mile weekend blasts at the moment. The problem I have is no power supply to my garage. Of course the CTEK or any battery conditioner/charger has to be connected to the mains. They come with a 3 pin plug just for that

If the cars in warranty and the battery has died tough it out with Porsche . I ended up getting the cost of the OEM battery refunded by Porsche GB after some firm but polite correspondence with their customer services dept . They argued that their cars don't get used much which can lead to battery drain . They failed to show me where in their literature or manual there was a warning to this effect .

718c4, I have mine plugged into the cigar lighter socket near the glove box which works fine. Paul

m999psw said: 718c4, I have mine plugged into the cigar lighter socket near the glove box which works fine. Paul Doesn't the socket switch off after a time? On my 981S the TomTom I have plugged in there switches off eventually. I've not investigated how soon or if the car notices the current drain and switches it off.

m999psw said: 718c4, I have mine plugged into the cigar lighter socket near the glove box which works fine. Paul What powers the 12V socket?

I have seen the topic on whether it switches off or not but my 987 didn't, which caused a flat battery and RAC visit when I left the Snooper plugged in. Neither does the 981, CTek plugged in to lighter socket under glove box, window down slightly and car locked, charges,tops up and runs regular tests. Paul

m999psw said: 718c4, I have mine plugged into the cigar lighter socket near the glove box which works fine. Paul So not connected to any kind of mains power? I was hoping that this was possible but from a bit more reading this morning including the CTEK manual and as edc noted it seems this is a requirement. http://www.ctek.com/Archive/ProductManualPdf/MXS%2... As I understand it the 12v/lighter socket connection is an alternative to connecting directly to the battery - the comfort connect option. I'm not too technical but I somehow thought the CTEK worked by pulsing it's own charge. Seems someone also had this problem a while ago with an F430. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=119... Does anyone have any other ideas on options? The garage is en bloc there is power to security lighting but I have some tricky neighbours who would probably insist on me bringing in my own metered supply which is not worth the cost/admin.

The 981's three standard 12v sockets switch off after 30 mins approx. I timed the one under the dash as I have my dash cam plugged in there and wanted to check how long it would record when parked up, key out. No idea about how this affects charge going the other way TO the battery? Thanks for the info so far. It seems to be behaving itself but I'll keep an eye on it naturally.

DJMC said: The 981's three standard 12v sockets switch off after 30 mins approx. I timed the one under the dash as I have my dash cam plugged in there and wanted to check how long it would record when parked up, key out. No idea about how this affects charge going the other way TO the battery? Thanks for the info so far. It seems to be behaving itself but I'll keep an eye on it naturally. That sounds very plausible - I've never had a flat (or even low) battery even when the car hasn't been used for more than 2 weeks. I did just check and the armrest socket is live as soon as you get in the car (key NOT in the ignition) so it looks like it automatically switches on. As you imply, if a CTEK works then presumably the socket must remain live if current is going TO the battery. Updated - yes my armrest socket goes off after half an hour or so when charging a phone. Edited by bcr5784 on Saturday 7th January 15:11

The sockets detect a charger and stay active if one is being used (or at least one of them does, not 100%sure on all of them). My glove box socket goes off after 10 mins.

My colleague's 981 boxster (2012) had a battery issue. Her battery kept draining and yes she was not driving as often as you are actually. OPC basically said, she does not drive enough. She changed the battery, no OEM, not sure about the brand, I can ask her tomorrow, but it's much better now. It's a bit known subject also among (986) and 997.1 owners, -most of us at least-, replacing the OEM with Bosch, it's much better.

My dealer principal has confirmed "Batteries are not covered by the warranty as they are considered wear and tear, the cold will affect the battery but you could also have a cell down which would cause this problem, do you have a charger or conditioner for the battery? If not we could carry out a battery test for you." The car is kept in a warm garage. I'll just keep an eye on it and if it fails I'll replace it. Or does anyone think the make/model/capacity of an "aftermarket" battery (shock, horror) could really enable Porsche to defend a warranty claim? What fault could be put down to the battery? Melting wiring? An overworked alternator? I can't imagine.

DJMC said: My dealer principal has confirmed "Batteries are not covered by the warranty as they are considered wear and tear, the cold will affect the battery but you could also have a cell down which would cause this problem, do you have a charger or conditioner for the battery? If not we could carry out a battery test for you." The car is kept in a warm garage. I'll just keep an eye on it and if it fails I'll replace it. Or does anyone think the make/model/capacity of an "aftermarket" battery (shock, horror) could really enable Porsche to defend a warranty claim? What fault could be put down to the battery? Melting wiring? An overworked alternator? I can't imagine. I think that is extremely shoddy of Porsche. Any car battery at a fraction of the price of the Porsche one would have a 3 year warranty. Porsche could, I suppose, reject a warranty claim if it related to an electrical component.

bcr5784 said: DJMC said: The 981's three standard 12v sockets switch off after 30 mins approx. I timed the one under the dash as I have my dash cam plugged in there and wanted to check how long it would record when parked up, key out. No idea about how this affects charge going the other way TO the battery? Thanks for the info so far. It seems to be behaving itself but I'll keep an eye on it naturally. That sounds very plausible - I've never had a flat (or even low) battery even when the car hasn't been used for more than 2 weeks. I did just check and the armrest socket is live as soon as you get in the car (key NOT in the ignition) so it looks like it automatically switches on. As you imply, if a CTEK works then presumably the socket must remain live if current is going TO the battery. Updated - yes my armrest socket goes off after half an hour or so when charging a phone. Edited by bcr5784 on Saturday 7th January 15:11 This has been discussed quite a bit on various forums. The fact is (confirmed by my dealer and in practice) is the socket in the rear arm rest does NOT shut down if it detects a battery charger connected to it. This is the only socket that does this, your battery charger will not work if connected to any other socket. My dealer was quite specific with regards to the connecting sequence, connect charger first, switch on BEFORE locking the car. In order that the charger is detected.This procedure has worked on all the Porsche's I've owned, ( 2 x 987 Boxsters, 987/2 Cayman S, 997/2 Carrera S and 981 Boxster GTS.), none of which are used much during the winter months and rely on Charge-o-mat life support. Edited by dreamcar on Monday 9th January 09:27

**** This has been discussed quite a bit on various forums. The fact is (confirmed by my dealer and in practice) is the socket in the rear arm rest does NOT shut down if it detects a battery charger connected to it. This is the only socket that does this, your battery charger will not work if connected to any other socket. My dealer was quite specific with regards to the connecting sequence, connect charger first, switch on BEFORE locking the car. In order that the charger is detected.This procedure has worked on all the Porsche's I've owned, ( 2 x 987 Boxsters, 987/2 Cayman S, 997/2 Carrera S and 981 Boxster GTS.), none of which are used much during the winter months and rely on Charge-o-mat life support. **** I still have my Ctek plugged into the socket under the glove box, car is locked Ctek has topped up the battery and now is monitoring and has been for 3 weeks now, so not the only socket? Paul

m999psw said: ****** This has been discussed quite a bit on various forums. The fact is (confirmed by my dealer and in practice) is the socket in the rear arm rest does NOT shut down if it detects a battery charger connected to it. This is the only socket that does this, your battery charger will not work if connected to any other socket. My dealer was quite specific with regards to the connecting sequence, connect charger first, switch on BEFORE locking the car. In order that the charger is detected.This procedure has worked on all the Porsche's I've owned, ( 2 x 987 Boxsters, 987/2 Cayman S, 997/2 Carrera S and 981 Boxster GTS.), none of which are used much during the winter months and rely on Charge-o-mat life support. **** I still have my Ctek plugged into the socket under the glove box, car is locked Ctek has topped up the battery and now is monitoring and has been for 3 weeks now, so not the only Paul Well at least together we've proved you can trickle charge your Porsche using a 12v socket - many here say you can't! Edited by dreamcar on Monday 9th January 20:26

dreamcar said: Well at least together we've proved you can trickle charge your Porsche using a 12v socket - many here say you can't! Edited by dreamcar on Monday 9th January 20:26 Clearly there are some conflicting opinions/findings. Tomorrow I'll try to charge my battery via the socket in the glove box, which should cover one area not clearly covered.

To dealer principal Leics OPC today: "Am I correct in saying the 981 armrest 12v socket can detect a battery conditioner plugged into it and if it does it stays live to charge the battery?" Response: "Yes that's the one to use alongside the Porsche battery conditioner that Glenn here in parts can sell you." I've seen CTEK MXS 5.0 for £60: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/MXS%205.0 ...and XS 0.8 for £35: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/XS%200.8 The latter is "...suitable for maintenance charging “normal- sized” batteries such as car batteries." Add a 12v socket connector for £8: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/Comfort%20Conne... I guess the MXS 5.0 would be "more useful", but for what?

bcr5784 said: DJMC said: My dealer principal has confirmed "Batteries are not covered by the warranty as they are considered wear and tear, the cold will affect the battery but you could also have a cell down which would cause this problem, do you have a charger or conditioner for the battery? If not we could carry out a battery test for you." The car is kept in a warm garage. I'll just keep an eye on it and if it fails I'll replace it. Or does anyone think the make/model/capacity of an "aftermarket" battery (shock, horror) could really enable Porsche to defend a warranty claim? What fault could be put down to the battery? Melting wiring? An overworked alternator? I can't imagine. I think that is extremely shoddy of Porsche. Any car battery at a fraction of the price of the Porsche one would have a 3 year warranty. Porsche could, I suppose, reject a warranty claim if it related to an electrical component. Ask them for a list of everything the consider a wear and tear item and therefore excluded from warranty and you will be amazed at what is on it. My car threw its drive belt and they insisted that the seized pully on the engine and the tensioner were indeed consumables.

DJMC said: To dealer principal Leics OPC today: "Am I correct in saying the 981 armrest 12v socket can detect a battery conditioner plugged into it and if it does it stays live to charge the battery?" Response: "Yes that's the one to use alongside the Porsche battery conditioner that Glenn here in parts can sell you." I've seen CTEK MXS 5.0 for £60: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/MXS%205.0 ...and XS 0.8 for £35: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/XS%200.8 The latter is "...suitable for maintenance charging “normal- sized” batteries such as car batteries." Add a 12v socket connector for £8: http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers/Comfort%20Conne... I guess the MXS 5.0 would be "more useful", but for what? The MXS 5.0 is more useful because it'll charge a completely flat battery reasonable quickly. The .8 would take forever - (about 100 hours or so) - and it's only sensible to maintain battery charge when the car is unused for an extended period.

Had the car on charge now for about 5 hours via the glovebox socket, so clearly that socket on my car stays on pretty much indefinitely with the car closed and the key out. So I'm coming to the conclusion that all the sockets behave the same - go off after a few minutes when under load, but stay on when the car is being charged.

I have one of the older Ctek from my TVR days, but when I did manage to discharge the battery on the 987 by not disconnecting the Snooper I did buy the MXS 5.0 as its a bit more powerful and has a few more charge/test modes and can be used on any of my vehicles, for not a lot of money. I also bought the extension cable as its means I can plug it in to a lighter socket and the cable is long enough for the charger to sit outside at the front of the car. Paul

My only thought about using the Cteks to trickle charge is that they don't really trickle charge, instead after a couple of days they go into float mode whereby they only apply a charge current if/when they detect the voltage has dropped. This is ideal for long term battery maintenance however I wonder if the Porsche electronics thinks the charger has been removed and disconnects the socket?

Green1man said: My only thought about using the Cteks to trickle charge is that they don't really trickle charge, instead after a couple of days they go into float mode whereby they only apply a charge current if/when they detect the voltage has dropped. This is ideal for long term battery maintenance however I wonder if the Porsche electronics thinks the charger has been removed and disconnects the socket? Interesting point. Anyone know?

The answer is still no, the sockets are live and the charger still works after a month. If I disconnect the charger all lights referring to charge state go out, because its not connected to a battery! If I measure across the cable now not connected to the CTek but still plugged into the locked car I measure the battery voltage, reconnecting the CTek the tests and maintenance mode start again. Paul

m999psw said: The answer is still no, the sockets are live and the charger still works after a month. If I disconnect the charger all lights referring to charge state go out, because its not connected to a battery! If I measure across the cable now not connected to the CTek but still plugged into the locked car I measure the battery voltage, reconnecting the CTek the tests and maintenance mode start again. Paul Do you do all that without unlocking the car? As I say, once you unlock the car the sockets become live again before you even put the key in the ignition.

No not changing any state on the car or the last post would have been irrelevant. I don't know how else to say 'the lighter socket does not switch off, and the CTek maintains the battery as it should with the car switched off until you want to use it again' Paul

m999psw said: No not changing any state on the car or the last post would have been irrelevant. I don't know how else to say 'the lighter socket does not switch off, and the CTek maintains the battery as it should with the car switched off until you want to use it again' Paul Perhaps a failure to understand simple English? I wouldn't bother trying to convince people, let them believe what they want to believe! You know and I know, as do others and Porsche technical advisers that the 12v socket stays live for the purpose of battery conditioning if others think they know better so be it!

dreamcar said: Perhaps a failure to understand simple English? I wouldn't bother trying to convince people, let them believe what they want to believe! You know and I know, as do others and Porsche technical advisers that the 12v socket stays live for the purpose of battery conditioning if others think they know better so be it! The reason is that people - including dealers - are saying different things and I was trying to get clarity. It seems that, with ignition off 1) All 3 sockets behave the same (whatever dealers might say) 2) They switch off when under load - probably after 30 minutes or so 3) They remain on indefinitely when a charger is plugged in 4) They switch on when the car is unlocked (though how long they remain on under those conditions is (to me) unclear - I suspect 30 minutes or so again, but haven't done any tests and no-one has suggested any time.

Bit late to this thread but my 981 CGTS has now given me 2 warnings over the last month asking for the car to be driven for an extended period to charge the battery. The first time all was ok. Yesterday however the air on, heater and the fan all failed to function until I’d driven for almost 90 minutes. Clever electronics that conserve battery power until sufficiently charged. Bloody nightmare however driving on a cold winters day with no blower function to clear the windscreen! Awaiting Porsche Assist to check the car as OPC can’t look at it for 4 days. Question on chargers, does anybody know if motorcycle battery conditioner/chargers work on a car to maintain battery health? I’ve 3 bike chargers, Oxford products which I could hook up to the car.

CEREC1 said: Yesterday however the air on, heater and the fan all failed to function until I’d driven for almost 90 minutes. Clever electronics that conserve battery power until sufficiently charged. Bloody nightmare however driving on a cold winters day with no blower function to clear the windscreen! Whilst I'm sure the trick electronics are more than capable of that kind of intervention, are you sure you haven't had abrush with the fabled "stuck heater fan"? I managed over two hours in freezing conditions, at night, with the drivers side window cracked open to prevent misting up. The only thing that fixed it was pulling the under-bonnet area to bits in a service station and spinning the fan by hand. There's a whole, long thread on it.

CEREC1 said: Question on chargers, does anybody know if motorcycle battery conditioner/chargers work on a car to maintain battery health? I’ve 3 bike chargers, Oxford products which I could hook up to the car. Although everyone with a Porsche goes on about using an expensive Ctek charger, I use one of these and it works just fine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0012U5BO2?pf_...

Since I posted this thread almost two years ago my battery is still alive! What I did was to buy a Ctek 5.0 and extension lead, as here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Automatic-Tempera... Plus, a 12v cigar lighter attachment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-CTE-56263-Cigarette-... I believe the Ctek charger does a better job of conditioning the battery than a simple charger would do. It certainly seems to have breathed new life into my battery, now coming up 5 years old. I've used the Ctek 3-4 times in those two years when I get the feeling the battery is low, typically when not used for 4-5 days in winter time. In March of this year I also had the "fan stuck" issue during a freezing 100 mile drive. This cured itself when I stopped for 10 minutes and simply turned the car back on after that time. Although under warranty, PGB would not do anything but make a note of this "intermittent" fault. I think your issue is the sticky fan, not the battery, but naturally you'd think the latter to be the cause. After your 90 minutes, did the fan start working whilst driving or had you stopped and turned the car off?

DJMC said: Since I posted this thread almost two years ago my battery is still alive! What I did was to buy a Ctek 5.0 and extension lead, as here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Automatic-Tempera... Plus, a 12v cigar lighter attachment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-CTE-56263-Cigarette-... I believe the Ctek charger does a better job of conditioning the battery than a simple charger would do. It certainly seems to have breathed new life into my battery, now coming up 5 years old. I've used the Ctek 3-4 times in those two years when I get the feeling the battery is low, typically when not used for 4-5 days in winter time. In March of this year I also had the "fan stuck" issue during a freezing 100 mile drive. This cured itself when I stopped for 10 minutes and simply turned the car back on after that time. Although under warranty, PGB would not do anything but make a note of this "intermittent" fault. I think your issue is the sticky fan, not the battery, but naturally you'd think the latter to be the cause. After your 90 minutes, did the fan start working whilst driving or had you stopped and turned the car off? The sticky fan issue is easily remedied by hand. Open the bonnet, take the plastic cover off above the front boot space. On the right hand side you'll see an air box, unclip the top cover and then reach in the void under the windscreen where you'll see a turbine style fan. Simple spin it a bit by hand, one turn will be fine. Replace plastic cover, turn car on, all should work fine again. By god make sure that the key is out of the ignition whilst you do this!!!

Over over under steer said: DJMC said: Since I posted this thread almost two years ago my battery is still alive! What I did was to buy a Ctek 5.0 and extension lead, as here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Automatic-Tempera... Plus, a 12v cigar lighter attachment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-CTE-56263-Cigarette-... I believe the Ctek charger does a better job of conditioning the battery than a simple charger would do. It certainly seems to have breathed new life into my battery, now coming up 5 years old. I've used the Ctek 3-4 times in those two years when I get the feeling the battery is low, typically when not used for 4-5 days in winter time. In March of this year I also had the "fan stuck" issue during a freezing 100 mile drive. This cured itself when I stopped for 10 minutes and simply turned the car back on after that time. Although under warranty, PGB would not do anything but make a note of this "intermittent" fault. I think your issue is the sticky fan, not the battery, but naturally you'd think the latter to be the cause. After your 90 minutes, did the fan start working whilst driving or had you stopped and turned the car off? The sticky fan issue is easily remedied by hand. Open the bonnet, take the plastic cover off above the front boot space. On the right hand side you'll see an air box, unclip the top cover and then reach in the void under the windscreen where you'll see a turbine style fan. Simple spin it a bit by hand, one turn will be fine. Replace plastic cover, turn car on, all should work fine again. By god make sure that the key is out of the ignition whilst you do this!!! Porsche Assistance turned up today, actually The AA. Guy confirmed no charging issues with the car and suspects the battery is coming to the end of it’s life. Four and a half years old seems disappointing. I’ve owned the car for 6 months so it’s possible Porsche May cover it under warranty. Been quoted £180 for a Varta battery with 5 year warranty but reading stuff suggest this may invalidate the Porsche warranty so there may be a bit of a fight on the horizon. Reference my fan. The fan was inoperative for a 75 minute drive to work. Parked up all day and it came back to life 15 minutes into the return journey. To the AA guys credit he guessed it might be a sticking fan and showed me how to release it. Not sure it’s what I’d want to do on a cold, wet winters morning. AA guy thought there was a recall on this fault. Anyone heard have any knowledge on this matter? Seems I might end up getting my car back with a bill for a battery and a ‘ they all do that sir’ explanation for the fan. AA guy did organise a hire car as my car had a fault that was considered a safety issue. Not loving a Mercedes 220D though.

When I last looked, design911 had the correct battery for my 981 advertised on their site. I took a photo of the top of mine so I could compare the part number. When I phoned design911 the chap checked the item on the shelf and it was slightly different, so I'd suggest doing the same and phoning them. Battery has to be coded in I seem to remember, not just DIY connected. Have a look here: https://www.design911.co.uk/fu/pt259_261_-cma81-cm... There was no recall for the fan issue back in March. Many owners have reported having a replacement under warranty prior to this, but that may have been for a repeatable failure whereas intermittent faults aren't covered, even when you know it's happened, have recorded the odd clicking noise it makes on your dash cam, and you KNOW what the issue is and the remedy (replacing the fan unit).

A Porsche OEM Banner battery has a serial number which is used for informing the car that it has a new battery. The outrageous price of said Porsche battery includes an hour or so's labour for fitting and coding. I replaced mine (981CS) with an equivalent spec Banner (no serial number) from Design911 for about £150 less than Porsche. It was not coded in, the world did not end, no problems.

When Porsche told me that my Cayman needed a new battery to pass the 111 point inspection (battery had been working perfectly...) they wanted £180 for fitting. My response was that if that was the case I'd come up and fit it myself. They waved the fitting fee. Bad enough paying a fortune for a battery worse than a Bosch one at half the price....

CEREC1 said: Four and a half years old seems disappointing Sadly that seems to be fairly typical. My 981's battery lasted around 4.5 years

Xfe said: Sadly that seems to be fairly typical. My 981's battery lasted around 4.5 years Update OPC said fan was fine,’ the often stick sir’ Battery was only 50% charged and said it was ok and even if it wasn’t, because I’ve changed the PCM for a Pioneer Apple CarPlay unit the battery wont be covered along with other electrical issues that might arise! I might have guessed this would be the response but as both OPC and the AA said there is no battery drain detected I fail to see the logic of their argument. OPC recommendation was one of their trickle chargers at £87. They were adamant that it can’t be connected to any of the 12 volt power points in the car. This appears to be at odds with a good few opinions on this forum.

Reference to some other posts on here. I have a November 2012 981 Boxster and for the past 4 years, has had the battery looked after by a Ctek 5.0. The Ctek is plugged into the centre armrest 12v socket and has a permanent feed. It does not switch off after 30 minutes as some have suggested. Another poster opined that if a socket recognises that a battery conditioner has been connected, it will stay live. I know the socket stays live as I was away for 4 months last year and on my return, the car started first turn. Other times, it has been left for up to 10 weeks and never failed to start first time. I have not tried the other 12v sockets so cannot comment on those.

Reviving an old thread but can someone tell me whether 981 GTS uses an AGM battery? Want to ensure I select the correct option on the CTEK charger.

Yes the 981 GTS has an AGM battery.

Mxs 5.0 is the ctek you need