I have heard many different things regarding the draining of battery life in Porsche Vehicles. Does anyone know if leaving a key in the vehicle (NOT in ignition), just in the car/trunk will drain the battery? Trying to figure out if it is "proximity" issue, or just when key is in ignition with car off? The car is a 2008 Cayman S.
Thanks...any info will be much appreciated!
your 2008 Cayman (987.1) does not have keyless go. So, the car doesn't have sensors / radars to look out for your key. Hence, there will not be additional battery drain on the car should, for whatever reason, decide to leave the keys inside the car.
Electronics are on the weaker end of the scale for these cars, but they aren't so ridiculous that the battery dies every 3 days.
Hope this helps
Thanks for the information...much appreciated.
A key in the area of the car should not be an issue. My battery died recently when the key was left for months in the ignition. My car was inside my locked garage during the winter months. Now I always remove the key from the ignition. I think I must have left the radio on for my battery to drain. Anyway.....
I leave my key in the car when parked in my garage. Never had a problem. If your 2008 still has the original battery, it's probably due for a new one.
BTW, Advance Auto Parts has a 4th July sale 20% off ONLINE orders - enter code G43 and you can pick it up in store. Sale thru the 6th.
Thanks for the responses…just joined the forum yesterday, and all the information is extremely helpful. The vehicle is being shipped (7 to 10 day trip) and the spare key is in the vehicle, and just wanted to be sure that would not drain the battery? Excited to get the car…really don't want to have a dead battery when it arrives!
The keys in the car (not the ignition) will not be a problem. But the first thing you should do when it arrives (after a lengthy test drive) is to check the battery date. If it's the original battery, head to the store for a replacement. You'll save yourself a ton of headaches and it can't have much life left anyway. The battery is located in the frunk. If the battery dies, you can't open the frunk with the electronic switch. That's what I'm talking about when I say headaches. There are ways to overcome the issue, but save yourselve the pain.
It is my understanding that Porsches have approx 3 levels of "readiness". When you have the key in the ignition, certain electronics are running as the car anticipates you starting it at some point. If you have the key out but the car unlocked, it goes into an intermediate level of readiness. If you remove the key and lock the car, after a period of time it will go into "slumber" or "hybernate" mode where it shuts down as much electrical activity as it can in anticipation of a long wait for the next run. So if you're not driving your car over the winter, it's best to lock the car and get it into hybernation mode. My Porsche dealer had a seminar last fall on winter prep and they said to lock the car.
Enjoy your car next week.
That is great information…thanks! The vehicle transporter had me leave the car unlocked…in case the battery dies I guess. The Cayman does have a brand new battery in it…so hopefully that will help. The key is in the car, not in ignition, and doors UNLOCKED…about 7 to 8 days with out being driven. Still think no issues??? thanks!
No problems with that short of time. I leave my LE sit for 3 or 4 mo at a time in winter w/o a tender.
