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YOUR RESEARCHNew Bosch Battery: Much Better than Interstate
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"best" one)
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I put a Bosch battery in my wife's car and went through 3 of them in two years and it had an outrageously long warranty (don't remember exactly how many years but it was the "best" one).
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In fact, it was the smaller size - which fit against the first battery tie down hole under the battery platform.
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I checked with a local Porsche dealer and that is indeed the part number for a 996 C2 and he verified that it has 4 threaded holes.
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Update: I installed the Bosch Platinum AGM H7/L4/94R with no issues.
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** My anecdote FWIW - When I bought my car it had an Interstate battery in it (The biggest one installed by dealer).
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"best" one)
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I put a Bosch battery in my wife's car and went through 3 of them in two years and it had an outrageously long warranty (don't remember exactly how many years but it was the "best" one).
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First, some history:
* My car got a new Interstate battery with an 85-month warranty.
* This battery lasted 20 months. I got a replacement under warranty at my local independent shop. The owner said he was stopping selling Interstate due to so many returns.
* The replacement Interstate lasted 55 months until stopped holding a charge on a cold 32-degree night in the San Francisco Bay Area--which would just be considered cool in other parts of the country. I didn't even bother with the warranty. I'm done with Interstate.
I wanted a good battery, and Bosch does pretty much everything right when it comes to cars (and appliances, tool, etc.), so that's what I targeted. Not many car-parts stores carry Bosch, but my local Pep Boys did, and they were on sale.
For 996.2, I got the Bosch Platinum AGM H7/L4/94R. This battery is a little wider than the prior batteries, but there is another bolt hole on the battery holder that lines up perfectly. There is even another bolt hole beyond that one for an even wider battery, if desired.
With the Interstate batteries, even when new, when starting my car the engine would turn over slowly and took about 3 seconds to start. I figured it was just due to the high-compression engine. At the same time, the voltage dropped low enough that my aftermarket Alpine stereo would turn off. I then had to wait about 30 seconds for it to reboot. Quite annoying.
With the new Bosch battery, the engine turns over about twice as fast and takes about 1.5 seconds to start. The internal resistance of this battery is low enough that the voltage stays high and my stereo doesn't restart. Awesome.
If you're looking for a new battery for your 996, I can recommend Bosch and not recommend Interstate.
That's odd - lead-acid batteries aren't exactly new tech, so it's strange that one brand would suck so badly. Even weirder considering Johnson Controls manufactures batteries for both Interstate
and
Bosch - or at least they have in recent years. Battery subsidiaries get passed from company to company so quickly you have to check the month and year to be sure.
Regardless, it sounds like you now have a battery with sufficient CCA to the the car started without excessive draw.
You probably know this, but how often you drive your car, and the distances you drive, DRASTICALLY affect battery health and longevity...
Hopefully you're good for years to come.
I had a new Bosch battery that lasted less than 12 months. Pep Boys replaced it under warranty. The new one is 24 months old now and seems fine. I think sometimes it is just the luck of the draw.
It seems to be hit and miss on car batteries these days. I still have my original battery from the factory in my 07 Tundra that is made by Panasonic.
-Jason
So you went from the smallest Interstate (two holes less on the battery mount bracket at least - you don't mention any other spec's, but we'll assume that it did meet Porsche's recommendations) that "lasted" 55 months (not a bad run btw) to a larger Bosch, and you've determined that ALL Interstate batteries suck? Hmmm...I'd have to question your ability to be objective given the circumstances. Without getting to deep, it's difficult to determine whether you're comparing "apples to apples" but I think it's fairly obvious, that it's not the case.
He never said that Interstate sucks... he said the the ones he had were marginal or sucked.
That is his opinion. I also upgraded to the Bosch and love it! Its a great battery and the warranty from PepBoys is really good.
I know someone that owned a few interstate battery shops about 10 years ago. They had multiple levels of battery, some were brand new others were reconditioned. I had one of their top grade lead acid batteries at the time last 7 years in a jetta, was a good one. I've also had bosch and panasonic batteries last 5+ years.
In the 996 I went from a huge Bosch (lead acid) battery to a medium size Autocraft gold (lead acid). The bosch actually tested slightly higher CCA, but both crank and start identically. One just weighs a few pounds less and has a warranty.
Lately batteries seem like ****, have had 4 batteries die in the first year from wal mart. I no longer buy batteries from there. If I could open up a battery and service it myself, I'd be a happy camper. Not quite that desperate yet.
As noted, battery life is typically luck of the draw. With a few exceptions.
Here in TX, an under-the-hood battery lasts 2-3 years at most. I've had OEM batteries replaced under warranty for every vehicle I've owned. The heat just kills 'em.
However, our 2007 Lucerne (built 10/2006) just last month gave up the ghost. This battery is mounted under the rear seat, away from the engine temps and in an air-conditioned environment. Nine years. That's a record for me in TX.
I always buy WalMart batteries. I drive a lot to various states. I know I can always find a WalMart open if I have battery problems.
I guess it is hit or miss with batteries. I put a Bosch battery in my wife's car and went through 3 of them in two years and it had an outrageously long warranty (don't remember exactly how many years but it was the "best" one).
My 996 has an Interstate battery that was in the car when I bought it 6 years ago.
I went one bolt size larger, not two. The battery is maybe 20% larger, but it can turn my engine over twice as fast--without the system voltage dropping too much.
Did you read what I said about the first Interstate not lasting long, the second one falling 30 months short of its warranty, and my local indy stopping carrying them due to so many returns? My opinion is that Interstate is not very good. Now, it would be pretty funny if my new Bosch and the old Interstate were made by Johnson Controls in the same factory like Schnell said is possible.
Several years ago I went the AGM route, too, on the 996. So far, so good.
I'll do the same when the GT3's current wet cell goes ka flooey.
Less weight, no worries about dry cells in our 4,500 degree summer weather, plenty of cranks. Works for me.
Batteries are like LCDs and hard drives...you too can be a manufacturer if you get some labels printed and can pay the factory in China to run the line for an extra hour.
Yes I did! I also thought you said that "Interstate Sucks"...You didn't...Oops
The point I was trying to make
was that your reasoning was fairly arbitrary - as others have pointed out, batteries are pretty hit and miss and they're all made by a handful of manufacturers regardless of the label they're sold under.
** My anecdote FWIW - When I bought my car it had an Interstate battery in it (The biggest one installed by dealer). When I went to pick up the car it was dead. So, I brought it to a local Car Quest store...They put it on a charge for me and I went back a couple hours later. They told me the battery wouldn't take a charge and it was dead. Well, it was less than a year old and I was fairly close to the Interstate manufacturing facility in Illinois. As it was only a little over a year old, they said they'd honor the warrantee, but would have to try to put it on a deep overnight charge before replacing it. Needless to say, the battery took the charge, and is still working perfect to this day over a year later - I've never had another problem with it... YMMV
I have a Bosch battery in our old Saab and it's been fine for years. In the past, Sears' Die Hards have also done well for me, and I liked being able to exchange it in most cities in the country (as with the batteries from WalMart). With so many Sears stores closing, it's harder for me at least to get a Die Hard.
I'm surprised that so many posts here have said that the batteries are hit or miss. It's useful to have such survey (like the IMSB survey).
One other thing that my indy noticed is that 10 or more years ago, he wasn't getting many returns on Interstates, but he was on the newer ones about 4 years back when he stopped carrying them. At the time, he said that the price of lead had gone up, but the price of the batteries had not, leading to a suspicion of a more cheaply made battery. Weighing old and new batteries of the same size would answer that question...
We use Bosch. They are readily available to us and the two times in the last 4 years we had an issue with one, warranty was nice and easy for us, and of course painless for the customer. But like most have said, they sure can be hit and miss...
The Pep Boys website doesn't show the Bosch Platinum AGM H7/L4/94R as fitting an MK-I 996. Does anyone know if it will work with my MY2000 C2?
Update: I installed the Bosch Platinum AGM H7/L4/94R with no issues. It is a tight fit width-wise (front to back), but so was the Interstate battery that I replaced. The existing vent tube fit loosely onto the vent elbow of the new AGM battery so I clamped it with a small cable tie and all is good. I vacuumed the area while the battery was out and pulled out a few leaves but it wasn't too bad. I had to re-enter the radio code and was surprised to see that it had remembered all of the pre-sets.
Ignore retailer's fitment guides - they are rarely correct. The OEM size for the 996/997 is H7/94R. The tray will also hold an H8 (1.5 inches longer) but you'll have to find a way to use the last hole for the hold down clamp I've seen some trays (newer ones) where the last hole is threaded...but most are not so you'll have to find a way to use a bolt and nut for the clamp. BTW, buy the Bosch online from PepBoys and get a 15% (sometimes more) discount then pickup at the store.
My 1998 Lexus GS300 came from Japan with a Panasonic battery that also lasted for 10 years! In 2009 I replaced it with an OEM battery from Lexus parts department (Nondescript, black case, labeled 'LEXUS') hoping for the same experience and now I'm back on the 4-5 year plan. Currently have an Advance Auto battery in there and expect to get maybe another year out of it. If I keep this car the next one will likely be a Bosch AGM based on the positive reviews and testimony.
I've had a Bosch 94R from Pep Boys in my '02 since early 2008. Still going strong, but my car is garaged a lot, and also on a smart charger at least a few times a year. I'd get another one for sure.
Please measure your existing battery and post the result. I'll compare it to mine.
Also, look at the battery holder toward the passenger side of the car. Hopefully you have two or three more bolt holes to accommodate a wider battery.
Finally got the car back. The current (no pun intended) battery is 11 inches long and there are two holes showing in the holder so the 94R should be fine.
Wow, Pep Boys website sucks. They won't let you look at batteries unless you add your vehicle. They won't show an H7 battery if I enter the details for my car. You would have to know which car takes an H7 battery in order to search for an H7 battery. There is no way that I can see that you can just browse the battery choices.
I was able get there directly by using a Google search for "Pep boys agm battery 94R"
The manufacturer size designations are standard - an Interstate H7 has the same dimensions as a Bosch H7 and H7 are the exact specs for the Moll OEM. The H8 is 1.5 inches longer than the H7 and the H6 is 1.5 inches shorter than the H7 - all three are same width and height and all three will fit in the tray although you might have to modify the tray since the hole needed for the hold down clamp for the H8 size is not threaded - not a difficult mod.
It should also be noted that the terminals are turned around (negative on left front of battery as situated) for the Porsche spec. batteries, so it's "not just size that counts"...
It doesn't matter - the OEM battery has a standard terminal placement. With aftermarket you just have to make sure you put the battery in the tray correctly...you just turn the battery around so that positive is on the passenger side and negative is on the drivers side. See the picture in post #1 - that's exactly the way the Porsche Moll OEM battery is set up.
Pep Boys charges $15 to install the battery. I was going to have them do it just to save a trip to return the old battery. I just noticed that they add on another $10.50 because it's a "Difficult installation". What's difficult about it?
Maybe lifting the battery onto the tray...otherwise it's one of more simple installations I've ever done. If you're going to let them install I'd watch pretty closely to make sure they don't install the battery backwards and end up reversing polarity when they hook up.
Seriously? What the hell is "standard terminal placement"? Yes it does matter, you're wrong...All batteries of the same case size DO NOT have the terminals oriented the same or an the same sides of the battery i.e. positive on right, negative on left... Nor do they all have the terminals in the front corner or the rear corner... Why does this matter? The terminal cables are cut to tight tolerances, and they won't reach the terminals unless they're in the right place...
OK your opinion...but the Wal-Mart Everstart Maxx, Interstate, Bosch, Moll, many others all fit in the tray and the terminals (assuming you put the battery in correct) are positioned properly that the cables reach the terminal with no issues. Here are some pics of some of the popular replacements. Show me an H7 battery not configured like this and I'll happily agree with you.
Plus two pictures of Porsche batteries/
I've been wondering about how to use the unthreaded 4th hole so that next time I can use an H8 battery. What I've come up with is (a) get a body shop to weld an M8 nut (same size as the current hold-down bolt) to the bottom of the unthreaded 4th hole; or (b) use a tap to thread the 4th hole so that you can use an M10 bolt in there. Any other ideas?
Also, is there a Porsche battery tray from a model other than the 996/Boxster/997 where the 4th hole is threaded?
Check with Quadcammer - I believe he modified his tray. I recently replaced my tray and the part I received had all the holes threaded. Here's the part number:
99750415100 BATTERY CARRIER
Replacement went into a 2004 996 C2.
In my 2003 996, the new battery only extended one hole wider and that hole was already tapped.
If you like working with hand tools, I recommend buying a metric tap and die set. I have one from Craftsman and have used it a lot to tap new holes and to clean up the threads on existing bolts and holes on Porsches, Toyotas, and VWs. You'll have to remove the battery tray to screw the tap in far enough. I removed mine to access the gas tank to install a new fuel pump and it was easy. When I put the battery back in, I put an absorbent battery mat from Pelican under the battery. Due to the added thickness, it was hard to get the clamp back onto the battery. It's worth catching any overflowing sulfuric acid, which isn't supposed to happen, but did on an earlier battery. And my new Bosch AGM battery does appear to have a vent hole.
"And my new Bosch AGM battery does appear to have a vent hole. "
Did you hook it up? I was under the impression that AGM batteries were sealed and didn't need venting.
How can something as simple as replacing a battery be so complicated?
AGM may not gas as much as a flooded battery but they should be vented. Only AGM that I know of without venting are the Optima's and there are some battery pros that will tell you that the Optima isn't 100% sealed just doesn't have any vent outlets.
It is simple. But because those of us on this forum are car enthusiasts, we relish the distinctions between various things automotive and want to know more about them. Like for me, since there's an extra hole for the battery hold down, I want to figure out how to use that to put in an H8 battery. The average person, when their battery dies, just asks for a new battery, and they get charged a huge sum for a battery that is a piece of junk, but they don't know any better.
Ummmm, yeah. Don't let Pep Boys change your battery. Always seems like the guy with the least amount of shop experience is the battery & windshield wiper guy -- do you want him working on your Porsche?
taping that hole will not work. there is really nothing to tap. I tried this and the one thread or so I got on there stripped immediately.
That said, this is very simple.
Find a bolt that fits snugly through the hole in the hold down bracket, drill the hole in the tray to match, and then put a nut under the tray and hold it in place with a wrench as your tighten down. You'll want a bolt approximately 25mm long.
Alternatively, you could take the tray off and either weld or epoxy a nut onto the tray.
Thanks for the heads-up on tapping a thread into the hole. I don't think epoxy is going to hold a nut enough to withstand the torque that is put on it. As an experiment, I took a similar size nut as the ones that hold down the battery tray, and I epoxied it to a piece of metal using two different epoxies. After allowing it to cure, the epoxy did not hold up to a small amount of force on the nut.
I called a local independent Porsche specialty shop to see how they install H-8 batteries in 996's and Boxsters. They said they just hold a nut using their finger underneath the battery tray on the non-threaded hole and tighten. But they did say they could weld a nut for me for $20, which seems like the best way to go.
Just like a an expanding wall fastener - you drill a slightly larger hole, insert the jack nut, and tighten the bolt. As the bolt tightens, the ribs collapse and increase the diameter of the body of the jack nut enough that it locks the nut in place. The divots around the perimeter of the jack nut are there so you can grip the nut to keep it from spinning during initial tightening.
You've probably used one of these to hang up a curtain rod or something...same principle.
The instructions said that this AGM battery
is
sealed, but:
Below are photos of the left and right sides of my battery. The hole on the left is open. When I bought the battery, it had a drop of sulfuric acid in the hole (sulfuric acid looks different than water, having a higher index of refraction, and doesn't evaporate very fast). Now you can see sulfate-looking residue. The right side came with a plug.
Even though AGM batteries are sealed, they do have a vent valve in case of excess pressure build up (i.e. due to overcharge condition, etc), similar to a water heater safety valve. In the event that valve is used, the excess hydrogen gas needs to be vented to the atmosphere.
Yup. Connect the clear plastic tube to the hole nearest the tube, and use the plastic plugs to plug the other holes to ensure any hydrogen vents out the tube rather than accumulating in the frunk area.
I routed my vent hose to the fuel tank so I get hydrogenated fuel...good for at least 30-40 HP more I figure. I also keep my used batteries and throw them in the pool. The slow drain of sulfuric acid keeps the water pristine.
I checked with a local Porsche dealer and that is indeed the part number for a 996 C2 and he verified that it has 4 threaded holes. Strangely, the part number for a 996 C4 is 997504415101, which also comes with 4 threaded holes. Unfortunately, they are pricey. The best price I got was $138 plus shipping.
Instead, I had a nut welded to the bottom of my tray. See photo. The nut is the same size as the threaded holes, and the original bolt fits just fine. Problem solved.
I purchased an AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery to replace the relatively new battery I received when I purchased my '03 996 C4 Cab in Feb. 2015. The dealer told me: "we just replaced the battery". In fact, it was the smaller size - which fit against the first battery tie down hole under the battery platform. And I used a battery tender and the thing still would often barely start the car.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRLA_b...d_glass_mat.29
At my indie on my last oil change, the very experienced tech saw the battery and commented: "oh that's one of those new glass mat jobs - they are very good batteries".
I purchased it at Batteries plus Bulbs. I wasn't aware that this place even stocked auto batteries. The specific store I bought it at really didn't know how to physically "tie down" the battery as (reported in this thread) the larger battery did not align with the first tie down hole. My indie tech simply added a nut under the battery tray into which the bolt and the tie down metal plate attached securely.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
