OK.. I buy this sweet Cayman.. and the sales guy starts telling me that batteries go down if not driven daily, I buy the charger/maintainer.. etc.
But.. in the real world, how much of a problem is this. I'm thinking folks have gone on vacations, leaving their car safely in the garage -- so, how long can it sit, really, before the battery zeros out?
Cayman owners must go on trips to Europe, etc... anyone come home and find their car dead??
And, I pluged that charger/maintainer in.. and was suprised how warm/hot it got.. is that normal?
Other than that, the I can charge my Cayman up with the grin on my face when I drive it... but that's the catch, isn't it?
D&D
If you keep the battery in good condition a few weeks of inactivity is not going to be a problem. But there are a lot of electronics being used by the car and if it is locked and not used for an extended period it will use up the charge. See
http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-electronics/11914-battery-maintainer.html
for one discussion of several. As you point out driving the car is the best and most fun answer.
If you do a search, you find lots of threads where people discuss dead batteries. It looks like a real issue to me, especially in the cold of winter.
The good news is that I live in a fairly warm area.. don't have to worry about the cold... So, it seems that a couple weeks is not a problem..
As far as the charger/maintainer.. Does anyone have any experience with the unit overheating?? I tried it for an evening and found the charger/maintainer getting quite warm to the touch. Is this normal??
D&D..
I have the one Porsche sells and it gets warm but not hot. So I'd say it is normal. I have other brands as well and they also warm up.
There are several cautions in the Owner's Manual about the battery that you should become familar with. Such as:
Never leave the key in the car after turning it off.
Never leave electronic devices plugged in more than five minutes after turning off the car.
Never leave the car locked for an extended period without a battery tender.
Never leave the lights on, a door, hood or hatch open for an extended period.
Never assume the battery is fully charged (optimal charging is a function of engine speed and miles driven).
Always use the 12V electrical sockets for accessories (maximum power consumption is 70 w)
Always use the cigarette lighter for the compressor; the fuse will blow if other sockets are used.
Always remember that the remote control standby function switches off after seven days (see manual for instructions to re-activate)
Always read the manual to understand the procedure to connect an external electrical power source if the battery is discharged and the front lid can not be opened.
Take good care of the battery. They are expensive to replace with factory units.
thanks.. I think I'm getting settled with the battery needs (and dislikes..).. its not as bad as I the sales guy lead me to believe..
see you all down the road.. D&D
I barely drive my Cayman RS project car-- 3,000 mi., zero track this year, three dead batteries; I switched to Interstate to avoid Porsche dealer price. Am using Battery Tender now and checking el-cheapo hot-wire job on my Valentine 1 radar detector to make sure the installer didn't screw something up. These cars are *very* battery intensive, found the same thing with other P cars.
