dead battery lock out

Hi -- I am a new owner of a 1999 Boxster, and the battery has drained. Because of this, it seems as thought the security system has locked the car down, and I cannot use the levers to open either trunk. I tried to use the emergency release on the front, but it will not budge. Any ideas on how to open the front lid so that I can charge the battery? Thanks for your help.

Not sure about the 99, on my 08 there is a connector on the fuse panel in the footwell to connect power to pop the hood. Common subject should come up on a google search.... search the Boxster forum...

Quotes source post: 9827664

There should be a power tapper in the fuse panel near the driver its a red pull out tab that will power up the system and allow you to unlock and open the trunk. If an earlier car you will need to get power in to your Boxster another way. I like to use the cigarette lighter - you can buy an adapter for this. It is important that you power the car up through the lighter, with the door closed, and the ignition key OFF. You don't want to run too much amperage through the cigarette lighter. After you apply power to the car, press the unlock button on the key fob, then you should be able to pull the release lever to the front trunk. Sometimes the car alarm system gets confused when being woken up this way and you may have to lock and unlock the car a few times to let it know that you are the owner. It is important not to turn on the key, so that the fuse for the cigarette lighter doesn't blow.

I was not able to get the trunk open putting power to the C3 fuse. I used a different technique. Since it is an '00 or older, the release levers for the trunks are manual and there is a 'lock out' plate to prevent them from being release when the car is locked or the driver's door is closed. However, you can use a small flat headed screwdriver to slide between the two levers on the driver's door sill to manually unlock them. Here's how: With a flashlight and skinny 3-4" long flat screwdriver (like one of those electrician promo ones handed out at trade shows...) slide it down between the front and rear levers. Under the front trunk lever, you'll see a U shaped cut out that will have a white plate under it. The white plate, when the vehicle is locked or doors are closed, slides over the U shaped cutout to prevent the levers from being raised. Using the screwdriver, slide the white plate from the outside of the car towards the center. Once it's clear, just pull up on the lever to release either trunk. To that note, have you started the car yet to reinitialize your key w/ the car and the immobilizer? This may solve your problem as well (a dead battery will put the car into 'sleep mode' and since it was locked... the trunks remain as such). Otherwise, you'll likely have to remove the sill plate cover w/ the levers to see what's going on, or not, underneath for a permanent fix. I wish that I could say that I figured this out on my own.

I have inherited a 1999 Carrera convertible. It was left outside to rot for the last three years and I am learning about the car from scratch. Have lots of experience with older American cars and one 94 BMW. First problem out of the gate is the wires leading to the O2 connector have been eaten thru by mice. I am looking for suggestions as to where I can find a pick your parts type place and cut off the wire bundles for splicing into this car. Is there a better way?

on the 996 you can plug a trickle into the cigarette lighter to get a charge