boxsters been parked since l8 nov

[GREGASH]

Hi all, my 03 boxster has been parked in a heated garage since n0v 29th, and ive never sat in it or started it since then, i probably wont insure or drive it until at least march, so im wondering should i fire it up and let it idle up to operating temp in the driveway or just leave it sit until march? i dont have a battery tender but the car has a newer interstate battery (may 08) and i put fuel stabilizer in it before i parked it. do any of you start youre cars monthly or just leave them untill spring?

[Dave S.]

Don't start it up as you'll just put more wear on the engine from a cold start and introduce a lot of moisture into the exhaust system.
I'd really recommend either disconnecting the battery and removing it from the car or charging it on a regular basis. The battery will last a lot longer and you won't get a bunch of corrosion spreading out from around the battery terminals to the cables and the surrounding area around the battery. I use a Porsche battery tender device that I bought used for $50. It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and automatically maintains the battery.

[jmatta]

First off, don't start it; you'll do way more harm than good. Secondly, I do not recommend disconnecting the battery; you'll clear all the DME coding and have to start over next spring (the DME stores all sorts of system ready codes).

Get a battery tender as soon as possible...these cars have strange things happen when the battery gets low, so why risk it for $35 to $50?

The last time I drove my car was Oct. 11th. I had to shut her down a little early this year because we were selling our house and moving. She was put into winter hibernation on Oct. 19th.

I use the Porsche battery tender.

Won't start the car until late March or early April. I am half-way through winter storage! :dance:

[mikefocke]

And your battery will be drained by the time you want to start it. Worse the battery drain will be enough so you may not be able to open the hood to get at the battery...and that may have already happened in the 6 weeks it has been stored.

So what I'd do TODAY is open the hood and put a charger on the battery on low for as long as it takes to get the battery back up to full charge.

Then you have 2 choices:

1. Unhook the battery so it doesn't drain. Downside is you will have to reset every thing like the radio, etc when you reconnect it in the spring. Key out of ignition switch when you do the connect/reconnect.

2. Or get a battery tender. (doesn't have to be expensive, WalMart for less than $25)

Starting it as you propose is not thought to be good for the insides of the engine...more wear.

Mine is sitting with a tender on it as I'm away from it for 7 weeks.

A Boxster in Winter

[FTD]

Sorry to those of you that aren't out there driving your fun Porsche. Hallmark should make cards for just such a thing. Good luck.

The Winter Solstice [my favorite day] leads a count down to longer and warmer days ahead. Wa hooooo! We're almost there!

[litteng]

mine is sitting stored in the garage too, my battery was in poor shape (and it looks like the ctek didn't help anymore) so i am replacing the battery,

but as precaution i tied a piece of string through the inside trunk release handle (right side front) and threaded it out between the hood and rubber seal beside the left headlight, this is a mechanical release and even if the battery is dead it will give you access to the battery compartment.

you can get a ctek battery maintainer at canadian tire, they were on sale for about $60.00 last year,

but any battery charger that can provide a floating charge and maintain setting will work, cdn tire sells several, i've even seen them at peavey mart for about $30.

[sb01box]

Battery Tender - Lighter socket.
I have lots of cell phone chargers so I took one, removed the guts and connected the battery tender terminals.
now I just plug into the lighter socket to maintain battery.
floating battery tender $30 at motorcycle shop,
old cell phone charger - $0.
1/2 hour to do the soldering.

[t2-bxtrs]

Gregash,
we're in the same boat... though my box is sitting on cardboard boxes underneath just to minimize moisture, and my garage though secure, is not heated. in storage since October, just once did i started it and took it out for a drive for about 20min,when the road was clear of snow/salt.. otherwise i just put it on trickle charge of (2amp) every two/three weeks, and keep the front hood latch slightly ajar, just in case batt. goes dead.
Overinflate my tires... and oh, a car cover keeps it's body in concours shape.
good luck and hopefully can take her out by April.

[mylamb]

I have never stored mine, but do keep it in a garage. I usually start it twice a week when the weather is bad & let it run for 15 minutes or so. I have never had a problem when doing this, but I'm wondering if this a bad thing to do? So many of you disconnect everything. I wonder if that's the way to go? I drive it during the winter as long as the roads are clear. In Chicago, the roads are usually only unusable 5-10 days out of the year, except of course, for THIS year...

[Lil bastard]

Don't start it if you want to do the best for the car.

Starting the car, to idle up to temp, or a short drive, does way more for your anxiety than it does for the car.

Also, pull the battery and put it on a tender! It will leach hydrogen gas.

Normally, this is vented by the vent tube, but since the car is stationary, the tube won't extract and dispel the gas. It poses a slight risk of expolsion/fire, but more likely will combine with moisture in the air and make a mild acid which can mar the paint and start corrosion in out-of-the-way places - several important electrical connections in the enclosed area surrounding the battery.

The DME will reset itself within the first few miles of driving in the spring, and a reset, once in a while isn't a bad thing at all.

[turbo23dog]

Have you written down your radio code and saved it in at least several different places?

[90red]

I don't think that an 03 has a radio code... it just "knows" that it is plugged into the correct car (they have to be paired if you replace the radio).

[GREGASH]

Thanks alot guys, i appreciate all the feed back, i think ill go to canadian tire this weekend and buy a trickle charger, hopefully i can get in the frunk, i would rather find the kind that plugs into the cig lighter,