Flat battery cant get under bonnet

[Yvonne+puppy]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

The Porsche mechanics aren't going to tell you something to help you that does not involve you bringing the car in to them.

If you use the lead in the fuse box, I believe the car alarm will stop once you place the key in the ignition and turn the car on (not starting, just on). Otherwise just have a wrench/ratchet on hand and disconnect the negative lead your battery to shut the alarm up.

And buy a battery maintainer so this doesn't happen to you in the future.

Hi overdrive I live 8 miles to the nearest Porsche garage but how can I get it to them when I cant get to the battery to charge it up ?
The car alarm wont turn off when you put the key in the ignition and turn it on I tried that
and how can I disconnect the battery when I cant get to it ?
I have a battery maintainer but its not much use when I cant open the bonnet lol

[pjv]

Hi, my driver's handbook says to do as follows -
"Use the key to unlock the door, leave the key in the door lock;
Remove the fuse box cover;
Pull out the positive terminal (orange/red thing);
Use a jumper lead to connect this positive terminal to the positive terminal of a donor battery, and the second jumper lead to connect the donor battery negative terminal to the door catch (as you did);
The alarm will activate - switch it off by locking and unlocking the DOOR LOCK;
Then unlock the luggage lid with the switch;
Disconnect the negative cable first;
Push the positive terminal back in and cover the fuse box."

Note that I also had some problems doing this on my 2004 986, so keep trying. The buttons on the door sill did not seem to work, only the remote control would unlock the boot lid. I was able to open it with a fairly flat 12v motorcycle battery, so you don't have to have a full-size car battery as a donor. Also, make sure that the positive cable makes a good contact with the copper contact surface of the positive connector in the fuse box.

Hope that helps.

[schnellman]

I have a battery maintainer but its not much use when I cant open the bonnet lol[/QUOTE]


Three words, "Cigarette lighter adapter."

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by Yvonne+puppy

Hi overdrive I live 8 miles to the nearest Porsche garage but how can I get it to them when I cant get to the battery to charge it up ?
The car alarm wont turn off when you put the key in the ignition and turn it on I tried that
and how can I disconnect the battery when I cant get to it ?
I have a battery maintainer but its not much use when I cant open the bonnet lol

I think pjv's got you covered with his info above, but as far as going to the dealer, I'm not recommending that, just saying that they're not going to advise you on how you can help yourself, they're just going to tell you to bring it to them.

Once you connect the power source to that positive terminal in the fuse box you should get enough power to get the front trunk open, which would let you get to the battery and disconnect the negative, the alarm most likely blaring at you the whole time. If the switches aren't working though, then that's kind of an additional problem.

And I definitely recommend getting a cigarette lighter adapter for your battery maintainer, or getting one that is capable of doing so (Deltran's "Battery Tender, Jr." is great for this reason alone, in my opinion). This way you don't have to leave the hood open and prone to critters, and you can even close the door of the car and leave the maintainer hooked up (there's a small cutout in the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door jamb that will allow a power cord to come out without stopping the door from closing). Works great for me, especially since I can't garage my car.

[DenverSteve]

All good information. Most is straight from the owner's manual. I'll add keeping your AAA (or comparable) auto club membership current for times like these.