Are all Boxsters especially hard on Batteries ?

[gmboxster]

If I dont drive my boxster once a week the battery always runs down and the car won't start unless I charge the battery. I've never had this problem with any other car. Is this a problem specific to boxsters ? Has anyone else experienced this issue ?

[stelan]

My 99 can go for weeks with no use and it will always start, perhaps your car has more equpment on, I never lock it or turn alarm on as it sleeps inside

[PaulE]

What kind of battery do you have and how old is it? My 03 S has an Interstate battery in it that is pretty old and still going strong. I bought this car new in September 2003 and this is just the second battery in the car, the first one I purchased after the one that came in the car when it was new. I keep my car on a CTEK battery maintainer whenever it is in the garage. When I am on an overnight trip for several days or the car is in the shop for more than a few days there is never a problem with the battery. If you have access to a power outlet, get a battery maintainer.

[Pdwight]

you have this or a bad battery. I bought my battery at Walmart almost 3 years ago, I have left mine for 6 weeks and it still starts right up. Take your car to an Advance Auto or Auto zone and have them do a load test on your battery...this will let you know right away if it is the battery...these are usually free and only takes a few minutes

[Luv2Box]

My '99 sits for weeks without a charger and all security on and starts right up. I also use an Interstate battery and will stay with them as the first one lasted over five years under the same conditions and only died because I had a faulty light switch that left the running lights on one day. You might check your light switch as they can be dodgy.

[fahmasan]

Went through four batteries before I read on here about the horn ring rubber grommets going bad and causing a direct continuous contact drain. If you replace the horn relay and the horn blows on contact then it is the ring. Very simple to replace with Wayne,s excellent book, and the part from Pelican was about 90 bucks. No more problems with the battery and my 97 has sat for over a week and started right up. Hope this helps.

[Retroman1969]

My weekender with a 2 year old battery will crank slowly if left for more than a week, but my daily has a 4 year old battery, starts 20+ times a day and is going strong.
By contrast, my jeep can sit for months on end and start right up like it was parked yesterday. So I'd say there are just more things on the Boxster to potentially drain the battery while it sits.

[jdraupp]

I had issues with leaving it unlocked. I lock mine in the garage and have no issue now. Two to three weeks will have it turn slower but still starts.

[schnellman]

The Interstate in my '98 is over seven years old and and works perfectly every time. If she's going to be sitting for more than a week, I use a CTEK battery tender through the cigarette lighter.

[jcslocum]

You can check for draw with a basic volt meter. clean the terminals and ground points. With electrickery, cleanliness is most important. There are many videos on you tube on this and is a really easy trouble shooting thing you can do at home.

The alarm should not use any juice after 1 week. It kinda goes to sleep and the remote won't work to open the doors.

[boxxster]

Interesting. So you guys are saying to leave it locked if I want to leave the car sitting for a period of time? It's funny because before I had a charger I left my mini unlocked for 4-5 months and it started right up in the spring. With the boxster though, I also leave it unlocked and it lasts maybe several weeks at best.

[78F350]

I've never had a problem with the '99s. The '01 had a couple times where I didn't drive it for a little over two weeks and the battery was too low to start, but still good enough to open the frunk. I went to have the one year old battery replaced under warranty, but it tested good.
I think that the changes made to the '01-'04 make them draw more power when parked.

[rick3000]

My last battery went 7+ years. I have never had any battery related startup issues, even if the car has been sitting for a few weeks. I always leave it locked.

[BIGJake111]

I've never had a battery problem but also at the most I'll go 7 days without a drive.

[DrCactus]

My 01 Box S is very hard on batteries... I have to replace mine on average 4-5 years before it becomes completely dead. Just 2 weeks ago I was getting my E-test done and it died on the spot. I had to go get a new battery and I was back in business. After checking my paperwork it was about 4.5 years ago that I bought the last battery.

[Rob175]

Simple.....I have mine on a Battery Tender all the time. I ran the wires from battery to the driver's side hood hinge and loosely secured it with a black cable tie (eliminates the need to lift the hood to connect and disconnect the Battery Tender connection)........same Interstate battery for 7+ years.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Pdwight

you have this (parasitic drain) or a bad battery.

+1 ^^^ Your battery should easily last a month without driving.

The alarm, clock, etc only uses a teeny bit of electricity and the battery should have more than enough capacity to sustain that draw for several weeks.