Battery replacement
 

Hi all,
I have a 2001 base and my battery is dead. I've jumped it a few times but I think it's a goner, (sticker says it's from 2010). My question is; what is the best battery to buy? I can't seem to find the same answer anywhere online and I'd hate to have the wrong battery shipped. Any help would be great, thanks!

Walmart. Not kidding. Excellent batteries. Perfect fit. I put one in my 2007 Cayman S.

I wouldn’t have considered Walmart batteries. I always like using OEM, but in this case the information I read online suggested it was the way to go.

Several good replacements, you want stock or something lighter? Lighter there is a Optima battery but you need a bracket from rennline as its a smaller size.

Second the Walmart batteries. They're made by Johnson Controls (pretty much the biggest player in the country), and since Walmart is everywhere it makes replacement a cinch.

I went with an Optima. I was concerned about the venting under the hood. I have a 99 Base.

I have good luck with Interstate batteries. They last a long time and stay charged when my LE sits during the winter w/o a tender. I'm in yr 6 with the battery in my LE. Just replaced the battery in my CSS.

I went with interstate. Interstate was there when I bought so I just continued

Thanks guys!

+1 for Walmart
 

Walmart battery fit perfect. When I changed the battery I plugged my small charger into the cigarette lighter to keep all my settings. I had an empty pill container that fit over the plus lead of the battery to keep it from shorting out while I changed the battery. Worked great, didn't even have to reset my radio stations.

I went with Porche Dealer battery; 6 year warranty--no prorate full replacement if it dies before 6 years.

Generally speaking, replace the battery every 4 or 5 years.

+1again on walmart batteries. I just had a dead battery on my beater. Walmart was out of stock so bought one from auto place. I had to wait for autoxxxx to check and charge before they would replace it while my transport was waiting for me outside 30 mins. Walmart is no questions asked and they are open 24 7... That makes it worth it!!

https://wm6.walmart.com/Battery-Finder.aspx

For the Boxster's. Plenty of CCA's

Which Optima? Couldn't find any for any engine, any year through 2004. Is it a special? I have 2 red tops in my GMC and would like to find one for my car. Good stuff.

Did you fix your IMS problem?

I have a bracket for a Odessy 625 thats $40.

Interstate, Die Hard, pretty much any top end battery that fits the amperage etc. I’m partial to Interstate.

The diy i found at rentec by geof said he used a Optima 34R. He has some fabrication info on diy mount plate or you can by one.

Correct, 34R is accurate re: CCA and post orientation.

Yes, an Optima requires tie down adapter plate... either pre-fab or custom made using HDPE cutting boards from Target (middle size IIRC), BBB, etc. and a couple screws, washers, and nylon lock nuts.

NO - Optima's are not worth their price premium. Haven't been since they cut down from 84months to 24 & 36 month warranties. Still a good AGM battery but not worth $50-$100+ premium for equal / less warranty than other brands...

Good luck :)

When mine died, I went with a Bosch replacement from PepBoys, mostly because of the replacement warranty. Since I don't drive my 986 very often, it sat for a month or two before trying to restart it, battery was dead. Took it back to PepBoys they gave me a new one. Now I disconnect it when I know it will be sitting for a while...

As a side note, I use Bosch in all my cars, except the truck, OEM on all of them.

Why not use a battery maintainer and keep it fresh?

Correct, a much better solution particularly w/ such easy access via always on cigarette lighter ports in the 9x6 and 9x7 platforms.

FWIW, newer Porsches automatically provide a lovely CEL / 'Visit Workshop' message whenever the battery is disconnected. Also FWIW, power ports go inactive after ~ 10 days or so on the newer cars UNLESS vehicle is locked. Yes, a bit counterintuitive to not wanting to be locked out theory if battery goes flat. But obviously countless German engineers studied this endlessly and found their solution much preferred ;)

Would be awesome if Porsche adopted a magnetic charge port a la Ferrari 488 or a Mac.

Good luck :)

I can (well, sort of) understand the logic behind this. From an engineering perspective, if the vehicle has been setting for a period of time, deactivating the ports would prevent an ancillary item from draining the battery; additionally any action (ie opening door) would then "reset" timer restoring power to the port...I suppose the thought process went like "well, you can't get to the port without opening the door...so why keep it active?" Keeping the port active when the vehicle is locked takes a bit more of a stretch to explain though...perhaps the thought was "if the vehicle is locked, the item is less likely to be stolen, so it can remain active". I'm sure there was a flow chart and multiple PowerPoints at a design meeting expaining all of the reasons.... :)

Replacement Battery Porsche v. Competition?
 

Dealer wants $500.00 to install new battery. Tells me if not the proper battery you'll get warning lights and check engine light coming on. Is this true?

Not True! 4 years so far with a Canadian Tire Eliminator- works like a charm.

Possibly true. Depends on what year you have.

battery maintainer Fun Fact
 

I've been using a Porsche battery maintainer on my 2004 Boxster since I got it 5 years ago.
I plug the car in Whenever it's in the garage.
The car Always starts right up with no hesitation, even away from home.
It's a generic lead-acid battery (forgot the name) dated 2009!
Maybe I'll get a new one this Spring, just for the heck of it.
Maybe not.

I replaced my battery a couple years ago.
These batteries will lull you into false security.
They work with no warning they are going bad, then out of no where, any time, even after a long drive , "Click Click Click Click...."
This is a common story I have heard from other forum members
Mine was a Walmart parking lot after a 2 hour drive and several years of faithful service.
Now maybe if I had been monitoring the voltage I would have seen it coming

kk2002-

You're right.
I was being somewhat facetious about not wanting to replace my battery.
I'm ASTOUNDED that it has lasted so long after it's '09 manufacture date!
Typically, I'll need to replace them after 4 years maximum.
This is the first car that I've used a battery maintainer on and
the results are clearly amazing.
What is your favorite/most reliable voltage check procedure?
Battery disconnected? Car running? etc.

A friend is the recycling engineer for Deka Battery, which manufactures lead acid batteries for many re-labelers. I'll donate the battery to him for research when I buy a new one this Spring!

Attachment 21713

eBay. <$8 Lots of choices.

Nice, can you tell us how you wired it?

I've only replaced the battery in my 2003 S once, since buying it new and went with an Interstate. I always keep it on a CTEK maintainer when it's parked in my garage. Since my car's been sitting in the shop since July waiting for my engine to be rebuilt, I expect it may be time for a new battery when the engine is back together.