[ds968]

Wait just a doggone second. Do mean that a man of your stature, age, wisdom and experience can not get a battery changed at a dealership? We all realize that you folks on the west coast are different than all of the rest of us, superior even at least in your own minds, but you can't make this happen verbally or even by subtle convincing. $$$$$. Oh my this is terrible.

Sad but true ..unlike youse yutz and your mooks back east, who can grease the palm of somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody..and get things done, as easy as badabing, badaboom, those of us in " Silly Con " valley , much to our dismay and regardless of stature, age and wisdom, don't even appear on a lower corner of the radar screen of uppity exotic car dealers . Sigh ..If you have a Porsche however, ( EXLUDING 968s since no one seems to know what they are ..) you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a dozen mechanics shops within a block of where you live who are more than willing to work on your Porsh and lighten your wallet .

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[az968]

Rock, meet hard place. Hope the battery tests good.

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[Bulti]

I would just have the battery tested. Why replace it when still good?


It seems there are jumper cables on sale with spike protectors build into them. Welders also use protectors to keep the electronics safe. Maybe somebody here can give more details.


In any case, using normal jumper cables are like playing Russian roulette with the car. Nothing could happen, but IF it happens...

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[ds968]

Probably right, no need to replace it just because it's nearing the end of its 4 years ( according to the Mas forum ) "usual life span".     

I'm just being overly cautious because of the abundance of electronics and functional dependencies on the battery, to which I'm not accustomed,  and because the car sat for a year and the battery was dead as a doorknob before it was CPR's back to life only a couple of months ago ..with a trickle charger.  Guessing that's also something not all that positive ( no pun intended ) to battery life.            

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[MCL968]

Well there's your answer, if they used the trickle charger to bring the battery back then obviously the trickle charger added to the battery will not produce too many amps.

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[Rap]

Why don't you just pay Flash to come back, take care of this and be done with it?

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[ds968]

Or I can just wait until he comes back on his own ...thinking of putting together a forums pool on how long it takes before his patience with the new lifestyle wears out , lol. Not that there's anything wrong with Ireland mind you , but we're talking about flash who needs to drive his PDK Porsche to the Home Depot or Autozone across the street ( still open at 9 pm on a Sunday ) because he needs this or that right way . Lucky there's Guinness and whiskey to carry him through the challenges of getting acclimated to a whole set of different expectations . Three years ? What sayeth you ?

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[Rap]

2.5

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[az968]

Off topic, but with the new "extreme vetting" immigration laws he probably wouldn't be let in :-)

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[ds968]

Not off topic, we're pitting flash's durability against my battery durability ; some very scientific testing on battery life going on here :-) :-)

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[Rap]

I think you have to wait five years before you can become an Irish citizen. Can you imagine all the good solid practice one could get in?

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[MCL968]

While we have never met, from the work he has produced and the posts I have read, flash seems to be someone not inclined to flighty decisions. I will say, based on other ex pats I have known, he will start to miss the US in about 3 years, and depending on the politics and economics of 2020, may return in 2022. If they can make 5 years, they will probably stay full or part time.


Either way, you are changing the battery yourself.

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[ds968]

Right you are.  

Just spoke to the previous owner re the battery's history during the last 12-13 months when the car sat in the garage 90% of the time, and the battery died several times between the very infrequent and brief drives when he did manage to take the car out for a half an hour spin.   He recharged the "dead" battery before each of those drives with the trickle charger connected just overnight ( no idea why he would not just keep the thing on at all times, they all have overcharge protection ) but anyway, that was apparently sufficient to start the car every time. To me ( a lay person not at all familiar with these things ) that means the battery is probably still fairly strong and can hold a charge decently, otherwise it would have needed a 700-900 amp jumper unit or another car battery to get that huge engine cranking .. correct theory, or off base  ?

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[tejon007]

My theory is that the batteries we use are not deep discharge batteries (unlike RV batteries).  So, they don't hold up to being completely drained (even new batteries), sulfite-up and don't come back to life or at least kill longevity/life span - - it's a chemical thing...

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[Rap]

I have a truck that has gone through 3 batteries since I purchased it 3-4 years ago. It just won't last in the cold. Even in a heated garage it struggles. Yes I've looked for drains and can't find any. So in the winter it's on a constant tender inside the garage of course. The rest of the year I pretty much keep it on unless I move it and forget to put it back on.

I wonder how the cabs are in lreland. Think Flash can drive whatever he currently is driving or whatever he soon switches to with 2 sets of golf clubs in the back and 2 cases of wine? I've never understood why he needed to drive around with 2 cases of wine unless he is such a party animal and needs to be prepared wherever he goes. Wonder if that effects his game?

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[ds968]

so cold weather is more damaging to batteries' longevity than hot weather is ?    or are they both equally detrimental ?  

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[az968]

I know in Phoenix that 3 yrs is about it on any battery.  Probably equally bad as cold.  Maybe if Rap didn't leave the TV plugged into the 12V power source and running all the time his would last longer.  A truck cab really isn't the best man cave :-)


Me, I just use my mother's basement.

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[Rap]

FTL Failure to launch

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[ds968]

So there is a whole other thread ( " slow cranking " or something like that ) with a bunch of posts and quite a few differing opinions on what may be a battery's ideal and a not so great voltage reading , but to stay on this thread since I recently brought up the battery life dilemma here's the latest : my voltmeter showed a 12.4 V reading first thing in the morning when the battery was completely " cold " . The meter does not read amps unfortunately, so no idea what the CCA might have been . In any event, I called the dealer ( shocking that I was able to speak to someone instead of just leaving a message ) AND after that I also called the local Interstate batteries store , to ask their opinions . Keep in mind these folks are in the business to sell you a new battery so if anything they'd be somewhat biased in that respect . Both said this : even a brand new , fully charged battery , and when stone cold ( car has not been driven for the last 8-10 hours ) should read NO MORE than 12.6 and NO LESS than 12.2 . Actually if it's more than 12.6 ( that's the absolute max ) they said it means it's " overcharged " and it could be defective, that's a risk - explosion I presume ?! Conversely, if it's less than 12.2 it's barely making it, but once it gets to 12.1 or below its not retaining sufficient charge anymore and should be replaced soon. After you start the car and it's running , the voltage should and may be anywhere between 13 and 14 but not above or below. Strangely enough a 2013 , $ 150 K car does not have a voltage gauge on the instrument panel, but a 25 year old 968 does, lol. So anyway, I'm going to take their word for it and leave the battery alone for now , even though it's 4 years old, has been sitting for over a year and had to be recharged a few times in that time . For the last six weeks since I've been driving it daily it cranks that big-ass Ferrari engine immediately at the turn of the key , so that combined with what I'm told is a solid voltage cold reading I'll take my chances . If it dies, it dies and I'll replace it then .

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[Rap]

After all this no new battery? Your car deserves a new battery! Did you buy a tender?

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