New Battery?

[Graham W]

I THINK I'm going to need a new battery soon as it was very slow starting this morning.  I don't need to worry about a Porsche Warranty problem and so (a) what would you recommend? and (b) any tips for installing one i.e. is it simply a matter of just removing the old one and then slotting in the new one or is it more complicated than that?

[Forest]

30 minutes ago, Graham W said:

I THINK I'm going to need a new battery soon as it was very slow starting this morning.  I don't need to worry about a Porsche Warranty problem and so (a) what would you recommend? and (b) any tips for installing one i.e. is it simply a matter of just removing the old one and then slotting in the new one or is it more complicated than that?

Does it get regular charging through daily use or is left for periods of inactivity? Have you tried putting a trickle charger on it to condition it?

only recently joined the porker family, so can't answer about replacement yet, sorry

[Jon61]

I don't have direct experience of this on a 981, but according to a Porsche document '981 Boxster Technik Service Guide' (and there is also an easily-overlooked reference in the owner's manual too), a new battery has to be coded to the car:

"In the event of battery replacement, it is necessary to supply the gateway with information (example details given in brackets) regarding
• battery size (70),
• technology (AGM),
• scanner code (205BA24BD…)
• and part number (999.611.070)
using the PIWIS Tester II under the path Maintenance/Repair/Battery replacement. This resets the maps used to calculate the battery condition."

See the last comment in my post here, which also details where to find the technical guide mentioned above:

 

[T24RES]

I notice that the agm batteries are a tasty price ?

[The Caped Crusader]

Costco do the Bosch S4 range. The Boxster comes with two different capacities of batteries. Cars with Bose require the larger capacity vs non Bose...at least,  that's what I think the reason for the two capacities is.  

I fitted a new one from Costco recently. 

It was easy to fit,  insert key,  turn to ign on. Remove the minus terminal first,  then the positive. Remove battery. Clean battery tray etc. Spray with some 3 in 1 oil,  fit new battery and do a reverse of the above. 

[T24RES]

I've read that the 981 requires the 115 AGM battery due to stop/start tech

[jollop]

1 hour ago, T24RES said:

I notice that the agm batteries are a tasty price ?

Yes, had one recently on my Merc - £240!!

[JohnSyn]

Don't they do a Lithium-ion battery? Although I suspect they are an eye watering  price!

[T24RES]

Best price for an AGM while i was fishing with discount codes was circa 140

[Menoporsche]

Stop-start batteries seem to be double the price (and size) of the old style.

[Graham W]

Hi Everyone,  Thanks for the comments to date and I'm guessing from the lack of real life experience (thanks Jon61 for your informative and possibly worrying notes) that not many, if anyone, has done this yet.  My car was registered in July 2012 and so probably one of the first candidates for this treatment?  Shopping around the net it seems that Bosch batteries seem to get good press and so I'll probably go this route.  "Coding" the new battery will probably be my biggest problem.  How do I get hold of a PIWIS Tester II to do this or am I at the mercy of a OPC?

[Menoporsche]

There's a thread somewhere with Durametric /PIWIS owners who are willing to lend them...

[Patt]

My Durametric only goes up to 987.

you may want to give Roly @ eposch a call (in Bisley) or call Northway and see if they have the kit (Just off the A4 outside Aldermaston)

[edc]

Roly @ Eporsch does have a PIWIS.

[Jon61]

1 hour ago, Graham W said:

Hi Everyone,  Thanks for the comments to date and I'm guessing from the lack of real life experience (thanks Jon61 for your informative and possibly worrying notes) that not many, if anyone, has done this yet.  My car was registered in July 2012 and so probably one of the first candidates for this treatment?  Shopping around the net it seems that Bosch batteries seem to get good press and so I'll probably go this route.  "Coding" the new battery will probably be my biggest problem.  How do I get hold of a PIWIS Tester II to do this or am I at the mercy of a OPC?

You're welcome 

It wasn't clear to me whether the coding was only necessary if you changed the spec of the battery, or whether it was necessary anyway so that the electronics recognised that it should behave like a new rather than old battery. The former would seem to make more sense to me, but I'd be interested in the real answer of you find it.

As for 'worrying', I found out from that document that I had to change the way I'd hard-wired my CTEK charger as I could have destroyed the battery sensor 

[jollop]

4 hours ago, Graham W said:

Hi Everyone,  Thanks for the comments to date and I'm guessing from the lack of real life experience (thanks Jon61 for your informative and possibly worrying notes) that not many, if anyone, has done this yet.  My car was registered in July 2012 and so probably one of the first candidates for this treatment?  Shopping around the net it seems that Bosch batteries seem to get good press and so I'll probably go this route.  "Coding" the new battery will probably be my biggest problem.  How do I get hold of a PIWIS Tester II to do this or am I at the mercy of a OPC?

I think I'd just fit the new battery, making sure it's the same capacity.  I did this on my Merc and it has had no undesirable effects.  I guess if you ask the OPC to code your battery they will probably only do this for a Porsche battery.

[T24RES]

If durametric will code it, I have one.

[Patt]

I am struggling to thing what possible coding is required for a battery.

Yes you'll need to re-programme your stereo and maybe type a code in that first - ohh and remind the windows where the top and bottom is (not sure if this is still valid for 981)

[cj225]

2 minutes ago, Patt said:

I am struggling to thing what possible coding is required for a battery.

Yes you'll need to re-programme your stereo and maybe type a code in that first - ohh and remind the windows where the top and bottom is (not sure if this is still valid for 981)

CAN BUS network on those.

 

Won't need radio codes but new battery may need adapting (programming/coding if you will) 

[jollop]

5 minutes ago, Patt said:

I am struggling to thing what possible coding is required for a battery.

Yes you'll need to re-programme your stereo and maybe type a code in that first - ohh and remind the windows where the top and bottom is (not sure if this is still valid for 981)

Most modern stuff has electronics in the battery wire to count charge in and out of the battery so the car knows the state of charge and can decide whether, or not, to run stop start, heated seats etc etc.  Normally the counter is reset when the battery is changed - via the coding tool.  If you change the capacity of the battery from say, a 70Ah to a 90Ah and don't code it the system will only ever count up to 70Ah.  If you just replace the battery with one of the same capacity it will eventually, in most cases, sort itself out as it will count up to 70Ah and then stop counting while the battery will continue to trickle charge up to 70Ah.

This is why you have to connect your car charger up stream of these electronics, if you don't you will fully charge the battery without the car electronics knowing disabling stop start etc.

Hope that makes sense - tried to keep it simple!

[Patt]

makes total logical sense, thank you ! - bring back the old days of carbs and points  :-D

[jollop]

Just now, Patt said:

makes total logical sense, thank you ! - bring back the old days of carbs and points  :-D

Yes, currently trying to help my FIL with his old W126 (1988) Mercedes - although it's proving troublesome.  No carbs and points just very early fuel injection and electronic ignition - probably a faulty sensor though!

[Araf]

7 hours ago, Patt said:

makes total logical sense, thank you ! - bring back the old days of carbs and points  :-D

No!  I thought that, until I bought an old Lightweight Landy.  One of the first jobs I did was to buy an electronic distributor to replace the points and condenser.

[IanM]

On 06/12/2016 at 3:16 PM, jollop said:

Most modern stuff has electronics in the battery wire to count charge in and out of the battery so the car knows the state of charge and can decide whether, or not, to run stop start, heated seats etc etc.  Normally the counter is reset when the battery is changed - via the coding tool.  If you change the capacity of the battery from say, a 70Ah to a 90Ah and don't code it the system will only ever count up to 70Ah.  If you just replace the battery with one of the same capacity it will eventually, in most cases, sort itself out as it will count up to 70Ah and then stop counting while the battery will continue to trickle charge up to 70Ah.

This is why you have to connect your car charger up stream of these electronics, if you don't you will fully charge the battery without the car electronics knowing disabling stop start etc.

Hope that makes sense - tried to keep it simple!

Where do you mean "upstream" is it not a case of hardwiring to the battery terminals and plugging your Ctek into the lead?

[jollop]

31 minutes ago, IanM said:

Where do you mean "upstream" is it not a case of hardwiring to the battery terminals and plugging your Ctek into the lead?

By upstream I mean on the car side of the counter, not the battery side.  The electronics are normally in the battery negative lead, just beside the battery negative clamp. If you connect directly to the battery terminals and your car has one of these systems then the charge won't be counted.  Best to connect the charger negative lead to a nearby metal point on the car body.