Ok, so lets start by saying it has been extra cold here in Seattle lately, and I haven't been driving the car much at all the past few months... but I swear I got it out for a few runs here and there, the last time was probably about 3 weeks ago.

So anyhow, I go to take the car the work the other morning and nothing... battery dead. Ok, great, I end up getting my key stuck in the ignition because... well, I don't know what I was thinking... I guess I thought the magical car lord would somehow shine down on me and start my car even though it had no juice.

So I do the whole fuse plug thing with a battery pack and get my hood popped so I can at least get to the battery.

I then try to jump the car but as I'm "cranking it over" the windows are going down, the head lights are flashing, windshield wipers start going, interior lights all go on, etc and the PASM is saying failure...

Huh.. ok, that's weird. I try that about three times. No dice, car is not going to start. So, I have enough juice to roll up the windows, etc. I close the hood without latching it and figure I'll come back later with a trickle charger and give it another go.

Come back tonight, aprox 24hrs later and hook up the trickle charger. Nothing... can't get any juice going and it won't charge. I then take the jump battery and just see if I can attach that and get some juice into the car... nothing. I even tried the fuse trick like the first time to see if I could open the front hood (if I had to) and still nothing.

The car is completely dead. Now, I understand batteries can go south, but on a 2009? It's not like it was sitting for a year or anything, I did just drive it not too long ago.

I'm going to pull the battery and buy a new one, but is there any chance something more is wrong here???? I haven't closed my hood since this whole thing started for fear I wouldn't be able to get back in there. I'm happy about that.

Oh, any battery suggestions? Something lightweight and more heavy duty? (is there such a thing)?

 

Batteries in P's just seem to be a problem. Every one ive owned has been much the same thing. My PT's battery didn't last long either. If you go away a lot for a week or two here and there and the car sits about it kills the battery. Once a cell goes weak thats it. When mine went the symptoms were much the same. Roadside assist had big trouble starting it with a jumper pak and ended up having to use a full sized new battery to get her going again. Took it into P and they checked the alternator and all that. Fitted new battery and reset system. Apparently once the battery gets disconnected the system needs resetting by P.....thats what they said anyway. Apparently these kinds of outages all show up on the ecu memory as well. Makes me worry now when i re flash to not to do any disconnects as they will see that. I got me a P trickle charger now.....goes in lighter socket.

 

I always use the P trickle charger in the lighter, seems the cars always have a draw with all the electronics. +1 on speed 21 without the charger infrequent use with a weak cell in
the battery is trouble.

 

Batteries are a known problem with P-cars - same with BMW (and probably others). Do you have anything hooked up like a radar detector that might be drawing power? If I know I won't be driving for 5 days or so, I use the battery tender. Wal-Mart MAXX 94R is an exact fit replacement - inexpensive and better warranty than Porsche. Interstate also has an exact replacement (can't remember the model number) but since all these batteries have the same manufacturer, Wal-Mart was an easy choice for me - $77 v. $200+ for the P-car dealer.

 

Thanks for all the replies... I was just scared that I fried something because there is literally no juice going thru the car. I wouldn't even be able to get the hood to release if I had to.

I did have my V1 plugged in, and you know what, it was not in the "off" position like I usually have it... however it turns off when the car is off, but normally I turn it to off anyhow. Maybe that was the problem? Regardless this battery is toast.

I searched other older posts and it seems people are doing fine with other types of batteries. I might just swing by Sears and see what I can find.

 

My battery died in my 08' two weeks ago. I swapped it for a lighter/smaller Interstate battery with twice the cranking AMP for about 120 bucks.

 

THATS HOW MINE DIED! 3 weeks on with the V1 slowly killing my battery! always keep it off at night. mine is connected to a power source that is always on..

 

Its an absolute must to use a battery tender (trickle charger) if you don't use the car at least once a week. There is a constant draw on these cars and when your battery drops below 12.4 volts it can get damaged over time. I use a simple volt meter to check the batterys status occasionally. Some trickle chargers have a setting for reconditioning your battery if its starting to fail (like CTEK). At this point I would bring it up with your dealer cause its not unheard of to get a replacement battery covered under warranty. If you want to replace yourself I would go with Wal marts 94R (for a perfect fit without mods) OR go for the best known quality manufacturers like Odessy or Optima yellow top and buy the proper bracket so it fits. Prior to Feb 2010 Optimas had issues with premature failures but the newer ones are much better and come with a 3 year warranty. To open the trunk go to page 251 of your owners manual (mine is a 2007 so yours might be different) and follow the instructions. You will need a donor battery. If you do this yourself you won't have to tow the car to your dealer but if you want Porsche to replace it under warranty you might not have a choice. If your close to a Wal Mart I would just purchase the 94R for $80 and be done with it. Good luck.

 

Its a good idea to lock the car in your garage also if you dont plan to drive it for a while. Locking it will shut down more modules over time then leaving it unlocked.

 

Yeah, I just sold the house, so I'm currently in transition. The car is in a secure underground parking garage for my complex, so it stays locked... but it also keeps me from being able to plug it into a trickle charger. Guess I'll just have to drive it more often!

Bought a new battery today, going to slap it in tonight. Interstate. I'll only post if there's any problems, I'm assuming this will take care of it.

Watch out for those V1's! lol

Update: Yup, everything is super great again. Go interstate!