Tried to jump start my my dead battery (from storage) using a Powerpack. Only got a clicking sound when I tried to start the car. The negative terminal, which I had connected to the trunk latch was smoking. The powerpack doesn't require connection to another battery.

My objective is just to get the car to the Dealer to have the battery replaced. Should I have it towed or do you think jump starting it with a service or other vehicle battery is o.k.?

 

Can you not just pick up the battery from the dealer and put it in yourself?

Most modern cars require some charge to keep the engine electronics running so you could ended up stranded between home and dealer. You may also run a risk of damage to charging system if the battery is shorted out. YMMV

Good luck

 

Don't know what your car is but most Porsches should not be towed. If you don't want to do it have a tech come out and drop one in.

 

I have an '08 C4S. I would need to borrow/buy tools to swap out the battery myself, and don't know the wrench sizes/type recommended to do this. I assume that the battery is also bolted down and don't want to damage the connections using the wrong tool.

 

As you already know, you would have to have it on a flat bed; but you are still under warranty which includes having Porsche send someone out to fix it. I went through almost exactly the same bs a couple of years ago; it took a long day and several calls but they finally got it right. If you are not driving it too often a $50 Porsche trickle charger works really well (or a similar one from Wally World for $20).

 

it's really easy to replace the battery. No special tools needed. I just picked up a battery from Autozone and took about 2 minutes to swap it out. There is a plate that holds the battery in place. Pretty easy to get to it. I used a set of cheap emergency tool kit.

 

Thanks Tejoe. I should have mentioned that I don't have an electrical outlet nearby in my garage, or I would have maintained the battery over the winter. I'll try and see if the dealer will come out to fix it, but we may have different coverage in Canada than you do in the U.S.

 

I've jumped my battery directly from an idling car along side. Connect the jumper cables directly to the battery (not some chassis point). Make sure they are tight on the terminals. It should start right up. Of course if your battery is shorted or has dead cells it might not be able to hold the charge and/or suck the charging battery down.

Good luck!

 

Similar experience with my battery - just clicking. Most likely your battery already has a leak so just replace it.

 

10mm wrench, 13mm wrench, and 2 minutes of your time and the battery can be swapped. A group 48 battery from any autoparts store will work just fine.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted a reply, for your advice. To be on the safe side, in case there are other problems with the car, I have decided to use Porsche Roadside Assistance to take the car to the dealer. I believe this is covered under my warranty, but unfortunately I understand that the battery is not!

 

PCNA will likely send a flat deck truck.

Your Porsche dealer will set your car up as good as new.

 

The end of the story...I called PCNA's Porsche Roadside Assistance at 5:45 a.m. I was told 2 trucks were going to be sent out; one to get my car out of the underground garage, and a flatbed to take it to the dealer. I was impressed - at this point.

The 1st truck arrived at 7:00 a.m., but he didn't know anything about a 2nd truck coming (same company). I was also told by PCNA that the towing company was the only Porsche 'certified' towing company in my area. However, the truck driver they sent me seemed to know little about Porsches and was planning on using dolly wheels to tow the car out of the garage but wondered out loud about clearance under my car. Not knowing myself if this would damage the car, I asked him to boost the battery instead. He had a double battery in his truck, and after a 5 minute wait connected to my car I was able to start it.

... After driving out of the garage, I asked the driver to call his dispatch about the other truck. they said it would arrive within 45 min. (8:00 a.m.) He left and I sat in my car with the engine running until 8:30 a.m. ... still no sign of the truck. At that point, I decided to drive it up to the dealer myself, with my wife in another car rather than going through the whole scenario again and wasting more time. When I got home I had a message from Porsche Roadside Assistance at 9:00 a.m. that the truck had come and that I wasn't there and he left.

I think if most of us ran our businesses like this we wouldn't be driving Porsches! I can understand Porsche outsourcing this type of service, but surely they can make it attractive for a partner to provide the o/s service one would expect as part of owning a Porsche?

 

That blows. I would have done the exact same thing. We spend a lot of money on these cars so when they quote times they should make sure the assistance is there at a reasonable time. Glad you got it sorted out.

 

I notice that you are in Canada, what city are you in?

I would also call PCNA and complain about the way there sub contractor handled things. The only way to improve the service is to complain about it.