My 2006 CTTS with only 16k is at the dealer and they said I need a new battery--$450. I've read on other forums that I should not get another OEM, but I'm concerned with how big of a pain it is to replace it with an aftermarket battery. Any help? How long would it take and what tools are required? I need to give them the green light or the red light soon, so quick responses are appreciated.

 

I shopped around for a replacement battery for my S and it was only $70. I'm not sure how handy you are with tools but it is definitely an easy DIY. One battery under the driver's seat and one in the trunk under the spare tire / subwoofer. Good luck!

 

The OEM battery is not maintenance free - that's probably why you've heard other forum members steer you away from another OEM battery... compound that with the fact that the dealer charges an arm and a leg for maintaining/replacing that battery, I would just go aftermarket.

 

Factory Cayenne batteries are a lot more reliable than factory sports car batteries.

 

i'd rather buy an aftermarket battery and replace it 5 times more, assuming that original battery is as reliable as 2 aftermarket batteries, you're better off with aftermarket corner solution, microeconomics

 

Fairly handy, but I don't have a ton of tools. How long does it take and is there much of a chance of screwing anything up cosmetically? Thanks for the help.

 

To give you an idea, here's a step by step for Touareg:

http://web.me.com/airtahoe/Touareg/Battery.html

I cannot find the link but I do recall the Cayenne seats are different and you maybe able to change the battery by tilting the seat only. But you will definitely need triple square bits in order to loosen the seat.

As far as the second battery, not all Cayennes have them. My 06 S does not have it. Some say older Cayennes have them, some say the ones with air suspension has them. qooldude, does your Cayenne has air suspension?

 

^^^^^^^^^
There are some great write ups on there,
Thanks for posting the link!

 

Try to avoid dead short

 

Thanks for all the help.

Two questions:
a. how do I avoid a dead short?
b. what aftermarket battery should I buy (so far I've been quoted from $90 at Checkers to $190 at Interstate Batteries)?

 

Huh? I just bought a replacement OEM battery from my local Porsche dealer and it was under $200. I did check my local Sears (Interstate dealer) for a replacement model and there was none listed in their system for a Cayenne. I will say the OEM battery is pretty big and the enclosure under the seat is designed for its shape so not sure how easy it is to just throw an aftermarket one in. You do only have to tilt the seat back for battery replacement though...

David

 

Ya.. only battery I could find was at the dealer as well..

 

Headed out to buy a battery and 10mm Triple Square bit at 10AM yesterday and was done by noon. I didn't rush it, since I didn't want to screw anything up, and it took about 1 hr. Thanks for all the help.

 

So which battery you ended up getting? & cost?

 

Your instructions worked wonders.

Die Hard - $120
Triple Square Bits (4 pack) - $10

$130 + 1hr + better battery vs $450 ?????

Although I think my time is worth quite a bit, I enjoy little projects like this. The fact that I saved myself a few hundred $$ makes it better. My neighbor rolled over and wondered why my M6 was hooked up to my CTTS. He laughed at me when I told him what I was doing. NOTE: He's the guy that pays MB $500 (or whatever it costs) to replace a headlight in his G55. There's nothing wrong with that, just rather do the simple things myself.