997 Battery

[demarne]

Morning All
AA just came round to check something on my Dad's Volvo and why he was there asked him to check my battery. It is ok but is low and recon it is on its way out. I have heard that Bosch Silver are the better ones (fyi AA bloke told me the batteries in our cars are the same as ones they put in Vauxhall Corsas!!) question is if I put a Bosch one in next time will it make my Warranty null and void?
I dont have a power point in the garage so cant use a trickle charger...battery went flat on my 996 and OPC charged me £260 for putting the Porsche one in...
Advice as always appreciated..

 

[marlin]

If your car is under warranty you will have to fit a Porsche battery to comply with the warranty conditions. The AA chap is talking bal*ocks that a Corsa battery is the same fit and spec as the 997 so I would not take his word that your battery need replacing.

ps; if poss get some power into your garage, as the trickle charges will extend your battery life considerably.

 

[demarne]

ok thanks very much....
Just to clear something up AA guy said the power guage or voltage is the same as a Corsa not the actual size...starting up a 911 takes the most out of our batteries and he was suprised that the spec on the battery was not of better quality...
I heard that Porsche do a stronger battery too...must be extortianate!!

 

[garyw]

Yes, it would definitely put you out of extended warranty if you were to change to the Bosch battery - even though it is the same battery [&:]
I would need to check but I thought the Turbo battery was a slightly higher amperage, but may have mis-heard/understood on that bit..

I did read about the Maplins solar charger helping some people keep the battery topped up for slightly longer... might be worth a try if you have no power but possibly light..

garyw

 

[tscaptain]

ORIGINAL: demarne

I dont have a power point in the garage so cant use a trickle charger...battery went flat on my 996 and OPC charged me £260 for putting the Porsche one in...
Advice as always appreciated..

I use a solar charger which runs through a charge regulator and is mounted on the outside of the garage. Not the cheapest option but better than nothing if you don't have a mains supply thus......

 

[blueSL]

Couldn't agree more about keeping the battery topped up, especially if you don't drive the car every day. If you let a lead acid battery go flat, you get irreversible chemical changes from which it's difficult to recover. I like Alan's PV cell solution, worth running power to a garage anyway, if only to run a dehumidifier in the winter.

As for £260 to supply and fit a battery, Porsche do have this uncanny ability to charge beyond what is reasonable. I bought a replacement battery for £155 inc VAT in 2008 and fitted it myself, though from the "Are you sure you can do it?" reaction of the dealer, it was if I was planning to take the engine out. As it is, there are precious few DIY jobs you can do on cars these days...

 

[tscaptain]

I do have a CTEK as well and I give the battery a session with that every now and again - just means running an extension lead from the next door stable! The solar set up is one of these
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/icp-solar/12v-solar-charge-controller-10a.aspx

with one of these

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/icp-solar/se-500-solar-battery-charger.aspx

I got them cheaper than those prices though.

Hmm. dehumidfier eh? I wonder if SWMBO will miss it if I sneak it out of the bathroom?![]

 

[ellism]

Very topical this as I have just come back from a 6 day business trip in the US only to find, about an hour ago, that I needed my next door neighbour and his jump leads to get the car started. I imagine a new battery will be required (I'll get it looked at next week when I get my boot release switch replaced!) But in the meantime, do you know if I need to disconnect the battery when using a trickle charger and, if so, are there any issues when reconnecting, e.g. awkward codes to be entered or whatever?

Cheers

Ellis

 

[tscaptain]

If you get something like the CTEK 3600 there is no need to disconnect the battery. It will come with a cigarette lighter plug and the cable will go between the door and the frame and the door can still be closed and locked. I take it through just by the door mirror. As the cigarette lighter socket is permanently live the battery can be charged via it and no need to fiddle around under the bonnet.

 

[demarne]

Cheers guys...
while I have you turbo boys on the thread I have seen a gen1 Turbo I really like. Only thing is it has a tubi sports exhaust which is all well and good but OPC Colchester just told me that they wont warranty it. Tubi's website said that because of some EU Directive if parts are of similar or higher quality (imagine Tubi would be) that the warranty should not be an issue..
If any of you had this would be interested to hear your views and or expieriences...

 

[tscaptain]

Are they saying they just won't warranty the exhaust Ben or the whole car? If it's just the exhaust they won't cover I wouldn't worry but Alex L has a Gen 1 turbo with after market exhaust so he'll probably give you a better answer! Have you driven it yet?[8D]

 

[demarne]

OPC left me with distint impression the whole car is invalidated. Havent had a drive yet...my friend has a 996 Turbo S which I have driven loads and I hear the 997 is even better..Turbo has been my dream car for years!!!

 

[tscaptain]

I would ask them the question directly - they may have difficulty shifting it without any warranty whatsoever? How old is it? And yes, my dream car too!

 

[demarne]

Car is an 06 with 15k miles in Atlas Grey...lovely...it is not being sold by an OPC - it is a private sale...my other option is to bid them below on what it would cost to put a stock 997 Turbo exhaust on then sell the tubi one on ebay or pistonheads?...

 

[tscaptain]

I think I have spotted the one you are looking at on PH! (on the first page?) Colchester themselves have an 06 manual turbo with under 7k miles for a few grand more - good spec too.

 

[okellyt]

ORIGINAL: demarne

OPC left me with distint impression the whole car is invalidated. Havent had a drive yet...my friend has a 996 Turbo S which I have driven loads and I hear the 997 is even better..Turbo has been my dream car for years!!!

Yup,

The Porsche warranty can be deemed invalid if any one but another OPC works on the car. So if quick fit fit your tyres and then your engine blows up, technically its goodwill on their part to give you a new engine.

The other guys are also correct - if the replacement part is of similar or higher quality the warranty should stand. Question is who is going to take Porsche to court and win?the result would be a much less comprehensive warranty for everyone.

One answer is I believe 9ff plus others offer an equivalent warranty at a similar price - they'll want to check the car first and ask you serviced your car with them but otherwise will offer a warranty if its quality parts. otherwise three are more general warranties like Warranty Direct - less comprehensive but also less pricey.

See other threads for some of the things people have been refused a warranty on (non standard Ipod interface, protective films on bonnets etc), it a bit of a mine field. So if in doubt get it in writing from your OPC.