Constant flat battery

[sniper]

If I leave the car for more than 4 days (996 turbo) the battery is continuely flat. Had to jump start it now twice. The AA bloke calculated a 1.5A drain when the alarm is on - he thought it was a huge drain.

Now have ordered a battery conditioner to keep the charge up.

Anyone else had similar problems? Is it just the alarm or could it be something else?

PS had a new battery fitted 6 months ago.

Sniper

 

[PGAdamopoulos]

Hey Sniper
I think this is quite common, due to the battery age, irregular car usage and heavy switch-on demand on the battery.
3 years is usually the maximum such a battery would last.
Conditioners usually prolong the battery life... I use one...
Cheers
[]

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Sorry, I just noticed that you have a new battery...
I would check if the battery is charging and holds the charge under load...

 

[garyw]

Whilst my battery was only ever two years old, i'm always surprised to read this type of fault, one of the things to never have failed on my 996TT was the battery, I had left it for two weeks at a time and it always turned over quite happily...
Alarm and tracker fitted... however it does seem to be a more common fault with even Porsche using the excuse of why we now have to have their own tracking device fitted...[]

garyw

 

[996_STEVO]

It's worth also checking if any compartment lights are on, my light under the engine all of a sudden stayed on and drained the battery pretty quickly!

 

[Guest]

The power drain in the Turbo is quite high hence the heavy duty battery compared with the Carrera. I believe the car is programmed to go into a power save mode after 4-5 days without use (you know this is working because the car will not open on the key fob, you have to use the key in the door, twist it right then left, which then activates the remote opening again. It's worth checking your car does 'power down' otherwise the battery will drain quickly. That said, an Optimate or equivalent is a good idea in any car if you don't use the car daily, as it will keep the battery in tip top condition and prolong life. I use them on my bikes and after standing through the worst of winter they always start on the button. Finally if you are PCGB, you local OPC may run a free check up day (e.g Colchester OPC on Sat 3 March) so you could get your battery checked then. Hope you solve the mystery. Good luck.