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Quick Warranty question - 997 Battery

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Peter Comiskey

New member
Shocked today to find my Dec2005 997 Porsche battery needs to be replaced ... and is a service replaceable item so is not covered under warranty...

The helpful chap at my OPC says he'll fit a new one for free ... but I'm not happy.

Have others been through this recently? How old was your car at the time?
Am I being to critical expecting my battery to last more than 5years? ...

Thanks for your input.
/Peter
 
ORIGINAL: Peter Comiskey
The helpful chap at my OPC says he'll fit a new one for free ... but I'm not happy.
Click to expand...
I'd be chuffed to bits! The Moll Porsche battery is pants and to get five years out of it is an achievement. But with the Porsche warranty you're stuck with it - even though the warranty itself doesn't cover it.
 
I think you are lucky to get 5 years out of a battery, they will fit a new one for free and your not happy !!??.
Mine was changed at 3.5 years, not because it had failed but it felt sluggish off the key and I didn't want it to let me down whilst miles from home.
They did change it for free as long as I purchased a trickle charger from them.

Steve
 
I got over 6.5 years out of mine then sold the car so maybe I was V lucky. However I did top it up once a year and during winter trickle charged it continually. I assume you drove to the service so what are you been told is wrong? If its a cell gone then theres nothing you can do, but i would doubt it would have started the car, but if its just down a bit on voltage and current then maybe it needs topping up? Mind you if you have ther Warranty then as you have been told to change it unless you can prove why you don't need to then you have to do it to keep the Warranty valid... Catch 22 I am afraid.
 
My battery lasted less than an hour! [:D] The car had been delivered to the OPC about 2 months before and had been waiting until 2 Jan to be delivered (I suspect it had been in the showroom for some of that time). After an hour or so of being shown all the various switches, buttons and levers, putting the roof up, putting the roof down, putting the hardtop on and off, putting the roof up again, and so on, we got to the magic time for me to start it up and drive away and ... dead battery!

So they "borrowed" a brand new one from a 911 that had just arrived on the transporter, and fitted that instead. That was over 7 years ago and it is still working {touches wood}, although it takes a moment longer to start these days so its time might now be finally running out [&:]
 
Usual 4 year old failure for me....[:(]
Was also fitted for free..

As others say, I'd be chuffed with 5 years out of it and free fitting.

garyw
 
ORIGINAL: CLIFFWILKINS
My Boxster battery was replaced after about 2 years.
free.
Tracy.
Click to expand...
Possibly under the battery warranty- which is 2 years
The extended doesn't cover the battery, if you have had it covered- you've been very very lucky...[:)]

garyw
 
As my original post was'nt so clear, let me clarify. The OPC are offering only the 'fitting' for free - for the battery they want to charge full price.

The car let me down last week when it would not start from hot, when cold it would start OK.
I had the car recovered to my local OPC (Hatfield) who immediatly diagnosed the issue as a starter/alternator harness fault ... Funny how they didn't even have to see the car ... the tech just knew ... maybe my description was just so good, but I think not.

Either way the OPC also stated at the time, that the way the harness fails, it will likely put more strain on the battery so its possible I'll also have a battery fault. A few days later (today) I get a call that yes the battery has a faulty cell, and by the way we don't cover it under warranty.

So there are a few things I'm not happy with ... if the battery failed prematurely as a consequence of the harness failure I feel it should be covered under warranty ... but in the main I still can't get over that the battery is excluded from the warranty.

Very sad also that a modern Porsche battery needs to be replaced after 2years given some of the reports...

What is going on at Porsche?
 
Hi "¦. I replaced my Boxster battery when it was 4 years old, usual things, flat when cold windows going up and down [:D].....etc etc "¦"¦. Went out and bought a 90Ah "Bosch Silver" battery not realising that with the Porsche warranty it had to be a cr*py Moll Porsche battery[&:]

Anyway, a few months later it went in for its standard 111 point warranty check and they never spotted it "¦"¦sold it with the Bosch battery which is a shame because it's one of the best batteries I've known and would have liked to have kept it. I reckon I could have driven it around Bedfordshire on the starter motor with that battery he he he[8D]"¦.. what a shame we have to put up with the poor quality Porsche batteries..............[:mad:]
 
ORIGINAL: Peter Comiskey
What is going on at Porsche?
Click to expand...
Profit.... way of the world don't you know [;)]

There was a notification about earth straps coming loose on the starter motor that was causing hot starting issues, not sure about the main loom though..
I personally don't think that would have caused the battery cell to fail in itself but stranger things have happened. [&:]

garyw
 
Surely if tghe harness failed and was repaired under Warranty and the failyure put strain on the battery i.e excess drawing of current which caused the plates to bend and a cell to fail this should because of the cause be a warranty replacement. Mnd you you would have to prove it and then be very pushy with Porsche GB possibly to get anything out of the Warranty. Mind you by the time the age of the battery is taken into account they will say it was on its last legs so if they replaced it they are adding to the value of the car!
 
This isn't about profit (all information about OPC charges for batteries and fitting aside) it's about modern cars and the difference between usage of the vehicle and all the gizmos the battery has to supply:
Engine ECU
Climate Control (another computer)
PCM / NAV / BOSE
VTS
PSM
Etc...even interior lights, have you counted your?!
Not to forget that a number of these systems along with the alarm, still function when the car is left and if a car (any car for that matter) is used for short journeys or infrequently, then this will adversely affect the battery and it's longevity.
Most modern car batteries are expected to last between 4 to 5 years, and it does even state this in the Peter Morgan 997 buying guide. Using a maintenance charging system will extend this but only by a year or so, again, depending on usage.
 
ORIGINAL: STiG911

This isn't about profit (all information about OPC charges for batteries and fitting aside) it's about modern cars and the difference between usage of the vehicle and all the gizmos the battery has to supply:
Engine ECU
Climate Control (another computer)
PCM / NAV / BOSE
VTS
PSM
Etc...even interior lights, have you counted your?!
Not to forget that a number of these systems along with the alarm, still function when the car is left and if a car (any car for that matter) is used for short journeys or infrequently, then this will adversely affect the battery and it's longevity.
Most modern car batteries are expected to last between 4 to 5 years, and it does even state this in the Peter Morgan 997 buying guide. Using a maintenance charging system will extend this but only by a year or so, again, depending on usage.
Click to expand...
Mostly I agree in what you're saying, however its easy to read about- even here of 'other' non Porsche batteries lasting the expected life time of 4-5 years as per Peters buying guide, you tend to be 'lucky' if the Porsche battery does actually last that time...

Same battery without the Porsche sticker attached (with a better warranty)- and lets no forget that Porsche don't actually make the battery, is sometimes half the cost...

So if its not about profit, then what is it about??? [&:]
 
Mine got a bit lazy over the winter months, mainly due to lack of use but all fettled with a trickle charger.

Mine is just over 2 years old, and I didn't even entertain that I may be able to claim on the warranty for another one ?
I always understood that batteries or clutches are not covered under warranties.

But 5 years ? ........ come on !! [;)]
 
Mine went recently, just under 3 years old!
Gradually got slower turning over, thought I wasn't driving the car enough, but it was the battery that was knackered [:(]
 
Igot just over 2 years out of my Turbo one, so I installed a non porsche one for 100 bucks as the porsche batteries are shite, but due to my extended warranty I had to purchase a brand new porsche battery of which is a complete rip off as they even charge you for the acid and an hour for fitting.

 
Changed mine a month ago, it had been slow turning over and even when recharged not much better then I pulled in for petrol and each time I tried it was slower, gladly it finally fired on the third attempt.

Charged it overnight and drove over to see a mate who told me of the harness problem but checked the battery, start load, alternator etc came back tired battery all cells. So, off to the OPC and bought a new battery over the parts counter so no fitting fee, it was already filled but not fully charged so I took it home and charged it fully then fitted it myself, engine now spins over on hot or cold start.

But it was only the warranty that made me go for a Porsche battery. I've been considering a maintainer but some reports say they are good others say otherwise main problem seems to be if the battery fails and you can't get at it!

Original was 4 1/2 years old probably finished off by being a weekend car for a few months.

 
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