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what counts as "driven regularly" ?

A

alexsmith

New member
In my search for a 944 I have had a chat with an owner local to me and he had a comment I didn't really understand. He said they are best driven regularly. When I asked why he said the battery and starting were iffy after a week or so. Firstly is that just a battery issue and secondly what really counts as regularly, weekends or shouldn't you leave them for more than a few days... Sorry for the dull question but I have searched on here and the subject of "used daily" is often mentioned but I can't see the bit that says why...
Al
 
Hi Al,

It should last more than a week, but a slightly worn battery or any minor problem with the ignition system and it'll certainly not start after being left. Mine gets too low to start after two weeks at most, even when the battery was new. Easy to connect to a battery conditioner if it's possible to get power to the car where it's parked.

Aside from that, I think they need regular, decent runs to work properly. There are plenty of comments that the car feels unhappy when it's been standing, and mine gets condensation, and all the electrical contacts play up. They were designed and built to be high-mileage daily-use sports cars, and I think a good blast at least once a week is ideal.
 
Mine are garaged from late September until March/April. I keep them connected to a Ctek battery charger/conditioner so the battery life is protected.

I start them and warm them up thoroughly every 4-6 weeks and I expect to give them a good 20-30 mile run when they come out of hibernation to blow the cobwebs and gremlins out as they tend to be grumpy old things if they have been sat for a few months [:-]
 
interesting... the battery thing I expect but I can see connectors might benefit from warming up too. I don't suppose I'll leave it that long between drives. :)
 
Mine has started perfectly after being left six weeks with a Vauxhall branded battery on the car (no trickle charger used) I started it yesterday after leaving it two weeks still with no trickle charger in use (and now with a second hand Bosch battery fitted) and again it fired up without any complaints.
 
I think I may have started a thread on here somewhere trying to understand why they didn't like being stood up, and there were quite a few enlightening answers...

There are always exceptions to the rule though... I had a 944 which had been stood after being written off for about a year. To move it on a trailer I put a battery on to move it on the starter motor. It started up as if it had been switched off but a few minutes earlier.
 
The real battery killer is the original Porsche alarms. If this has been removed (fully) the battery will last a lot better.

As for regular use it tends to keep everythign moving. But its much better to go for a good run less frequently rather than a short run more frequently.

William
 
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