[subshooter]

Now that the 981s have been around for 4+ years, I was wondering how many people have replaced a battery. I have looked through some dated threads on this subject but they really don't answer what I am looking for. My 2014 Boxster S (picked up in July 2013) is still on the original battery which is past its advertised life expectancy. Running voltage is between 14.7 and 15 Volts. No issue starting the car. I don't use a battery tender because I drive the car frequently. I also don't want to run the battery to failure and get stuck somewhere like I used to do when I was a kid. I understand that PIWIS is needed to reinitailize the new battery after replacement. My questions:

1. Have you replaced your battery? If so why? - proactive replacement or because of indications that your battery was failing.

2. If you replaced your battery, did you have an Indy do it or did you do it yourself? If you didn't initialize the battery using PIWIS, have you experienced any problems?

Thanks for any perspective on this. My Indy can replace the battery for 235 bucks which is dirt cheap compared to a dealership. I haven't asked him if he knows how to reset the battery yet.

 

[DFW]

I had my car in to the dealer under warranty because the auto off/start wasn't working.
They told me that my battery was "only running 14.2 volts and that's why the auto off/start wasn't working correctly at stoplights.
Unfortunately, you drive less than 5k miles per year, so your battery isn't covered.

500$'s please and we'll replace your battery."
It's roughly a year later and my 4+ year old battery is still fine, but the auto off/start still doesn't work. It doesn't matter, I'm not a fan of the concept anyway

 

[Oldboy]

14.2 is a pretty hosed number to be throwing around. Glad to hear your battery is still functional. Auto star stop broken in the off
position is ok.

 

[jimc12]

My understanding to determine the remaining life of a battery you should perform a conductance test. Load testing a battery is helpful but not as insightful.

 

[pugs2bb]

All 9X1 cars are designed to use an AGM battery. You can install a regular lead acid battery but the gateway should be coded after replacement of either style. The coding will optimize the charging program for the battery type, size, and age.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[budrichard]

My Auto/Stop/Start was not functioning most of the time and the voltage seemed low.
I surmised I required a new battery and the car was over 4 years old.
No info available and none forthcoming from any Forum.
Called Batteries Plus and they would not touch the car.
They had AGM batteries of two types and warranties but I was not concerned about the warranty but whether the batteries were designed for the G-Force loads the battery could experience.
Called my Dealer and got a fixed one price for battery and installation.
Had the service done this morning, less than one hour, A$$ works now.
I am poorer but somewhat happy as Winter is here.
22F this morning.-Richard

 

[lovetoturn]

Yes,new batteries are supposed to be coded in piwis so the car knows the Ah of the battery and how to charge it with the alternator. I suppose you could just hook it up to a charger though and just replace with the same spec battery and you should be ok. Examples below. BCI battery group 48

https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-48AGM-Professional-Automotive-Battery/dp/B008FWCLHU/ref=sr_1_4/147-6126955-0668402?ie=UTF8&qid=1516239095&sr=8-4&keywords=porsche+battery
https://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey-48-720-battery.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhfvw5q_g2AIVFbjACh0s5QpfEAYYBCABEgKgKvD_BwE
https://www.samsclub.com/sams/auto-group-48-h6-agm-36-mo-free/prod9510085.ip

 

[D&D]

I "religiously" use my battery tender if the car is to sit for more than 2 days... My 2007 Cayman was still on its OEM battery in 2015... FWIW -though it did not have start/stop. -- which I seldom use for my '15 Cayman...

 

[Rob VN]

FWIW my Spyder came with a wet battery ( non-AGM ).

 

[subshooter]

I've heard lot of different things now from shops and other forums that the PIWIS is only needed to reset fault codes (if any). It is not sued to set amp-hr or other stuff. I'm not sure who to believe but guys on rennlist are positing conversations from Porsche Dealerships and their responses are all over the place. Some don't do anything, some just use PIWIS to reset any fault codes.

 

[Antee]

I've heard lot of different things now from shops and other forums that the PIWIS is only needed to reset fault codes (if any). It is not sued to set amp-hr or other stuff. I'm not sure who to believe but guys on rennlist are positing conversations from Porsche Dealerships and their responses are all over the place. Some don't do anything, some just use PIWIS to reset any fault codes.

I'll eventually talk with my guy at the dealership about this but I found this step in the service guide below.

"After replacing the battery, the serial number and part number as well as the battery size and
manufacturer must be entered using the PIWIS Tester under: Gateway/Maintenance/repairs/Change
battery .
The battery size and battery manufacturer must also be entered when changing the battery ."

 

[lovetoturn]

Have talked to my mechanic specifically about this, no rumors or conjectures here. Piwis does ask for model, serial number, etc and or Ah if not a listed battery. Obviously things will work if you don't do this since others have reported such, but if not done the car will most likely default to the regular battery settings. However, if you install say a 25 Ah lithium battery, it might be a good idea to let the piwis know so the alternator doesn't overdue the charging process.

 

[subshooter]

Have talked to my mechanic specifically about this, no rumors or conjectures here. Piwis does ask for model, serial number, etc and or Ah if not a listed battery. Obviously things will work if you don't do this since others have reported such, but if not done the car will most likely default to the regular battery settings. However, if you install say a 25 Ah lithium battery, it might a good idea to let the piwis know so the alternator doesn't overdue the charging process.

It sounds to me that if I get a battery with the same Ah, I don't have to find a PIWIS guy (for another $100 bucks or so) to input this information. I guess I could just get an OEM battery instead of the other common replacement batteries for about $60 bucks more (and less capable but also less weight) and put it in myself.

 

[Westcoaster]

It sounds to me that if I get a battery with the same Ah, I don't have to find a PIWIS guy (for another $100 bucks or so) to input this information. I guess I could just get an OEM battery instead of the other common replacement batteries for about $60 bucks more (and less capable but also less weight) and put it in myself.

You have a brand new Carrera (with European delivery) and very new Boxster (also with European delivery), forgive me but money doesn't seem to be the problem, FWIW I would not hesitate to have the dealer replace the battery with the correct OEM model and configure it with the PIWIS...

Oh, I just noticed under your name: "Next Porsche: 2022 Macan"...

Are all of the variables and angst worth it for a couple of hundred dollars?

 

[VariousCheeses]

Hey you don't get rich by writing a bunch of checks

 

[Machog]

I replaced the battery on mine with a Walmart (made by Johnson Controls), cost $120.00 with exchange and 3year replacement warranty. Before I disconnected the battery, I hooked up a battery charger to each of the leads, that way the car thinks its still connected and you don’t have to do any tedious ‘resetting’ etc. https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-Lead-Acid-Automotive-Battery-Group-Size-H7/20531542?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=5190&adid=22222222227017563456&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=80432024089&wl4=aud-273067695102la-177673466449&wl5=9030119&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=20531542&wl13=5190&veh=sem

Looks like the price has gone up in last 3 years, but still much cheaper than going to an Indy or Porsche. As mentioned in other threads, even though my car would start just fine, I was getting all sorts of error messages and other weird stuff going on-all cured by a new battery.
Machog

 

[Westcoaster]

Hey you don't get rich by writing a bunch of checks

True, but you have to 'pay to play!' In general (not directed at the original thread starter) cheaping out on parts for these cars is a poor way to save money, better off not buying the vehicle to begin with if you can't service it properly...

Worrying about spending $200 more towards a specific replacement past is nothing compared to owing just about any Porsche, heck there are many here that drop 5x that on graphics or better tweeters... but to each their own.

 

[Voyager6]

I had to buy a battery for my new to me flood Boxster. I bought a Duralast H8-AGM. It was about four inches longer than the stock 70AH battery. I had to move the bottom side hold down lock to the furthest hole, but it fit, although the ground strap, with attached module is a bit hard to seat. The Duralast was 95 AH. So far, so good.

V6

 

[lovetoturn]

If you are going to go the DIY route, I would get an equivalent AGM battery as that is what the cars expect to see, and use a battery maintainer or charger to keep the car on voltage while making the swap. This way nothing has to be reset from a loss of voltage to all of the electronics. Might be a good time to spend a few of the saved dollars on an OEM or Ctek battery trickle charger. Just plug it into the 12v outlet inside the car while you are doing the work and everything should be fine. Just don't turn the key on while doing the work!

 

[algiorda]

If you purchase and install the same exact OEM Battery, why do you have to run PIWIS? Just for the serial number? that doesn't make sense.