Flat battery

[michael.james]

2019 Carrera 4S, 14,000 miles, purchased from an OPC around three months ago.

I was away for three days over the weekend and returned to find the car completely flat. I couldn't unlock it with the remote and had to use the emergency key to get in. There was no electrical power at all.

Porsche Assistance attended and jump started the car. I then took it for a drive of around an hour. The car started fine the following morning, and the dashboard was showing 13.3V while driving.

The AA technician mentioned that the battery appears to have a control module or battery monitoring unit attached to the top of it, so he wasn't able to replace it at the roadside. He suggested that any replacement would need to be carried out and coded by Porsche or a specialist with the correct equipment, which is what I'd expect / request.

I appreciate that batteries are generally considered a wear and tear item and are not usually covered under warranty. However, I've only owned the car for three months and have covered around 3,000 miles since purchase.

If the battery is found to be faulty or at the end of its life, what would be a reasonable expectation regarding dealer support? Has anyone had an OPC replace a battery under goodwill, or contribute towards the cost, given such a short period of ownership, and hat sort of costs should I expect if I end up having to pay for a replacement myself?

 

[Lancerlot]

Average battery life is around 5-6 years, so you need to replace it. If you have extended warranty, you will be required to fit an approved Porsche item to remain valid. Cost of a replacement battery, fitted, coded and with old unit disposed off is probably of the order of £600 - £800.
Did you get any individual warranty when you purchased? if so, study the conditions to see if it's covered. Alternatively, speak to your service manager or dealer principal and suggest when you purchased this car, you weren't expecting to have to shell out more yet money for defective parts so soon.
Most Centres appear to trade autonomously, so success depends on policy and goodwill and other people's experiences will be largely irrelevant to your case.

Regards,

Clive

 

[michael.james]

Average battery life is around 5-6 years, so you need to replace it. If you have extended warranty, you will be required to fit an approved Porsche item to remain valid. Cost of a replacement battery, fitted, coded and with old unit disposed off is probably of the order of £600 - £800.
Did you get any individual warranty when you purchased? if so, study the conditions to see if it's covered. Alternatively, speak to your service manager or dealer principal and suggest when you purchased this car, you weren't expecting to have to shell out more yet money for defective parts so soon.
Most Centres appear to trade autonomously, so success depends on policy and goodwill and other people's experiences will be largely irrelevant to your case.

Regards,

Clive

Yeah, vehicle came with 2 year Porsche warranty, so understand the requirement to get from dealer.

They have contributed quite significantly just last month when I needed a new sump, which was not covered under warranty, so my worry is they think I'm trying to get everything out of them. Had zero issues with my previous 718, but this is taking the shine off my ownerhsip experieince a bit now, so soon into delivery.

 

[Lancerlot]

Very unusual for a sump needing to be replaced under warranty. Perhaps you gave it whack or something?
Goodwill is your friend and if they want to keep your business, they should be keen to assist.

Regards,

Clive

 

[henleymag]

Hi Michael

Is it a Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFePo4) or an AGM battery? The former definitely has a control unit on top. I’ve just started having problems with my 5 year old LiFePo4 battery which is dropping charge completely in the space of only a few days. I’ve had the car for 4 years and Porsche aren’t keen to replace under warranty as I only drive the car sporadically and apparently there appears to be an (informal?) rule saying they won’t honour battery warranty claims unless you drive a minimum mileage each year, and that you regularly drive the car or can prove its been on a battery tender (not sure how you’re supposed to do that!)

 

[michael.james]

Very unusual for a sump needing to be replaced under warranty. Perhaps you gave it whack or something?
Goodwill is your friend and if they want to keep your business, they should be keen to assist.

Regards,

Clive

Hi Michael

Is it a Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFePo4) or an AGM battery? The former definitely has a control unit on top. I’ve just started having problems with my 5 year old LiFePo4 battery which is dropping charge completely in the space of only a few days. I’ve had the car for 4 years and Porsche aren’t keen to replace under warranty as I only drive the car sporadically and apparently there appears to be an (informal?) rule saying they won’t honour battery warranty claims unless you drive a minimum mileage each year, and that you regularly drive the car or can prove its been on a battery tender (not sure how you’re supposed to do that!)

Yeah it's the lithium ion one.

I'll be doing 10k pa mileage. I wouldn't mind, but only had the car three months, so an unexpected cost.

 

[michael.james]

Very unusual for a sump needing to be replaced under warranty. Perhaps you gave it whack or something?
Goodwill is your friend and if they want to keep your business, they should be keen to assist.

Regards,

Clive

Yeah sump down to 'external damage' which I'm adament I've not done, but regardless they have helped out with a contribution to that.

 

[Scrounger]

Firstly I'd have a chat with your sales guy who should speak to the service department to see what they can do for you. If you get no joy, you don't need an OPC or Indie to code the battery. If someone in your region something like an iCarsoft, they can code the battery for you or you could do it yourself. That'll save you a couple of hundred quid in labour costs. Which region are you in?

Dan

 

[gpm993]

Hi Michael

The LiFePo4 Lithium batteries are roughly twice as much as AGM battery, so replacement won't be cheap

 

[henleymag]

Hi Michael

I’ve just been quoted £1,745 inc VAT and fitting by Porsche High Wycombe. They are lovely people and so friendly, but will not budge, at least in my case on discounting servicing for PCGB members. They offer 10% off parts over the counter but not for those used in servicing or repairs. I won’t be getting my battery replaced there.

As others have commented, I would push back hard about getting it replaced under warranty or as a goodwill gesture. Three months ago, they performed their 111 point check at which time the battery must have been fine otherwise they couldn’t put a warranty on the car. before selling it to you What’s happened in three months? You can’t be held responsible for whether the previous owner(s) kept the battery fully charged.

Best of luck, please keep us posted.

 

[keiththo]

My 2020 992 had a low battery when I bought the car in 2023 from an OPC. The car shut down whilst the salesman was logging me into the car. I suggested to them at the time they should change it as it was clearly not at its best but they refused.

The car never failed to start but I had several yellow warnings appear especially if the car was unused for a few days. These 'faults' would always clear once the car was driven. My car would often indicate lower than 12v before I started it but the dealership insisted this was normal on the 992. After several visits to the OPC they replaced the battery as a gesture of goodwill last year. It's not shown any random faults since.

Mine is an AGM type and a replacement was around £400 but the dealership thankfully paid.