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GTS 4.0 battery

ralphmusic

ralphmusic

PCGB Member
Member
Inconsistency by OPCs on warranty is a feature of Porsche network, see my experience starting with post #143 Friday, March 03, 2023 0:40 PM

My GT4 is late March 2022

Another Cayman

I have sold my GT3, with 3 OPC’s bidding I got £9k more than I paid 10 months and c5k miles ago, such is the appetite for stock. I'll obviously miss the engine, (did I mention the engine?), that special PDK, learning a different track driving style and the theatre of the car. Still I got in 8...
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Last edited:
Hi,

So I have a Jan 2022 Cayman GTS 4.0. From day one the car has always been put on a battery tender ( official Porsche one as well). Last Sunday after an 80 mile trip, I came out after lunch and the battery was unable to turn the engine over. Dash was lit up like a Christmas tree and warning of low battery. Thankfully AA were able to get it going using a booster, so I got home after a two hour wait.

The OPC tested the battery and said it had a duff cell and needed to be replaced. Porsche won’t cover it under warranty either as it‘s only done 2k miles.

Quite disappointing as I thought I was doing the right thing by always having it on the tender, but it seems to need more than that. Lesson learnt…£380 to replace :-(

 
I do not see why the low millage as anything to do with the premature failure of a faulty battery.

And should be replaced under warranty, The use of a Ctek charger is recommended by Porsche and cars in the showrooms are plugged in to them

I have a Boxster 4.0 and have had the charger on from day one, which is the same unit I used on my 981 with no problems so far.

Have you taken this up with Porsche uk

 
As above, there does seem to be inconsistency among the official dealers and it would be worth taking up the matter with with Porsche GB. You’re covered by the 3-year New Vehicle Warranty and - no matter what Porsche say - should expect the battery to last more than 18-months before a cell failure, especially since you’re keeping it on a battery conditioner.

If Porsche can offer a 2-year warranty on parts fitted by a dealer surely they should fork-up for your replacement battery … or at least make a contribution towards its cost?

Jeff

 
If the OPC are being obstructive I'd contact Banner UK. The battery should come with a 2 year warranty which you are comfortably inside, so if they agree it is a premature failure/fault you could then go back to the OPC and argue the point or accept a replacement from Banner.

Porsche cannot reasonably contend that the battery manufacturer is wrong if Banner agree that it is a fault.

 
looks like I’ll be on my third battery in my 2022 GTS 4.0. The first replacement that was fitted in September 2023 (see post #2 above) has now died and left me stranded again this morning. Porsche Assist again got it running with a booster, but just can’t rely on it. Yes it‘s only done 4.5k in four years but it sits on its Porsche branded ctek charger every day. It’s got it‘s big service next week, so we’ll see what happens.

I wonder does the Porsche tracker drain much of the battery?
 
How is your CTEK connected? I ask as I had several battery issues with my second 718 GT4 which were attributed to a loose earth. I am not sure this was entirely the cause but having had the CTEK earth lead very securely fitted with an existing earth point on the bulkhead I have had no problems in just over a year.

I use this device which connects via Bluetooth to periodically check battery voltage.

IMG_3272.jpg


and on my phone I see this..

IMG-3273.png
 
There is most probably your problem, 4500 miles in 4 years. These cars really don't like to be sat about and should be driven.

Do you have anything plugged in to the car such as a dashcam?

I had an issue with using the 12v socket in the dash which ultimately led to a low voltage battery and since then I've only connected using the crocodile clips in the battery bay.

Dan
 
No, nothing plugged in, but the Porsche tracker is active.I bought the official Porsche Charge-o-mat ctek charger on pickup day and it’s always connected For the four years.

left the house on Saturday morning with the ctek showing full battery and in ‘maintenance mode’. Six miles later stopped at mot centre and sat idling for 15 minutes. Tester stalls the car (didn’t release handbrake) and won’t restart as battery is too low.

porsche assist arrive 1 hour later and get it started by jumping it using their van. Drive home and put it back in the garage. Attempt to restart immediately and battery dead again.

Left it on the ctek for 8 hours and it goes from empty to full. Turned off the ctek overnight to see what happens and it’s dropped to very low. Needed 4 hours to get back to full…all without the car being moved or started.

Starting to wonder has the ctek been masking a drain of some sort. Never get any warnings about low battery leading up to failure.

expecting the dealer to say it just needs another new battery….
 
Sorry to hear about your tale of woe … three batteries in as many years? The batteries can’t be that bad!😳

I suspect that you’ve got a significant current drain, which is always difficult to trace. I can only suggest that you try removing fuses from high current devices in turn like the heated rear window, fan, etc., to see if that affects the drain.

The dealer may have a more sophisticated way of tracking the source of the drain [via the diagnostics maybe?], but I doubt that replacing the battery once again will be a long-term solution.

Jeff
 
scooby555 said:
No, nothing plugged in, but the Porsche tracker is active.I bought the official Porsche Charge-o-mat ctek charger on pickup day and it’s always connected For the four years.

left the house on Saturday morning with the ctek showing full battery and in ‘maintenance mode’. Six miles later stopped at mot centre and sat idling for 15 minutes. Tester stalls the car (didn’t release handbrake) and won’t restart as battery is too low.

porsche assist arrive 1 hour later and get it started by jumping it using their van. Drive home and put it back in the garage. Attempt to restart immediately and battery dead again.

Left it on the ctek for 8 hours and it goes from empty to full. Turned off the ctek overnight to see what happens and it’s dropped to very low. Needed 4 hours to get back to full…all without the car being moved or started.

Starting to wonder has the ctek been masking a drain of some sort. Never get any warnings about low battery leading up to failure.

expecting the dealer to say it just needs another new battery….
Click to expand...
Is the ctek charger faulty?

What battery charge / volts level do you have on the dash - and how does that change whilst driving/time elapsed after starting the engine?
 
A used car just works , them the rules. look at the Mcca 3rd parties stating the only cars which go wrong are unused ones.
I daily my 4.0 GTS 7k PA nothing has gone wrong, it lives out side and get washed twice a year and the battery is great, i am not sure a ctek keeps the battery as good as using a car myself.

A battery last longer run down to 20% and charged to only 80% a cteck just keeps it too full all the time. my used cars and batteries have no issues my cars with little use are a pain n the arse. on ctek btw.
4.5k miles in 4 years just sell the car it's a liability.
 
I have to admit I think the problem may be leaving it on the CTEK charger too long and not using the car. My 718 GT4 is 6 years old, lives outside, has done 25k and gets used at least once every 3-4 weeks over winter (more the rest of the year). I've never had a flat battery and the factory fitted original is still working fine.

I know CTEK are the brand of choice for Porsches, but maybe another battery charger might be a better option for your use case?
 
they all do the same thing, nothing discharges to 20% and then back to 80% and modern batteries cut off and leave you in the shit (lipo ones) I have never had to put a charger on my GTS, the car just works all year round.
Best cars are used cars, not sure why people don't drive their cars. People always telling me, buy van for work etc, why ! I drive a Porsche 365 days a year, it's great :)

My GT3 feels like a liability to look after, been locked out of it 3 times in 12 months ! I might just bin it off or just use it 365 days and sell my GTS and just buy 2 sets of wheels.
looking after cars is getting a hassle and very expensive, 4 year service on the GT3 will be £4.5k !! than add warranty and insurance to not drive it !!! , I need to get back to just 2 cars.

CGPT says
"Is anything better than CTEK?"


CTEK remains the gold standard for long‑term conditioning and battery health, especially for AGM/EFB stop‑start batteries.
But NOCO Genius beats CTEK in raw power, versatility, and lithium support.


If you want the best conditioner specifically (not just a charger), CTEK still wins.
 
To follow up…

The car went into the OPC for it‘s four year service and they also checked the battery and did drain tests apparently (had the car for 5 days). Could find nothing wrong.

Ironically, when I called down to collect the car, they went to get it and guess what….battery flat. So another new battery was installed.

Drove it home and stuck it in the garage and purposely left the ctek off as I knew I’d be using it five days later. It did start fine, but I noticed when I turned on the ignition before starting it, the voltage display was showing 11.8v which was worrying?

We’ll see how it goes….have bought a NOCO 70 to keep in the car just in case...

Maybe it’s time to sell the daily GR Yaris and use the GTS instead.
 
That ignition-on voltage sounds a bit low, but rather than rely upon the vehicle gauge I’d be inclined to use a multimeter to measure voltages at the battery terminals: about 12.6V with the ignition off and between 13.7V and 14.7V with the engine running are typical for a battery in good condition. The latter will also give you an indication that the charging circuit is performing satisfactorily since your problem could rest with a malfunctioning alternator, although you would have hoped that your dealer checked this out when the car was with them.

Contrary to what the dealer has found it does sound as though you could have a significant current drain from somewhere. I seem to recall that a recent post elsewhere mentioned that a faulty alarm unit can be such a source, although as I mentioned previously there could be a fault with high current components such as the heated rear window, windscreen wipers, HVAC fan, window motors, etc.🤔 TBH I’d be inclined to enlist the services of an auto electrician to give the system a thorough check-out.

Jeff
 
So the dealer put a new battery in.. and it went flat before yoy collected the car?

A charger / conditioner won't fix that

I think it's clear there is a significant drain which needs investigation and fixing
 
^^^Agree.

Have you a code reader to see if anything is logged? Can you hear a fan running or is a light staying on? How are you attaching the CTEK? If you're using the 12v in the centre console try using the crocodile clips on the batt +ve and earth point -ve. See if that does anything.

Dan
 
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