997.2 C2S Charging Voltage?

[Technomad]

Just had a flat battery moment and it wouldn't fire up off a normal jump - we had to use a portable power pack to get it going. Then checked the battery charging voltage at idle - 15.32v, which seems high to me. I'd expect circa 13.5-14v maximum. Does anyone know what the nominal charging voltage should be?

Thanks'n'all…

[Magic919]

Mine is 14.9.

[BertBert]

I think that 14.4v is the max for 6 cells. So both too high.
BErt

[Technomad]

I did manage to speak to OPC later in the afternoon - their view was that 'normal' was circa 14.9v but that the alternator might be pushing out more if the battery were flat. Now that's strange unless Porsche have some smart charging electronics - surely it would normally draw more current at a constant voltage rather than varying the voltage?

[Pope]

997.2 have a BSS charging system which can vary the voltage depending on requirement not only engine speed (It can also switch off the charging system when the throttle is wide open to reduce load and increase acceleration). That voltage sounds right for a flat battery, did you get the battery checked after recharging?.

[Technomad]

Yep, it does look like the battery has died. Six weeks outside its 5-year warranty. So of course I've just had the conversation with OPC - Them: "You MUST fit a Porsche battery to maintain your warranty". Me: "But the Porsche battery is a commodity item - a standard Moll Kamana with 'Porsche' written on it. So how much?". Them: "£266 fitted". Me: "So a modern Bosch S5 or Yuasa silver battery with TWICE the cold-cranking reserve is £90-110, and it's a 10 minute fit…". Them: "But you MUST have a Porsche battery, fitted by an OPC, to maintain the warranty".

What Porsche and its OPCs just don't seem to realise is that, while most of us who own Porsches don't mind spending quite serious money, we want to spend it in way where we still feel we're getting decent value: charging the best part of £300 for a £90 commodity item really does just take the piss out customers. Which of course is about the greatest sin possible in customer experience.

What they also don't seem to realise when trotting out the party line is that any attempt to deny a warranty claim on these grounds, where it can be demonstrated that the battery is a standard item, fitted and used correctly and of appropriate specification, would fail any legal test of reasonableness. If it came to it, that's something I'd happily put to the test.

Edited by Technomad on Monday 18th November 12:20

[NorthDave]

I had the same but can't help feel the normal battery is under powered for the car. When the engine is warm the battery only just has enough power to turn the engine. I cant help feel an upgraded battery would provide more oomph.

The will it wont it feeling is one of the things which is starting to annoy me about the car. It just annoy me enough to do away with the warranty!

[Technomad]

NorthDave said:

I had the same but can't help feel the normal battery is under powered for the car. When the engine is warm the battery only just has enough power to turn the engine. I cant help feel an upgraded battery would provide more oomph.

The will it wont it feeling is one of the things which is starting to annoy me about the car. It just annoy me enough to do away with the warranty!

Agreed, which is why replacing the stock battery with the Bosch S5 - 11Ah greater capacity and double that cold cranking reserve - seems to make a deal of sense (especially in the Scottish Highlands!). I really am getting more and more hacked off with Porsche's attitude to its customers, to the point where I'm probably not going to renew their warranty come expiry. I'm equally tired of local OPC's service department's lack of responsiveness and poor attention to detail. If I lived closer to JZM or Hartech (amongst others), the answer would be obvious. However a new Porsche specialist has just opened in Stirling so I'm going to swing by and see what they're like. OPC's attitude has just likely cost them my Macan order as well…