Interesting Porsche Experience

Dead Battery Challenges

Spring 2013. Here is a little story of the perfect storm for a Porsche owner, by Brad Pape.

Last fall I prepared to tuck our 2005 Boxster S away for the winter. I carefully washed it, waxed it, cleaned the interior and basted the seats with leather conditioner. After that, I moved the car close to the wall away from our other vehicle, covered the car with a soft cover and tucked it in.

My wife and I spent some time down south over Christmas, and on our return I decided to unwrap the car for a little run-up. Basically unwrap the car, start the motor and drive the car around the neighborhood until it was well warmed up. I removed the cover, squeezed into the driver’s seat put the Key in the ignition, turned it.......nothing....battery was dead.

Hmm, well, easy fix, just open the front hood, hook up the charger and away we go. I pull the hood release lever, hmmm, electric, doesn’t work.

Well, get out the manual and discover that there is a little post in the fuse box to jump the hood release.

I manage to find it, hook up the jumper ground it to the door post............ nothing, didn’t work.

Hmmm, well what next. Better think about this.

I go to take the key out of the ignition... no way. No power – can't remove key. Hmmmm, this is getting better and better.

A few days go by, and I begin to wonder if I can jump start the car. I live on a pretty good hill so speed shouldn't be a problem. I crawl into the car turn the key on and go to move the steering wheel: The steering locks with the wheels turned just enough to prevent the car from moving anywhere beyond the garage doors.

Time for Google. I can’t be the only person with this problem. Sure enough, there are many, many postings about this very problem. Mostly this occurs from people that have removed the battery for the season and closed the hood.

It turns out that there is a little wire in the wheel arch, driver’s side just behind the headlight housing. No problem you say, not so I say. The wheels were turned just enough that my hand wouldn’t fit past the tire. Good, let’s just jack the car up with the jack that is under the hood. Hmmm, here we go again. Let’s just put another jack under there, remove the tire with the wheel lock key...yep you got it....that is located under the hood...

Time for a break... one day, two days... eureka. I wonder if I took and old phone charger cord, cut the wires and plugged it into the power outlet in the car. I just happened to have one of those which I took apart to make sure where positive and negative were. I plugged it in, hooked up the battery charger, pulled the lever and... click, open popped the hood.

Why, oh why, couldn't Porsche just have mentioned this in their manual.

I wrote this little story for those that this just may happen to. It will save you hours of pain and suffering. I don't know why the little post in the fuse box didn't work but if not for this solution, I’m not sure exactly what I could have done other than face an expensive repair bill of some sort.

Brad Pape, 20 year Porsche veteran