Flat Battery.

Technical Forum for the Porsche Macan
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RickZ
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Post by RickZ »

Col Lamb wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 10:53 am
RickZ wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 8:49 am Surely as is the case all any vehicles any battery can be used on a Macan as long and it's the correct capacity and physical size, obviously quality counts, look for one with a decent warranty. I completed a net quick search and found prices starting at £130. Operating temperatures above and below those specified by the manufacturer dramatically reduces battery life, one of the benefits in moving a battery from the engine compartment to the boot. Temps around the 20 deg C mark are usually classed as healthy for battery life, how often in the UK are temps anywhere near 20 deg C.....
I assume that you have not looked at a Macan battery.

It is located under the floor in the boot and it is huge, and very long, not the sort of thing you could readily pickup at Halfords.

Then it is not as simple as just replacing the battery since everything is computer controlled a lot of systems need resetting.

When I started mine just before I positioned it for being loaded on the transporter, fault after fault appeared on the screen not to mention that PS+ was not working and heaving the steering around full lock to full lock and having to shuttle the car backwards and forwards to get the Macan out of my odd shaped drive was no joke.

Now back to the CTek battery maintainer, I did order a cigar lighter plug additionally to the charger unit just in case any of the power sockets remain live when the ignition is off.

Whilst I have not tested it some of the sockets are only supposed to remain live for about 30 minutes on turning off the ignition. I will test mine out and report back when I get the car back.

Driving the Toyota Land Cruiser yesterday was certainly an eye opener but more on that after I have driven it some more, strictly in Driving Miss Daisy mode of course.
I don't see battery size as an issue, Macan batteries are advertised all over the net. Of more concern are the system resets you mentioned, so once a Macan battery is completely flat the Macan is unusable once the battery is recharged due to all the resets required. Surely where stored settings are volatile then a system backup battery is built in to maintain the memory in the event of power loss. Normally these back up batteries will maintain the memory for weeks if not months. I assumed volatile memory was a thing of the past. The thought of returning from a holiday to a flat battery in the airport car park and not being able to drive after jump starting it seems crazy... :o
Vulcano Grey 2019 Macan 2.0
White 2017 Macan 2.0 returned to OPC for full refund
Blue 2017 Audi SQ5 sold
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Grey 2015 Audi S5 cabrio sold
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Col Lamb
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Post by Col Lamb »

I have the car back now, drove up to Kendal this afternoon to collect it.

The OPC Tech was a bit stumped initially as to why the car battery was so flat until they went to plug in their diagnostic equipment into the OBD socket, then the light came on for the Tech guy assigned to solve the problems.

The OBD socket had a plug inserted into it and it was this that was inhibiting the battery monitoring functions from working and so instead of shutting down the functions my car continued to draw more current until the battery was completely drained.

The cause of the problem, my Dashcam, it is this that is or rather was plugged into the OBD socket. I should have remembered about it and disconnected it before I laid up the car.

My Dashcam is a covert unit that is fitted in lieu of the plastic housing that is behind the rear view mirror, it in turn has a lead tucked behind all the trim until it plugs into the OBD socket. So everything is hidden and I forget that it is there and in constant use so the whole problem was my own fault.

I will have to look at Nick’s dashcam thread to look at an alternative way of powering it.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
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Ian.g
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Post by Ian.g »

Glad you have it sorted - and it is reassuring for us all that there is an explanation for the issue. If this was a problem with the car itself, as pointed out above, the thought of returning from a holiday to find the car completely unusable is not a great one. I await the Land Cruiser review with interest!
MikeM
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Post by MikeM »

“It is located under the floor in the boot and it is huge, and very long, not the sort of thing you could readily pickup at Halfords”

Really 🤔 it’s just a battery, probably a Varta 95ah AGM you can purchase via Batteries 2U app £200, also can be obtained at Halfords a little cheaper although my preference would be to stick with original. However it does have to be programmed into the vehicle which is a pain as all that is entered is the battery size and serial no. 😖 😉

A82F11F7-129E-4346-8AB5-35C68590118B.jpeg

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RickZ
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Post by RickZ »

Col Lamb wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 7:07 pm I have the car back now, drove up to Kendal this afternoon to collect it.

The OPC Tech was a bit stumped initially as to why the car battery was so flat until they went to plug in their diagnostic equipment into the OBD socket, then the light came on for the Tech guy assigned to solve the problems.

The OBD socket had a plug inserted into it and it was this that was inhibiting the battery monitoring functions from working and so instead of shutting down the functions my car continued to draw more current until the battery was completely drained.

The cause of the problem, my Dashcam, it is this that is or rather was plugged into the OBD socket. I should have remembered about it and disconnected it before I laid up the car.

My Dashcam is a covert unit that is fitted in lieu of the plastic housing that is behind the rear view mirror, it in turn has a lead tucked behind all the trim until it plugs into the OBD socket. So everything is hidden and I forget that it is there and in constant use so the whole problem was my own fault.

I will have to look at Nick’s dashcam thread to look at an alternative way of powering it.
Glad you found your answer, I thought ODB II ports were now powered down to prevent ODB port hacking which was a widely used method of car theft. Thieves were able to use it to disable a vehicle alarm then program a blank key which they'd use to steal the vehicle, the whole operation only take a minute or so. Maybe Porsche are still catching up.

I've looked into installing a dash cam, the only ways I'm aware of doing so reducing the risk of discharging a Macan battery is to piggy back a supply fuse from the 12v socket supply fuse which powers down 30mins after the ignition is switched off. The alternatives are to use a rechargeable battery set up which takes over when the ignition is switched off or install a voltage monitor which powers down the camera when the battery car voltage falls below a set level. It depends if you want your camera to remain powered up when the car is locked to catch any bumps etc whilst your away. I'm considering installing a two camera system powered up with the ignition off using the voltage sensing process because I don't fancy the idea of leaving a largish Lithium Ion battery in the car through the varying temperatures it's likely to encounter. During my varied career I saw batteries cause the type of damage I'd prefer not to happen in my Macan.....
Vulcano Grey 2019 Macan 2.0
White 2017 Macan 2.0 returned to OPC for full refund
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RickZ
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Post by RickZ »

MikeM wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 8:46 am “It is located under the floor in the boot and it is huge, and very long, not the sort of thing you could readily pickup at Halfords”

Really 🤔 it’s just a battery, probably a Varta 95ah AGM you can purchase via Batteries 2U app £200, also can be obtained at Halfords a little cheaper although my preference would be to stick with original. However it does have to be programmed into the vehicle which is a pain as all that is entered is the battery size and serial no. 😖 😉
A82F11F7-129E-4346-8AB5-35C68590118B.jpeg
Another con, in my book a battery is a battery, if the rating is the same as the battery it's replacing is there any need to reprogram the size and serial number, just leave it as is. The only way a system can assess battery condition is on battery voltage and by monitoring voltage fall for a given load over a set time therefore if the new battery is the same capacity the data can be left as, how does the controls system know, it doesn't have eyes...... :?
Vulcano Grey 2019 Macan 2.0
White 2017 Macan 2.0 returned to OPC for full refund
Blue 2017 Audi SQ5 sold
White 2016 Merc GLC Coup Premium Plus sold
Grey 2015 Audi S5 cabrio sold
White 2014 Audi SQ5 diesel sold
Col Lamb
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Post by Col Lamb »

MikeM wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 8:46 am “It is located under the floor in the boot and it is huge, and very long, not the sort of thing you could readily pickup at Halfords”

Really 🤔 it’s just a battery, probably a Varta 95ah AGM you can purchase via Batteries 2U app £200, also can be obtained at Halfords a little cheaper although my preference would be to stick with original. However it does have to be programmed into the vehicle which is a pain as all that is entered is the battery size and serial no. 😖 😉
A82F11F7-129E-4346-8AB5-35C68590118B.jpeg

Just going by what the AA Tech advised that they have come across flat batteries but getting one immediately to effect a repair has been problematic for them.

The guy also said that Porsche also have not given the breakdown responder authorisation to change parts, which I assume is because they need to reset systems but I may be wrong on that count.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
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Guy
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Post by Guy »

Just for interest, I posted a few pictures of my battery in this thread - shows the part number and make/model quite clearly.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2710&p=140611&hilit=boot#p140611
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Rab J
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Post by Rab J »

If you want to change a battery without having to reprogram its simply a mater of connecting another battery by jump leads so that when you swap batteries in the car doesnt loose power. When the new battery is installed the jump battery can be then disconnected and the new battery left to power the car. I have done this process successfully a few times in other car if not the Porsche.
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BHT
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Post by BHT »

B737NGWS wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 4:01 pm
CharlesElliott wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 8:23 pm How are you connecting the CTEK to the Macan?
Through the 12v socket in the centre console.
I thought the 12v socket in the centre console 'switched off' after about 15 minutes of the key being removed, I'm sure it does on my 2017 Macan?
If this is the case, how is the Ctek continuing to charge?
2017 Macan diesel with all available options.
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