Car died over night…

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daveo4EV

daveo4EV

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Lemon Law in California - 30 days in service for any reason - or 3 times for the same problem unresolved.
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Dlurker20

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Lemon Law in California - 30 days in service for any reason - or 3 times for the same problem unresolved.
Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I know you've had a multitude of problems. Fortunately I've only had mild irritations ( Connect occasional failures, rattle in passenger headrest but only once, the trunk popping back up because the lid actually touched a grocery bag!). It truly is a wonderful car, and being the very first release it has some warts, but I dearly hope some of these critical issues get addressed so we don't have a series of really pissed off owners returning their cars.
 

chizwheel

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@daveo4EV thank you for your excellent write up as usual. Your insight and work in this area is invaluable.

I take ownership of my car in 1-2 weeks and while I am super excited to get to drive this incredible car, the 12V issue honestly scares the s*it out of me. As a surgeon, when I'm on call, I cannot afford for my car to not start. Although my ICE can also fail, My prior A7 didn't start all of 1 time in 8 years. I can accept a similar level, even slightly more for the porsche being a Gen 1 but I also feel that if I have more than 2 episodes of the 12V issue, I may also fall back on the Lemon Law.

I really hope not because I really want this car. In Texas, it only takes 2 trips to the dealer for the same issue to qualify for Lemon Law and a 30 day period for the dealer/manufacturer to correct the issue permanently.
 

wil932

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Are the Noco GB40/GB70 safe to boost a LiFePO4 battery?
[/QUOTE

Amazon Prime has the Noco GB70 tonight for $75 off @$125. A real buy and good to have on the shelf or frunk just in case.
 


Scandinavian

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Would it fit there? The glove box is pretty small. It’s like it was actually designed to hold no more than a pair of gloves!
Well I am not familiar with the actual item mentioned, but here is the one that I have ordered. It is described to have quite a large capacity and spec says 800 A current?? I have easily fitted that into the glove box. The cars manual and cover has a special bracket so it fits in above the space. And I still have some room for other suff, not much I must admit but....

https://www.amazon.fr/TACKLIFE-Boos...JZ49B7YW2GX&psc=1&refRID=VA0QRT0QPJZ49B7YW2GX
 


wmras

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Would it fit there? The glove box is pretty small. It’s like it was actually designed to hold no more than a pair of gloves!
The smaller ones sold at Costco or Amazon will work (you are not cranking a V8, just waking up the mothership) and should fit in the glove box. There is also enough room under the front passenger seat (where our front license plate is kept). You may be able to put a copy of your manual in your phone.
 
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daveo4EV

daveo4EV

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yes the amount of power required to "wake up" the Taycan is pretty small - most any 12V booster will do the trick - you're not charging the 12V battery and you're not 'cranking' a mechanical motor - you're powering the vehicle's main computer (or some such) until it is running long enough to wake everything else back up at which point the main 800V battery will be brought online to run everything including charging the 12V battery - if there isn't enough power to do that you'll need to get it to your porsche dealer anyways because the problem is too big to be solved outside of a mechanic's shop.
 

wmras

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@daveo4EV thank you for your excellent write up as usual. Your insight and work in this area is invaluable.

I take ownership of my car in 1-2 weeks and while I am super excited to get to drive this incredible car, the 12V issue honestly scares the s*it out of me. As a surgeon, when I'm on call, I cannot afford for my car to not start. Although my ICE can also fail, My prior A7 didn't start all of 1 time in 8 years. I can accept a similar level, even slightly more for the porsche being a Gen 1 but I also feel that if I have more than 2 episodes of the 12V issue, I may also fall back on the Lemon Law.

I really hope not because I really want this car. In Texas, it only takes 2 trips to the dealer for the same issue to qualify for Lemon Law and a 30 day period for the dealer/manufacturer to correct the issue permanently.
Appreciate David's efforts to place more pressure on Porsche to fix the 12V battery pseudo-random death issue by not using a trickle charger, however completely agree with you about needing a car that can be depended on for emergencies, especially with our age and some medical issues.

Here are my solutions that have been tested on three different Porsche vehicles: 2020 Taycan Turbo S, 2015 Macan Turbo, and 2012 Cayman S Black Edition (Cayman R in street clothes).

Solution [1] is highly likely to keep your battery from dying. This is a Lithium compatible 4A charger, OBDII charge point connection, and a 5 amp fuse to replace the 3 amp fuse in the OBDII adapter (the Porsche circuit is also fused for 5 amps). It is the first step solution and may not keep your battery from dying if left for days but is highly likely to extend the time to dead (the 4 amp charger may be enough to supply operating current if the computer does not shut down gracefully).
  • Change the Battery Tender OBDII adapter fuse to 5 amps
  • Plug the OBDII adapter into the car receptacle (between steering column and sidewall under dash - use you phone light)
  • Plug the Battery Tender charger into a wall outlet and select 12V and Lithium battery before you connect to the car (it will remember your last settings if there is a power failure)
  • Connect the charger output to the OBDII adapter cable
  • Battery Tender Lights
    • Blinking yellow light - no connection or something is wrong
    • Solid yellow light - battery is charging
    • Blinking green light - battery is >80% charged
    • Solid green light - battery is fully charged
[1] Equipment
Battery Tender 4 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer, Lead Acid & Lithium (LFePO4)
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Selectable-Lithium-Charge/dp/B07XMJDJX7/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2LKOKKVIDUE8U&dchild=1&keywords=battery+tender&qid=1602715666&refinements=p_89:Battery+Tender|Deltran&rnid=2528832011&sprefix=battery,aps,229&sr=8-7
(Also available at Walmart)

Battery Tender OBDII Accessory Cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KJ2RZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Littelfuse ATO5BP 5A ATO Fuse
https://www.amazon.com/Littelfuse-ATO5BP-ATO-Fuse-Pack/dp/B0002KKT4U/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=littelfuse+5a+auto&qid=1602717918&refinements=p_85:2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-3
(Also available at Walmart)


Solution [2] adds the nerd engineer voltmeter option to monitor the battery charge level (if it is below 11V, you are in trouble: if it is below 8-9V you may not be able to recover without a jump battery (see [3] below]). This solution adds a "Y" cable adapter and a digital voltmeter.
  • Connect the "Y" cable double-wire end to the Battery Tender ODBII adapter cable
    (this maintains voltage polarity downstream)
  • Connect one of the other "Y" leads to the voltmeter (it will display the battery voltage before connecting the charger)
  • Plug the Battery Tender charger into a wall outlet and select 12V and Lithium battery before you connect to the "Y" cable
  • Connect the charger output cable to the other "Y" lead
  • Press the button on the voltmeter to read the voltage (it times out to keep from discharging the battery) - you can monitor the voltage before, during, and after charging (have seen up tp 13.9V)
[2] Equipment
SAE DC Power Automotive Connector Cable Y Splitter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GS11DJJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Battery Tender LCD Voltage Indicator
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJ5KE9A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Solution [3] has been discussed by many - a small portable Lithium jump-start battery. We use a similar version from Home Depot, but would consider the Battery Tender version as a replacement. It is smaller and, unlike many, does not require you to hold a button down while applying full power (cranking an ICE).

[3] Equipment
Battery Tender® 800 milliamps (0.8A) Jump Starter
https://www.batterytender.com/Battery-Tender-800A-Jump-Starter-7200mAh-Power-Pack_5

[Aditional Information]
Battery Tender Lithium Chargers
https://www.batterytender.com/battery-chargers?battery-chemistry=Lithium

This may seem like a Battery Tender written application, but I have no relationship with them. I do not recommend their wireless voltmeter monitor - it has been a waste of money, but I have never had one of their chargers fail (out of many).

2020-10-15 edit: changed 800 Amp to 800 milliamps (0.8A)
 
Last edited:

wil932

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yes the amount of power required to "wake up" the Taycan is pretty small - most any 12V booster will do the trick - you're not charging the 12V battery and you're not 'cranking' a mechanical motor - you're powering the vehicle's main computer (or some such) until it is running long enough to wake everything else back up at which point the main 800V battery will be brought online to run everything including charging the 12V battery - if there isn't enough power to do that you'll need to get it to your porsche dealer anyways because the problem is too big to be solved outside of a mechanic's shop.
Yeah I know its overkill for this application, but I wanted to have it available for my real V8 when it wont start. And I couldn't turn down the Amazon Prime "Deal of the Day" for this one at $125. It will go behind the back seat and not in the glovebox. Although those other 400A units look like they would fit under the seat nicely.
 

r553

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The trunk can be accessed through the rear seats. The rear seat back release is mechanical.
 

Gwaihir

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Appreciate David's efforts to place more pressure on Porsche to fix the 12V battery pseudo-random death issue by not using a trickle charger, however completely agree with you about needing a car that can be depended on for emergencies, especially with our age and some medical issues.

Here are my solutions that have been tested on three different Porsche vehicles: 2020 Taycan Turbo S, 2015 Macan Turbo, and 2012 Cayman S Black Edition (Cayman R in street clothes).

Solution [1] is highly likely to keep your battery from dying. This is a Lithium compatible 4A charger, OBDII charge point connection, and a 5 amp fuse to replace the 3 amp fuse in the OBDII adapter (the Porsche circuit is also fused for 5 amps). It is the first step solution and may not keep your battery from dying if left for days but is highly likely to extend the time to dead (the 4 amp charger may be enough to supply operating current if the computer does not shut down gracefully).
  • Change the Battery Tender OBDII adapter fuse to 5 amps
  • Plug the OBDII adapter into the car receptacle (between steering column and sidewall under dash - use you phone light)
  • Plug the Battery Tender charger into a wall outlet and select 12V and Lithium battery before you connect to the car (it will remember your last settings if there is a power failure)
  • Connect the charger output to the OBDII adapter cable
  • Battery Tender Lights
    • Blinking yellow light - no connection or something is wrong
    • Solid yellow light - battery is charging
    • Blinking green light - battery is >80% charged
    • Solid green light - battery is fully charged
[1] Equipment
Battery Tender 4 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer, Lead Acid & Lithium (LFePO4)
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Selectable-Lithium-Charge/dp/B07XMJDJX7/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2LKOKKVIDUE8U&dchild=1&keywords=battery+tender&qid=1602715666&refinements=p_89:Battery+Tender|Deltran&rnid=2528832011&sprefix=battery,aps,229&sr=8-7
(Also available at Walmart)

Battery Tender OBDII Accessory Cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KJ2RZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Littelfuse ATO5BP 5A ATO Fuse
https://www.amazon.com/Littelfuse-ATO5BP-ATO-Fuse-Pack/dp/B0002KKT4U/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=littelfuse+5a+auto&qid=1602717918&refinements=p_85:2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-3
(Also available at Walmart)


Solution [2] adds the nerd engineer voltmeter option to monitor the battery charge level (if it is below 11V, you are in trouble: if it is below 8-9V you may not be able to recover without a jump battery (see [3] below]). This solution adds a "Y" cable adapter and a digital voltmeter.
  • Connect the "Y" cable double-wire end to the Battery Tender ODBII adapter cable
    (this maintains voltage polarity downstream)
  • Connect one of the other "Y" leads to the voltmeter (it will display the battery voltage before connecting the charger)
  • Plug the Battery Tender charger into a wall outlet and select 12V and Lithium battery before you connect to the "Y" cable
  • Connect the charger output cable to the other "Y" lead
  • Press the button on the voltmeter to read the voltage (it times out to keep from discharging the battery) - you can monitor the voltage before, during, and after charging (have seen up tp 13.9V)
[2] Equipment
SAE DC Power Automotive Connector Cable Y Splitter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GS11DJJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Battery Tender LCD Voltage Indicator
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJ5KE9A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Solution [3] has been discussed by many - a small portable Lithium jump-start battery. We use a similar version from Home Depot, but would consider the Battery Tender version as a replacement. It is smaller and, unlike many, does not require you to hold a button down while applying full power (cranking an ICE).

[3] Equipment
Battery Tender® 800 Amp Jump Starter
https://www.batterytender.com/Battery-Tender-800A-Jump-Starter-7200mAh-Power-Pack_5

[Aditional Information]
Battery Tender Lithium Chargers
https://www.batterytender.com/battery-chargers?battery-chemistry=Lithium

This may seem like a Battery Tender written application, but I have no relationship with them. I do not recommend their wireless voltmeter monitor - it has been a waste of money, but I have never had one of their chargers fail (out of many).
Wouldn’t it be nice if Porsche modified the connect application to sound an alarm on your phone, before the 12V vehicle battery died! You would then - maybe - have the option to wake your car into life, before it died.

Just a thought.
Although the issue then would be Porsche admitting they caused the problem. . . .
Sponsored

 
 




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