Top Tips

A heavy and seemingly robust car battery whether for a Holden or a Porsche, does need to be stored in the correct way. A customer last week discovered that a battery carried incorrectly even for a relatively short period can cause acid to leak and the battery to become defunct!?

So, if you are ever transporting a car battery make sure it stays completely upright.

Here’s the gold standard in transporting a car battery from movers.com a moving expert.

Wrapping a car battery

With many heavy metals and toxic chemicals inside a car battery, it is very important to both wrap and box it properly before placing it in a truck or car with other items. The best material to wrap a battery in is thick cloth in the case that it leaks during transport. Using an old towel would be the best bet, however, an old sheet would do as well. Simply sit the battery in the middle of the towel or sheet and fold the sides of the cloth up and around the battery, completely covering it on all sides.

After it is totally covered, take duct tape and secure the material over the battery. Wrap duct tape on all four sides as if you were putting a ribbon on a present. This way the material is sure to cover the battery and readily absorb any chemicals that may leak from it during the transport.

Boxing a car battery

After covering the battery in cloth, place it in a box slightly larger than the object itself. Make sure to place battery on its bottom and not to place it upside down. Once the battery is in the box, take newspaper and pack it tightly around all sides, securing the device in place so it does not get tossed around during transport. Duct tape the top of the box, completely enclosing the battery inside. Make sure to label the box both “Fragile” and “This Side Up” so the box is handled carefully and remains upright at all times.

This year I had an accountant request details of a cars VIN and Engine Number. I have previously written posts on VIN numbers, where to find them and what they mean. For more details on VIN Numbers click on this link What your Porsche VIN can reveal…  As far as engine numbers, these can prove far more difficult to locate on your Porsche, the numbers location can vary by model and year, and accessing your engine number can often require a slimline torch and a degree in Yoga! However, if you just need details of the engine number, and your Porsche has standard registration these can be found on the VicRoads website. Just follow this link to VicRoads, then type in your rego and the vehicle details including your cars VIN and Engine Number will be displayed.

Another way to access your Engine Number if you’re on club plates is to refer to your Roadworthy Certificate which will have this info.

LED headlights can be fitted to early 911’s up to and including the 964. Fitting these older Porsches will LED headlights delivers a much brighter and whiter light and can create less draw on your vehicles electrical system. The only down side is the throw distance can be a little bit shorter that the traditional halogen lights, which could be more important than brightness if you’re regularly giving your car an intense night time work out!?

Whilst we were fitting the LED headlights we also added some LED bulbs to the dash lighting to better illuminate the instrument readings. This change made a significant improvement to the readability of gauges, which is most helpful to those of us who’s eyesight is not what it used to be.

Converting to LED interior lights and taillights on older model cars is also growing in popularity.

To give you an idea of costings – the LED headlight changeover for the 3.2 was $285 including parts and labour, and the converting of the dash globes was $320 including parts and labour.

However, I’ve recently come across a second option worth considering… ring a local certified Auto Locksmith and get them to come out to you! This option may be a quicker and less complicated alternative, that is also available if you’re stranded outside normal business hours.

Here’s a link to NINEAUTO’s local accredited Automotive Locksmith, Galmier Locksmiths who service Melbourne’s south east and offer emergency out of hours call outs.

If you just need a spare key for your Porsche… click on this link to a past NINEAUTO website post with details of key costs by Porsche model.

For some, the finishing touch for their Porsche is a fun, stylish or even Germanic inspired number plate. Many choose the Slimline style rather than a standard number plate, whilst others opt for a top of the range personalised plate. (For more information on how to purchase or transfer number plates follow this link to VicRoads.) 

At NINEAUTO Slimline plates are the most popular plates we see, they are narrower than standard issue plates, and are often a better fit for your vehicle’s number plate mounting.
The size of slimline plates is specific to the number of letters and numbers that appear on the plate. For example:
all six character plates – 372mm x 100mm high
all five character plates – 315mm long x 100mm high
all four characters or less – 250mm long x 100mm high

The Slimline style comes at a cost premium of $126.40 versus a regular plate at $36.40. Slimline Plates are also available in black with six characters at a cost of $170.

All six character Slimline plates, including the black ones can now be purchased over the counter at all VicRoads Customer Service Centres, and are permanently in stock. ( Click on this link to VicRoads website to see more information on black slimline plates.) All these options are available as ‘next plate out of the box’, that is you are unable to select the combination. (However, based on my experience at VicRoads they will often let you choose your preferred plate out of the ones they currently have in stock)

If your preference is a truly personalised number plate VicRoads has a whole website dedicated to creating your ultimate number plate… but this does come at a cost! Here’s the link to explore prices and options.

For many enthusiasts, we save our Porsches for a weekend blast or holidays. Many cars are stored for days or weeks before we have time to enjoy them. Over time, your battery will lose charge and then begin to struggle to hold full charge. When you do find time to enjoy your ride, the battery might be flat and won’t hold charge even if you attempt to charge it over night.

Modern cars (Porsche’s included) can also suffer from batteries with low charge. I have had issues with my 996 where accessories do strange things when the battery is low or nearly dead. Even when stopped and locked, modern Porsches do continue to use the battery to maintain their systems and alarms. Some cars may lose programming if the battery is completely dead.

The best way to preserve your battery when your car is not regularly run is to hook the battery up to a trickle charger. Modern “smart” trickle chargers have circuitry to cycle on and off to maintain the battery charge at its optimum. The charger can sense the battery condition and will not overcharge the battery. Some also have the added features to recondition flat batteries if they have been run flat for minimum period of time.

With modern trickle chargers and batteries, you can simply hook up trickle charger and leave it until you next use your car.

Things to consider when using a charger:

1. If you have a light under the front or rear hood, and have the hood open to charge the battery, consider removing the globe to prevent continual battery drain or premature failure through being constantly on.

2. The charging process gives off hydrogen and some older batteries require ventilation to prevent the build up/concentration of the flammable gas.

3. We have heard of car fires from use of fast chargers (Note: little heard with low amperage trickle chargers) Recently, in nearby Brighton, there was an older car that caught of fire in the starter motor explained through excessive charging of the battery and poor wiring. Rare but worth noting! With older cars that do not rely on the battery to maintain systems, you may consider disconnecting the battery terminal before charging for long periods.

After our post last month on the Rev Range Check Prior to Purchase, we received a number of requests for further information and specifics on the rev ranges. After some investigative work, I found a comprehensive article on the internet explaining the rev ranges and how a high reading doesn’t always mean the engine has a problem. Sometimes further investigation and a more detailed review of the engine is required to ensure the engine won’t present a problem in the future.

This link will take you to a UK article by Tom Harris at 911Virgin.
(Please note that Tom’s reference’s to Porsche Warranties are applicable to his market in the UK, and may not be relevant here in Australia.)