Hi gang,

I've been trying to find a solution to the unconventional battery charging concerns with the Cayman. The following points highlight the particular nature of the concerns:

1) Should the battery become discharged to where the car won't start, then the problem is compounded by the bonnet lid release also requiring a jump (at the fuse panel) to even access the discharged battery to attach jumper cables. For me personally, I'm apprehensive about hooking jumper cables directly to my fuse panel as per the owner's manual.

2) If the key is inadvertently inserted into the car's ignition with a dead battery (which I could see this happening quite easily), the key will remain "locked" in the ignition until the battery is recharged. So now another problem arises, the keys to our beloved vehicles are stuck in the ignition while we go in search of a good samaritan with jumper cables.

3) Completely relying on Porsche Roadside Assistance raises the convenience issue, it could take anywhere from 1-2 hours (depending on where we're stranded) for assistance to arrive to jump start our dead batteries.

So after much thought, I figured out the ideal solution. We need to carry a portable battery recharger in the car with us (specifically in the trunk, and not the under the hood). Ideally such a unit would need to be jumper cable free, so it has to plug into the cigarette lighter. The unit would have to be of sufficient amperage to be able to start the engine, and if nothing else at least have enough juice to allow the bonnet lid to be opened. Also, the unit has to be lightweight, easy to use, and at a low cost with high quality. The device also has to be able to hold a charge (pending use) for a long time, and to be able to be recharged easily via the cigarette outlet or an AC wall outlet.

I found the solution for me in the following new charger. This device seems to fit the criteria I describe above. I will keep you posted about my experience with it, should I ever actually need to use it. Note: this device is NOT a battery maintainer, it is strictly intended as an emergency battery booster to start a car with a discharged battery.

Further, I have no affiliation with either the vendor or the manufacturer...I just want to contribute to our ownership experience.

Black & Decker BB7B Simple Start Vehicle Battery Booster

Regards,
Kevin

I've got one, my family got it for me last year. Works ok, but YOU CAN'T KEEP IT IN THE TRUNK EITHER, unless you think you can reach it over the engine (no way I can reach to rear of trunk from the passenger cab) -- the trunk release requires power, too. i haven't tried to fit it into the compartments behind the seats, but if it fits, that would be th place to keep it. I'll check when I get back home (I'm in a meeting in Vegas this weekend) and post again.

Greg

Black & Decker stuff is pretty awful. There is a better solution called the Quick Start. It is a small yellow box that will fit where you can reach it. But I do not remember who makes it. Russ do you remember?

Not sure about the other, but I've used the B&D and it's o.k. I've got nothing to compare it to. It does fit very nicely in the bins behind the driver, so would be ideal to leave there. See attached images.

Greg

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This must be it... Little Mac Battery Chargers from Quick Start

This is the one I was thinking of: http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1645&cid=29

"Jump-start you car's dead battery quickly and safely without ever lifting the hood! Simply connect the Quick Jumper into the good vehicle through the 12V power socket and the other into the "dead" car and in less than 10 minutes the green LED display confirms your batterty is charged. Features a built-in electronic system to protect and ensure proper connections. Compact unit includes an 18-foot power cord and measures 4 1/2" x 4" for easy storage." So it still requires a doner car and doesn't do what the OP had in mind.

First thing I would wonder is can the lighter fuse take the current (the owner's manual doesn't list the fuse sizes that I can find) that the device will pump out.

If you're concerned about dead battery, take a look at Priority Start. It sits on the battery and when it gets low, it disconnects the battery from the car. You reconnect it by turning on the headlights and/or the lighter. Then you start your car.

C6 Corvette owners used it a lot when there was a software problem with the ECU that kept running down the battery.


I have no connection with that company, just know a lot of people who use it.

__________________
Robert

I like the Priority Start idea, Thanks!

This is actually not a problem. You're not actually using the lighter circuit to jump start the car. Instead, these chargers essentially recharge the battery at less that the usual current draw that an accessory will pull in the other direction. I've seen some that actually use alkaline D cells to get 15-18 vdc, low current draw to do the same thing.

I was given the B & D as a gift, and I must say, it's worked well on my '94 Wrangler the 4 or 5 times I've used it. You have to remember to keep it charged....

Greg

There do seem to be several viable solutions to the battery discharge issue.

I had certain specific criteria as stated in my initial post that I was looking for in an emergency battery booster. One of them is that I did not want jumper cables, and I also did not want to rely on a donor battery...I wanted a self-sufficient emergency recharger.

Also, the genuine Porsche Battery Maintainer itself charges through the Cayman cigarette lighter. The BB7B emerg. recharger is really not that different than the battery maintainer in the way it's recharging the battery. As stated by another member, the car's battery is still starting the vehicle. We're just waiting a few minutes for the BB7B device to give the car battery an emergency recharge before turning the ignition.

Some added benefits of the B&D BB7B device is that you can plug a cell phone or other mobile device into the unit if you need an emergency recharge on the mobile device. Also, this unit can be used to help start the vehicle of other stranded motorists, should the need or compulsion arise.

Gemars: I didn't even realize the BB7B unit fit into the Cayman storage box behind the seats...thanks for the pics! Also, thanks for letting us know about your experience with the device in the past.

Again, if and when I use the device, I will leave candid feedback at this forum about it's advertised capabilities.

Ok, so I was as Sharper Image yesterday & found this. Not a "Quick Start," but a "Jump Start," it's smaller than the Black & Decker and probably carries less charge, but is SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER! Look at my ignition key on the case to convey the size.

Anyway, if you're going to leave one in your car, it looks like a good choice, though I haven't had to use it yet.

Greg

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The sales guy "sold" me the "Porsche" carge-o-mat Maintainer. OK.. I won't be driving my Cayman daily, so sounded like a good idea. Have anyone used this thing.. I plugged it in and was amazed how warm (hot) the maintainer got. Maybe the batter was already low.. but I'm just trying to get grounded (sorry ) here.

Right now, it is sitting in the garage, with locks that auto engage and alarm drinking battery juice. What do "normal" folks do??

thanks for the insights... PS.. love the car.. a dream from my youth come true.
D&D