@Chookie Cannot answer whether the MD808 accepts Interstate battery’s but according to the video it does require brand, serial number and part number. Still a lot of unknowns till someone gives it a try.

It was mentioned earlier that some battery chargers will not provide voltage without a battery. That may be the reason for your SA advising against. The Ctek offers supply voltage without a battery model Mult US 7002

 

I wonder if something like this:

Amazon.com: Kastar 295A Computer Memory Saver: Automotive

Buy Kastar 295A Computer Memory Saver: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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Would work to supply voltage to save all your computer settings while the battery is swapped?

 

Some thoughts on the need to register the new battery with serial #, brand, Ah, CCA, etc.
Especially if the new battery brand is NOT listed amount the choices on your tool & if the new battery has no serial #.

The rationale for registering at all is that the Porsche computer must know the specs on the new battery in order to regulate the alternator charging voltage or it will be wrong & your new battery will have a short life.

Consider the following:
2 identical Macans. Same delivery day, same exact battery.

2 very different driving habits by the owners.

Car 1 a daily driver with ½ hr. commute, mostly freeway non rush hour travel.
Car 2 driven 1x/week, short distances stop & go. Never used a battery tender/charger.

It is probable that Car 2 will need a new battery years sooner vs. car #1. That battery was often undercharged, not good for long battery life.

Both cars had the same exact original battery registration with the same exact specs.

Wouldn't you think the computer instructs the alternator to charge the batteries differently, due to their different state of charge & other factors monitored by the computer?

Car 2 probably is usually @ 50% charge & car 1 probably @ 90-100% daily.

So I wonder if the computer really only needs to "know" the Ah & CCA of the replacement battery.

If you bought a brand that was NOT listed in the tool's choices but had 92Ah & 850 CCA & entered the Varta series # +1 & also the name Varta, wouldn't your charging system correctly charge it?

The tricky question is what if the new battery was a brand not listed & had slightly more Ah say 95 Ah & more CCA say, 900 (I think that Interstate had those specs)

Entering fake Varta inf. & serial number may still work very well.

I would feel better if the tool allowed you to enter, rather than select from preloaded choices, the important specs.

 

Some thoughts on the need to register the new battery with serial #, brand, Ah, CCA, etc.
Especially if the new battery brand is NOT listed amount the choices on your tool & if the new battery has no serial #.

The rationale for registering at all is that the Porsche computer must know the specs on the new battery in order to regulate the alternator charging voltage or it will be wrong & your new battery will have a short life.

Consider the following:
2 identical Macans. Same delivery day, same exact battery.

2 very different driving habits by the owners.

Car 1 a daily driver with ½ hr. commute, mostly freeway non rush hour travel.
Car 2 driven 1x/week, short distances stop & go. Never used a battery tender/charger.

It is probable that Car 2 will need a new battery years sooner vs. car #1. That battery was often undercharged, not good for long battery life.

Both cars had the same exact original battery registration with the same exact specs.

Wouldn't you think the computer instructs the alternator to charge the batteries differently, due to their different state of charge & other factors monitored by the computer?

Car 2 probably is usually @ 50% charge & car 1 probably @ 90-100% daily.

So I wonder if the computer really only needs to "know" the Ah & CCA of the replacement battery.

If you bought a brand that was NOT listed in the tool's choices but had 92Ah & 850 CCA & entered the Varta series # +1 & also the name Varta, wouldn't your charging system correctly charge it?

The tricky question is what if the new battery was a brand not listed & had slightly more Ah say 95 Ah & more CCA say, 900 (I think that Interstate had those specs)

Entering fake Varta inf. & serial number may still work very well.

I would feel better if the tool allowed you to enter, rather than select from preloaded choices, the important specs.

The following is from the Autel OM and seems to answer your first question:
The battery management system (BMS) is a critical electronic system of vehicle that monitors and manages a rechargeable battery. The purpose of the BMS is to guarantee safe and reliable battery operation by monitoring and evaluating the battery states, including state of charge, state of health, and state of life, controlling the charging and discharging of the battery, balancing the cell etc. As an electrochemical product, a battery acts differently under different operational and environmental conditions.

I don't think the computer needs to know the CCA, just the AH spec and if the new battery is AGM or not. When I replaced the battery in my 2011 X5 and had one of the indys I use register the new battery for me, I watched him do it. He did not need to enter the battery manufacturer (of course perhaps Porsche is a bit different), nor the serial number, and he showed me a record (retrieved from the car) that showed past battery replacements that showed date, odometer, type (AGM, for example) and AH rating.

I could be wrong, but it all leads me to believe the input of the battery manufacturer info and serial number is stored in the car merely to assist subsequent technicians in diagnosing battery issues (for example if the battery currently in the car was properly registered). BTW, I believe the video shows the Autel lists all possible battery manufacturers (just remember there are a lot more brand names than manufacturers) and if you want to accurately show the correct manufacturer you might need to use the internet to ascertain who the actual manufacturer of the battery is (if it's not noted on the battery itself), although I suspect the manufacturer identity has no effect on the charging strategy the computer employs.

As for your question on the battery (AH) capacity, I guess before I went out and bought a new one I would make sure I knew what AH alternatives were available to me on the diagnostic tool and make sure I bought a battery matching one of those alternatives (and of course with no less AH than the vehicle was delivered with, if I recall correctly from either the video or the Autel OM the Autel can tell you the AH capacity of the original factory installed battery.

 

Agree the serial number is informational versus actionable. Otherwise there would be no need to ask for the battttery type and AH. The computer would already know that based on the serial number.

 

This entire battery thing is very irritating. Like many others, I've owned different marques and models using from old wet cell to maintenance free to AGM. Coming from cold country, you knew batteries died in 3 years, go buy a diehard. But Porsche died in 2 years. AGM is better but this battery thing is crazy and I've not seen it anywhere near as bad as in other cars. And this goes back to Porsche in the early 80s.

Whenever I hear "But my other car had this option free", my answer is "porsche tax, deal with it or go buy your old car". But this isn't an option. This is a core part of the car, not an option, necessary to be functional.

I was told to get a CTEK a decade ago. From then I learned ALWAYS have the car on the CTEK. ALWAYS if not used in a couple of days. Imagine my shock when told you just can't go down to Sears to get a new Diehard. They can't program it.

And then I learned, you pay the price for the marque. Don't like it, move on. But what was to program on a non-AGM battery? Its not like the ECU had to know its 14.7 to charge, all the batteries were 14.4. It had to be the idea of the algorithms thinking the NEW battery was OLD. That's not a good thing. Battery life will suffer.

The most fundamental question is WHY is battery life so poor? WHY do all these cars end up on battery tenders if not driven 6K miles a rolling year? What is Porsche doing so there is too much a parasitic draw. It can't just be the alarm.

This is NOT true of other carmakers. I've had cars sit a month and start right up. So what is Porsche doing thats killing the batteries?

Oh, and now they are going to sell Electric Battery Porsches. I don't think their track record on batteries is all so good. How could I trust that?

 

Just curious if you have a follow up on this comment. The Taycan is arguably the best electric car ever made, and my 2016 Macan S battery is still going strong...and that after existing in the Pacific Northwest, and not driven consistently. I am often away for weeks. 40k kms after 5 years.

 

I really wish someone could explain the importance of the BSM/serial number. I went to the parts dept and saw the new Porsche branded batteries on a rack. They had one for a Macan, but no BSM sticker on it. (!). The parts guy said they have them on file (?). I think that’s to keep people like me from taking a picture of the serial number to use with another battery like the interstate one. $597 for the battery, $640 installed.

Still shopping. My optima charger reports my battery is down to about 33% but still at a good voltage after a month or so of 8 mile daily one way commutes. Flirting with fire at this point. Once charged the optima charger says it’s 90%, so I’ll just be more careful about keeping it on the charger. Mine will be 5 years old in march.

 

This inability for the owner of the car to register their new battery is just plain bunk. When we buy the cars we should be able to purchase a gizmo to do this as an 'add on'. Everything else is offered, so why not this?

 

Well for all my cars in the last 30 years I have always just put in a new battery without doing anything else, including Lexus and BMW.

And I am going to do this for my Macan when the time comes.

 

I am thinking that the battery registration may be required of more & more new cars, especially high end cars.

Could it mainly just be a way for dealers to increase profits? Changing a battery is one of the easiest DIY items & cars frequently need new batteries. Also many auto parts stores install batteries @ N/C (Not the kind you need to register)
Perhaps the dealerships/manufacturers want to claw back lost business from these auto parts stores?

For the old lead acid batteries, it always cost a lot more, maybe 2x as much or even more, to have an Indy shop or the dealer replace it vs. buying one & having Pep Boys, Autozone or even Walmart or Sears (remember them?) do it for you.

Just wondering.

I think this issue will have much more data in several more years.
People will either ignore the registration & just swap out with a Bosch or Interstate of similar specs, maybe using some tool or extra battery to maintain 12V during the swap & maybe not. They will post results here. (I failed to register & my new battery died in 1 year! Or I failed to register or even maintain 12V during 10 minute swap & 4 years later...no issues)

I wonder how many people check their battery with a multimeter from the jump start posts? I bet not many.
If you drive it most days & just came back from a ½ hr. drive & your Macan battery is only 70% charged.......?

 

Car batteries are not that fragile. The worst thing for a car battery is overcharging, and it mostly applies to lead acid batteries.

Per discussion here, the alternator may undercharge a new battery if it's not registered. So nothing to worry about.

 

AGM batteries also do not like being overcharged and it will shorten their life.

For what it's worth I did the swap a few weeks ago and did not register a new battery. I doubt in my case the battery will be overcharged since my wife barely drives it 6000 miles a year and it is 95 aH instead of 92. Also I do not think the Macan knows how to compensate for the life of the battery since the original battery was depleted.

Regardless I will be keeping a close eye on it with my multimeter.

 

Any updates on how that went? It is now feb 28,2022 and my new icarsoft POR v2.o would NOT register my new battery, even with the old varta bem code I got errors try again when I sent data. Sending it back tomorrow. My new battery has been in for a few days working fine unregistered.My new one was the same...95AH replacing 92AH. close nough.

 

After reading every thread relating to battery maintenance and replacement, I am still not clear if we have nailed down what tool will actually register a new battery on our Macan and what battery we can buy aftermarket in the US which will have all the data on it for registration even if we have a tool capable of doing this.

Mixed signals on the ability of the MD808 or the iCarsoft POR V2.0 to do this on the Macan.

My 2018 SE was a dealer loaner with only 5500 miles on it when I bought it last month. When I got it home I checked the battery capacity and it was only 50% with a resting voltage of only 12.3v. Not sure if I had the battery out of the car wether the voltage would be higher and more acceptable without any of the parasitic load that Macan draws. But 12.3V resting voltage is normally a sign of a battery going away.

These numbers tell me that my AGM was not treated very well with short trips and no battery maintainer hooked up.

I keep my SE on a Cetec 7002 snowflake when parked.

My Cetec 7002 or my Prologix 2320 will bring it close to 100% but the battery will drop back down to 50% and 12.3V within two minutes of removing - or parking the car after a long ride. The Macan is charging at 14.9-15v when driving.

So--- is there a tool that a forum member in the US has actually used during a battery replacement for registration---what replacement battery was used--- and what battery data did the tool accept?

Thanks

 

I was at Costco tire center today and saw the Interstate H8 group 49 AGM battery there. Inquired about the price. It is $133 with a 36-month warranty. Very tempted to get one now since my OEM battery is almost 5 years old.

 

jzwu- I know you are basing the capacity condition of your battery on time of use. But have you taken a voltage measurement after you parked after a long ride? I am trying to get a feel of what a normal voltage (or worn battery voltage) is before and after the solenoid switches in the engine bay turn off-- or on for that matter.

I am assuming that they change state in order to turn off loads based upon battery voltage.

A bit hesitant to perform the normal battery load capacity test using a tester with all of the parasitic loads built into the Macan- not sure how that will affect ECU control logic. I am using the capacity readout on my Prologix 2320 and the fact my 7002 no longer gets to the final stage in the charging sequence- as it once did the first few times I used it.

I just Love this modern stuff.

 

No I haven’t taken a voltage measurement of my OEM battery. So far everything seems good. No problem starting the car at the first crank and all electronics works fine too.

The charging voltage on the display is 14.9v now, which I assume it’s due to the ambient cold temperature (50’s). In summer it’s 14.4v.

 

I also do not have any starting or driving issues. I am reacting to what traditionally used to be less than optimum numbers. The Macan obviously is a different beast so my old rules of thumb may no longer apply.

I know the MFD will throw up a white or yellow battery icon if the main brain decides that the battery is low or should be replaced ---and I have not seen them- so the brain thinks all is good.

I am not sure how the icons are graded but I am assuming that two icons have to be better than when all you got was a red light-just as the battery died. Would love to know the consequences of a white icon versus a yellow icon.

 

When the battery starts to die there will be obvious signs so don’t worry about it.

The $133 price at Costco is just too tempting. LOL Also, the H8 battery is not common so it is not always in stock. The one I saw today was made in Dec. 2019.

 

Ok. I will wait then.

 

Some things I've learned from my dealer & others.
1. The Macan battery replacement process is different from other Porsches & your old BMWs.
2. There is not much Macan historical data on normal battery replacement. The 2015's will be the first to begin hitting the 5 year mark in 2020.
3. The battery must be registered/initialized with the ECU (per manual & dealer). Especially if you are under warranty. There is not any info on long term affects of not registering at this time.
4. With the Porsche dealer Battery Health Check, they consider a Macan battery basically dead if the "battery aging, charge-related %" is below 55%. They told me I should replace battery at 60% when they tested.
4. The Porsche dealer PIWIS tool has more capabilities than those leased to Indys. Indys can only register a Porsche battery, no aftermarkets. Porsche dealers can register an aftermarket but they double the price.
5. Many Indys have limited demand & experience replacing Macan batteries. You may not find out until after they have installed battery or they might not tell you that non-Porsche batteries can't be registered.
6. It sucks that you can't install a < $200 aftermarket & are forced to pay the dealer up to around $800. The dealer book rate appears to be 1.5 hrs. (+/- $250) for a < 30 min job.
7. You can buy a Porsche battery online for +/- $350. But there are hassles finding an Indy to install/register your battery rather than theirs and risks with returns & warranty issues.

 

Some things I've learned from my dealer & others.
1. The Macan battery replacement process is different from other Porsches & your old BMWs.
2. There is not much Macan historical data on normal battery replacement. The 2015's will be the first to begin hitting the 5 year mark in 2020.
3. The battery must be registered/initialized with the ECU (per manual & dealer). Especially if you are under warranty. There is not any info on long term affects of not registering at this time.
4. With the Porsche dealer Battery Health Check, they consider a Macan battery basically dead if the "battery aging, charge-related %" is below 55%. They told me I should replace battery at 60% when they tested.
4. The Porsche dealer PIWIS tool has more capabilities than those leased to Indys. Indys can only register a Porsche battery, no aftermarkets. Porsche dealers can register an aftermarket but they double the price.
5. Many Indys have limited demand & experience replacing Macan batteries. You may not find out until after they have installed battery or they might not tell you that non-Porsche batteries can't be registered.
6. It sucks that you can't install a < $200 aftermarket & are forced to pay the dealer up to around $800. The dealer book rate appears to be 1.5 hrs. (+/- $250) for a < 30 min job.
7. You can buy a Porsche battery online for +/- $350. But there are hassles finding an Indy to install/register your battery rather than theirs and risks with returns & warranty issues.

This is so wrong on every front. Our group should be able to find a tool to register a new battery and share it around. Porsche is holding us up for ransom here.

 

When the time comes I will be the first to report the dire consequences of not registering a new Macan battery.

I have dealt with plenty of BS in my life so far and am not afraid to deal with more. And guess what? I have been winning.

 

Anyone contemplating replacing their battery without registering the new one will likely find this interesting:

Coding a new non-VAG battery? - AudiWorld Forums

VAG-COM Discussion - Coding a new non-VAG battery? - Hello! Car is a 2009 S8. I'm seeking advice on how to code a non-Audi battery with no BEM sticker. I recently replaced the OEM Varta battery with a new AGM battery (95RPLT) which is listed as a direct replacement. Reference 1: Ross Tech Manual...

www.audiworld.com

 

That’s interesting. The issue seems to be chronic undercharging. A battery tender will remedy it while you park the Macan in the garage. Undercharging is much better than overcharging, which kills the battery quickly.

My battery tender that I have been using on my BMW shows the battery status when plugged in the car. I think Red is battery depleted, Yellow is undercharged and Green is fully charged. It has always showed Yellow and then to Green after overnight charging on my BMW.

90% of the time my Macan is parked in my garage so it works for me, but may not work for those who routinely park their Macan outside.

Well, I am not against registering a new battery and I sure can afford it at the dealer. But I hate price gouging.

 

Another interesting video:

 

What I mean is undercharging can be remedied by a battery tender so it’s not any more. However, if a battery is consistently overcharged it’s difficult to rectify.

 

Got it. But I don't want to have to fuss with the battery tender everyday to make up for the car not fully charging the battery.

My own suspicion is in the end we will find out what DanNYC's indys told him above is more or less on target, and we will be able to DIY our batteries with aftermarket AGM's in the $150-$200 range + whatever it costs for the correct analyzer or something like the $50 one of my indys charged to code the battery on our X5.

At least I hope I'm correct as it would be much easier if I could buy one tool to code the batteries on the 4 cars we own that will need coding when the batteries eventually bite the dust.

And it would be fairly typical to see the aftermarket folks step in as more DIY'ers start to seek out methods and tools to replace batteries on their out of warranty Macans.

 

Sounds good. I can go to Indy for coding if it works.

 

This whole battery coding is the worst PR disaster the Porsche could have invented. I know because I am really pissed.

 

My OEM battery is almost 5 years old with ~40k miles and is still going strong. No sign of any issues.

I usually drive once a week for at least 30 mins on highway. When car is parked in garage doors are locked at all time. BTW, I live in a moderate climate 40-100F (low - high). My BMW is parked outside year around and its battery (AGM type) dies within 3 years.

Guess temperature plays a critical role on battery life, in addition to driving/use conditions.