Hey folks, I've been getting tired of finding my 550 will not start due to battery drainage from the alarm system. Aside from the clock and the radio presets losing juice, are there any vulnerable systems that could cause me problems later from having no power? I have my doubts about battery tenders (as do a lot of my car collecting friends). Thanks
My battery tender works great. I use the inexpensive kind you can buy anywhere. Comes with two leads, one you can bolt on the battery leads and leave on the car. I prefer to leave the car on the tender rather than power everything down with the battery disconnect switch. . Image Unavailable, Please Login
Many collect older cars. The more computers in the car the more the choice goes towards tenders. It seems that electronics does not like on/off power issues and power spikes. Especially with Ferraris if you cut power sometimes it can be a bear to get drive cycles to reset so you can do a smog test. My thinking these days is to cut the power as little as possible.
Rob- The battery in your 550 should be good for 2 weeks between good drives with no problems. If it is draining more quickly than that, you probably have a leak/short. There is a simple test you can do to test whether you have a problem. Your battery could also be on its last legs and a new one might improve things. The new absorbed glass mat batteries are very strong, but expensive. The Interstate MTP91 is the most cost effective solution and mine works great. Search battery in this forum for extensive battery discussions. Taz Terry Phillips Taz Terry Phillips
My battery tender works great. when I bought the car it was wired for it so I just plug it in ... It's very odd for me not to drive mine for two weeks, but I have used it when it was close. It's very cheap insurance. Take care, Bill
I've been using Battery Tenders for at least 15 years, race car, cars in storage, drivers when traveling. I must have half a dozen of them. Never had one fail or cause a problem. All my cars are hard wired for them.
No battery cut-off switch in any modern Ferrari - for that matter, no cut-off switch in any modern car. Battery Tender or the equivalent.
Battery tender, absolutely. Put the lead to the battery where you can get to it easily. Mine is behind/under the trailing edge of the hood.
That is what I have on my 550 - a socket in the nose to plug in the battery tender without opening the hood. Just perfect. Onno
The batter tender sold by Porsche for around $130 plugs into the cigarette lighter and works great. Give it a try.
Has anyone tried using the cigar lighter to charge there 550? The manual says " no electrical devices must be plugged into the Cigar lighter" I use one of these, the smartest charger in the world [ or so it says] about £40 Grant http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/?gclid=CNfd7YGpy6QCFSL92AodvGjicg Oceans I assume that you cannot turn off the isolator switch for security reasons, the battery should last for several months with it turned off.
