QuestionI have to replace my dying battery on my 99 Carrera 4 Cabriolet (again!) and I would like to do this myself instead of having to pay for the labour again. Would this be a simple battery physical swap that I can do myself or are there any electrical resets or tricks that I need to be aware of if I try this? Thanks.
AnswerTo prevent loss of memory (say what), you can temporarily connect something like a battery charger or small 12v power supply to the battery leads while you swap batteries.
There are a few choices as far as brands, however I recall what you choose should have a breather tube.
You can search battery manufacturer's sites on the web and look up your make and model, however that won't give you review ratings from the public, such as you would find in a consumer's mag or a specific forum.
Some battery manufacturers can be specific to a geographic location.
And as you know you want to match original equipment ratings: power reserve and crank amps, when you pick an alternative other than the original equipment.
Here are some sites you can look at:
http://www.interstatebatteries.com/estore
http://www.apexbattery.com/car-batteries-porsche-batteries.html
Or kick it up a notch and put in an adapter bracket so you can use alternative battery construction types or footprints:
http://www.rennline.com/products.asp?dept=235
