Can you not leave a 996 unlocked?

[exc911ence]

Weird question, but... Can you not leave a 996 unlocked?

I picked up a 2001 Carrera today and once I was done aimlessly joyriding in my new toy, I parked it in my garage with the windows down and doors unlocked as I have all of my past older (read: pre-1988) Porsches and went into the house. I came out not long later and noticed that there was a tiny yellowish light on in the roof-mounted courtesy light housing, as well as the frunk and engine cover button lights lit up near the driver's side door-sill. All other interior lights were off. I waited and waited but the lights never went off... it was only after I locked the car with the fob that those lights finally extinguished.

And that's when I discovered that the car had a motion sensor inside... reaching in the open window with the car fob-locked resulted in the alarm going off and nearly giving me a heart attack.

So now the car is fob-locked with the windows up in my garage.

All I wanted to do was park the car open to the air in the safety of my garage but it wasn't having it... so did I do something wrong?

[looneybin]

Locking the car puts it in sleep mode
If you leave it parked unlocked for a week, you will have a dead battery since there are several sensors that still run, and the A/C blower still moves some air

[RNajarian]

I am not sure the light remaining on when unlocked is normal. I leave my car unlocked in my garage (with a battery tender) and do not have any courtesy lights remaining on.

[ADVer]

In my experience the lights stay on for many ?6-8 hrs but do go off. I would also not leave the key in the ignition as it drains the battery even more, as I found out when I first got my 03 996.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[exc911ence]

Discovered the Owner's Manual hidden deep in the frunk and it answered my question. The lights are apparently "Orientation Lights" and stay on as long as the other key-out functions (windows, stereo, etc) do... two hours according to the book.

In the end, the car appears to be working as designed, I only needed to read the manual to learn this. Too bad the car doesn't have a convenient glove compartment to keep it in or I would have probably found it before asking the question.

[rfuerst911sc]

On my 99 996 and 2002 Boxster there is a tray under the steering column , it is there to store the owners manual/book . Does your car not have that ?

[markp92692]

2001 996 Owner

I garage my car, when I originally purchased I locked it , and since I drive it every 6 ish weeks the battery was always drained, because the locked car the alarm actives and uses battery. After 2 batteries, I stopped locking the car, much less issues, windows up roof closed and that's it. I do put on trickle charge on occasion, maybe 2 x per year for a few hours. just my thoughts

[exc911ence]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

On my 99 996 and 2002 Boxster there is a tray under the steering column , it is there to store the owners manual/book . Does your car not have that ?

It does, but the manuals won't fit into it when they're all in the vinyl pouch. Plus that's kind of welfare having the manual hanging out in view, I think. Wouldn't a glovebox be handy? Funny that my 70's 911s all had them... this is progress?

[Bronson5]

My 996 has good storage in the doors if you raise up the armrests. That is where I store my manual plus sunglasses etc.