Porsche Boxster's T30 Mystery: Electrical Gremlins Solved?

Hi there! I had a similar issue with my 2013 Porsche Cayman (pretty close to your Boxster). I've got some experience working on cars, but mostly basic stuff. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I dealt with last year. After the same warning lights and weak starts, I took it to my local Porsche specialist. Turned out the battery was failing, it wasn't just discharged but actually defective. Had to shell out 290€ for a new battery plus installation, but it fixed all those electrical gremlins completely. What's your battery's age? Also, which engine variant does your Boxster have? This info would help me share more specific details about the fix. Quick tip: While it could be terminal-related, in my experience with these Porsches, it's usually the battery itself that's the culprit.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Boxster just hit 33869 KM and had its last service about 6 months ago. The battery's actually fairly new, replaced it just last year, which is why I'm a bit worried it might be something more serious than just a battery issue. Your Cayman situation does sound similar though. Did you notice any other warning lights or weird electrical behavior before you got it fixed? Really hoping it's not the alternator or something more complex.

Hey again! Yeah, I totally get your concern since you've already got a new battery. Now that you mention it, before I got my Cayman fixed, I did notice some other weird stuff that I didn't mention in my first reply. The radio would sometimes reset itself, and occasionally the interior lights would dim when I was idling. Since our cars are pretty similar (my 2013 Cayman is basically a Boxster's cousin), I'm thinking you might want to check your alternator. After my battery replacement, I actually had similar issues pop up again about two months later, and it turned out to be a faulty alternator. Cost me around 800€ to replace, but it solved all the electrical gremlins. If you're getting these symptoms with a fairly new battery, I'd definitely suggest having your alternator tested. My mechanic said these issues are pretty common in our generation of Porsches, especially once they've got a few years on them. Have you noticed if the problems get worse when you're running multiple electrical components (like AC, lights, and radio) at the same time? That was a big tell in my case, the car would really struggle when everything was running at once.

Thanks so much for that detailed follow-up! You've actually just described exactly what's happening, the issues definitely get worse when I'm running multiple electrical components. Just yesterday, when I had the AC and radio on, the dashboard lights started flickering like crazy. I'm pretty much convinced now that it's the alternator, especially hearing about your similar experience with the Cayman. Guess I'll bite the bullet and take it to my Porsche specialist tomorrow. The 800€ price tag isn't great news, but it's better than being stranded somewhere! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it's super helpful knowing what to expect and having a better idea of what I'm dealing with. I'll update the thread once I get it checked out, might help someone else down the line with similar issues. Thanks again for all your help!