This is the second or third time its happening to my 07 G ....

I leave town and the car is not driven for about 7 to 10 days. When I come back the battery is dead. (business travel and the like where you just cannot drive your car for some time)
The only way to get it going again is by jump-starting it.

I'm absolutely certain that no lights were left on. Car is garaged and the temperature here is quite high (so its not a "cold" temp issue -- I'm talking about 100 deg F range).

WTF is the deal with this battery ? Is the OEM one so tiny that it can't hold its charge for 10 days ? All of my older cars work just fine even after 3 or 4 weeks of non-use.

After this jump, I'm setting up a service appt. But is this something that others are also seeing ?
Quite frustrating as 10 days is not really that long a time (Esp with the gas prices today!!)

Thanks

 

do you have a multimeter to measure the current draw while the car is off? You could start pulling fuses until the power went to almost nothing and that would tell where the problem is. But, the car is under warranty, let the techs debug it for you while you get to beat on a loaner.

 

I've had exactly the same thing happen. My 2007 sedan is 18 month old and I didn't have problems with 2-3 weeks away before this summer. Earlier this summer, I was gone 2 weeks with my car inside my garage and it was completely dead (lost seat memory), but jumped easily with my wife's 2005 Acura MDX. Once started I confirmed nothing was left on (interior light, etc) while I was away. I thought maybe it was a one-time fluke thing as I never had this problem before. I went away again last week and after a 8 day rest in the garage, the battery was almost dead. It tried to turn over and then died. This time I had made sure everything was completely off (radio, A/C, even interior lights to off from door) before parking it. Again it was easily jumped from my wife's Acura. I dropped it off at the dealer and they're working with it right now. Since I had driven 18 months, they said I would have to cover 20% of a new battery if they end up replacing it. I'll report back after I get the car back.

 

Just got a call from the service advisor that they are still working with the battery. It's not maintenance-free, but there were no maintenance issues, water level was good, no corrosion on the posts. He said the battery tested marginal to begin with. That was after 3 days of daily use after the dead battery. He's said he's trying to get a fail reading to replace under warranty, so I bet they are just leaving it on with A/C and audio going until the battery meters too low and they can record that reading.

 

i think the RFID drains some battery when the car is not in use.

if we disconnect the battery, say on vacation, what will we lose? i assume the radio presets and the seat memory will be gone. anything else?

 

Same thing happened to me. Granted, it was in the winter time, but if leaving the car for 5-7 days (instead of your longer period of time), the battery would be dead or near dead. No crank at all and computer messed up or nothing at all. Dealer replaced the battery and said this was normal power draw!?!? I don't get it, I've never heard of such a problem. I am convinced this would occur in the summer--it would just take 2 weeks instead of 1...although I have never left it that long to test that theory.

Also, maybe related or not, but I used to get a loud pop from my center channel if I turn on the car (without starting) and then start the car. It was like the center channel did shut off with the starting of the car. Maybe the center channel amp wasn't shutting itself off on occasion. In any case, my G is a weekend car for the most part so I guess I will test that theory this winter since the dealer replaced the bose amp.

Let us know if the dealer finds anything G35MD!

 

Thanks for the posts guys .... OK at least its not just me or my car ...

Its pretty embarrassing for a car like this -- the battery just cannot give up when not used for only 10 days !!

I'll make a service appt and have them check it out.

Does anyone have the same problem with an 08 model ?? Hopefully they changed the OEM battery to something with a little more meat on it.

G35MD == do update this thread with your dealer response.

 

It is quite embarrassing to have a 50k+ car coming with a non-maintenance free battery.

Ridiculous.

I've had both my toyota's sit for 5 weeks untouched and my G barely last 6 days.

My Dealership basically said the power drain was normal, but it is expected that you will drive the car. So no new battery.

The mechanic suggested to get a new better battery or a trickle charger.

Absolutely ridiculous. Had I known this, I'd have opted for something else or waited.

 

With modern cars & electronic gismos there is a drain on the battery.

I use a battery tender which floats the battery without overcharging.

check it out....

 

Tell them to check the alternator, my 240 was doing the exact same thing and we found out the grounding wire to the alternator wasn't connected very well AT ALL. Connected it, turned into a completely different car!

 

The first step to properly resolve this issue is to perform a parasitic draw test as miltoda suggested in the first reply. Charging the battery is just a bandaid. Properly designed electronics do not pull enough amperage to drain a battery in a couple of days.

Here's a decent walkthrough that explains how to perform this test:

Parasitic Draw Troubleshooting Procedures

 

^ a couple of days, yes, I agree....
& good advice to test the draw.

but longer term 10 days - 2 weeks or more, it is possible to drain a healthy system.
Even if it doesn't completely drain it's good to maintain the battery at the proper float.

 

You're right, and I didn't mean to attack your answer, although it kind of came out that way. Trickle charging a healthy battery when the vehicle won't be driven is the best way to keep it charged and prevent plate sulfation.

I just suspect we're looking at an abnormal current draw in this situation. I'd guess a bad diode in the alternator, faulty cell phone charger, or the like might be the culprit. There are many other possible sources, but those two are often overlooked during troubleshooting.

 

Have the same problem it happens with my 1990 chevy truck.

But when i leave my sentra lets say for 3 weeks it starts on the 1st try.

Wonder what gives? And yours is an 07...

 

Yeah -- at least in my case, it never had this issue for any duration less than 5 days.

Around 10 days is when the battery goes to the crapper.

Wouldn't electronic gizmos draw no power when the car is off ? I mean except things like the security flashing light and minimal stuff like that.

Well -- off to the dealer she goes as soon as I get an appointment.