AZDANZ06

We just got back from being in Hawaii for 10 days and the battery is dead in the Z, I parked it in reverse as I have heard that is supposed to help. Car would not start with a battery jump box I have, so I put it on the battery tender to charge it back up, not sure if the battery is getting old and time to change it out. When I went to test drive it at the dealer the battery was dead from sitting a couple of weeks, it's been fine if I drive it a couple times a week.

So should I get a new battery or is this just normal?

darr3239

My bet is you have some pretty dead cells in the battery and it needs to be replaced. You could take it to Autozone and have them check it out to be sure. Minimal batteries can stay alive if driven several times a week, but if it keeps going bad after two weeks, without being driven, it's on it's very last legs.

ConfusedGarage

These cars have more drain than any of my other cars, and yes, it gets worse with an old battery. Even with a new battery I've never been able to let mine sit for a month like my other cars, then have it fire right up. Get it tested, then consider leaving the tender on for the extended jaunts.

JwT

The computer on the Z06 will drain even the best battery in no time. Leave the battery tender on the car at all times it's not in use and everything will be fine.

Too-Fast

AZDANZ06

I replaced the battery, the old one after being on the charger for 24 hours only got up to 33% charged when I had it tested at Vatozone. Purchased a Duralast Gold with a 3 year free replacement warranty and then it has a 2 year pro-rated warranty after that. I think the old battery might have been the factory original but have no way of knowing since I purchased the car from a dealer.

I will be putting it on the battery tender in the future when I will not be driving it for a week or more.

Gary '09 C6

X 2; emphasis added.

psp6158

x 3, more than a day or two and put on the tender...

erikszr1

10X LOL yea man its simple enough. corvette or no corvette. all mine are on a tender. helps batteries last much much longer. besides all the electronics is these cars do not like weak or dead batteries. you can bet on having electrical issues from not having a battery that's good all the time.

ConfusedGarage

They don't even like new batteries all that much!!!

CrystalRedZ07

All my vehicles stay on their tenders, especially if they're not going to be driven for several days.

skudlw

The electronics pull about 30mA with the car just sitting. Battery will go dead in 2-weeks if not driven in that time. Parking in reverse does nothing. That was required for early Zs. Get a tender.

Piston_Head

I've always wondered how so many people have battery problems with their cars. Mine regularly sits for a week or two at a time and I have no issues. The only time mine goes on a tender is during winter storage.

I'm wondering if it is a key fob issue? My car generally gets parked in the garage, which is about 100 and some odd feet away from where I keep my keys. Could this be an issue?

I've had the Vette for over three years now and never once had any battery issues.

I've even found it with the interior lights on (LED's, so very little drain) and it fired right up. I believe that was only for the one day though.

Curious as to what the actual cause of all the drain issues is.

Later,
Brad

AZDANZ06

I own 5 battery tenders that I keep around for my (3 Jet Ski's, 1 Dirt Bike, & 1 for the Generator), the Z has a new battery now and is on the tender as we speak. I wonder about the proximity of the Key Fob as well, it sits in my night stand drawer in the master bedroom which has a laundry room in between it and the 3 car garage.

crAzy

My car will not go more than two days with out it the battery being to weak to start my car. I even got a new battery about a year ago. Same thing with both batteries. I do have a sound system in the car, but I highly doubt that could be the cause of the drain. I also unplug my radar and my phone charger if I know I won't be driving it for a few days. Guess it is time to put it on a tinder in the garage. Do you guys leave the hatch open when the tinder is on or what?

o2baZR1

I got a 2009 two weeks ago that had 2188 miles on it, but was told I'd probably need a new battery in 1 year at the most. it now sits for 2-3 days without being driven and I don't notice any lag in startup.

but, during the summer i'll be out of state for a month and leave it parked at the airport. this is my first Z06 and I didn't know they drained to this degree.

I will get a new battery before long, but now I wonder if I should get a new one, leave that in the car with the old battery still connected so at least the car will have an alarm for two weeks or however long it lasts. then when I return, just connect the new battery if the old one won't crank her. gonna put cables in the back today when I get home from work too.

my other alternative is to just disconnect the battery, and reconnect when I return, but then the car sits there for a month with no alarm.

i'll figure something out, but for now i'll say that I appreciate the thread because now I'm aware of the issue and can at least prepare for it.

ConfusedGarage

o2baZR1, not sure how well a Z will fare for a month of sitting even with a new battery. Disconnecting it is probably your best bet if you have to do that. The factory alarm is pretty lousy anyway, not sure it would do much if someone was after it. Its like people still using wheel locks. The pros are gonna take what they want, no little "deterrent" is going to stop them or even slow them down much.

dmuellenberg

Correct, parking in reverse does nothing as far as saving the battery. But this was never a requirement for any C6 Z06s. The last year it was a problem was in 2005 and the Z06 didn't come out until 2006. Now if by 'early Zs' you are referring to the C5 Z06s, then I'm not sure about those.

ProEFI

X1,000,000

o2baZR1

yeh, I hear ya. i'll probably just try to park in a more publicly visible spot and go sans-alarm

**note to self: don't forget to take the hatch lid key when you go on vacation so you can get in when you return and the car has no power connected**