CO Lightfoot

There've been a lot of battery-related threads lately (see below). Most of these involve a weak/dying/dead car battery.

Here's my attempt to summarize info common to these threads. Feel free to add or correct or disagree:

-- Don't be quick to blame the car if your battery is dead. Maybe you unintentionally abused & killed the battery.

-- When a C6 sits, the electronics cause a small constant drain on the battery (see post #8 at http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...n-problem.html). And the OEM battery has a small capacity. So if a healthy C6 with a fully-charged battery sits for 3-4 weeks (less in cold weather), the battery will likely discharge enough so the car will not start. A weak/dying battery might not even last a week.

-- If your car sat on a dealer's lot for many months before you bought it, it's likely the battery fully-discharged at least once.

-- The OEM battery is not a "deep discharge" design. So each time it dies, it never fully recovers.

-- NO FOB DETECTED? Might be a weak/dying car battery.

-- NO FOB DETECTED? Might also be the FOB battery. If you replace it, be sure to observe the correct polarity (+/-) or you might damage the FOB. You might need to replace the FOB battery ~ every 2 years. Cheap insurance: Keep a spare FOB battery handy.

-- The C6 has a marginal-sized alternator/charging system. It takes about 30 minutes of driving to replace the energy used in starting the car. So if you just take short trips and/or drive infrequently, you're killing your battery. Use a BATTERY TENDER.

-- Also use a GOOD battery tender/maintainer for infrequent winter driving or storage. Or, at least disconnect the battery.

-- It's a mystery why some folks refuse to use a battery tender/maintainer. Lots of reports of long life and reliable battery service with regular BT use. Can't recall ever seeing a negative report.

-- A weak/dying battery might just barely start the car. But starting it will further weaken the battery. And then it might not have enough juice to restart if you just drive a short distance.

-- There are reports of bad batteries. And if you've got a difficult-to-isolate electrical problem, might be best to get the dealer involved -- especially if you're under warranty.

-- Keep a spare key handy. This gives you an easy way to get into a locked C6 with a dead battery. And it's only about $5 at a key shop. Use key blank B106 (or B106P if you want the bigger plastic head). And practice using the key to manually open the trunk/hatch -- lots of reports of difficulty during the first use.


Related Threads

1. Many electrical issues... all fixed with new battery!
2. Locked out, FOB in car.
3. Tips for changing car battery.
4. Strangest thing... Infrequent use, short trips, dying battery.
5. Locked out. RFI? Battery?
6. Battery warranty.
7. Best replacement battery?
8. Dead battery again this morning.
9. FOB not working consistently.
10. Key FOB broken?
11. Battery drained, need tender?
12. How to enter car with dead FOB battery.
13. Locked out, FOB in hatch area.
14. "FOB not detected."
15. Dead battery & spare key will not open hatch.
16. Is this a "trickle" charger?
17. Do I need a battery tender?
18. Dead battery after 2 weeks.
19. Dead battery after 2 weeks, bad design?
20. Index windows after dead battery.
21. REALLY dead battery and trickle charger error mode.
22. Error codes and dead battery jump-started.
23. Spare key.
24. Reprogram FOB?
25. Dead battery but dealer says it's OK.
26. Battery tender connections.
27. Bad FOB or BCM?
28. Part 1: Healthy car, dead battery.
29. Part 2: Bad battery, dealer replacement.
30. Battery tender connections.
31. Dead battery, did I do something wrong?
32. 2nd jump-start, fixed with new battery.
33. Battery tender all winter?
34. CTEK 3300 battery tender.
35. Winter storage tips.
36. Can't use a battery tender. How long will my battery last in storage?
37. CTEK and winter storage.
38. 2005 Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS).
39. Top 10 C6 General Questions.
40. Crank/relay fuse solves no-start problem.
41. Dead battery, now what?
42. Dead battery, so what do I do?
43. Windows won't go all the way up.
44. FOB battery replacement, use only smooth-sided.
45. 2005 "Service Column Lock" message.
46. For people who have never used the metal key!
47. Results of multimeter battery-drain testing.
48. More multimeter advice (esp. see post#12).
49. How to use a multimeter to measure parasitic draw.
50. DBS (Dead Battery Syndrome) overview for 2005 models (see post #276).
51. Jump-start doesn't work... internal short in battery?
52. Optima battery info.
53. Hatch key doesn't work (see post #34).
54. FOB battery replaced, car starts.
55. Do not park your A6 auto trans in neutral.
56. FOB not detected -- fixed by reprogramming
57. Dead battery, PAL related?

Knob Jockey

And educate yourself on the effects of RF Interference and how it can render the Fob useless until it's inserted in the Glove Box Slot.

MarkRx

what glove box slot? 07Z

ertoys

Dangit they forgot to put a glove box slot on mine.

eboggs_jkvl

Iz the glovebox slot an option on the C6?

Tin Star

This thread is 17 months old....why the response now?

Vette_DD

They also forgot to tell you that retrieving a 17 month old thread was a .

themaffeo

It's a good thread though... I didn'tknow it took 30 min to recharge the power lost during startup. That's relevant to us downtown folk.

Duke05

No disrespect to our moderators, but why can't an old thread be reposted?

I'm not only new here on the forum, but just recently upgraded to a C6. I have learned a tremendous amount from several members and our vendors.

I had trouble with my fob this week, but replacing the battery cured my problem. But the original post had a wealth of good info.

BobBass

Duke,

I think the "old thread rule" is there because SOME threads that are revived can cause unnecessary agita for Vette owners. I came across one a couple of months ago about something related to '09's, one of which I have, and it sounded like one of those dreaded "Geez, I hope this doesn't apply to me" deals. I anxiously read thru the messages and finally found out that whatever the problem was had been resolved over a year earlier. All the angst it caused me was for naught.

Duke05

Bob,

Thank you for the response. I realize we have a search thread, however this particular thread and other older ones could benefit some of the newer members.

I was just wondering why I would have to start a new thread with a problem, if other's had started a thread previously with a possible correction/fix.

rayk

Dead battery in one week. M2W was in wrong position. All kinds of freaky messages and window won't go up.

Subscribed so I can easily find it.

Thrash

Emergency key ...

rayk

Remembered the key in the FOB. Inserted key and turned as I pressed down on the hatch area above the latch and it popped right up.

schmegeggie

...for those that don't read the manual before posting threads like this.

StanNH

I would have replied earlier, but my battery was dead.

cclive

Even though the thread is old, I would add that I think too many people try changing a fob battery and then if the fob doesn't work, they dive into re-programming too soon. First, they don't check the fob, battery position, contacts, interference etc and second, they dive into programming without sitting down calmly and reading instructions. Many people complain about the system, saying that it is overly complicated, not dependable, etc. While this may or may not be true, the bottom line is that we all must deal with technology these days...everyone is affected by computers on a daily basis. This is technology that we must deal with and respect and understand. An Ipad that is not doing what we want does not respond well to a hammer...this system is no more tolerant of ham-fisted treatment. There will come a day when a system like this will be an appliance, like a toaster...we are not there yet. At one point, an electric toaster was considered to be an almost magical device...high tech...