Battery life?
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Savannah Area GA
Battery life?
I bought my first Corvette (08) recently, also my first keyless start vehicle. I read about some issues with the key fob draining the battery if left near the car.
Well I was supposed to be out of state for just a couple weeks, but now that will be well over a month. I have my keys in the room next to the garage, thin walls however. Do I need to be worried?
I can get someone to remove the keys if necessary, but it would be a hassle. How long does that drain usually take?
Also, how does it usually take the Corvette's battery to die if if its not started even without the keyfob nearby? I drive OTR so the car will be stored for often weeks on end.
/thingsishouldknowbeforestoringcarandleav ing
Well I was supposed to be out of state for just a couple weeks, but now that will be well over a month. I have my keys in the room next to the garage, thin walls however. Do I need to be worried?
I can get someone to remove the keys if necessary, but it would be a hassle. How long does that drain usually take?
Also, how does it usually take the Corvette's battery to die if if its not started even without the keyfob nearby? I drive OTR so the car will be stored for often weeks on end.
/thingsishouldknowbeforestoringcarandleav ing
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,025
Likes: 2,716
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
The story about a nearby fob draining the battery, was started by people who don't understand how the car works. Sometimes, ignorant dealerships.
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 11
From: Virginia
The story about a nearby fob draining the battery, was started by people who don't understand how the car works. Sometimes, ignorant dealerships.
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 915
Likes: 3
From: Ft. Worth Texas
I have owned three corvettes and never had a problem with a dead battery. They were all daily drivers though. They are no different from any other car in that if you drive them the battery stays charged, if you don't then you may have a problem. Actually the only problem i have had with a battery in the last 30 years was the one on my 08 Ford truck, battery replaced after 6 months under warranty.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
Likes: 1,319
From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
Not on the C6. Please reread the previous post.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,116
Likes: 5
From: Livonia MI
Fob batteries aren't very expensive, and just a good idea replacing them every couple years. Car main batteries really arent that expensive either in the scheme of things either, and really wouldnt recommend going more than 4-5 years, with the electric entry and such. Main problem is, the electronics system drain with the car just sitting there. If the cars going to be sitting for more than a couple weeks, good idea putting a battery tender on it.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,289
Likes: 129
From: Providence Forge, VA
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
The story about a nearby fob draining the battery, was started by people who don't understand how the car works. Sometimes, ignorant dealerships.
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
The car and fob batteries only go to work for a moment when someone pushes a button- on the fob (like Lock or Unlock) or on the car (like a door handle, or Start button).
So, leaving your fob near the car will cause no problems at all. My wife's fob is in her purse near our car and we've had no problems for 6 years. (2006 and now 2009 Corvette)
The electronics in the car do have some "parasitic" drain, and it seems to vary from car to car. If you battery is in good shape, it should be good for a couple of weeks or more, ours has sat that long even in winter with a two year old battery and no tender.
You can prolong the life of your battery and avoid the annoyance of no-starts, by using a battery tender of some sort. CTEK is very popular and they are even sold as a GM accesory, but there are other good ones also.
Enjoy your car!
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Michael S. Palmer
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
There's no telling how your battery will fare, it varies from car to car. I've never had issues with my 2005 (even when it sits idle for 3 or 4 weeks) but others have problems after a few days. I've never used a battery tender but a lot of people do. If your car has a lot of down time you might want one. I wouldn't worry...if it doesn't start this time it'll probably jump-start easily. Keep a good thought. 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,509
Likes: 724
From: Sausalito CA
+1 on Battery Tenders.
I have seen some threads on this forum for very clean cable installations. Such as exiting through the rear license plate area for easy hook up.
I haven't had an issue w/ drain. Longest time w/o a start was near 3 weeks.
So, I'd vote that if you are going out of town for more than a week...hook up a tender.
I have seen some threads on this forum for very clean cable installations. Such as exiting through the rear license plate area for easy hook up.
I haven't had an issue w/ drain. Longest time w/o a start was near 3 weeks.
So, I'd vote that if you are going out of town for more than a week...hook up a tender.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,062
Likes: 9,825
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I really wouldn't worry about it now. Since you aren't at home there really isn't anything you can do about it. I leave my fobs in the room next to the garage all the time and the car sits there for periods of up to 4 weeks and still starts when temps are 20 degrees in the garage. If you shut the car off properly when you left it then there is a high probability it will start when you get home. Not sure I would want a friend hooking up a battery tender without knowing exactly what they were doing when they did it.
Bill
Bill
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 379
Likes: 2
From: Johns Creek Georgia
There's no telling how your battery will fare, it varies from car to car. I've never had issues with my 2005 (even when it sits idle for 3 or 4 weeks) but others have problems after a few days. I've never used a battery tender but a lot of people do. If your car has a lot of down time you might want one. I wouldn't worry...if it doesn't start this time it'll probably jump-start easily. Keep a good thought.
