Seems like a lot of effort, why not just start the car once a month and let the alternator top the battery off.

 

You can't just start the car every month & expect the battery to be recharged, you would actually have to drive for 20 minutes or more, if that is not an option, then a tender is the way to go

 

The alternator generates 13.8 volts to 14.3 volts at idle with around 100 Amps, why would you need to drive it?

 

Thank You!!!

 

Uhhh, unnecessary burning of gas, unneeded pollution, wear and tear on vehicle, for just a beginning let alone not really "a lot of effort".

 

If your alternator is stock, I highly doubt it is producing 100 amps at idle.

 

Ok, I'm a new C6 owner so I guess I don't fully understand this whole battery going dead thing. Never been an issue on any car I have owned regardless of how I drive or don't drive them.

 

I am 2 years into corvette ownership and I am also learning. From what ive gathered some cars have the issue and some do not. My car can sit for a month and crank right up, others have a small parasitic draw and the battery will drain over a few days and the car will not start. Luck of the draw I guess

 

Here’s some background. All modern computerized cars have parasitic draw on their batteries. The question is how much. A normal Corvette can sit from 4 to 6 weeks and still be able to start, but that’s about the outer limit. The 2005 and 6, maybe the 7’s, had an issue with Onstar modules not shutting off, I think after the subscription had expired, which drew the battery down much more quickly, like less than a week. I don’t recall what the current drain was, somewhere around .300 amps which is a lot, the computer should shut down or hibernate and draw about .030 amps (around 30 milliamps). Since a lot of these cars don’t get driven much, especially in winter months, Battery Tenders are used to keep them charged. Now that we have AGM batteries, these tend to die suddenly and without warning, their voltage can fall to 11.5 volts and still not be able to start the car, only adding to the confusion especially for those not well versed in cars and batteries. In that case, the computer may play a part in the confusion and refuse to start the car due to low voltage, but that is just a guess. Some of the parasitic draw issues may be for different reasons too, those problems xan be difficult to troubleshoot as there are ground connections in various locations.
There are a number of threads on the forum regarding this problem and some people have shown some impressive troubleshooting skills to find and fix the problem.
HTH… Mike

 

i purchased my first C6 this summer, without knowing about the parasitic losses i soon learned.

the first week I started it a few times, took the time set up the DIC stuff/seat memories etc and left it for week.........

went to back it out to wash the dust from its enclosed trailer travels and the door wouldn't open

the battery was flatter than **** on a platter as they say

i purchaesd the battery tender plus, the one where it will bring a flat battery up to the point where the maintainer takes over, and haven't looked back

i open the garage door see the green light and move on lol

 

I’d have the battery checked. Should go longer than a week. Mine has gone six weeks at times with no problem. But they do draw some amps while sitting.

 

I just started my 2012 GS up after 6 weeks of sitting, it started but I sensed a little slower turn over than the last time I started it.

 

Also, let's not forget that these cars use a remote key fob to unlock the doors or hatch, which means that the car is always "listening" for that fob command. I didn't know about the on-star stuff, that's interesting (and annoying).

I can't remember exactly, but I think the C7 when it first came out, had issues where brand new cars would not be able to sit without a charge for more than a week or two. Just a crapload of computers on these cars, and it's getting worse.