I will try to make this short. I need advice from Forum members who seem to be more knowledgable than some GM service dudes. Living in Toronto currently, so that means storing the car for approx 5 months. I routinely start the car every 3 to 4 days to keep the battery alive. I've experienced a Dead Battery issue twice in the last month. I asked one GM service center what I should do. One center told me to totally dis-connect the battery and buy a new one in spring when its time to bring the car back out. They told me just idling the car for 20 minutes every 3 to 4 days will not substain the battery and it will die again shortly. I had another delaership tell me not to do this because I would have to have my key fobs reprogrammed. Not sure what is the truth on this one???? I believe buying a new battery in the spring and firing up the car without having to reprogram key fobs shouldn't be a problem? I am wrong?

P.s Never had this problem with my C5, I've been told that the C6 has issues on this.

 

I live in snow and I use those smart little battery charger / tender / monitors. They introduce a small charge just to keep the voltage up to par and shut off when the voltage reaches a satisfactory level. Sears and other retailers sell these little gizmos for around $30. I use them on my boat, 4 motorcycles and the Vette with good results. Also, I do not believe that you need to use them 24/7 ... just a day a week is enough to keep a battery healthy, but there should be no harm is leaving them on for months at a time because of their shut off feature. (I would not recommend a regular battery charger unless the battery voltage is below the level needed to start the car.)

I don't know about the key fobs issue. But I don't disconnect the battery when I use the smart chargers / monitors.

Some guys are reporting the DBS (dead battery syndrome) on the C6. You can search the forum for those threads. I suspect that some of those experiences are possibly from putting the shifter in 5th gear instead of getting it into Reverse. 2006 C6 has done away with the need to shift into Reverse to prevent battery drain.

I personally don't think it's a good idea to start the car 3 or 4 times / week and let it idle. Other guys will post different opinions. I think once every couple of weeks is enough and running long enough to get the oil temp get up to normal operating range.

You might have a faulty battery ... the dealer could do a load test to determine it's health.

Good luck.

 

Starting the car that often is doing more harm than good. It is most likely draining the battery but most important the oil is not getting up to around 160 degree's and burning off the condensation. Check your battery with a load test and get a battery tender and you will be OK.

 

Starting a car is one of the hardest things it has to do. Most engine ware is on start up. I like to start mine up once a month to get oil spread around in the engine and move it some to get the oil around in the differential. Also if you start the car you should warm it up all the way, preferably by driving it. It is true that if you disconnect the battery it will hold a charge through the winter, but then you couldn't start it once a month. The best answer is a battery tender or what I do is every month i hit it with a charger for a few hours.

 

Quit starting the car like that. No good can come of it. Either buy a battery tender, or keep it disconnected and charge it up when you're ready to start using the car again. Taking the battery off does not mean the FOB needs to be reprogrammed, but you will need to reset the window indexing.

 

Best bet is a battery tender....available at Sears or most auto parts retailers. The battery tender provides a low amperage charge that will keep the battery fully charged during extended periods of non-use. If you do suspect a bad battery, you should insist on a warranty replacement, but continue to use the battery tender even with a new battery.

 

Deltran battery tender!!

 

 

I bought my trickle/float charger at Walmart.

It was a Black and Decker "smart charger" (actually manufactured by Vector) and was only $17.88.

It has the standard clamps, a cigarette lighter connector, and a connector that can be attached directly to the battery.

A nice little product requiring very little cash.

 

Well, for the past 25 years I've always started my sports cars once every week to two weeks. I do the same with my C6. I let it run for about 45 minutes, then move it back and forth a few feet. Granted this is only anecdotal, but I've never had the slightest problem doing this with any of the cars I've owned over the years. Engines and batteries were totally trouble free.

Also, weather permitting, I will take the car out for an hour drive. Last year that was almost every week. This year, unfortunately, it's been limited to only once every three or weeks weeks because of snow and ice.

BTW...starting the car every three days is definitely overkill and accomplishes absolutely nothing.

 

Let it run for 45 minutes! I've never heard of anyone doing that, but I'm sure it gets the oil and internals fully warmed up.

 

It really depends on the outside temperature and how long it takes for the the car's oil and water temperature to reach their normal operating temps. I've let it run anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on those factors. Too short a time and the battery doesn't fully charge, plus you can have some condensation. I don't know of any down side to running it "too long", at least I haven't experienced or heard of anything. It can get very cold where I live.

 

Although I agree with most others here about the trickle charger, in case there is no access to 110 outlet where it is parked, you can also get a solar charger from Canadian Tire if there is a window where the car is stored? A southern exposure would be best, check thse out at CT and get the largest one you can.

Another option would be to remove the battery, fully charge it (borrow or buy a charger if you don't have one) and store it indoors, it'll still be good in another 3 months (especially if you can recharge it again around 6 weeks later). Of couse the car will have no alarm, but it can't be started either (but it could be towed). If the FOBS, radio, windows have to be reset in the spring....it will take 10 - 15 minutes to do all of them, don't sweat it.