Need Help!!!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
From: Cary NC
Need Help!!!
My friend has a 2014 Vert that he stores during the winter months. He was in the habit of starting it every couple of weeks to try to keep the battery from becoming too discharged. Unfortunately, he let it go too long and today, the battery was discharged to the point that the drivers door wouldn't open. But he was able to use the FOB to open the trunk. He put his charger on it and the battery is now recharged enough that he can start the car. The problem now is..... he's got a message on the DIC saying the top needs to be latched. If he tries to cycle the top by using the FOB, he gets a message that the trunk must be closed. He attempts to close the trunk, but it won't latch. Obviously, something in the electronics is out of sync but he's been unable to correct the situation. Does anyone has a suggestion for solving this problem? Is there a procedure he should follow to get the trunk to latch?
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for any help.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 49,106
Likes: 3,858
From: Best Island in the U.S.
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '17
First thing I'd try is to disconnect the battery completely so everything can reset from having low voltage. Make sure the battery is really fully charged before connecting it. I suspect that will solve his problems.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 149
Likes: 4
From: Central Il
Cruise-In II Veteran
My friend has a 2014 Vert that he stores during the winter months. He was in the habit of starting it every couple of weeks to try to keep the battery from becoming too discharged. Unfortunately, he let it go too long and today, the battery was discharged to the point that the drivers door wouldn't open. But he was able to use the FOB to open the trunk. He put his charger on it and the battery is now recharged enough that he can start the car. The problem now is..... he's got a message on the DIC saying the top needs to be latched. If he tries to cycle the top by using the FOB, he gets a message that the trunk must be closed. He attempts to close the trunk, but it won't latch. Obviously, something in the electronics is out of sync but he's been unable to correct the situation. Does anyone has a suggestion for solving this problem? Is there a procedure he should follow to get the trunk to latch?
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for any help.
Race Director
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 629
From: Manheim Pennsylvania
After reconnecting the battery have him wait about 15 minutes for all computers to power up before he attempts to start the engine. I didn't and the engine only attempted to turn over, after a few minutes all systems performed normally.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,941
Likes: 499
From: Northern Virginia
In fact, what the OP's friend did is probably the worst way to treat a car over the winter. You shouldn't start it unless you're going to run it long enough to get all the fluids up to normal operating temps. Starting the car drains the batter more than a few minutes running will recharge it. Running it without letting it get to normal temps causes water condensation in the oil and the exhaust system, neither of which is good.
For winter storage, clean it, add some pressure to the tires, hook up a battery tender, and don't touch it again until you're ready to take it out on the roads.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
From: Cary NC
Need Help
My friend has a 2014 Vert that he stores during the winter months. He was in the habit of starting it every couple of weeks to try to keep the battery from becoming too discharged. Unfortunately, he let it go too long and today, the battery was discharged to the point that the drivers door wouldn't open. But he was able to use the FOB to open the trunk. He put his charger on it and the battery is now recharged enough that he can start the car. The problem now is..... he's got a message on the DIC saying the top needs to be latched. If he tries to cycle the top by using the FOB, he gets a message that the trunk must be closed. He attempts to close the trunk, but it won't latch. Obviously, something in the electronics is out of sync but he's been unable to correct the situation. Does anyone has a suggestion for solving this problem? Is there a procedure he should follow to get the trunk to latch?
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for any help.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
From: Cary NC
Need Help.... Final Fix
As promised, I'm reporting on what it took to fix my friends trunk latch. He was told a plastic part in the latch mechanism had broken. The entire latch mechanism was replaced. He had no other details.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,546
Likes: 609
From: Southeast, WI
Absolutely.
In fact, what the OP's friend did is probably the worst way to treat a car over the winter. You shouldn't start it unless you're going to run it long enough to get all the fluids up to normal operating temps. Starting the car drains the batter more than a few minutes running will recharge it. Running it without letting it get to normal temps causes water condensation in the oil and the exhaust system, neither of which is good.
For winter storage, clean it, add some pressure to the tires, hook up a battery tender, and don't touch it again until you're ready to take it out on the roads.
In fact, what the OP's friend did is probably the worst way to treat a car over the winter. You shouldn't start it unless you're going to run it long enough to get all the fluids up to normal operating temps. Starting the car drains the batter more than a few minutes running will recharge it. Running it without letting it get to normal temps causes water condensation in the oil and the exhaust system, neither of which is good.
For winter storage, clean it, add some pressure to the tires, hook up a battery tender, and don't touch it again until you're ready to take it out on the roads.
absolutely correct!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 30,055
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From: Big Red Ne
