Dead Vette....
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 24
Likes: 8
From: Gilbert Arizona
Dead Vette....
Yesterday my C7 wouldn't start... I have had the car about three months, about 5k miles. I was running errands and got in, pushed the start button and.... lots of clicking... no starting... hit Onstar, and they dispatched a tow truck, waited a bit and tow truck driver arrived, he said that he had not yet seen any 2016 Corvettes (which I take as a good sign) yet, jumped the car and it started. I have an appointment with the service department at the dealership tomorrow, hope I can start the car to get it there.. needless to say a "bit" disappointed with my car at the moment... hopefully just a bad battery and easy fix.. but man don't like to get stranded, usually the justification to get another car.. I love the car so hopefully this is just an abnormality, my German is rusty, yet I might have to go there...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,401
Likes: 3,584
From: Commerce Texas
Car won't start and you're already thinking of trading for a German car.... funny. 
I've got 600,000 miles in Corvettes..... oh, and 300K miles in Porsches, another couple of hundred thousand in BMWs and MBs and Audis..... make mine a Vette.
I've got 600,000 miles in Corvettes..... oh, and 300K miles in Porsches, another couple of hundred thousand in BMWs and MBs and Audis..... make mine a Vette.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 6,442
Likes: 2,535
From: New Jersey
on the reliability of German cars.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,781
Likes: 556
if you don't drive it often the battery drains due ot parasitic loss. Get a battery maintener. There is a plug in the hatch which is always on to plug it into. CTEK makes a great battery trickle charger in fact it is the same as the one chevy sells as the battery protection package
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Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,250
Likes: 656
From: San Diego Ca
Yup and every so often battery manufacturers produce a defective product. This should be a warranty replacement. I don't know about my Ctek but most of my trickle chargers I use for my seldom driven cars have a red light that will come on when the battery is not properly taking a charge. When I see that it is time to buy a new battery.
I put mine on the trickle charger anytime it will not be driven for 4 days or over as the key off drain will pull the battery down in that time. And that was true in my C4, C5Z, C6Z and certainly the new car. The more electronics the more the key off drain.
BTW, I no longer have a house in Scottsdale, but when I did I replaced batteries yearly to 18 months due to the heat.
I put mine on the trickle charger anytime it will not be driven for 4 days or over as the key off drain will pull the battery down in that time. And that was true in my C4, C5Z, C6Z and certainly the new car. The more electronics the more the key off drain.
BTW, I no longer have a house in Scottsdale, but when I did I replaced batteries yearly to 18 months due to the heat.
Last edited by pkincy; Dec 5, 2016 at 02:28 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 14,492
Likes: 548
From: Dallas, TX
Yup and every so often battery manufacturers produce a defective product. This should be a warranty replacement. I don't know about my Ctek but most of my trickle chargers I use for my seldom driven cars have a red light that will come on when the battery is not properly taking a charge. When I see that it is time to buy a new battery.
I put mine on the trickle charger anytime it will not be driven for 4 days or over as the key off drain will pull the battery down in that time. And that was true in my C4, C5Z, C6Z and certainly the new car. The more electronics the more the key off drain
I put mine on the trickle charger anytime it will not be driven for 4 days or over as the key off drain will pull the battery down in that time. And that was true in my C4, C5Z, C6Z and certainly the new car. The more electronics the more the key off drain
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 35,720
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From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,633
Likes: 279
From: Dallas TX
They can. They did. There is a chart that has been posted a few times that shows a fully charged battery should still be able to start a C7 up to 4 weeks or so. Mine has routinely gone 2 and 3 weeks between starts. If it will be longer than that, I hook up the battery maintainer.
Last edited by drs; Dec 5, 2016 at 03:33 PM.
Racer
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 475
Likes: 296
From: Utah
Battery abuse is rampant on new and used car lots. Cars get started frequently to shuffle inventory, parking lights and emergency flashers left on attract attention, customers demoing sound systems and adjusting power seats and so on. Sales people don't care, that's why they have jump start boxes and the service department. Car batteries are not the same as deep cycle batteries and can be ruined or have significantly shortened life if they have been run dead. Use the warranty.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 5,394
Likes: 281
From: cumming ga
New battery's usually not fully charged alternator will not full charge a battery that's discharged. Need to charge up to avoid this problem. I had 3 battery's in wifes SS bought AGM battery charger when last battery was put in took 6 hours to reach full charge no more battery problems. Did the same on 16 SS took about 8 hours on it. I need to do the 16 Z06 being lazy.
z51vett
Doug
z51vett
Doug
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 24
Likes: 8
From: Gilbert Arizona
Resurrection
My car is back in business, battery tested bad, this is my daily driver so it runs almost every day, I have never had a battery die three months after purchasing a new car so that was disconcerting, but according to the dealership nothing wrong with car. Funny side note, after I jump started the car to drive to the dealership, I got a text from Onstar saying to bring it in for service due to a battery issue! Anyway thanks for moral support, and no German cars anytime soon 
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,196
Likes: 4,323
From: Chirper Island
The C7 doesn't have the parasitic battery draw that the C6 does. Plain and simple.
If your C7 battery goes dead in less than a month, some unusual thing is going on. Certainly, the OP drives often enough and long enough that the battery (if not defective) should maintain a charge.
Glad it's resolved.
If your C7 battery goes dead in less than a month, some unusual thing is going on. Certainly, the OP drives often enough and long enough that the battery (if not defective) should maintain a charge.
Glad it's resolved.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 269
From: Bucks County PA
When I bought my TSX, I was initially only driving it once a week and
the battery failed the dealer tests during the first oil change.
Given the few times I drove it, the battery was replaced at the 3rd oil change too. I kept a trickle charger on it after that.
Only my Hybrid Cayenne and Volt don't experience this as they are always connected to 220v. That must also keep the 12 volt system charged.
the battery failed the dealer tests during the first oil change.
Given the few times I drove it, the battery was replaced at the 3rd oil change too. I kept a trickle charger on it after that.
Only my Hybrid Cayenne and Volt don't experience this as they are always connected to 220v. That must also keep the 12 volt system charged.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,194
Likes: 305
From: Lake Havasu City Arizona
SoCal Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '12
The battery in my 14 C7 just went out at the 2 year mark. To my surprise it was replaced for free by the dealer here in Lake Havasu City, Az.
Batteries can and do go bad at any time even when new or still new. Most of the time you only get a 1 year warranty on a battery with a new car purchase so I was happy to see Chevy replace a 2 year old battery for free.
Batteries can and do go bad at any time even when new or still new. Most of the time you only get a 1 year warranty on a battery with a new car purchase so I was happy to see Chevy replace a 2 year old battery for free.