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View Full Version : [EURO] Battery Drain


ca6leguy
11-02-2006, 03:49 PM
I'm thinking of purchasiing this car but after reading about battery drain problems I have decided to put my purchase on hold.The thing is I drive only on the weekends and the rest of the time it will be garaged. Sometimes the car may be garaged for up to 2 weeks. I would like to hear from people if they have experienced this battery drain problem.
yfin
11-02-2006, 04:01 PM
Firstly, are you serious? ie This is what is holding you back from buying the car? I have left my car for more than 2 weeks without any battery problems. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

If you are really worried you can buy at most car accessory shops for under $50 a device you plug into the electricity point to keep your battery charged during long periods of no use.
ca6leguy
11-02-2006, 04:07 PM
Firstly, are you serious? ie This is what is holding you back from buying the car? I have left my car for more than 2 weeks without any battery problems. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

If you are really worried you can buy at most car accessory shops for under $50 a device you plug into the electricity point to keep your battery charged during long periods of no use.

Well this is one of the things that is holding me back from buying the car because this will be a major inconvenience. I would like to avoid having to keep the battery charged using a charging device.
aaronng
11-02-2006, 05:18 PM
My car is full stock, no aftermarket system or mods. I went overseas for 5 weeks. The car was left in the garage without ever being started once. When I came back, the car started as normal. No problems at all.

I think the battery drain problem comes from improper wiring of an aftermarket system (amplifier is always on) or someone left the door partially open (there is a light at the bottom of the door).
KL1368
11-02-2006, 06:22 PM
i don't think the euro battery usage is any different from any other modern car.. i left mine in storage for over 4 months whilst i was working abroad last year and had no problems starting when I got back!! stock standard too... except for the ambi-pur, which had long dried out :p
euro69
11-02-2006, 11:39 PM
this is not a problem unless u have done something to the car.
i went overseas for 2 months and my car was parked in the garage without no one starting it.
it started up fine when i got back.
so u shouldnt have a problem with this issue.
Euro Ricko
12-02-2006, 06:12 AM
I agree with the others, i regularly leave mine without starting it for a week of more, and it always starts first time. Leave the stereo on and all the doors open when detailing it for hours on end too.

If you where gonna put a serious stereo in it, you would be upgrading the battery anyway.
Chris73
12-02-2006, 11:30 AM
Unfortunatley this is the law of chemistry in a Lead Acid Battery. It will affect all cars. If you leave a battery sit in a car, the chemical reaction "eats" away the lead plates. Once this has occurred there is no way to ever get full charge back in the battery and leaves it subject to fail during cranking.

The best option is to go to your local automotive battery supplier and buy a charger which is microprocessor controlled with automatic trickle charge. This may cost a bit more but will keep the battery in the best shape without overcharging.

I also know someone who own a HSV that only gets driven on weekends. He doesn't have a charged and goes through a battery every few months (and there are no mods on his car).
ca6leguy
12-02-2006, 12:14 PM
I also know someone who own a HSV that only gets driven on weekends. He doesn't have a charged and goes through a battery every few months (and there are no mods on his car).

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.
BiLL|z0r
12-02-2006, 12:14 PM
Dats cause it's a Holden ;)
ca6leguy
12-02-2006, 12:17 PM
Dats cause it's a Holden ;)

Not too sure if it's just because it's a Holden. There a few people who have problems with the Euro as well. See the thread below.

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8530
aaronng
12-02-2006, 03:35 PM
Not too sure if it's just because it's a Holden. There a few people who have problems with the Euro as well. See the thread below.

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8530
How many of those are AUDM Accord Euros? The battery that is used in each country is different. The batteries used are locally supplied, not shipped from Japan with the car (otherwise you'd be seeing japanese labels on the battery). Even in the US, the TSX battery has been changed while ours are still the same one from 2003. What applies to them usually doesn't apply to us. In the case of the TSX battery, it was a Panasonic with 410CCA. We'll have to check what batteries we have.

Plus, those guys are battling with -10 and -20 ºC temperature! That alone would reduce the battery's performance drastically. From most of the cases in the US, the culprit was a bad battery and was replaced under warranty. It probably is the battery's fault, not the car.