Hey guys, I recently bought a 99 GS4, and they guy who owned it before had 2 12's and a custom box along with a 600 watt amp installed a few years back. I bought the car with all this installed, but the guy said that the car is dead if you don't drive it for a couple days. He also said he had trouble keeping batteries more than a year or two.

My questions are
1. do you know of any steps i can take to see what's draining the battery?
2. Could it be he has had cheap battery's in the past?
3. Should i scrap the system all together?

Any input/ suggestions are appreciated

 

...? the alternator could be weak.. um if it's a stock battery or something similar to stock then that's why it may seem like the battery has no power.. i had a stock battery and my car would die out if i left it on for a SECOND without the car running 'cause of my system.. got me an optima red top and have no problems, no dimming, can keep the car on with the system on full for about 45 minutes great battery.. try that! definately worth the investment.. systems shouldn't be giving you that much trouch. if problems persists, take it to an audio place and have them check out the system wiring and then have the battery tested as well.. good luck

 

1. All cars have a battery draw, especially luxury cars. The first thing I would check is to make sure there are no lights on the amps when the car is off. He may have wired up the remote wire to a constant hot or something similar.
2. If a standard battery is run dead, then it is pretty much is ruined. I would highly recommend investing in a battery that not only can handle being drained all the way but also a battery with more output. I run the Optima YellowTop battery and I can run the battery dead and come back 20 minutes later and it will crank every time.
3. No need to scrap the system.

 

yellow top is usually used for deep cycle applications so it's preferred that you get a yellow top if you want to use it as a secondary battery... if you're going to replace your primary altogether - i recommend the red top.. i know a lot of CL members have it and haven't had problems, plus it's a bit better than using a deep cycle as a starter as where the red top can be used as a starter/primary.. not sure though.. i guess it's just preference..

 

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll look into the Red Top as soon as i recover from the 90K maintance $$$ I am about to spend

 

Optima yellow tops are a hit and miss product, especially in the car audio world. A lot of people I know have had their optima yellow tops fail at critical times (one of them went dead during the IASCA world finals. lol).

I remember a year ago, I was on the s2000 forum saying the same thing I'm saying now. Boy did I get flamed. Everyone was up on me because of my comment and I was almost banned because the mods ran optima and didn't like what I told them. Past forward a year alter, most of them begun having problem and now I can say "I told you so".

I bought a Duralast Gold battery a few months ago because the original one died from corrosion and leaking. I wanted to get the Costco Marine "deep cycle" because it works like a gem for me. Too bad it didn't fit in the GS without modification (It dropped right into my old car).


But right now, I have a solar power battery charger that I just plug into the cigarette lighter when I'm not driving the car. My voltage is usually around 12.14v when I come home. I let the battery charge for say a few hours and it's bumped up to 12.60v. So it works. I would recommend it if you plan to leave your car sitting for days. Of course you can have your car in the garage as there is no sunlight. Or get a battery charger if you insist. Of course these are all band-aids until you find the real problem of your car (might just be the audio equipment)

 

This is my third Optima in seven years, but one was stolen out of my car so that really doesnt count. I have been thinking about switching to the red or the LA 16v battery but I fancy the look of the yellow.

 

Battery question:

If i remove my Sears DieHard GOLD to replace with a Red Top Optima, will i have any issue with the radio as in needing a code to make the radio functional again?

I currently have a Mustang Cobra with a Red Top that i'm getting ready to sell. I want to take off the Red Top and swap it with the Lexus' DieHard Gold battery. The only thing stopping me is the fear of having something reset that i'm unable to recover. I have all the manuals, but never noticed any codes for the radio or anything else. Any first-hand knowledge on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Yup...I agree with LexBox...the wiring could set-up wrong, the remote wire sounds like the first spot to troubleshoot.

 

You arent going to have any trouble with codes or the deck locking on you. Just swap out your battery. The only thing you'll have to do, is reprogram your radio stations

 

Max allowable battery draw, after the car has gone to "sleep" (after a minute or two of being turned off and alarm set), is about .050-.100v... or 50mA...

 

<whew>

 

Please start a new thread if you are going to take the existing thread way off topic like this. Keeps things organized for future readers.
Thanks.
The Management