I added a Aftermarket Radio to my SC430, and now the battery is draining at a ridiculous rate. It looks like a common problem, how did people get around it? Is upgrading the Battery/Alternator an option?

thanks

 

probably need more info,
how old is the battery?
how fast does it drain?
remove the two fuses for the radio and see if it makes a difference.

 

Your battery should be fully charged after driving .... around 12.5 VDC measured promptly after shutting off. If it's not, then I would suspect a tired battery. Your alternator should suffice unless you are running huge amps that are sucking down alot of power.... such as big amps etc. and the battery never gets to full recovery charge.

Deep cycle batteries would be an upgrade that I suggest you make. There are many AGM technology batteries that perform substantially better than the common "lead-acid" types. The more amp-hours of reserve the better. Many after-market systems do require more parasitic drain however. So.. knowing how much drain is important.. but wait 30 minutes (yes.. I said 30 minutes) because some after-market systems can take that long to go to sleep.

My knee-jerk reaction is that you need a new (and more reserve) battery.

 

Is there anyway the installer hooked up the radio's amp to an "Always on" battery line, so your amp is always sucking power?