Hey guys,
I just got back to my car after a month of not seeing it. I'm going to college in Austin and my car is at home in Houston. The battery was dead and I had to jump start it. To the best of my knowledge, I think it's covered under the 3yr/36k mile warranty. I'm just posting to confirm. Am I right?

-Abhishek

Well... Theres really nothing to cover under warranty. A car that sits for a month without the neg disconnected will slowly drain the battery. You successfuly jumped it so it took the charge. If it didnt take the charge, then yes, it SHOULD be covered under warranty.

Im in the same place as you except mine wont hold a charge (No its not the alt.). So i just got a Braille :D

Adam

^
Correct, if you are under warranty and take it to the dealer they will test the battery to see if it holds a charge. If it does you won't get a new one.
It isn't unexpected for the stock battery to go dead after sitting for a month. The parasitic drain of the alarm/keyless entry, radio, ECU etc. will run it down if the car isn't being used.
If you are going to be leaving the car for more than a few days, it's a good idea to disconnect the battery to avoid this drain. There will still be some internal self-discharge but it will happen more slowly.
You should also consider replacing the battery with one that can better tolerate this type of inactivity, such as an Optima. A fully charged Optima which is left disconnected will retain its charge for a far longer time than a conventional battery, and if it does discharge it won't be damaged. Your OEM battery, having been run down completely, has probably lost some of its capacity as a result and future inactivity will degrade it further.

Check the fluid level in the battery - I have to add every now and then to mine - if the fluid is low, then the effective capacity of the battery will be similarly low (since a portion of the electrodes are out of the acid)

BTW, you won't just get a free new battery. Its so far useful life will get pro-rated against the cost of a new one.

it hasn't been sitting for a month. my dad drives it to work very often.

...an '02......it's junk.....get rid of it before it strands you(or someone else) somewhere.

BTW, you won't just get a free new battery. Its so far useful life will get pro-rated against the cost of a new one.

They gave me a brand new battery for free. It's covered under the 3/yr 36k warranty.

...an '02......it's junk.....get rid of it before it strands you(or someone else) somewhere.

is that sarcasm?

It's true that Scotty is our resident king of sarcasm, but I do agree with him about the battery. You'll probably be ok with a new one for a while, especially being in TX where it doesn't get cold, but then again the extreme heat down there isn't the best thing for batteries either. For the long term you would be better off replacing it with something better.
Also, did the dealer check your alternator/charging system? You want to be sure it's ok or you'll end up with another dead battery before too long.

is that sarcasm?

...refering to the battery....not the car......if that wasn't clear, then... :lol:

Also, did the dealer check your alternator/charging system? You want to be sure it's ok or you'll end up with another dead battery before too long.

Excellent point; there may be more wrong with it than the battery.


I don't buy the idea that batteries drain easily when a car just sits. I've left my WRX sitting for a week with the alarm on many times and never had a battery problem. I've left my 95 Legacy sitting for a month several times and it fired right up (just replaced the original battery last year btw!). The record was a Mustang I once left for 2 months--it still fired right up.

Excellent point; there may be more wrong with it than the battery.


I don't buy the idea that batteries drain easily when a car just sits. I've left my WRX sitting for a week with the alarm on many times and never had a battery problem. I've left my 95 Legacy sitting for a month several times and it fired right up (just replaced the original battery last year btw!). The record was a Mustang I once left for 2 months--it still fired right up.

My car hasnt been just sitting without being driven around. My dad drives it quite regularly. From what I saw, all they did was test the battery, it was only putting out 6.25V...which to me, sounds like a useless battery.

Mike....if there is ANYTHING drawing power from the battery and it is not getting a charge, either from being driven or some kind of charger, that can kill a battery.
Sometimes things like the clock draw so little current that it is irrelevant, but paracitic drain is what usually kills a battery in a car that is left un-driven for a period of time.
Also, normal car batteries WILL discharge over a period of time all by themselves....with no load attached.

My car hasnt been just sitting without being driven around. My dad drives it quite regularly. From what I saw, all they did was test the battery, it was only putting out 6.25V...which to me, sounds like a useless battery.


This indicates that the battery is toast.

There is no question that the battery was shot. However there are two possibilities as to the cause- the battery itself could have become defective, or the alternator could have stopped charging resulting in a constant state of discharge and eventual battery failure. That's why it's important to check the charging system now, to be sure that the new battery doesn't suffer the same fate. The dealer should really have done this before just replacing the battery.

Mike....if there is ANYTHING drawing power from the battery and it is not getting a charge, either from being driven or some kind of charger, that can kill a battery.
Sometimes things like the clock draw so little current that it is irrelevant, but paracitic drain is what usually kills a battery in a car that is left un-driven for a period of time.
Also, normal car batteries WILL discharge over a period of time all by themselves....with no load attached.

I suppose its possible, just in my experience its pretty rare.

...an '02......it's junk.....get rid of it before it strands you(or someone else) somewhere.

He speaks the truth. The stock battery on my '02 was absolute crap. I replaced it with a lightweight aftermarket battery sold to Miata owners, and it's held up over time better than the heavy, crappy stocker -- the car starts better now (with years and tens of thousands of miles on the replacement) than it ever did with the stocker.

Now's your chance to upgrade to something of better quality. Do eeeet.

Did you get the Braille? Thats what I got (after the stocker crapped out on me :rolleyes: ) I love it!

Adam

I just got a Subaru battery put in. Well...maybe not a subaru battery, but the battery that the dealership uses. Sure, maybe I could have gotten something of better quality. But I would rather get something free instead...

I just got a Subaru battery put in. Well...maybe not a subaru battery, but the battery that the dealership uses. Sure, maybe I could have gotten something of better quality. But I would rather get something free instead...

If you got another one of the same, the good news is you'll have the chance to make these choices again, sooner. ;)

Read my 2/16/03 post in this thread listing some of your options:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160545&highlight=battery

Actually, the whole thread is pretty good.

I don't buy the idea that batteries drain easily when a car just sits. I've left my WRX sitting for a week with the alarm on many times and never had a battery problem. I've left my 95 Legacy sitting for a month several times and it fired right up (just replaced the original battery last year btw!). The record was a Mustang I once left for 2 months--it still fired right up.

some cars have alot more draws then others. you mustang should have fired right up, there's really nothing the car keeps on over time. try that with a mercedes m-class though. i used to work at an mb store and there were lots of people complaining about dead batteries after just a weeks' sit.

also, the battery is covered under 3/36. after that it becomes pro-rated. to the original poster, i'd definitely put it on a charger after being drained down. just the engine alone isn't enough to fully charge it

If you really want to know what the parasitic drain in your car is, disconnect one of the battery terminals and insert a milliameter (or multimeter set to the ma scale) in series between the cable and battery post. The normal expected drain should be around 100ma or less. Some cars, as mentioned above, have considerably more and will drain their batteries if not regularly driven.
BTW, if you do this test, do NOT attempt to start the car with the meter connected.

Just tested mine today. It was drawing .011 Amps. My RX-7 was drawing .013.

I got my car in May of 02 and it is cranking noticeably slower when the car sits for a day. It will restart fine after I drive for a little bit.

I am an airline pilot so the car sits in the airport parking lot for a few days at a time. I would hate to get stranded there. Might be time for a new battery.

That sounds like a normal drain. Yes time for a battery.

bottom line is the stock batterys that came with the 02 suck in the cold, even in the first year of having my car it had to be jumped multiple times......and the dealer just laughed in my face withen the first year when I asked about a new battery (DONT EVER GO TO THE DEALER OFF THE SAWMILL NEAR PLEASENTVILLE!!!!!) a new battery would solve all your problems and most arent that bad on price.....

you could however get a nice optima yellow/ red top which is 100Xs better then the stock POS, just get the reverse posts so you dont have to extend your cables, the model number shold be be somthing 51R r being reversed posts....

good luck

plus the stocker weighs in at twice the weight of others :) 42 lbs I thnk hahaha

BTW, you won't just get a free new battery. Its so far useful life will get pro-rated against the cost of a new one.


Under Subaru's warranty, the battery is NOT prorated under the 3/36 warranty-it gets replaced free of charge if it needs it. After the 3/36 warranty if it gets replaced, then it is pro-rated. Until then, it is fully covered 100%.

Fortunately I have a battery just sitting in my garage. I put a light weight battery in my RX-7 so I can just use the one that came out of it. On the other hand I might just try and see if I can get a new one from the dealer first.

BTW, if you do this test, do NOT attempt to start the car with the meter connected.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :devil: :banana: :eek: :huh: :eek: :furious: :alien: