I recently purchased a 06 vette. I only drive it on the weekends and have noticed if it sits for 6 or 7 days the car battery is dead. This is very dissapointing. Did i mention the car only has 600 mi on it. Is anyone else having this problem. The dealership told me it was normal if the car sat that long because of the electronics . I don't know what to think. I am really angry about it and don't like the idea of buying a trickler for a car that is above 50k us dollars. Please help me !!!!!!!!

 

C6 vettes have a feature that shuts all power off after 30 minutes in case you leave something on. If battery is going bad after a few days, there is something wrong with the electrical system. Have not driven mine for three weeks or more and battery is just fine. Get tough with dealer and have fixed.

 

If I recall correctly, manual transmission cars have to be put in reverse when parking, look at your owners manual. Also, it is possible that the battery has never really had a full charge so when you park a partially charged battery it will run down quicker. The electronics still have a parasitic drain on the battery so if you don't drive it much, many people will use battery chargers as a routine maintenance task.

 

You can check for a drain by disconnecting battery terminal and put a volt meter between the battery and the cable. Make sure you have no lights on or anything electrical. If you have battery voltage (12 v), then you have a drain somewhere. Also, have your battery load checked after a full charge. It's not the first time someone has had a defective battery that was new.

 

Well, believe what you will.

My 'vette, my friend's vette, my Porsche -- if they sit for more than about 10 days the battery is noticeably drained - electronics, whatever, it happens.

Regardless, I bought a battery trickle charger and installed a plug in the bottom of the trunk and keep in plugged in when its sitting. You can check everything but you might just have a slightly weak battery (nromally it takes more than 6-7 days) and an otherwise normal car.

 

You might also consider buying a priority start. This will disconnect the system if a drain is occuring. All you have to do if it happens is push in the cigarette lighter and fire it up. You may or may not have to re-index the windows. No big thing and explained in the manual.

 

>Well, believe what you will.

>My 'vette, my friend's vette, my Porsche -- if they sit for more than about 10 days the battery is noticeably drained - electronics, whatever, it happens.


My C6 (June 05, manual) drains the battery within 4 days, yes, it is always parked and left in reverse!

My Porsche has been left undriven for 3 weeks and never drains the battery. Its electronics shutdown after 3 days and you need the key to get it open afterwards (no big deal).

It seems to me that the C6 has a problem in this area. The total keyless entry system doesn't allow the car to fully shutdown. The keyless entry system requires too much juice.

I think GM should have realized that many C6 owners would purchase them for occasional use, and should have provided a keyed entry backup thereby allowing the keyless solution to totally shutdown.

 

I see I am not the only person having this problem. I just joined this board but obviously should have looked here a long time ago. I have taken my 2005 Corvette to two different dealers in my area on four separate occasions and am now on my 3rd battery!!!!!! Their lame excuses were initially that it was a bad battery (that's 3 bad batteries, mind you) and they are now saying there is nothing wrong with my car at all. They even suggested I have it taken to another dealer for a "second opinion". (Well, actually third, but who's counting). Well when my car's battery went dead again after only 3 days (as I suspected it would) and I called the Roadside Assistance morons to come get this $45K piece of crap, they said they could only take it a max of 20 miles which would take it to the same dealer and refused to take it Jackson without me paying the difference for towing. I'm at the point now where I am ready to get rid of the car and finally agree with my dad that ALL American cars suck and it's no wonder the Japanese manufacturers are whipping our asses. If the quality were not bad enough just try the "service". So if anyone has any suggestions on what I should do next, PLEASE tell me.

 

Are you removing the transmitter (KEY) from the vehicle when it is parked in your garage? If not, the system stays powered up and will drain the battery in a short time. The transmitter must not be in close proximity to the car. Also, as previously mentioned, manual transmission cars must be parked in reverse.

 

>Are you removing the transmitter (KEY) from the vehicle when it is parked in your garage? If not, the system stays powered up and will drain the battery in a short time. The transmitter must not be in close proximity to the car. Also, as previously mentioned, manual transmission cars must be parked in reverse.

Always parked in reverse. The transmitter (KEY) is kept about 150 ft away from the car.

Is 150ft far enough away?? I always assumed so as we live in a large house, and the key is stored a decent distance (150ft) from the car in the garage. I must admit I never tested it, I will do that first thing when the C6 gets back from the shop.

What is "close proximity", should 150ft be enough?

The vette is currently "driving" us mad. Constant dead batteries and roof problems are leading me towards trading it in for a second Porsche. I'll never buy a "under development" car again!!!