I have a 2005 roadster that when not driven the battery goes completely dead. This can happen in just 7 day's. The dealer is lost and say's that the computers on board drain it. I have friend with a bmw m3 and he say's he leaves it for long amounts of time and it alway's starts. I can't imagine it has any less computer's. The last try by the dealer was the trunk latch. HELP.

 

Happens to my SRT6 Roadster as well. In fact, I have it in the shop as I am posting for this very reason. Left town for a week and a half and came home to a dead battery. I thought it was a little soon (1 1/2 yrs and 28k) to have a battery issue, but I replaced it and then dropped it off at the dealer for another issue (heater core replacement). I advised them that my logic reasoned me to believe that there was something drawing down my battery and would they check it while doing the other work. Fast forward 1 month to Thanksgiving (out of town 4 days) and I had another dead battery (mind you this was a new battery 1 month old) and it is back at the dealer. I have a great dealer (yes I said it!) who has really taken care of my ride without any struggles, so I will wait and see.

 

I had the same problem earlier in the year. The battery was just too weak from little use and ended up with a couple of dead cells. Replaced the battery and everything has been fine since...but I do put a trickle charger on it if I am not using it for an extended period. There is another thread on here about my experience trying to find a battery...good luck.

 

Try unplugging the little trunk light inside on the bottom right. I think that the draw, while not great, would run a battery down over 5-10 days. Thoughts?

 

I've checked the battery drain on my 04 Coupe which should be representative of what you should be getting. I do have an aftermarket head unit/ipod setup but that should have drain to the factory system.
The current drain is around 114mA with the car locked i.e. alarm armed. There are odd peaks to 156mA, presumable the ultrasonic scanning periodically. So assuming you have a fully charged stock battery which has a capacity of 74Ah and taking the worst case 156mA drain you should get:

74/0.156 = 474 hours or 474/24 = 19.75 days until the battery is flat.

If you take the 114nA figure you get around 27 days.

But in both cases bear in mind that the will not be enough charge to actually start the car well before the total discharge point. Also the battery is unlikely to be charged to its specified capacity, especially in the winter months.

 

That is odd, the first year I stored the car for the winter I didn't use a trickle charger and after 4 months it started up without a issue. However, I don't leave the car locked so I wonder if t is the alarm that is draining your battery.

 

Thanks for the battery insight and the replies.
I just bought a new 2006 Roadster Nov 1 '06, and have already put it away for the winter. Spring in my area of Canada arrives about mid May. The ice doesn't leave Georgian Bay until mid April.
I planned on starting the vehicle every couple of weeks, just to circulate the oil. But not long enough to charge the battery.
With what I've read on this thread, I've decided to setup my trickle charger on a timer for 1/2 hr per day.
I think it will be a good thing, problem or no problem.

 

My car sat for two months last fall with the doors locked and it started up just fine. Currently it is only driven every other week and I have never had any battery problems.

 

I stored my XF for the winter about a month ago, and I just started it to make sure it was fine. It started with no problem. I guess I'll start it every week and let it run for 5 to 10 minutes during the winter.

 

i have the same problem now, but its a new problem on my 2004. it started in november for no particular reason! the battery is dead after a couple days not driving the car, but when i start it on compression the wing goes up, is there a link? i stored it for the winter and the battery is very dead now. i will need a new one but i will probably have the same problem.

 

With my car they though that the truck light stayed on in the trunk if it wasn't closed correctly. But in the end they couldn't fix it and Chrysler has bought it back from me.

 

This is interesting... I also noticed my rear spoiler in the up position after discharge.

I am currently struggling with a dead battery, and it appears not to be holding a charge.
I checked the trunk light switch and that is working fine.
I also topped up the cells with distilled water.
I'm going to charge the battery once more, disconnect the terminal post overnight and see if it still loses it's charge.
Failing the test I'm going to put a higher capacity battery in the hog and see if that solves the problem.

I have had other cars, left an interior light on all night and it still started.

This car seems to have its share of quirks.

 

you guys that have battery issues, should check the electrolyte level and make sure it's topped up,

 

It can't be a coincidence when most of the people who say "me too" to the battery issue are from Canada.

I heard rumors that it's deathly cold up there...so cold in fact that car batteries can have drastically reduced lifetimes!

 

This is not just a Crossfire issue, it is across the board on the newer cars with more computerized systems. My new 07 Mustang GT/CS lasts about 5 days. This is an issue that has been continually raised on the Mustang Forums. Ford has a "High Electrical Content" battery, for cars equipped with all the "toys", but my Mustang has the standard battery, although it has all the toys, including the active alarm system.

I never experienced this problem with the Crossfire, but I was in Dallas, at the time, and the car was driven every day. I did leave it in the garage once for four weeks, but it was unlocked, with the alarm off. No problems when I came home.

I purchased a battery manager, for the Mustang, from Griots Garage (Battery Manager III - $79.99). However, there are much cheaper ones out there. I have had no problems, even in below zero weather of South Dakota, since plugging it up. I only drive on clear, snow & slush free days, so she spends a lot of time parked. Keeps the battery fully charged, at all times.

Here is the address: http://www.griotsgarage.com/

 

Well not all of Canada is cold - been a lot warmer in Vancouver than St Paul. I had the top down all weekend -Sunday was high 50`s bright and sunny - perfect for cruisin - no problems with my battery! Remember were not much different than you - 75% of the Canadian population lives within 90 miles from the US border

 

Who are you trying to kid?

Even though southern Ontario is lower in lattiude than Minnesota, the glacier that covers Lake Ontario ensures it remains colder. It only gets to 35 degrees in the warmest of regions We have year round snow skiing, and most of us still live in ice houses.

Nope, weve got nuttin over our American counter parts which is why they live there. Even God blesses America. I have no idea why my forefathers (Quakers) made the journey North. Just dumb I guess.



......Here in Kelowna

 

The uniqueness to the Crossfire and drained or dead battery seems to be the deployment of the spoiler. Despite having a new high capacity battery, if I do not use the carfor a period of 7-10 days, the battery drains. If I manage to coax a start out of the car on the low battery, the spoiler deploys. If I jump start the car because it is too low, the spoiler deploys. I have not found a resolve for the issue and tolerate the quirk from time to time during the winter months being I dio not drive the convertible in wet or adverse weather conditions.

From a layman's view, there seems to be an electronic (but not physical) activation of the spoiler at some point during non-use that causes the battery to discharge. Maybe it is a computer glitch and the deployment is only a symptom not a cause. In any event, it seems to be more than a coincidence that other Crossfire owners are experiencing a spoiler deployment linkage to a drained battery.

It would be great to see a post from someone on this forum who has managed to determine the cause or resolve through their dealership or on their own.

For now, the fix seems to be to enjoy driving the car more often but I would like to know the real fix if anyone has managed to figure it out yet.

 

Your post is confusing.

FIRST, you tell us that the spoiler deploys if the battery is very low.*
THEN, you tell us that the spoiler deploys on a low battery when the car is unattended - did I get that right?


* This appears to be a normal "glitch" with the car. The car was not designed to be jump-started as a normal way of starting the car.

 

...thanks for the prompt note, sorry for any confusion. The spoiler deploys on start up if the battery is low (engine is almost a non-start). Indeed, if there is not enough charge in the battery for a start (engine barely turns over or clicking only) , I can use a second battery to junp start it. The spoiler also deploys.

Normal use maintains a good charge with no battery or spoiler issues. The symptoms occur after 7 - 10 days of non-use.

Cheers.