[quote=pizzaguy]Your post is confusing.

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

quote]
No ...............

 

I leave both of my Roadsters in the garage for 5 to 8 days quite often.

No issues at all, but then, one battery is a month old, the other 16 months old and are big (in a Reserve Capacity, Amp-Hour and CCA way).

These cars (and really all cars today) will show up to 200 mA current draw just sitting there, there's a LOT of electronics in cars today! If your battery is old and weak, it is NOT going to tolerate being bled down for days and days.

You can always take one of the battery cables off and insert a milliammeter and see how much current is being drawn. If it's over about 150 milliamps, go looking for the cause -your first stop should be the trunk light.

 

By coincidence I have just checked the parasitic drain on my battery.
Unlocked it averaged 15 mA and locked it jumped back and forth between 15 mA and 20 mA. The 15 mA reading flickered between 13 and 16 mA. The 20 mA reading flickered between 21 and 19 mA.

I have had no trouble starting my car after two months of sitting idle. I would predict that the car would start no problem after four months. Last year I did three months with no problem.

 

See, now THOSE readings make sense to me. Here at the shop, anything over 25 ma is considered suspect. But I have read on here that the XF will draw more - presumably due to the alarm system and other design traits.

That would appear to be inaccurate after reading your post - which makes more sense to me.

I'll measure my two cars ... well, MAYBE tonight (got a board meeting after work).

 

When I worked I used a different spelling for those meetings, 'bored' is the way I spelled it.

 

The spoiler deploys on startup if certain fault codes have been logged by the ECU. A low battery supply is one of those conditions. If you check for stored fault codes you will see a code stored for an under voltage condition. The spoiler will also pop up if you disconnect certain sensors too.

 

Thanks for the insight, woody! That elequently explains the coincidental spoiler deployment.

 

In reference to "you guys with battery issues should check the electrolyte level" most, if not all, batteries you buy now are 'maintenance free' or 'sealed for life' and this cannot even be done. Also, I had the same battery drain issue and decided to change my battery as it has been in my car since I bought it [almost 5yrs] however, when I bought a new battery it does exactly the same...have yet to discover the culprit. The trunk light goes off as it should after a short time of closing doors. I do NOT let my car sit locked so that is not the issue either...I had heard it could be the tilt sensor [anti-tow] device in the trunk but have not pulled all the necessary stuff out to get to it and disconnect to see if it cures it.

 

Most maintenance free batteries (excluding gel) have pop or pry off tops to check and refill electrolyte.

 

I top up my batteries using only distilled water, some of them look like it cannot be done, but it can. I think that this is more important to do in the hotter climates. You do not want the plates to get above the electrolyte level. Some batteries have six caps and some just two caps that each cover three cells.

 

This is great advice from onehunder80. I can't tell you folks how many times I hear that the electrolyte level can't be checked in a 'maintenance free' battery. As stated above, nearly all batteries have the capability to check the electrolyte level.

And I also only add distilled water to a car battery cell. If drinking water, tap water, etc., is used, the battery cell is subject to contaminants in the water and service life could be adversely impacted.

For the record, I've still have the OEM VARTA battery in my 2007 Coupe. I usually put a charger on the battery every 6-9 months to keep it charged up. I do this because I typically only put 2-3k miles on it every year. But earlier this week, when I started the car, the infamous 'raising of the spoiler' occurred. I put the charger on the battery for about half a day. No re-occurrence of the raised spoiler since. I'll check for fault codes sometime this weekend to see if the low battery supply condition occurred.

Later,

 

So now we have all these replies regarding whether it is possible to top up the electrolyte level on maintenance free batteries. Of course it is POSSIBLE but [as an example] suppose you keep adding distilled water to your battery thus weakening your acid solution in the process and lowering the effectiveness of your battery?
In any case this does nothing to answer the original query which was if anyone knew a particular reason why this problem exists on so many Crossfires and not on so many other cars with similar amounts of electronics.

 

Ok here is an attempt to answer the question my personal opinion is, the quirks that this car exhibits we're not engineered into this vehicle on purpose but were a unforeseen consequence of the amalgamation of two different philosophies of automotive engineering .

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhuibhsidhe

So now we have all these replies regarding whether it is possible to top up the electrolyte level on maintenance free batteries. Of course it is POSSIBLE but [as an example] suppose you keep adding distilled water to your battery thus weakening your acid solution in the process and lowering the effectiveness of your battery?
In any case this does nothing to answer the original query which was if anyone knew a particular reason why this problem exists on so many Crossfires and not on so many other cars with similar amounts of electronics.

When we look at this forum we see all the problems associated with it, not many people come on here and say that their car is working wonderfully and better than any car they ever had. It is like going to a hospital and trying to judge the health of the nation, you will get the wrong impression. Go to the other forums on cars they are all the same, problem after problems there as well. As to weakening the electrolyte by adding water, it probably happens to some degree but mainly it is the water that is evaporating. Your first post in this thread said that you could not top up your battery and in your next post you now say it is of course POSSIBLE, you are learning already
All cars have problems, go to the forum sites and you will see them all laid out, the SLK forums mimics our problems.

 

GOOD READING ( Battery School | Batteriesnorthwest.com | General Battery Care Procedures )! Particularly paragraphs (bullets) 3 and 6. The whole page has some dammingly (autocensor) good advice but clearly 3 and 6 are most important for adding/maintaining the electrolyte. As you will read, the water (add distilled only) is boiled out during charging, so only water should be added back in! Have FUN!


.

 

Great reference material! Attached is a PDF of the information for anyone wanting to save it for future referral.

Later,

 

I will agree with you that in many cases across this forum, replies will somewhat digress from the original inquiry. That is what makes it sometimes difficult to pinpoint and/or identify issues one might be executing a search to find a specific solution. But I will stipulate that many issues don't have one specific answer. Many times, the issue results for several reasons. That's how a thread can digress.

With regards to the original inquiry, I have never seen this issue with my 2007 Coupe. And I hardly ever drive it during winter months. (Note: But in my location, winter season isn't very long - some might say we don't even experience winter here in SC. Therefore the battery isn't subject to extended periods of non-use in harsh conditions.) And I've already stated that I put a charger on the battery every 6-9 months to keep it fully charged and I do check the electrolyte level in the battery cells typically after every charge. So the battery maintenance I perform most likely is preventing me from seeing this specific issue. And unlike others, I still have the original VARTA-supplied OEM battery in my coupe approaching 9 years of service!

So consider this just another quirky trait of the Crossfire. And this car has a lot of quirks! And as with all owners, some of us have experienced the issue; others have not. But this forum gets me prepared for the inevitable.

Later,

 

Here's another interesting digression. My wife drives a 2006 VW New Beetle 2.5L Convertible. She likes going topless during warm weather. (Now everyone be nice!) She works at a nearby veterinarian hospital. When I say nearby, probably no more than a 2 mile trip one-way.

So she starts up her car at least 2x per day and drives to & from work. She does this 5x per week, and every other week, adds a SAT trip when the Vet is open only until noon. But because her trips are so short, the battery in her VW will fail to start the car eventually. (Not a pleasant sight to see my wife upset at her car!) She doesn't operate the car long enough for the alternator to fully re-charge the battery.

So, like the XFire, I connect a charger on the VW's battery every 4 to 6 months or so; then check the electrolyte level. No issues since.

Later,

 

Anyone find a cure for this?

Chris

 

Cure for what?