Dead Battery: Any Solutions?

[HSKR R/T]

Thanks. I have absolutely no problem buying an aftermarket battery. I already did that, just to get home and be able to take it to a dealer. My concern is that we (dealer) have not determined if it was a bad battery or something else happening in the truck that is prematurely draining the battery. Thus my post to this forum for anyone that has quantifiable resolve. Buying a battery in my current state, is just solving the symptom, and may not be solving the problem.

More than likely, it solved the problem

 

[Rlaf75]

Thanks. I have absolutely no problem buying an aftermarket battery. I already did that, just to get home and be able to take it to a dealer. My concern is that we (dealer) have not determined if it was a bad battery or something else happening in the truck that is prematurely draining the battery. Thus my post to this forum for anyone that has quantifiable resolve. Buying a battery in my current state, is just solving the symptom, and may not be solving the problem.

You mentioned previously that it wouldn't take a charge. That right there would indicate a bad battery. If there's a dead cell or two then the battery won't take a charge. Eliminate the dealer altogether because your dealer sounds incompetent and take the battery to where you bought the aftermarket battery and have them test it. I can almost guarantee that the battery will fail. Right wrong or indifferent, the factory batteries are known to have short lifespans

 

[Cbty2050]

You purchased a new battery to get home and had the new battery tested or the original battery tested?

The dealer did as they are trained to do for testing the battery. The GR8 will fully charge a battery before testing, if it has a bad cell it will fail the test.

The oe battery is like any other battery, it can last 6 months it can last 10 years. A battery will last 3-5 years on AVERAGE.

 

[Big Tup]

You mentioned previously that it wouldn't take a charge. That right there would indicate a bad battery. If there's a dead cell or two then the battery won't take a charge. Eliminate the dealer altogether because your dealer sounds incompetent and take the battery to where you bought the aftermarket battery and have them test it. I can almost guarantee that the battery will fail. Right wrong or indifferent, the factory batteries are known to have short lifespans

thanks....what i meant to say is that it was so dead, jumping the battery (from another car) did not work. i took the battery to an auto parts shop. they said the battery was so far drained, they can not do a load test on it to determine if it has a bad cell. So, when i took the dead battery to dealer, they charged it for 3+ hours and were able to perform a load test and said "battery is fine now". This is NOT about me not wanting to pay for a battery, i would pay for 3 batteries or pay $1000, it doesnt matter...this is about why did a batter fail in one year...that is extremely unusual, and if dealer tells me the battery is good, that's even more unusual. So this is about the "unknown" of what caused this issue.

 

[Big Tup]

More than likely, it solved the problem

thanks. But "more than likely" doesnt give me a sense of comfort or security when i travel with my family 200 miles from my home to a rural location at our lake house.

 

[bigdodge]

thanks....what i meant to say is that it was so dead, jumping the battery (from another car) did not work. i took the battery to an auto parts shop. they said the battery was so far drained, they can not do a load test on it to determine if it has a bad cell. So, when i took the dead battery to dealer, they charged it for 3+ hours and were able to perform a load test and said "battery is fine now". This is NOT about me not wanting to pay for a battery, i would pay for 3 batteries or pay $1000, it doesnt matter...this is about why did a batter fail in one year...that is extremely unusual, and if dealer tells me the battery is good, that's even more unusual. So this is about the "unknown" of what caused this issue.

now that the battery is charged take it back to the auto parts store and have them put it through the check out again.
I'm not sure that dealers take the time to do a proper load drain.

 

[Cbty2050]

now that the battery is charged take it back to the auto parts store and have them put it through the check out again.
I'm not sure that dealers take the time to do a proper load drain.

If the dealer didn't check parasitic draw then who knows what is going on

How long did the truck sit to have a dead battery?

 

[Big Tup]

now that the battery is charged take it back to the auto parts store and have them put it through the check out again.
I'm not sure that dealers take the time to do a proper load drain.

that's a good idea and something i will do.

 

[Big Tup]

that's a good idea and something i will do.

truck was sitting for about a day.....keep in mind i am very OCD about my battery, to the point where i turn the switch off on the ceiling console so that no courtesy lights come on when the doors are open.....i baby the living h_ll out of this truck and have never had this happen. I plug nothing into the truck in terms out outlets or USB ports; never have and never will. Battery went so dead, there was no juice to light the dashboard or anything else for that matter....it was as if i had no battery at all in the truck. 13k miles and 14 months on a truck that was never put to any type of intensity when it comes to the battery

 

[ben b]

truck was sitting for about a day.....keep in mind i am very OCD about my battery, to the point where i turn the switch off on the ceiling console so that no courtesy lights come on when the doors are open.....i baby the living h_ll out of this truck and have never had this happen. I plug nothing into the truck in terms out outlets or USB ports; never have and never will. Battery went so dead, there was no juice to light the dashboard or anything else for that matter....it was as if i had no battery at all in the truck. 13k miles and 14 months on a truck that was never put to any type of intensity when it comes to the battery

Sorry to hear that you are still having trouble. Two thoughts:

• I remember that some people were having trouble because their air suspension was misbehaving and running their battery down. Might be worth searching this forum for that thread.
• While the dealer should cheerfully diagnose this type of issue, "should" doesn't always happen. You can buy a clip on ammeter for $50-$100 and see for yourself what the drain is on your battery when the engine is off. Just make sure to get one that measures DC current.

 

[Big Tup]

Sorry to hear that you are still having trouble. Two thoughts:

• I remember that some people were having trouble because their air suspension was misbehaving and running their battery down. Might be worth searching this forum for that thread.
• While the dealer should cheerfully diagnose this type of issue, "should" doesn't always happen. You can buy a clip on ammeter for $50-$100 and see for yourself what the drain is on your battery when the engine is off. Just make sure to get one that measures DC current.

thank you for your reply and suggestions