Winter Battery Issues? Advice?

[GeorgeJFrick]

So last year my battery died and I tried to trickle charge it; even bringing it in the house. Trickle charger just flashed bad battery or whatever. I got a few jumps but the battery kept dying. (Milwaukee/Mid-west). I took it into Subaru and they said I had a bad battery and replaced it.

So now my car is dead again, trickle charger says battery is bad again. I have to leave for business in the morning, so I can't leave the car at Subaru for a day. My wife's WRX charged from the trickle charger just fine (I left her lights on).

Do others have problems with the BRZ battery in the cold? Should I just buy a nice battery or is it a problem with the car? It's -4F in Milwaukee.

Battery recommendations? Optima red would be my default choice?

[PandaSPUR]

It doesn't get as cold here in NYC (especially not this year), but last year it was consistently around 0-20F and I left my car parked most of the time. Drove it on the weekends, with a 1-3 week gap in between. Battery never died even while sitting around that long.

So your situation doesn't seem normal.. What aftermarket stuff do you have installed if any? Any remote starters? Those drain battery pretty badly from what I heard.

[GeorgeJFrick]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

It doesn't get as cold here in NYC (especially not this year), but last year it was consistently around 0-20F and I left my car parked most of the time. Drove it on the weekends, with a 1-3 week gap in between. Battery never died even while sitting around that long.

So your situation doesn't seem normal.. What aftermarket stuff do you have installed if any? Any remote starters? Those drain battery pretty badly from what I heard.

All I have is an intake pipe with the sound delete (still stock filter box, etc). Nothing else.

[PandaSPUR]

I would go back to the dealer and get the battery replaced again under warranty before wasting your own money getting a battery. Somethings up with your electrical system, or you just got really unlucky with two bad batteries in a row.

[Black Tire]

There may be something wrong with your electrical system. I have a 2013 FR-S with about 60k miles that is parked outside and it still started fine yesterday morning at -10°F on the original battery (with protesting sounds of course). The BRZ has more electronic components that the FR-S, however, so maybe one of them is causing a problem with battery life.

[GeorgeJFrick]

I'm going to try and get the car to the dealership, it means I have to take the day off work. FFS. I now own 2 Subarus, and I am not impressed.

[PandaSPUR]

Did your dealer maybe add some third party anti-theft system? Something like that could be wired wrong and just draining your battery all day long. Some systems have GPS, motion sensors, glass break sensors, accelerometers, etc and will drain you like crazy too.

Either way, doesnt sound like its your fault at all, so make sure the dealer fixes it.

[Tcoat]

There is quite a list of guys on here that had bad batteries so it is indeed a known issue. You just seem to have had the bad luck of getting two.
My personal reaction at this time would be to go and spend $100 and get a really good after market one. Sure they should replace it under warranty but there comes a point where my time is worth more than messing with somthing.

[toast]

I think the batteries that come in these cars suck. My car lives in my garage year round, no matter how could it gets outside the garage is maintained above 40 degrees. Lately I have been starting it around 50 and the battery is definitely turning the car over slowly. The other night I came out after work to a 20 degree car and I really didn't think it was going to start. It did, but it certainly didn't sound like a healthy battery.

In order for my dealer to do anything they are going to tell me I have to leave the car with them overnight when it is cold. Just buying a new battery is less hassle than my time is worth to mess with the dealer.

[toast]

Simultaneous posts, simultaneous thoughts

[GeorgeJFrick]

So I gave myself a jump start with the WRX (again). Decided I should see if I could get into and out of the garage with the snow/ice. Practice makes perfect. I was feathering the clutch and the car died; then slid back down out of the garage.

Picture a perfectly clean red BRZ sliding down an alley. I'm trying to stop the car, and it's going alright. But I'm going into the street no matter what. There is a dip before the street, where of course, the car stopped. Wouldn't start. The WRX is back in the garage, and my car is in the middle of the street. I had to push my car out of the hump, into a down hill. Anyways, I pulled it off and the car end up parked facing the wrong way. I pulled the WRX around the block and jumped it again.

I'm here at the dealership. They wanted to know if I had an appointment. I almost snapped. Is this just a horrible dealership? Or is this on Subaru?

I can't explain my mood; and now I'm pricing a lease on an Imprezza to drive in the winters.

My estimated wait is 2.5 hours.

Going to try and get some work done.

[GeorgeJFrick]

I'm getting a new battery under warranty.
They are trying to determine if something is causing this problem or if I'm a battery killer.

[Chimera]

so.. knock on wood.. but I still have my OEM on a 13 and its still working fine, and I have a sub, HIDs, LEDs, and other accessories all directly tied off mine.

[GeorgeJFrick]

The stunning conclusion...

I asked to lease an imprezza wagon since I can expense it for work. For the third time, this dealership made no effort to sell me a car. I begged for a WRX and ended up driving 3 hours away to get one. They promised to come find me with the lease info, never did. 3 hours.

They replaced my battery, advised I use a battery tender, and .... maybe unplug that bluetooth OBD sensor. So the answer is "I'm an idiot. This dealership and I are perfect for each other".