Emergency dead car!

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Have you noticed though that almost all of these dead battery issues have been BRZs with only a couple of FRSs? I strongly suspect that there is something about the BRZ options that is causing a problem. What it is I do not know but there is something up. The difference in numbers is more that I would call a coincidence especially when you consider the smaller number of BRZs that exist.

No, I haven't noticed because, except for cosmetic differences, I consider them the same vehicle. It's true, though, they have different accessories. We could take a poll of owners' measurements of standby current. Would be interesting.

Done properly, the battery is never disconnected from the BCU/ECU. Plenty of tech/mech savvy owners here.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

No, I haven't noticed because, except for cosmetic differences, I consider them the same vehicle. It's true, though, they have different accessories. We could take a poll of owners' measurements of standby current. Would be interesting.

Done properly, the battery is never disconnected from the BCU/ECU. Plenty of tech/mech savvy owners here.

It would certainly be interesting. I know that for all intents they are the same but I would expect to see more or at least as many FRs if it was an issue common to both. Statistically for more BRZs to have the issue it would say something is different (or just a very odd coincidence of course).

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It would certainly be interesting. I know that for all intents they are the same but I would expect to see more or at least as many FRs if it was an issue common to both. Statistically for more BRZs to have the issue it would say something is different (or just a very odd coincidence of course).

No, you raise a very good point. Electrically, they're quite different. The 10:1 frs-to-brz relationship makes it highly unlikely for it to be a coincidence.

[ToySub1946]

Well, Kkobe2 stated this:The battery died once in a camping trip and never was the same again taking a few more cranks to start up.

In my experience, even a known good newer battery, once discharged fully, often never recovers fully...and may need replacement just about any time thereafter.

Additionally something may have been left on, causing a draw, just recently on that car.

I do know that the dome light, if left in the manual on position, does not shut it self off.

There may be also, a position of the headlamp switch, in which self shutoff does not happen at all within minutes of turning off the ignition.

[jawn]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

No, you raise a very good point. Electrically, they're quite different. The 10:1 frs-to-brz relationship makes it highly unlikely for it to be a coincidence.

One guess that I have is that a lot of these cars are Limiteds. The keyless entry draws power, and can really drain a battery down if you leave a key within range. There's no free lunch as far as radio frequency Tx/Rx goes.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by ToySub1946

Well, Kkobe2 stated this:The battery died once in a camping trip and never was the same again taking a few more cranks to start up.

In my experience, even a known good newer battery, once discharged fully, often never recovers fully...and may need replacement just about any time thereafter.

True.

Maybe frs owners are better at turning off all the things.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by jawn

One guess that I have is that a lot of these cars are Limiteds. The keyless entry draws power, and can really drain a battery down if you leave a key within range. There's no free lunch as far as radio frequency Tx/Rx goes.

Is there a way to tell if the transponder is active? Blinky light or something?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by ToySub1946

Well, Kkobe2 stated this:The battery died once in a camping trip and never was the same again taking a few more cranks to start up.

In my experience, even a known good newer battery, once discharged fully, often never recovers fully...and may need replacement just about any time thereafter.

Additionally something may have been left on, causing a draw, just recently on that car.

I do know that the dome light, if left in the manual on position, does not shut it self off.

There may be also, a position of the headlamp switch, in which self shutoff does not happen at all within minutes of turning off the ignition.

I disagree. If a battery dies because it is defective then yes it may never be the same again once charged. A battery that dies simply because it was drained should be as good as new once charged back up. There is nothing about draining a battery of charge that causes damage.


The transponders are sending signal at all times not just when a fob is close to the car. That is how they work after all.

[Talus1]

The battery died over Christmas on my '13 BRZ Sport-Tech (~Limited in the US but with Canada-only, crappy Pioneer AVIC head unit). It is our DD but our commute is only 11km/7mi each way, so it doesn't get a lot of charging. It only has 18,500km/11,500mi on it, though as others have observed battery life is more related to charge/drain cycles than mileage. But with only a week without driving it, sitting outside in temperatures mostly above freezing, it still kind of surprised me.

The only problem with changing the battery was that AVIC wanted the security code. My car was a dealer demo, so the dealer originally entered the code and never mentioned it to me. Fortunately they just picked "00000", lol. I can't say I noticed any difference in engine characteristics that I would associate with ECU learning. The 'average fuel economy' indication is way worse though. Not sure if that is real yet. I'll have to take her for a highway cruise to be sure.

[Talus1]

Oh, and to @Tcoat's point, I tried charging the OEM battery first with no luck at all. I'd never had any other problems with the battery before. I can't say whether it was defective or not.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Talus1

Oh, and to @Tcoat's point, I tried charging the OEM battery first with no luck at all. I'd never had any other problems with the battery before. I can't say whether it was defective or not.

In your case it probably froze up after discharging. Even though our day temps have been above zero it has dropped far enough at night to freeze up a dead battery. Once frozen they will likely never work again.

[Talus1]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

In your case it probably froze up after discharging. Even though our day temps have been above zero it has dropped far enough at night to freeze up a dead battery. Once frozen they will likely never work again.

Still, it surprised me. The temperature was above freezing, day and night, for the entire week except the morning we returned and even then it only got down to -5ºC. (Gotta love the Environment Canada website!) I've never had a battery problem in such mild conditions before. It must have been pretty flat, which really does beg the question about parasitic loads on the BRZ. One day when I have nothing better to do, maybe I'll hook up the ammeter and start pulling fuses.

Some interesting reading:

http://mathscinotes.com/2013/02/battery-freezing-math/

So, the electrolyte in a "typical" lead-acid battery could freeze at -5ºC at or below around 2 moles/kg, which is apparently what would would see in a discharged battery. I always thought it would have be a significantly colder.

[Packofcrows]

Ever find what was wrong?