SubieN8 Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Good to know too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrya07 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Looks like I found two ways that leaves the lights on and both happens when you do not start the engine. I have the key less entry so if you use a key to start your car the below may not apply. First is to push the button once with the head light switch in auto. If you push the button twice quickly the car will go into full accessory mode IE everything is on except the engine and then full off with the second button push. The interior lights go off 30 secs later but the headlights stay on. Don't remember the exact steps for the second way but it seems to happen if you have the head light switch in the off position and turn it back to auto after the second quick button push. When everything is off the head lights are off but turn them selves back on latter. It seems to two quick button pushes confuses the computer that controls the lights. Found this out while trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble creating and playing music from a USB disk which I seemed to have solved also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiftdelete Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 2015 legacy. Battery has died 5 times. 2 times were from dome lights being left on for approx 12 hrs. The other 3 times had no known cause. Been to the dealer 2 times. First time they did a load test and said nothing was wrong. 2nd time they did load test and overnight parasitic draw test--- still said no issue. we do drive short trips often... But this is ridiculous. any suggestions? Wait for 1 more time and try lemon law? Part of me wants to just buy a better battery... But I also would like it fixed under warranty. I drove 2 hrs to buy my car at a Good dealer... And have a strong feeling that the local dealer I take it to for service has just as corrupt service department as they do a dishonest corrupt sales Dept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoda_One Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Just buy a higher amp battery and move on. Laughing at Oneself and with Other is good for the Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airfuel Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 When you killed your battery more than once, it will never be the same. Time for you to buy another one like stated above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkshooter Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 If something in the car is draining the battery a new or bigger one won't fix the problem. The bigger battery might last longer but that's a moot point. Take it to the dealer you bought it at and tell them everything you just posted here. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiftdelete Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Dealer just said the dark voltage / parasitic draw test was drawing 80ma.. But said that was within factory specs!??! He said it had to be over 100ma. What have you guys seen?? I though I read numbers around 25ma... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 He said it had to be over 100ma. What have you guys seen?? I though I read numbers around 25ma... TSB 07-85-14, Measurement of "Dark Current" (Parasitic Battery Draw), sets the upper limit at 70 mA: The maximum allowable average dark current draw is 70mA.* If the measured dark current draw exceeds 70mA, begin diagnostics by removing fuses to isolate circuits one at a time while closely monitoring the ammeter reading for a corresponding decrease. Once a circuit (or circuits) has been identified, continue with normal electrical diagnostics of that circuit to determine the source of the current draw. * While 70mA is the maximum allowable average dark current draw, this does not mean a vehicle exhibiting an unusual current draw will always exceed 70mA. In some cases, a vehicle with less than a 70mA draw may be experiencing an unusual current draw. [emphasis present in original] "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiftdelete Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Well, just as I expected.... They ran the test again and 'claim' that the dark voltage test now reads 60ma, and there is no issue, and no further testing is needed. This is the worst dealership I've ever dealt with in my entire life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubieN8 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 ^ That freakin' blows. What a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkshooter Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Well, just as I expected.... They ran the test again and 'claim' that the dark voltage test now reads 60ma, and there is no issue, and no further testing is needed. This is the worst dealership I've ever dealt with in my entire life. The next time it's dead call that dealer, tell them where to pick up the car and demand it be fixed. Or find a new dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_m Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Bump. After over a year from the last time, my battery was almost totally dead this morning. The lights worked and I was able to unlock the car, but it wouldn't even crank over. After a feeble attempt with my little Genius jump starter, I ended up jump starting it with old school cables and the wife's Outback. The only thing I did was change the led bulb in the trunk with a different one because the first one was a little loose and intermittently wouldn't go on and I would have to unlatch the little case and jiggle it. I'm wondering if the switch is defective and it stayed on all day and all night. Pissed me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehilovich Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Luckily I haven't had any dead batteries since the once, but I assume that's mostly due to me driving the car almost daily. It never sits more than 1 day. I still catch my LED switchbacks DRL turned on randomly, even though I've now tried two different "always-on" fuses.. It's almost like our car randomly does system checks and doesn't actually shut off those "always-on" fuses. I know that's not what you're encountering, Rob, but perhaps the "normal" system drain plus even a tiny bulb like the trunk light kicking on/draining power is enough to drain the battery even overnight? :/ I wish I could figure out why the "always-on" fuses don't properly stay off at all times when the car is off, because it's driving me nuts, and is embarrassing to have to go out and fiddle with my car to get them to turn off so I'm not shining lights at my neighbor's house all night (if I'm not in the garage). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstater Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 when I got my Legacy I left a battery tender/trickle charger on it overnight, and the battery wasn't fully charged the next day. I repeated that process and the second night it finally took a full charge. No problems since. I told my wife I was going to hook up her new Acura RDX to a charger, and she asked me why. Took two nights to fully charge hers, also. Probably a good idea to start off with a fully charged battery if you want longevity from it. Don't expect to get the car delivered that way, you will be lucky if they drop the shipping tire pressure for you to the amount stipulated on the drivers door jam (neither of the past two Subaru dealers nor the Acura dealer have figured out how to do this, yet...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 you all need to get one of these. I can vouch for it starting a car with a COMPLETELY DEAD battery. By completely dead I mean no lights, no door unlock, etc. https://smile.amazon.com/Rockford-RFDJS2976DLX-Portable-Source-Starter/dp/B00TP11HTS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488007821&sr=8-1&keywords=rockford+battery+jump+starter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capttris Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Shiftdelete, Have you measured the current draw yourself? If you think the dealership is stating a lower draw, just to simply make you go away, I recommend that you check it yourself. It's really easy to do. The problem with almost 99% of dealerships is they don't ever want customers talking to or even seeing the techs. So there is typically an information/communication gap between the "service advisors" (many have little to no mechanical knowledge other than what they hear) so its hard for a customer to get 100% accurate details on what the tech found. If you do happen to get a report, it's often a 1 or 2 sentence statement TYPED IN ALL CAPS, and it's simply stating that issues resolved, part changed/replaced, etc. I've never understood why techs type in all caps. And rarely will you get more detail that that. In some cases, you don't get ANY report from the tech. Only a copy of the service invoice which would state 1 hour of electrical troubleshooting, etc, as a generic printout. Again, I recommend checking this yourself, and/or try another dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_m Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Ok ... found the problem. I had replaced the led bulb in the trunk with a different one that I had bought right before I had the last dead battery issue. One that had 5 led's, 4 on the sides and one at the top and was wicked bright. Dropped the seat back so I could see inside, closed the trunk, locked the car and the effin' thing was still on. Twenty minutes later ... went back ... still on! Half an hour later ... still on. Unlocked the car and locked the car and watched as it dimmed down and went off. Kept trying things and once, I was able to get it to stay on when I unlocked only the trunk, opened and closed the lid. Most of the times no matter the combination of things I did, it dimmed down and went off when I locked the car and opened and closed the trunk. Very strange indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolt Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Ok ... found the problem. I had replaced the led bulb in the trunk with a different one that I had bought right before I had the last dead battery issue. One that had 5 led's, 4 on the sides and one at the top and was wicked bright. Dropped the seat back so I could see inside, closed the trunk, locked the car and the effin' thing was still on. Twenty minutes later ... went back ... still on! Half an hour later ... still on. Unlocked the car and locked the car and watched as it dimmed down and went off. Kept trying things and once, I was able to get it to stay on when I unlocked only the trunk, opened and closed the lid. Most of the times no matter the combination of things I did, it dimmed down and went off when I locked the car and opened and closed the trunk. Very strange indeed. Very interesting! I've had my original battery run down twice for no apparent reason. Both times it was sitting in the garage and I had been doing work on it. First time I assumed it had been a light I left on my mistake or something. After the second time I started to suspect the car was getting in some weird mode where something wouldn't shut off properly and drain the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 To me it seems like the bulb is part of the time delay circuit and a difference in load causes the time delay circuit to fail. But for the trunk - what's the point in having a time delay at all? Lid down and the bulb shall go off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_m Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 I know! I figured there was/is a delay built in to turn off the light if the trunk was left open for an extended period of time. Does anyone know were the switch is located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capttris Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 ehsnils, You are absolutely correct. There are many circuits, relays, diodes, etc within new cars, and they designed with the exact resistance of normal light bulbs. When you change to LED, this changes the resistance of the overall circuit. This problem is common with any interior lights/dome lights, and also with turn signals. (I'm sure we have all seen the "modded" cars with the fast LED turn signals. The signal blinks much faster because the resistance is less with the LED. An opposite example is many older cars from the 80's and 90's (especially Ford sedans, for some reason) - you may notice that when an older car stops at a traffic light, that the headlights may dim a little and the turn signals slow down. Same idea) I'm not an expert with the new LED's, but I believe the better (and more expensive) brands will include an inline diode/resistor-type device to make the LED match the same specs as a standard bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff T Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Bought mine in July of 2014. Currently with 73k on the odometer. I've noticed it's been cranking a tad slower the last couple weeks. Had AutoZone check that battery, bad. New battery installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abody Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I actually had to replace mine today, exactly 2 .5 years old, fixed under warranty. Never had one go that soon before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldguy Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I don't have a lot of confidence in this battery as it turns over quite slow. It hasn't let me down yet however. I do wistfully look back at that Panasonic battery in my '98 Camry that lasted over 12 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff T Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I don't have a lot of confidence in this battery as it turns over quite slow. It hasn't let me down yet however. I do wistfully look back at that Panasonic battery in my '98 Camry that lasted over 12 years. Those Panasonic batteries were incredible! Made in Japan, mine in the 4Runner lasted 10+ years and some on the Yota forum had them last even longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.