VE battery drain issue.

[tommo82]

I've had my HVAC replaced and the RSE updated, and that apparently fixed my battery drain. They also had to charge the battery overnight on a particular type of charger (for the new calcium batteries)


Only off the road for a week. Shame auto servicing isn't a science.

 

[jphanna]

Hi people, my omega let em down after 4 days of not driving it. the holden assit guy told me he does heaps of VE jump starts. he told me about the dealer 'fix'. i called my dealer and they said they have to plug the diagnostic computer to determine if it needs the 'fix'. thats $68.00 plus the fix if they do it. is that right?

 

[Gorman]

Hi people, my omega let em down after 4 days of not driving it. the holden assit guy told me he does heaps of VE jump starts. he told me about the dealer 'fix'. i called my dealer and they said they have to plug the diagnostic computer to determine if it needs the 'fix'. thats $68.00 plus the fix if they do it. is that right?

If the car is still under warranty it should cost you nothing.

 

[RayLamp]

I have had the battery drain issue, like many others. Mine is one of the first builds too, I got it the first week the VE was released.

There have been many software fixes which my dealer has done. One of the things I have noticed was that the CD player went into a loop changing CD after CD. This was a known issue for the 6 stacker. Bear in mind that the CD player was doing this when the car was off and locked!

They ran the upgrade for the CD looping issue, and they upgraded the BCM (body control module). But even when these changes were made, I still ran flat. The reason? Once those sealed calcium batteries go flat, they never recover. I got NRMA to put one of their replacement batteries in - and I've been sweet ever since.

So the solutions?
1. Get all of the software fixes from the dealer for this issue. By now, they should know them all.
2. Get the BCM changed (if it hasn't already been changed).
3. Get a new battery.

A number of people have been talking about specific battery chargers for these sealed calcium batteries. The ones which seem to work the best aren't cheap.

Also, I have had the key replaced too. That's a common one, and the dealer will do that without asking if you are under warranty.

Another thing. When you lock your car, never assume everything is off. Keep a watch on it as I have seen silly things like the interior light never shutting off, the lights on the stereo head unit staying on etc. Take a peek once you lock your car - even with my dark glass I can still see the vitals. Some times, the only way to reset these things not turning off is to put the key in the ignition, turn it to full accessories (not start, but on), turn it off and try again.

One last thing - you can boot your car up in Diagnostic mode. To do this, you hold down the enter button ( I think, or its one of the steering wheel buttons). You hold it down, then put the car in full accessory mode with the key (ie one level before starting the car). The middle screen pops up with all cool stuff, and you can check voltage levels at different points in the car.

Hope this helps.

 

[jphanna]

I have had the battery drain issue, like many others. Mine is one of the first builds too, I got it the first week the VE was released.

There have been many software fixes which my dealer has done. One of the things I have noticed was that the CD player went into a loop changing CD after CD. This was a known issue for the 6 stacker. Bear in mind that the CD player was doing this when the car was off and locked!

They ran the upgrade for the CD looping issue, and they upgraded the BCM (body control module). But even when these changes were made, I still ran flat. The reason? Once those sealed calcium batteries go flat, they never recover. I got NRMA to put one of their replacement batteries in - and I've been sweet ever since.

So the solutions?
1. Get all of the software fixes from the dealer for this issue. By now, they should know them all.
2. Get the BCM changed (if it hasn't already been changed).
3. Get a new battery.

A number of people have been talking about specific battery chargers for these sealed calcium batteries. The ones which seem to work the best aren't cheap.

Also, I have had the key replaced too. That's a common one, and the dealer will do that without asking if you are under warranty.

Another thing. When you lock your car, never assume everything is off. Keep a watch on it as I have seen silly things like the interior light never shutting off, the lights on the stereo head unit staying on etc. Take a peek once you lock your car - even with my dark glass I can still see the vitals. Some times, the only way to reset these things not turning off is to put the key in the ignition, turn it to full accessories (not start, but on), turn it off and try again.

One last thing - you can boot your car up in Diagnostic mode. To do this, you hold down the enter button ( I think, or its one of the steering wheel buttons). You hold it down, then put the car in full accessory mode with the key (ie one level before starting the car). The middle screen pops up with all cool stuff, and you can check voltage levels at different points in the car.

Hope this helps.

Hi,

that is great info!

i have to replace the battery with a the same type of calcium battery..BUT NOT A HOLDEN BRAND?

 

[RayLamp]

I would recommend you replace the battery with something other than the holden brand. I just dont trust dealers - they said they gave me a new battery on one of the first service trips, but I know they didn't. I wouldn't put it pass them to re-charge one of their batteries and put it in as a replacement battery. Doing this, while it is known that these batteries dont recover fully after running flat, is nothing but a stop gap fix. The customer leaves happy - for that day anyway.

The NRMA guy (one of the batteries vans) had diagnostic equipment with him. He took me through it and showed me all of the details and tests. I could clearly see from the screen of his equipment that at least 2 of the cells were beyond repair. The battery would charge, but it wouldnt hold any charge and would eventually drain.

I also dont think Holden would charge fair prices for their batteries (if youre not under warranty), therefore spend the bucks at a specialist battery shop. They'll know what you need, and they can probably fit a better battery anyway. Police spec batteries etc.

Just make sure youve had the software patches and BCM replaced first. Otherwise you might just kill the new battery in time.

 

[jphanna]

well its been at my holden dealer since 8.00am. i havnt heard a word from then but it would be funny if i rolled up and they tell me sign here its all fixed, and the car is in exactly the same spot as i left it.....

better still if it wont crank over and i have to ask for a jump start.

 

[jphanna]

i picked it up and all they said was wrong, was the Flux Capacitor. they changed it and it should be sweet now

 

[redvess]

i picked it up and all they said was wrong, was the Flux Capacitor. they changed it and it should be sweet now

does it do weird things after 141kph or 88mph

 

[Coast_Calais]

does it do weird things after 141kph or 88mph

LMAO!!!

I've not experienced any issues with low battery or power save mode. The VE sv6 lives in a car port, so the lights come on every time we unlock, lock, or pop the boot, 1 min in both directions. But so far this has not created any issues, but probably cause she's daily driven and collects a few k's daily....

I'm sure if it wasn't driven as much, there'd be insufficient charge, and i'd start hitting problems. Also, just a quick comment on a few of the posts regarding "lights dip when fans/air-con/power windows kick in" ect. Let's not forget the voltage drop in a system when something starts up, and load compensates, but also remember, this is amplified with a rear-mount battery. Can you say voltage drop? :thumbsup: