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Last week I went on vacation to Mexico and parked my car outside my girlfriends house which is close to the airport. I was gone a total of 8 days and the car sat outside in the 30 degree temps. When I came back the car was dead and wouldn't start. Should I be concerned?
I just bought the battery brand new about 6 months ago. It is still under warranty but I wanted to check with you guys to see if this is normal and I shouldn't be concerned.
First thing I would do is to get the battery tested first. If battery test is OK, try to diagnose if something is draining the battery (multi meter if you want to DIY).
I'm not sure of the age of the vehicle or battery, but this could just be a simple case of the battery is becoming weak. As noted by sj08054, I would get the battery tested at Autozone or wherever. Chances are, your battery just needs to be replaced.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrician4you
Did you leave anything on or plugged in a power port?
Headlights or dome light can do it on an older car, most after about 2007 though have battery power protection that shuts everything off if the battery gets too low. I had a 1997 that sat several weeks in below freezing weather with a 10 year old battery and it started right up, so it's definitely not normal for a new battery.
I'm not sure of the age of the vehicle or battery, but this could just be a simple case of the battery is becoming weak. As noted by sj08054, I would get the battery tested at Autozone or wherever. Chances are, your battery just needs to be replaced.
A battery that is sitting in the car for 8 days at 30-degree temperature does lose some of its charge. Also, some components such as the clock, alarm, or engine immobilizer use battery power to stay active. If the battery was already weak, maybe it just discharged, although most times a battery that has been totally discharged can go bad.
Anyway, Agree with you about having the battery tested.
I have a vehicle that sits in down to 0 degree cold weather in a garage in MN for 6 winter months and it start's right up when I return.
I always buy a battery with 850 cold cranking amps 5 year pro-rated 3 year full replacement value.
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A battery that is sitting in the car for 8 days at 30-degree temperature does lose some of its charge. Also, some components such as the clock, alarm, or engine immobilizer use battery power to stay active. If the battery was already weak, maybe it just discharged, although most times a battery that has been totally discharged can go bad.
