dbldpr

Brought car in for its B service about 2 months ago. Put about 20 miles on car since then. Here is the problem: When I sat in car with engine off the radio would keep playing for 20 to 30 minutes then finally shut down. Now it plays only for 2 minutes and shuts down. Is it possible that they put used batteries in my remotes or is there something else that would cause it to do this now?. Any help would be appreciated. I will bring the car in Monday and ask them what they did. Car worked great until they serviced it.

thefisch

Not sure if the keyfob remote would affect it. What's the condition of your main battery? How old? Thinking that maybe the car is sensing lower battery voltage so it's shutting down the accessory.

dbldpr

Batteries are 4 years old. Car has 12,000 miles. Is kept in heated garage with cover on it. Car was fine until the dealer worked on it. In manual it states there is some type of program that can be activated and deactivated for courtesy lights etc.. It will drive me nuts until I bring it in and find out what they did. I cannot wait until car is off warranty and then I will do my own work. About 2 years ago the I had similar problem when they changed batteries in remotes. They put in new remote batteries and problem went away. I also noticed that my key does not get recognized when I go to the handle to open now. It always recognized it right away until the dealer worked on it.

thefisch

Well if the key is not getting recognized, then a new keyfob battery is in order. Then with a fresh battery, you can see if the courtesy time changes.

4yo battery is a good life in these cars though. I get that the timing is suspicious though. I had the opposite experience - went from 2-3 minutes of courtesy time with failing battery (good voltage but bad amps - load test found) to plenty of time with a new main battery.

dbldpr

Will let you know what happens after I bring car in Monday. Only have 2 years left on warranty Thanks for the information.

raja777m

Deleted

dbldpr

Went for a 40 mile drive on highway. Turned car off and sat inside radio kept playing for 10 minutes. I believe you are correct. The long drive charged the battery and the accessories kept playing. I now believe the battery may have run down for sitting for over a month with no activity. It never effected the battery before. I will change the battery Monday instead of going to the dealer. Do you have a recommendation for the main battery and auxiliary battery in the trunk?

thefisch

I don't have any experience with the trunk auxiliary battery. My 2011 has aux battery in the dash so it's different - I don't have eco stop start. I believe those trunk auxiliary replacements are OEM but only get replaced after the car gives you a warning. It should have no affect on courtesy time. You can probably roll with your current auxiliary battery for now.

For the main battery, I've been happy with the Bosch AGM I got from Pep Boys. Others have reported good results with the AGM equivalents from Auto Zone or Advance Auto too. Just look for coupons to save $. I think mine was $140ish with online coupon for store pickup and saved another $25 after rebate. MB wanted $350. My Bosch came with 4 year free replacement. I think MB only offers 2 year replacement. Down in Florida batteries only last about 3 years so longer coverage pays off.

So long as car is still starting you can put off replacement unless shortened courtesy time is a deal breaker for you. A trickle charger may help your 4yo battery between drives.

thefisch

FWIW, the Bosch only lasted 3 years in my car down here in the FL heat. That's about average from my experience so far. Too bad it didn't last longer. Goods news is that the 4 year warranty resulted in a free replacement.

dbldpr

I like that