Battery Draining

[Catalan3200]

Went to start the car for a sunny Sunday drive yesterday and the battery was flat again. This time just two weeks after replacing it.

Obviously something is draining the power.

Any ideas?


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[Contigo]

Could be the old favourite the tracker. If it has had one in the past then their batteries can fail thus putting a drain on the main car battery. Would need to look for it in the usual positions or call tracker to ask for info as to where fitted....

When I park mine in the garage it never gets locked and alarmed. The alarm alone puts alot of drain on the battery.

 

[Catalan3200]

Thanks - done a quick search and appears that it is not exactly uncommon! As mine is a 2004 it appears it may be under the parcel shelf so shall have a go later.


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[outrun]

Yup, another vote for the Navtrak being the issue. They were mainly all installed by the same guy as each car arrived in the UK and are usually under the parcel shelf or in the depths of the void where the battery is.

Bin it!

Oh, they're heavy too so you will benefit from a bit of Colin Chapman style weight saving!

 

[conaero]

My Navtrack is history now, had the interior out to install new speakers this weekend and I mean all out, and found the useless piece of junk and ripped it out.

Car now 2kg lighter!

 

[EnzoMC]

Could be the old favourite the tracker. If it has had one in the past then their batteries can fail thus putting a drain on the main car battery

good point, take it no way to test this...

how long does your battery last ?

Thanks - done a quick search and appears that it is not exactly uncommon! As mine is a 2004 it appears it may be under the parcel shelf so shall have a go later.

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after 2 weeks I would suspect it will have drained enough not to start the car, due to various compenants needed to start these

just before you pull your car apart see what power is being used with a multi-meter, I did a test on mine and with tracker / alarms turned on it wasn't take hardly any power but as Contigo said if the battery in the tracker has failed it could take it from the main battery.

not sure if the 3200 are similar alarms but you should see about 0.08 - 0.10amps which is ~0.98 - 1.2watts, the the alarm/tracker disabled it should be down to around 0.02amps ~0.12-0.24w

if your getting the same then your alarm / tracker should be OK and could be just down to time between starting / charging. with the alarm off, 2 weeks should be OK but peace of mine I leave mine on and charge every other week if not in use

 

[Contigo]

Enzo, mine doesn't have a tracker as far as I can see but my battery goes on for well over 3 weeks without any problems. Now it is in the garage I simply don't lock it or alarm it because I see no need.

 

[Catalan3200]

So speaking with Tracker - they say that their system does not scavenge power from the battery. He did say however that they can often fail with water damage. His vague (understandably) location instructions then put it smack in the way of where water was coming into the car. So now the question is - How do I get under the parcel shelf to unplug the wee thingy that's giving me grief?

I see Matt Conaero appears to have performed this little trick a couple of times. PM with instructions? Please


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[conaero]

PM sent.

 

[Catalan3200]

Thanks Matt!


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[rossyl]

You could get Navtrack to remove it for you FOC.

I phoned them and told them that a garage had informed me that the Navtrack was likely causing battery drain.

See this: http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/showthread.php/9427-Starting-problem?p=202921&viewfull=1#post202921

and this: http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/showthread.php/5119-NavTrak-Info?p=107184&viewfull=1#post107184

If you are sure that the Navtrak is causing your battery drain, phone up Navtrak and they will disconnect or remove (your choice) the Navtrak - FOR FREE The telephone number can be found on the post I've linked above.

Further they have a list of all trackers that they have installed by the Reg Number.

Hi All,

I have recently had a battery drain problem on my GS. If I leave the car undriven for more than 48 hrs, the main car battery goes completely flat (i.e. even the remote alarm won't work). I've called out the AA a couple of times and they have said that the battery is in good condition and there must be another source in the car draining it.

Using this forum, I hope I've been able to isolate the problem to the NavTrak tracking system. To summarise what I've learned so far: the NavTrak unit has its own battery which can die after 3 or 4 years (my GS is a 2007 model). Once this battery is finished, the tracker relies solely on the main car battery for its power supply, hence the draining problem many people report.

The purpose of this post is to detail some of the info I found out this morning whilst on the phone to NavTrak. Hopefully, it will speed up the process if anyone else has questions on this topic:

1. Warning: Initially, the NavTrak people told me that there is no separate battery in the tracking unit. After much insistence, I eventually spoke to someone who knew that there was.

2. NavTrak offered to send an engineer out free of charge. The engineer will do one of 3 things (you can decide on the day):
(i) Replace the tracking unit's battery. The cost of the new battery is not on their system (they don't offer this unless you ask specifically) but they suggested it will either be free or up to £50.
(ii) Install an entirely new unit. If your unit is out of warranty, like mine, this will cost £320.
(iii) Disconnect the unit entirely. No charge for this but you'll need to inform your insurance company if you go down this route...

3. There are two NavTrak subscription services offered:
(i) NavTrak ADR: Insurance companies call this a Category 6 tracker. It costs £270 for a 1 year subscription although you can extend it up to 3 years.. You are supplied with a fob which must be present when you start the car up. If the fob's present you hear 3 beeps from the dashboard. If not, 5 beeps. If you start the car without the fob, NavTrak call you up to see why. The service will use GPS to locate the car constantly even if the engine hasn't been started e.g. if it's being towed or if the car battery is flat/disconnected.
(ii) NavTrak Std: Insurance companies know this service by this name. It costs £153 for 1 year, again with the option to extend to 3 years. Unlike NavTrak ADR, it is your responsibility to inform NavTrak if your car is missing. NavTrak will then loccate the car using the GPS signal.

3. Lastly, the car must be parked off road for a NavTrak engineer to work on it (their insurance requirements). NCP car parks don't count but a garage or service sentre would be fine. You do not need to be present.

The UK number for NavTrak Customer Service is 01619 245403.

Hope somebody finds this helpful. I will update later in the week when I know the outcome. Obviously I'm hoping it's just a case of replacing the battery...!

Dan

 

[AG2728]

Was Navtrak a standard fit item on UK cars then?

 

[Catalan3200]

Mine is certainly Tracker & not Navtrack. Tracker had details of where the unit is fitted etc.


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[CatmanV2]

Was Navtrak a standard fit item on UK cars then?

On later 4200s, I believe so. I was told that the classicos were not fitted as standard.

C

 

[JonH]

Was Navtrak a standard fit item on UK cars then?

I was led to believe that was the case, but my 2007 has a battery drain issue and there is no NavTrak. Emblem have checked it over. I use a CTEK charger at the moment to ensure it's all tip top when needed. I'll investigate the drain when I have more time.

 

[AG2728]

Well my battery has never managed to last two weeks and it tests as a good one. Sounds like I should be looking to see if I have the offending item fitted, although mine is not a late model car (03). In fact as I have a day off tomorrow, I will investigate.

So I should start rummaging under the rear parcel shelf and in the battery compartment? Is this correct?

 

[outrun]

Yes, rummage away. After a certain year, the Navtrak was fitted as standard but only charged for if optioned before then becoming standard fit, no charge.

You can get to the parcel shelf by removing the rear seats which is pretty easy. Try there first.

My 3200 is still draining its battery even though the Navtrak has been binned so I guess there can be other reasons.

 

[alfatwo]

Yes, rummage away. After a certain year, the Navtrak was fitted as standard but only charged for if optioned before then becoming standard fit, no charge.

You can get to the parcel shelf by removing the rear seats which is pretty easy. Try there first.

My 3200 is still draining its battery even though the Navtrak has been binned so I guess there can be other reasons.

After all these years it's maybe the capacitor in your old Becker Mexico causing the battery drain,thats what happened to me with the 3200GT

Dave

 

[conaero]

I aiso remember a member having an auto electrician run a soak test and it ended up being the drivers seat electrics at fault. I have a local guy who is brilliant and very inexpensive.

 

[EnzoMC]

Well my battery has never managed to last two weeks and it tests as a good one. Sounds like I should be looking to see if I have the offending item fitted, although mine is not a late model car (03). In fact as I have a day off tomorrow, I will investigate.

So I should start rummaging under the rear parcel shelf and in the battery compartment? Is this correct?

maybe 1st thing is to check your battery on amps /watts being used by the car, if its below 0.1 with the alarm/tracker on then i wouldn't worry, it seems that if the alarm/tracker is off then the battery should last 2 weeks and more. if the alarm/tracker off you should see below 0.03. it maybe that you have a low amp-hour battery...