Periodic battery replacement

[c4sman]

I'm going to guess a dome unit fault. Mine did the same thing. Issue is some screwy circuitry related to the motion sensors. I'm not sure if a code reader would pick it up. It's the single-piece until top of the windscreen and central with the lights and alarm motion detect etc etc buttons.

Got it. I’m due in for a service in a couple of months so will ask the stealer about it. Doesn’t sound DIY diagnosis and bet it’s not covered by the warranty…. Is there a cheap fault code OBD for mazzers? I have a Carista which works for German stuff but doesn’t list Maserati as being covered.

 

[Felonious Crud]

Got it. I’m due in for a service in a couple of months so will ask the stealer about it. Doesn’t sound DIY diagnosis and bet it’s not covered by the warranty…. Is there a cheap fault code OBD for mazzers? I have a Carista which works for German stuff but doesn’t list Maserati as being covered.

I'd guess that the usual Amazon-standard OBD and app readers won't dredge up this level of detail, but I could be wrong. I'd drop into a dealer or indie for a quick plug-in and check. Replacing the dome unit is a piece of cake but the unit itself is / used to be around £600. Which is annoying.

 

[DLax69]

I'd guess that the usual Amazon-standard OBD and app readers won't dredge up this level of detail, but I could be wrong. I'd drop into a dealer or indie for a quick plug-in and check. Replacing the dome unit is a piece of cake but the unit itself is / used to be around £600. Which is annoying.

Does the interior sensor disable (ala 4200) when you press and hold the remote lock for a few seconds...?

 

[conaero]

As you can probably imagine, I spend a lot of time with this issue.

From what I have seen, modern batteries are getting cheaper and don't last as long so you have to assume that they are cheaper because the components inside are poor quality. I spoke to Zep about this at length as this is what he spends his days doing.

It was something along the lines of the lead used is not what it used to be....booze was involved (as per) so I am sure he will expand.

I would say the modern Lead batteries last between 2 and 5 years. My Strad one is at this limit but still comes back to life.

One battery I would advise to avoid is Yuasa, they have got good power but when they are completely discharged, they seem to struggle to come back to life.

Alarm and immobiliser batteries die after 5-10 years so this then causes them to savage off the main battery giving the impression of battery issues.

One final note, putting your car on a trickle charger 24/7 and not driving it often is a bad thing. The battery gets used to being on constant supply and sort of looses its memory.

In an ideal world connect your trickle to a timer plug and have it come on for an hour a day.

 

[zagatoes30]

I imagine the driver is more suspect than the car but I bet you don't want to take him with all the degradation...

If they come as a package I will be withdrawing my offer

 

[Felonious Crud]

Does the interior sensor disable (ala 4200) when you press and hold the remote lock for a few seconds...?

Not as far as I remember. To disable the interior sensor on the GTS you press and hold one of the dome buttons. There's another for disabling the motion sensor (handy for cross-channel ferries). Then hop out and lock up as normal.

 

[midlifecrisis]

As you can probably imagine, I spend a lot of time with this issue.

From what I have seen, modern batteries are getting cheaper and don't last as long so you have to assume that they are cheaper because the components inside are poor quality. I spoke to Zep about this at length as this is what he spends his days doing.

It was something along the lines of the lead used is not what it used to be....booze was involved (as per) so I am sure he will expand.

I would say the modern Lead batteries last between 2 and 5 years. My Strad one is at this limit but still comes back to life.

One battery I would advise to avoid is Yuasa, they have got good power but when they are completely discharged, they seem to struggle to come back to life.

Alarm and immobiliser batteries die after 5-10 years so this then causes them to savage off the main battery giving the impression of battery issues.

One final note, putting your car on a trickle charger 24/7 and not driving it often is a bad thing. The battery gets used to being on constant supply and sort of looses its memory.

In an ideal world connect your trickle to a timer plug and have it come on for an hour a day.

They'res no memory with lead acid batteries, not like NiCad. I think you're referring to sulphation. This is where the sulphur attaches itself to the lead plates and the Sulphuric acid becomes weaker as it gets to a state of deep discharge. I saw a half decent explanation of this on YouTube recently. I'll post it when I find it....

 

[midlifecrisis]

This video provides a good tutorial on how car batteries work and should help dispel any myths and misconceptions some people may have.
If you skip to 10:13, it explains the chemical reaction occuring during discharging and recharging. It also explains how batteries degrade over time.