Factory ZL1 battery life span

[ZMEnow]

Originally Posted by lbls1

Gotcha. I sliced the rubber grommet inside of the well where the battery rests, and ran the end of the tender leads through it. Then the other end of the tender itself I will hook up and disconnect when I go to drive the car. This way I can keep the trunk closed. I was thinking of resting the tender inside of the trunk and leaving it open; That is another option.

Use to do it that way but since its in the garage on a lift with a cover, doesn't really matter that the trunk is not locked, and the weight of the trunk isn't heavy enough to press a groove in the rubber seal from the cord.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by ZMEnow

Use to do it that way but since its in the garage on a lift with a cover, doesn't really matter that the trunk is not locked, and the weight of the trunk isn't heavy enough to press a groove in the rubber seal from the cord.

I read your post that your original battery lasted since '12, so that says good things about your tender hook up. I knew my dead battery(ies) in both Camaros were pre-mature. Forgot to add, my old lady Camaro had a dead battery this year too, same type of hook up. I took a risk with this one and just jumped the battery and re-connected the tender directly to the battery terminals. I learned a lot this year.

[Caveman_SS]

My 2010 SS seems to crank a little slow when it's warm. It also sounds like the horn is having a hard time honking when I lock the car with the key fob. The lights always flash and do what they're supposed to do, but the horn sounds super weak sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't even make a sound at all and other times it sounds normal.

Is this pointing to my battery?

The battery in the car now was in it when I bought it and I had it tested at an Advance Auto. The cold cranking amps are 750 on the battery, but the guy said it read just over 1000 when I cranked it up for him. It sounded sluggish when I cranked it up too.

[lbls1]

^Try fully charging your battery, and then see if the car acts differently. If the car goes back to cranking slow or low life in its accessories, then it could be the battery. Recall that the battery has to have adequate charge time and ability to hold a charge. If its not holding a charge then consider replacing it.

[Caveman_SS]

Originally Posted by lbls1

^Try fully charging your battery, and then see if the car acts differently. If the car goes back to cranking slow or low life in its accessories, then it could be the battery. Recall that the battery has to have adequate charge time and ability to hold a charge. If its not holding a charge then consider replacing it.

Ok thanks. I’ll give that a try.

[Happy_Dan]

I just replaced my original battery in my 2012 with 40K miles on it. It went dead over this last winter even on the tender. I am happy it lasted that long.

[Sales@Phastek]

If you get 3 Years here in Texas you're doing good.

[ajg85]

Originally Posted by Sales@Phastek

If you get 3 Years here in Texas you're doing good.

Same. The OEM 5th gen battery somehow managed to survive 5 Arizona summers but after that it was toast every 2-3 years.

[Whisper1]

Originally Posted by ajg85

Same. The OEM 5th gen battery somehow managed to survive 5 Arizona summers but after that it was toast every 2-3 years.

Replaced the OEM with another OEM after 6 years as a precaution. The replacement died on me this week after 5 years. My own fault though. It is stored in a very hot mini warehouse for up to a month at a time with no battery tender. I rotate cars in and out of the mini warehouse at 2-4 week intervals. Lesson learned, I'm going to stop by and give them a 15 minute drive at least every two weeks to keep this from crippling another battery or vehicle. Went with a Die Hard Platinum AGM this go round. I think I have learned my lesson on letting things sit.