[high_climber]

I have a 2017 SS 1LE that I have driven 4800mi in its first year. Twice now I’ve gone out to the garage and it’s been dead as a door nail to the point I couldn’t even jump start it. Chevrolet replaced the battery twice under warranty after towing the car in and testing it for a drain-can’t find one on their diagnostics. I originally put in LED reverse lamps with the .5ohm resistors around the plug as suggested to eliminate ghosting and have removed them on the suspicion they were the problem.
I have the car hooked up most of the time on a battery tender junior through the forward remote terminal access point under the hood when I’m not driving it during the week as an extra precaution. Car never goes more than two weeks without driving and I’ve noticed when I hook it up on the tender the light on the tender goes red (indicating the battery is under 80% charged) every time. My other cars flash green until it goes steady within a few hrs indicating they are starting with at least 80%. Any ideas would could be killing my batteries???

The dealership is basically saying they won’t replace another battery and are assuming it’s something I’m doing wrong...very irritating.
Thanks for the help, here are some pretty pics for reading

[Glen e]

nope, When I sold the camaro it was still a problem.....until you figure it out, put a quick knob disconnect on the neg cable. easily switched or look into a “priority start” module....off amazon.....at least you wont be killing your batt.....

[biker2k]

car is beautiful by the way

[Nsxmatt]

It's known the onstar unit will communicate and drain the battery. If you have a tender and don't drive it often and know the battery is draining, keep the tender hooked up.

[kropscamaro16]

mine died a few months ago and wouldnt start not even with a jump so had to tow to dealer and replaced it ...2016 camaro ss under 25k miles on it lol pretty shitty but at least it was free

[Airfuel]

I see many people here using the battery tender junior chargers.
I think it is a little too small for a big car battery and more suited for motorcycles and similar small batteries.

The Deltran website states the jr is suited for 55ah batteries (max) and charges at .75 amps.
The Camaro has a 70ah battery.

I use a ctek charger that has an 8 step charging program and is rated at 4.3 amps charging power and has a capacity of 110ah.
Maybe you just need a bigger charger and you must track down any parasitic drain from accessories etc.

[DangerZL1]

I find it ironic that a battery tender is a factory option for the car. Maybe GM knows something and isn't sharing.

[Airfuel]

Originally Posted by DangerZL1

I find it ironic that a battery tender is a factory option for the car. Maybe GM knows something and isn't sharing.

That is a re-branded ctek charger and is offered as an accessory for many cars. A friends Ferrari came with the same one only with the Ferrari label.

[Nsxmatt]

Originally Posted by Airfuel

I see many people here using the battery tender junior chargers.
I think it is a little too small for a big car battery and more suited for motorcycles and similar small batteries.

The Deltran website states the jr is suited for 55ah batteries (max) and charges at .75 amps.
The Camaro has a 70ah battery.

I use a ctek charger that has an 8 step charging program and is rated at 4.3 amps charging power and has a capacity of 110ah.
Maybe you just need a bigger charger and you must track down any parasitic drain from accessories etc.

Any charger no matter how small would be more than powerful enough to overcome any kind of small draw from any electronics. You do not want to do a full blown charge on a battery that is sitting, that too will kill it.

[ctrlz]

You have gone through two batteries, so I am suspicious of the charging system. Watch what your voltmeter is doing while driving. I would get a digital multimeter and check the resting voltage throughout the week. You might as well keep a log.
If your car is draining the battery, the resting voltage will drop from the 12.7 range to as low as 11 something before it won't start the car. That may take days to weeks. But, if you can start the car, it should recharge to full after an hour's drive or so. Maybe not to 100% depending how deep the discharge was and how long you drive, but it WILL recharge. If you measure say 12.5 volts, go for a drive, and when you return it's 12.4 volts, you have a charging system problem.

[DangerZL1]

You might find a search gives you some ideas into things to look at. There have been other's who've had failed batteries, but it may take some pressuring of the service department to get them to pursue it. It isn't easy to track this kind of problem down, but there does appear to be something out of the ordinary.

[Nsxmatt]

Originally Posted by DangerZL1

You might find a search gives you some ideas into things to look at. There have been other's who've had failed batteries, but it may take some pressuring of the service department to get them to pursue it. It isn't easy to track this kind of problem down, but there does appear to be something out of the ordinary.

There is nothing for service to look at. There are many threads here and was found that the onstar unit is sending out and receiving info several times a day. The proximity system for the keys must also always remain active to detect a key. New cars with wifi and keyless systems all brands drain. We have a designated person that charges cars every morning on the lot for that very problem.

[Rock-It Man]

Your car should be OK for at least two weeks without the battery tender, as long as your charging system is working and you have not damaged any control modules by making changes to anything electrical.

IMHO, making any electrical changes is asking for trouble. The last time I did that will be the last time I did that. Installing an aftermarket radio was enough to kill the DRL function in an Equinox I used to own. Bulbs were OK, just the automatic DRL function got killed.

You may have a problem with the system shutting down properly, and it may be due to the mods you made, even though you "undid" them.

If you have been connected to a battery tender, your charging voltage should drop to just over 12 volts within minutes as you drive the car. If not, your battery is once again shot.

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by high_climber

I have a 2017 SS 1LE that I have driven 4800mi in its first year. Twice now I’ve gone out to the garage and it’s been dead as a door nail to the point I couldn’t even jump start it. Chevrolet replaced the battery twice under warranty after towing the car in and testing it for a drain-can’t find one on their diagnostics. I originally put in LED reverse lamps with the .5ohm resistors around the plug as suggested to eliminate ghosting and have removed them on the suspicion they were the problem.
I have the car hooked up most of the time on a battery tender junior through the forward remote terminal access point under the hood when I’m not driving it during the week as an extra precaution. Car never goes more than two weeks without driving and I’ve noticed when I hook it up on the tender the light on the tender goes red (indicating the battery is under 80% charged) every time. My other cars flash green until it goes steady within a few hrs indicating they are starting with at least 80%. Any ideas would could be killing my batteries???

The dealership is basically saying they won’t replace another battery and are assuming it’s something I’m doing wrong...very irritating.
Thanks for the help, here are some pretty pics for reading

My 16 battery went dead twice in two weeks. I too had LED reverse and side marker lights that I removed before having it towed to the dealer the second time. The dealer said nothing was wrong and did nothing but the battery didn’t die again.

I wondered if the LEDs caused the problem. but I won’t modify anything on my new 18