Remote Start Myth

Moonlite37 · Aug 12, 2016

I was having trouble with Battery drain on my 2013 Taurus, The shop foreman with the white shirt is stumped. Three of the guys who work out back and one salesman told me that the battery drain was caused by me leaving the keys on the console in the car. I wonder if this was a myth started by the service manager to get the workers to be more careful for security. Anybody know any body about this? The battery drain only happens when the car is parked in the garage at home.

Charlie M · Aug 12, 2016

Easy way to find out - take the keys in the house. I've never heard of that before but there is stuff programmed into the keys that communicates with the car so I guess it could happen. I know the small dome light will kill the battery.

Dick2 · Aug 12, 2016

Yes on the dome light. I left it on when I parked in the long term lot when we went to Hawaii for a week. That battery was really, really dead when we got back. Parking lot attendants are used to that; they have to jump start vehicles every day.

Moonlite37 · Aug 12, 2016

started taking in house yesterday, but I think the guys working on the wash rack may be smarter than we give them credit. also the man with the white shirt may not be the only smart man in the shop.

Robert Major · Aug 12, 2016

Hi just for fun I google searched your question. I had one hit right off the top that I read said yes this can happen as there are things in some key fobs that will talk to the car while they are close together. I'm guessing basically "the car is yelling at the key plug yourself in" if it's within a certain distance and the keys yelling back I can't my owners missing!.
Now of course this is the internet so the info's worth what you paid me for it. maybe research it more yourself and see. You don't say how long it takes to drain but if it's a short time something like A glove box light, must be on as it's quite a drain somewhere.

buickanddeere · Aug 12, 2016

Why do people guess instead of just connecting a multimeter to the electrical system and measure the current drain ?

pete 23 · Aug 12, 2016

After running it dead first time, that is when problems usually start coming up seemingly unrelated to dead battery but are indeed. Most people jump start or charge just enough to get going and rely on the charging system to restore it to proper charge. Big mistake. One of our electrical suppliers put a full page comment section in their catalog telling that their alternators WERE NOT BATTERY CHARGERS. Get the battery back to full charge with a reliable battery charger and if it happens again, Then, simply unhook the ground cable and insert a test light or millamp meter between cable and battery post and determine if there is excessive drain. If light is on, something is drawing. If no light, suspect battery.. Volt meter won't work as any normal tiny current draw will read on a voltmeter. You may lose some functions that have to be reset so pay attention to your owners manual.

gene bender · Aug 12, 2016

Multimeters dont measure current they measure volts.

oldtanker · Aug 12, 2016

It is very possible for someone who lives close to both work and shopping to not run the car enough to recharge the battery fully between starts. I've seen it happen. Fella with a new car, drove about 3 blocks to work and 5 to shop. Other than that he stayed home. After about 3 months he started having "battery" problems. Dealer was no help other than replacing the battery. He finally ask me about it at work one day. Knowing his habits I ask about his driving. I told him either go for a drive once a week or get a charger and charge it overnight once a week. Solved the problem.

Rick

Charlie M · Aug 12, 2016

The guys on the wash rack probably know a lot of stuff that didn't come up in the class the white shirt guy attended (or wasn't known at the time of the class).

JML755 · Aug 12, 2016

(quoted from post at 15:17:03 08/12/16) Multimeters dont measure current they measure volts.

multimeters do indeed have the ability to measure current. Used one today to do just that. Now the "sensitivity" of any particular brand/model and whether it can measure a very small current draw is debatable.

MarkB_MI · Aug 12, 2016

Why would you leave the keys on the console? Might as well leave them in the ignition if you're not going to put them in your pocket.

Leaving a regular key fob in the car isn't going to affect anything because it doesn't transmit until you push a button. Now a keyless fob is a different thing, because the car has to sense if it's inside or outside the car. That said, the battery drain from the keyless system should still be infinitesimal compared to other accessories.

Modern cars draw a lot of current when they're parked due to all the "keep alive" circuitry. If the battery is going dead after a couple of days, you have a problem. If it goes dead after a couple weeks, maybe it's just a weak battery. If it's going dead after a couple of months, well that's "normal".

JML755 · Aug 12, 2016

I can see someone leaving them on the console if you're not worried about someone stealing it, i.e. car is parked in an attached garage or you live out in the boonies where no one steals ANYTHING :lol:

As for "leaving them in the ignition", that doesn't happen with "keyless start". I drive a 2014 Nissan and the ignition slot is only for the emergency key. I throw them on the console when I get in the car. If I get to work and don't take them with me, the car "beeps" at me when I get out after I lock it from the inside and the windows are up. (That car is WAY too smart for me.) I believe if I left them there and walked away, it would just sit there unlocked.

Geo-TH,In · Aug 12, 2016

Just wondering, if the key has anything to do with it, simply take keys out of car.

Or if keys does drain the battery would that leave the accessories on?

TomH in PA · Aug 12, 2016

I had a battery drain problem once that turned out to be one of the little vanity lights on the sun visor. It turned on when you flipped the mirror cover open, but if you didn't get it all the way closed the light stayed on. I didn't notice it because the visor was up and the cover was mostly closed. Fixed it by taping the cover closed once and for all.

Steve@Advance · Aug 12, 2016

Very well could be a communication between the key fob and the car.

It would be a signal that prevents the doors from being locked from the outside if the keys were inside the car. Even though you didn't try to lock the door, the signal was still there preventing it from happening.

Still, it would be a very minuscule drain that would take days, weeks to drain a healthy battery.

Steve@Advance · Aug 12, 2016

B&D, I recently learned a valuable lesson on the multi meter use.

Trying to find a suspected battery drain on a late model Harley dresser with a LOT of aftermarket electronics!

Connect the battery cable, get a spark with everything off... Battery drain!

Connect a test light in series, glows full bright... Battery drain!

Try reconnecting battery cable and holding the test light in circuit when disconnecting the cable (test light used for completing a latch circuit), still showing... Battery drain!

Finally, I wanted to measure the drain so I could contact the supplier of the suspected accessories. Connected the multimeter in series with the disconnected battery cable and the battery post, set on a 2 amp setting. The meter pegged! Battery drain!

But as I was standing there looking at it, the drain slowly came down, all the way to zero! No battery drain!!!

"Something" had to charge up, and it took more amperage than the test light could supply. Fought that thing all day, turned out to be the battery.

Hobo,NC · Aug 12, 2016

Do you get to ware a white shirt. Yes it can drain the battery :shock: Until you figger out how it works pay the man in the white shirt.

Hank ABAB · Aug 12, 2016

Maybe keep the keys in your pocket.
I would never purposely leave my keys in a vehicle, even in a garage.

The trouble/hassle you must go through if accidently locking yourself out of a vehicle, is not worth taking that chance.
And no, I'm not sure of what could be causing the battery drain.

Dave F. · Aug 12, 2016

Had a bad key / lock in the steering column that wouldn't allow the rod to the ignition switch to turn everything off, it would kill the battery in no time. Dave F.

jimg.allentown · Aug 12, 2016

Just so you know.....
The guy in the white shirt is NOT the smartest guy in the shop. He is a MANAGER. It is NOT HIS JOB to either fix them or figure them out. That falls to the guys in the BLUE shirts. They are the guys that have forgotten more than the guy in the white shirt ever knew.

Also, so you know....
Electronics are POISON to most of the guys in the shop. They simply don't understand it. Their thing is to plug in a scanner or other test equipment and have the tester tell them what part to change. Simple, eh?? Then, when the tester can't tell them, they are lost.

Another thing....
Dealers in their constant efforts to "improve their bottom line" are likely giving your job to less experienced techs in an effort to collect high dollar labor from low paid help. Seen it too much in my dealership days. Then, when the trainee can't figure it out, a class A guy is supposed to help him out - for FREE.

One thing to know about the average car dealer:
They will screw over mechanics, customers, or the factory with equal zest. Anything to put more dollars into the cash register.

This is the voice of experience talking.

sammydwm · Aug 13, 2016

(quoted from post at 20:17:03 08/12/16) Multimeters dont measure current they measure volts.

BS
I have several multimeters that will read current.
According to the Fluke website my multimeter has
"True RMS voltage and current measurements"

Roger in Wisconsin · Aug 13, 2016

Most good ones will measure AC and DC amps. There will be an additional probe hole for the negative lead that you use. Typically 10 amps or less.

Hobo,NC · Aug 13, 2016

He may not be the man that fixes it but he is right about the remote can cause a drain on the battery.

In the case of proximity keys, make sure the key is out of range of the vehicle or some modules may not enter sleep mode. Some vehicles will remain in an Off-Awake mode when a proximity key is in range, causing a parasitic drain on the battery. A remote from another car close by can also.

http://www.searchautoparts.com/automechanika-chicago/commitment-training/parasitic-battery-drains

buickanddeere · Aug 13, 2016

(quoted from post at 15:17:03 08/12/16) Multimeters dont measure current they measure volts.

Tell that to my multi meter that measures up to 10amps DC.

buickanddeere · Aug 13, 2016

Normal. The capacitor in filtered power supplies needs to charge .

Remote Start Myth

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads