VE Commodore/WM Caprice - Battery Goes Flat Without Obvious Reason

[EvokeWM]

Hi,
I've had my new WM Caprice for a couple of months now and the battery has twice gone flat overnight. My neighbour has a new VX Calais V and it went flat twice in one week. It is now in the Holden dealer's workshop with them trying to find the cause.

The NRMA servicemen (aka Holden Roadside Assist) who came to start my Caprice and my neighbour's Calais said it was not an uncommon problem and Holden was refusing to tell the NRMA what the cause was (maybe they don't know either!).

Has anyone else with a new VE Commodore or WM Caprice/Statesman had this problem?

Has anyone found the cause?

[nqcv8]

The Problem is that the VE doesnt have a Voltage Reg, and its all software controlled.

They are having a few problems sorting this bug out, how it was explained to me was that it was not always telling the system to charge the battery after some starts.

Cheers

Sean

[DIEFASTER*WH]

Hopefully its just a software error. Could be anything from faulty wiring to an earth leak. Way too much electrical equipment on cars these days. You break down now & stand there looking at the engine etc saying. Where do I start haha. The upside to your prolem is you've got a factory warranty :thumbsup:

[mac06]

There are posts on this subject already. Once the battery has lost charge you can't charge it in the normal way and it will keep going flat. Even the vehicle won't fully charge the battery. A special battery charger has to be used, that most dealers would by now have ordered.

There is 1.1 amps drawn from the battery while the vehicle is sitting in your garage. The BCM's, etc all draw power all the time. The new type of battery charger puts 120amps for the first few hours and then lowers the charge to around 50-60amps. It's all done in four stages. It takes 27 hours to fully charge the battery. This only becomes an issue if your battery has gone dead and you need to charge it up. Using the conventional chargers won't charge the battery fully (they only charge at around 16amps depending on your charger), meaning it will just die on you again. Once fully charged the problem should be solved.

[goofafidamedes]

This all sounds like just one big run-around... what are the specs on the battery or the battery type?

[jkgmh]

You break down now & stand there looking at the engine etc saying. Where do I start haha. :
Especially on the VE, as there is no battery in the engine bay now... :werd:
But Holden still managed to fill it with mobs of plastic....

[boeing737]

I'm working on a theory: I've had my Auto6 Calais V for 5 months and had the battery flat twice. Both in the same situation: In the garage at home after having driven into the shed later in the day before, and mucked about with the car lighting. I leave the light switch on "Auto" most of the time and they come on as I enter the garage. If I leave them they go off after locking the car. If I turn them off before getting out of the car, I've noticed the centre console lights stay on when I exit the vehicle and lock the door? I've had to unlock and re-lock to make them go out. I'm still working on the theory but don't want to leave it overnight.

["V"]

Well I have the battery in our car replaced under warranty as the TECH II computer thing they used said the battery was not holding charge properly. From time to time when starting the car the check engine animation appears for a spilt second. Last weekend they uploaded some new software to stop this happening. However it did it the other day again and I dont know why its keeps doing it. Holden saids its some software thing and that the battery in the car needs a charge from taking the car for a long drive. However I took the car for long drive on the freeway for about an hour both directions and it was later that night when I went out again I saw it flash on the centre screen again.
Anyone else seen this? Or know what fixes this if they have been to Holden about it?

[SS Enforcer]

Holden have got some sort of fix they told me the other day. Basically it will involve the Bcm allowing the battery to be slowly charged all the time. As far as batteries going flat they evidently can fix this with a software fix telling it not to draw power when it's switched off. I left My keys in my iginition for 36 hrs recently and expected it not to start but it fired up straight away.

cheers

[carneb]

There are posts on this subject already. Once the battery has lost charge you can't charge it in the normal way and it will keep going flat. Even the vehicle won't fully charge the battery. A special battery charger has to be used, that most dealers would by now have ordered.

There is 1.1 amps drawn from the battery while the vehicle is sitting in your garage. The BCM's, etc all draw power all the time. The new type of battery charger puts 120amps for the first few hours and then lowers the charge to around 50-60amps. It's all done in four stages. It takes 27 hours to fully charge the battery. This only becomes an issue if your battery has gone dead and you need to charge it up. Using the conventional chargers won't charge the battery fully (they only charge at around 16amps depending on your charger), meaning it will just die on you again. Once fully charged the problem should be solved.

I've had my battery go flat twice, once when I was using something plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet without the engine running (my fault) and once when I hadn't driven the car for a week then started fiddling with the sub amp volume (radio running without engine running). On both occasions I just disconnected the battery and hooked it up to a normal car battery charger over night with the battery still in the boot. In the morning the battery was fully charged.

[SS Enforcer]

Is it possible to just put a normal battery in these VE's ? instead of the current type.

cheers

[mac06]

On both occasions I just disconnected the battery and hooked it up to a normal car battery charger over night with the battery still in the boot. In the morning the battery was fully charged.

Problem is that it will only be 60% charged, not fully. The new Silver Calcium Alloy batteries now used need the special charger to fully charge. Apparently these are more environmentally friendly than the old lead acid type. (Can't help wondering whether it will be like the time that asbestos was deleted from brake pads. The new ones weren't as effective)

The alternator used to turn on and off previously, but the new "fix" is to have it running all the time to make sure the batteries are fully charged. This should sort the issue out for those that have had flat batteries.

[EddieVE06]

I'm no expert on this so excuse my ignorance.
I've had a sv6 since early december and have had no problems with the battery so i hope i haven't cursed myself.

Has anyone checked the volt reading when they press the left scroll button and start the car, mine tends to always be around 14.2 to 14.4.

On the odd occassion it has been 12 but when i start the car it goes to 14. does this have anything to do with it and is that reading actually accurate?

[mac06]

I'm no expert on this so excuse my ignorance.
I've had a sv6 since early december and have had no problems with the battery so i hope i haven't cursed myself.

Has anyone checked the volt reading when they press the left scroll button and start the car, mine tends to always be around 14.2 to 14.4.

On the odd occassion it has been 12 but when i start the car it goes to 14. does this have anything to do with it and is that reading actually accurate?

Just checked mine. 11.8V before starting and 14.3V after. Dunno what that means but I haven't had problems with my battery. I drive my car every day. Maybe those with problems only use their cars on weekends, or use accessories with the vehicle not running.

["V"]

Just recieved a call from the service manager from where we got our Calais V. He said that the new batteries have caused some issues and for those people that dont drive much (Im one of them). They can drain alittle when not used. Hence sometimes the check Engine light appearing if you wait for the system check to be completed and then starting the car. Its because some of the systems in the car detect a low voltage, but once the car is on its goes away as its getting enough from the alternator or something.

Just wondering... Does anyone else that has had battery issues tried to start the car after the system check is complete and see any warning animations in the centre screen in the intrument cluster? Can maybe someone try this and let me know... I normally start the car straight after putting in the key. However sometimes I have put the key in and turned to on but put my seat belt on and then start and by that time the system check is complete and when I start: I get a ding sound and check engine lightning bolt appears and goes away after a spilt second... Does it sometimes but not always.....

Interested to see what others have to say...

[SS Enforcer]

What will happen to my car when I leave it for 5 weeks to go on holidays ?

Hmm how much does a battery charger cost .


cheers

[VooDoo]

Especially on the VE, as there is no battery in the engine bay now... :werd:
But Holden still managed to fill it with mobs of plastic....

They have moved the battery's back to the engine bays now. We get quite a few VE's with flat batteries at work, way more than the VZ range.

[mac06]

What will happen to my car when I leave it for 5 weeks to go on holidays ?

Hmm how much does a battery charger cost .


cheers

The battery will go flat.

In case anyone is interested in buying a battery charger for their VE it is called a "smart battery charger" from AC Delco. Part number is SBC1205-ACDELCO. These can be purchased through Redarc Electronics in Lonsdale, SA. Costs around $185.

[mustanger]

Funny thing happened to me this morning,had the GTS booked in for its 3000klm first inspection service. Go to start it and nothing,just a ticking sound. It never showed any signs of going flat previously. Rang the dealer and he said to just jump start it ,so I did. I pop the bonnet,no battery because its in the boot,but I knew that.I then get the BMW out and pop the bonnet,same thing battery is in the back . Anyhow ,I find all the correct points for jump starting and my seven year old says to me " What are you doing"and I reply "I am jump starting the GTS beacause it has a flat battery". His reply was "It does not even have a battery". I thought to myself your are right there son.

Anyhow there is a fix to this problem as mentioned earlier, but you must have your battery recharged with a special charger and your computer reset.The thing that got me was there was absolutely no sign of the battery going flat.If I was out in the outback somewhere I would have been stranded.So just a warning to everyone that it may happen to you as well and I would recommend to have your new VE,WMs checked out...........Cheers John

[SV346]

The batteries in the new commodores are absolutely terrible, a cost cut item i reckon, when i worked at holden in tuggeranong canberra the commodores batteries were almost always flat and were mostly the cause for all the random error pop ups on the LCD display! (Because they would refuse to ever fully charge) Id be recommending change it to a high quality battery and itl fix the problem ten fold :)

[acstech]

Hi,
I've had my new WM Caprice for a couple of months now and the battery has twice gone flat overnight. My neighbour has a new VX Calais V and it went flat twice in one week. It is now in the Holden dealer's workshop with them trying to find the cause.

The NRMA servicemen (aka Holden Roadside Assist) who came to start my Caprice and my neighbour's Calais said it was not an uncommon problem and Holden was refusing to tell the NRMA what the cause was (maybe they don't know either!).

Has anyone else with a new VE Commodore or WM Caprice/Statesman had this problem?

Has anyone found the cause?

The VE draws a lot of power from the battery. chance are your battery is faultym the reason why i say this that my cv8z killed its battery in 3 months. the other reason is the battery meets the bare minimum specs to drive the vehicle . so amps steroes etc can pull the battery down. get your battery checked and if its faulty get a bigger one hope this help

[kingwalker]

The batteries in the new commodores are absolutely terrible, a cost cut item i reckon, when i worked at holden in tuggeranong canberra the commodores batteries were almost always flat and were mostly the cause for all the random error pop ups on the LCD display! (Because they would refuse to ever fully charge) Id be recommending change it to a high quality battery and itl fix the problem ten fold :)

true statement about cost cut battery, gmh screw the cost down,but at the factory where they are made here in sa down the same line comes holden ,ford, mithsubishi, toyata, where they are made is only five kays down the road from gmh, holden tried first to blame the battery but they now admit theres a problem with car,you can use a normal battery charger but it wont fully charge the battery as i asked the guy in the lab this question, he stated when they are made here no diffrent chargers are used

["V"]

Tonight I conducted a test to see if turning the headlights and stereo off and seeing if the check engine light comes on after self test before starting the car. When the car was started.. there was no Check Engine. So i tried turning the headlights on then waiting for self test to complete again and then started the car... Still no check engine. Then I tried again this time with just the stereo on and no headlights and still no check engine... But if both the stereo and headlights on auto and starting the car... bang the check engine animations appears for a brief second... So I can say that the check engine animation is appearing as there must be low voltage detected when starting... Must be the crappy batterys that are in the VE's. They cant handle headlights and stereo on at the same time when starting... Anyone else noticed this too?

[Tommo1982]

Same deal for me....

I just got a new HSV Senator about 3 weeks ago.

This week over a number of days, the car has been struggling to start in the mornings (but still just started). Then yesterday morning it was completely flat. I couldn't even open the boot to get to the battery! Had to crawl through the front door into the back. Called Holden assist and RACV came and jump started me.

It started OK at the end of the day

Now the next morning (today) it's dead again. I've got my battery charger on it but from reading this thread the regular sort of charger won't help.

Has anyone had any success in getting their Dealer to fix this problem? I've had other problems with this car (transmission and ABS problems) and the dealer has fobbed me off.

I'm booked in Monday but don't really want to get the usual bullshit story from them "if something is wrong, you will see a warning light".

Anything specific I should ask the dealer to do to fix it?

Has anyone had Holden/HSV involved in this fault with their car? It is absolutely apalling.

Tom

[Ausmartin1]

They cant handle headlights and stereo on at the same time when starting... Anyone else noticed this too?

Then it's still crappy software to blame for the warning or main Headlights should be programmed to go off automatically when engine not running plus when cranking all non essential power draw should be temporly cut to give starter/fuel pump full juice.

It's 2007 and GMH can't wtite a program to charge an auxilliary battery properly?
The final solution of charging always could be interesting at high NT temperatures.
I can't believe this is happening!
It's like a twilight zone.

[KingClifton]

I've had my battery go flat twice, once when I was using something plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet without the engine running (my fault)with the battery still in the boot. In the morning the battery was fully charged.

Same thing happened to me recently. Went to start it one Saturday morning - I thought it was strange that none of the lights or gauges came on as I was turning the key, and when I hit Start it very sluggishly turned over, so i switched it off and tried it again - thankfully it started.

Turns out I'd left my mobile phone charger plugged into the 12V outlet - even though there was no phone plugged it, it must have been pulling a bit of power (overnight),

[Alex(AUS)]

I have had my car since March and I dont drive it very much at all (2000kms so far). I sometimes leave the car without driving it for more than a week ... I have never had this happen ... it always starts with full steam ...

On that note, I havent driven it for over a week now ... I hope it starts tonight :D

Alex

[mustanger]

Well I have had this problem twice now. The cause was the radio coming on by itself overnight and draining the battery. Apparantly it was a faulty module and the whole stereo had to be replaced. Originally they thought it was the battery and they replaced it with a heavy duty one,but it happened again. My guess is that your radio will have to be replaced. HSV are aware of the problem and apparantly the cars with the dvds in them, are more proned to have this problem. If you drive your car everyday ,you might get away with it,because your battery will recharge. I very rarely drive mine and when I go to start it, I have to prey.So far so good for now. Cheers John

[Ausmartin1]

The battery will go flat.

In case anyone is interested in buying a battery charger for their VE it is called a "smart battery charger" from AC Delco. Part number is SBC1205-ACDELCO. These can be purchased through Redarc Electronics in Lonsdale, SA. Costs around $185.

Why not just disconnect the battery ?
I do this on any car or friends cars when they are away for 3 weeks or more and never had problem.

ECU may have to recalibrate again trans shift points etc but no biggy.

*Found it Real funny to see a battery in place and * connected * on the buried time capsule Plym.... in Tulsa 50 year old car - these people had no Idea how to store a car long term.

[BLACK expreSS-V]

Has anyone had any luck with a replacement after market battery for a VE?

If so, which model? cost? How much more grunt did the new battery have?

[GMH-TWR]

Also, don't leave the key in the ignition, even if its in the off position it will still draw load from the battery

[lethal66]

Just had my first flat batt on the clubby and also what ever its done the centre binnicle guages dont work properly now either.

Took it to holden there ordering new guages for it now along with a new dvd player and also waiting on my sat nav

[jkgmh]

Has anyone checked the volt reading when they press the left scroll button and start the car, mine tends to always be around 14.2 to 14.4.

On the odd occassion it has been 12 but when i start the car it goes to 14. does this have anything to do with it and is that reading actually accurate?
I've just installed some Auto Gauges in my SSV and the volts gauge reads 14.3 - 14.4v when running...


http://images.cainer.net//uploads/IMG_7563a.jpg

[Danv8]

I am really having doubts on placing a VE SS-V on order now I think I will wait for the next series/model.

Oh jkgmh the gauges looks great too. :-)

[SS Enforcer]

Holden have a fix for this problem it's to do with the BCM controlling the charge rate, they just change the charge rate I believe. I have had 1 battery replaced holden said it was faulty .... not flat and no battery problems at all since.

They won't say it isn't a known problem as they have lots of new car battery's going flat in the dealerships.

cheers

[Alex(AUS)]

I have had my car since March and I dont drive it very much at all (2000kms so far). I sometimes leave the car without driving it for more than a week ... I have never had this happen ... it always starts with full steam ...

On that note, I havent driven it for over a week now ... I hope it starts tonight :D

Alex

Yep .. started it last night ... noooo problems ... kicked over full speed. You guys must be doing something different to me because the car was sitting there for more than a week ...

I have the DVD and use it, use the stereo, dont switch the lights off (just leave it on auto) ... what else makes a difference?

Alex

[Tommo1982]

Mine seems related to the headlights.

If I have the lights set to auto, they come on for a minute or so when i begin driving. During this time the gauge reads 14.2V

As soon as they switch off (e.g. in daylight) it drops to 12V

If I drive at night (and therefore the lights stay on) it stays at 14.2V

[kingwalker]

Has anyone had any luck with a replacement after market battery for a VE?

If so, which model? cost? How much more grunt did the new battery have?

you can put the most expensive in it , but you will still have the same problem, i work in the factory that makes them, nothing wrong with the battery ,is a car design problem,drive by gmh plant here in adelaide and you will seea few thousand cars parked a waiting shipment ,my guess they disconnect the battery durring storage

[Alex(AUS)]

There must be more to this ... I dont understand how this can happen to some but not others ... if this is a real problem that ranges across the board then why doesnt it happen to me? I drive the car very little and it has never happened ... it doesnt even feel like it is remotely flatish ... it starts as per normal even after a week sitting in the garage ... either I have a different program to the others or I am doing something different ...

Alex

[mustanger]

It wont happen overnight ,but it will happen.:bawl:

[Tommo1982]

OK, well a very frustrating day.

My car has been at South City Holden ALL day and they have no answers for me. Apparently they have managed to work out something is draining the battery when the car is off.

I knew that Friday.

Anyway, they have left some test equipment on the car over night. They tell me in 70% of cases it's a faulty rear entertainment system (DVD player) and they take ANOTHER 3 days to fix!

So far I'm more than a little pissed off. I've got a loan car from them - an Astra which leaves me smelling like an ashtray when I get out, and no idea how long they are going to have the car I originally bought from them.

[Alex(AUS)]

OK, well a very frustrating day.

My car has been at South City Holden ALL day and they have no answers for me. Apparently they have managed to work out something is draining the battery when the car is off.

I knew that Friday.

Anyway, they have left some test equipment on the car over night. They tell me in 70% of cases it's a faulty rear entertainment system (DVD player) and they take ANOTHER 3 days to fix!

So far I'm more than a little pissed off. I've got a loan car from them - an Astra which leaves me smelling like an ashtray when I get out, and no idea how long they are going to have the car I originally bought from them.


Gee ... sorry to hear that Tommo ... that sounds like a bit of a nightmare ... you would really think that they would have it figured out by now. It surprises me as to how this happens to some but not others (you have virtually the same car as me except colour) ... still they should have had plenty in to know how to fix it ... maybe they waste the battery as you drive them more ... how many kays have you done? when did this start to happen?

Alex

[vecommo]

I am really having doubts on placing a VE SS-V on order now I think I will wait for the next series/model.

Thats the same thing I'm thinking. As I'm in no hurry to purchase, I will definitely wait for the VF, which will hopefully have these issues well and truly sorted out and the battery back under the bonnet (I prefer it there). Considering I'm planning a significant audio/visual upgrade, the last thing I need is a substandard battery/electrical system.

[lollymanv8]

My ve ss goes into a deep snooze as well if I don’t give it some exercise for a day or also! Had to get a Holden Roadside guy to zap it out of slumberland the other week.

The fix for my flat battery problem is quite simple… just drive and enjoy it every day! Will get it sort out at 3k service.

[Alex(AUS)]

Thats the same thing I'm thinking. As I'm in no hurry to purchase, I will definitely wait for the VF, which will hopefully have these issues well and truly sorted out and the battery back under the bonnet (I prefer it there). Considering I'm planning a significant audio/visual upgrade, the last thing I need is a substandard battery/electrical system.

With an audio visual system you are much better off with the battery in the boot ... all your wiring will be straight from your battery to your amps then the other side of your car for your RCAs and speakers ...

Alex

[vecommo]

With an audio visual system you are much better off with the battery in the boot ... all your wiring will be straight from your battery to your amps then the other side of your car for your RCAs and speakers ...

Alex

Yeah that is a good point and something I have taken into consideration, however I still can't help thinking that it would be better off in its traditional place under the bonnet. Being closer to the alternator means less voltage drop and I'm not really convinced that the battery has adequate ventilation in the boot (remember, batteries emit explosive gases).
If it is true that Holden will be putting the battery back under the bonnet on the next model, they must have realised that there are inadequacies in the current setup.
I love the VE, but things like this are quite dissapointing. If Holden could produce a faultless electrical system in my 93 VP, is it such a big ask in 2007?

[Aus8]

Yeah that is a good point and something I have taken into consideration, however I still can't help thinking that it would be better off in its traditional place under the bonnet. Being closer to the alternator means less voltage drop and I'm not really convinced that the battery has adequate ventilation in the boot (remember, batteries emit explosive gases).
If it is true that Holden will be putting the battery back under the bonnet on the next model, they must have realised that there are inadequacies in the current setup.
I love the VE, but things like this are quite dissapointing. If Holden could produce a faultless electrical system in my 93 VP, is it such a big ask in 2007?
With all due respect the electrical system in your VP compared to the VE is like chalk and cheese.

[Alex(AUS)]

Yeah that is a good point and something I have taken into consideration, however I still can't help thinking that it would be better off in its traditional place under the bonnet. Being closer to the alternator means less voltage drop and I'm not really convinced that the battery has adequate ventilation in the boot (remember, batteries emit explosive gases).
If it is true that Holden will be putting the battery back under the bonnet on the next model, they must have realised that there are inadequacies in the current setup.
I love the VE, but things like this are quite dissapointing. If Holden could produce a faultless electrical system in my 93 VP, is it such a big ask in 2007?

There would be less volatage drop to the battery but more drop to your system if you move the battery to the engine bay (with a "good" system this isnt something desirable). Try a Optima Yellow Top dry cell ... you are going to need to change it anyway.

The electrical system on the VE is much more complicated than a VP ...

Alex

[vecommo]

With all due respect the electrical system in your VP compared to the VE is like chalk and cheese.

No s**t, trust you to come up with a smart alec comment like that. What I mean is that the VP electrical system has never given me any trouble despite running amps and plenty of accessories, so I would expect that the VE 14 yrs later would be better, not worse.


There would be less volatage drop to the battery but more drop to your system if you move the battery to the engine bay (with a "good" system this isnt something desirable)

Nothing a good capacitor won't fix.:)

[mac06]

There is a fix to the problem. See post #35. Once the alternator charges all the time instead of intermitently the issue will be resloved. You shouldn't have any more flat batteries unless your car sits for extended peroids.

[Alex(AUS)]

Nothing a good capacitor won't fix.:)

The capacitor will fix current fluctuation but will not fix a voltage drop ...

Alex

[vecommo]

The capacitor will fix current fluctuation but will not fix a voltage drop ...

Alex


True, you've got me there:doh:. Having said that, I've never had a problem vith voltage drop before, I'm not into doof doof or spl comps.... my system is set up for sound quality rather than outright power/extreme volumes.

[Alex(AUS)]

True, you've got me there:doh:. Having said that, I've never had a problem vith voltage drop before, I'm not into doof doof or spl comps.... my system is set up for sound quality rather than outright power/extreme volumes.

Yep mine too ...

At the end of the day ... you will be fine either way as long as you dont go crazy ...

Alex

[lethal66]

There is a fix to the problem. See post #35. Once the alternator charges all the time instead of intermitently the issue will be resloved. You shouldn't have any more flat batteries unless your car sits for extended peroids.

wrong mine still went flat even with the voltage shifted up to 15volts when engine running

[xploit]

I had the same problem.. a couple of times.

I got holdens usual response " Derr we charged you battery :confused: "

[julesgr]

Just checked mine. 11.8V before starting and 14.3V after. Dunno what that means but I haven't had problems with my battery. I drive my car every day. Maybe those with problems only use their cars on weekends, or use accessories with the vehicle not running.
The lower voltage is known as the static voltage and is the system voltage without any power generation from the alternator and is generally equivilent to the standalone battery voltage minus the load of all the volatile memory and keep alive systems on the car.

The higher voltage is the total system voltage with the engine running and should be around 14.3 volts.

["V"]

Hi All,
just got back from a long road trip from Sydney to Gladstone in Central Queensland. Did over 2000kms while away and most of this was long periods of highway driving which the my holden dealer said sort out any low voltage issues and stop random warnings appearing when the car is started. Well its still there! There most be issues with the batterys or software... On monday Im going to demand that something be sorted out... Send the car back to Holden and get there engineering team to figure it out for all of us.... :vpo:

[Tommo1982]

Well I think the battery problem with my car has finally been fixed. After 2 days of the dealer rooting around with multimeters trying to find a current draw from the rear entertainment system, they changed the battery to a new one and it's been fine ever since.

The car had been sitting in a dealer's showroom a few months before I bought it (told them this though - thought it might have been a battery problem), and apparently these new Calcium batteries don't take well to sitting around.

So new battery, all fixed (fingers crossed)

Back to enjoying it.....

[370HSSV]

I had this problem myself and it turned out to be the glove box light switch. It had broken and was constantly drawing power from the battery in some way. Had the switch replaced about 3 months ago and a new battery installed and i havnt had an issue since. :)

[mustanger]

Well I think the battery problem with my car has finally been fixed. After 2 days of the dealer rooting around with multimeters trying to find a current draw from the rear entertainment system, they changed the battery to a new one and it's been fine ever since.

The car had been sitting in a dealer's showroom a few months before I bought it (told them this though - thought it might have been a battery problem), and apparently these new Calcium batteries don't take well to sitting around.

So new battery, all fixed (fingers crossed)

Back to enjoying it.....

Keep us updated on how it goes. I had a new superdooper battery put in and two weeks later,it went flat again....Cheers John

[planetdavo]

Hmmm. bit of spirit shown in this thread....
As SS Enforcer said earlier in this thread, the problem is in the body control module calibration, which is cured by a recalibration of that module!
That is where the root problem is, not in the battery or the distance between the engine and the boot....
There has been a very very small number of separate battery failures.

[German Statesman]

The NRMA servicemen (aka Holden Roadside Assist) who came to start my Caprice and my neighbour's Calais said it was not an uncommon problem and Holden was refusing to tell the NRMA what the cause was (maybe they don't know either!)

Holden and the dealer Network have learnt their lesson from working closely with motoring organisations - when some Vectras and a high percentage of TS Astras started having ignition barrels seizing up, the auto club servicemen/towies bagged the hell out of the cars, stoked the already angry owners up a bit more by remarking about the 'other problems' Astras/Vectras 'are well-known for', and suddenly you had an Astra owner wanting the purchase price back because they've bought a so-called lemon....

[planetdavo]

All because of usually some dumb @rse auto club mechanic that can't get a real mechanic job just voicing his "opinion"...

[Wonky]

Was just away on holiday for a week and my car was not started in all that time. Went out and it started with absolutely no sign of hesitation. I DON'T have a DVD system installed.

[Janus]

Mine just suddenly went dead for the first time about 2 nights ago. Was so completely drained that the door wouldn't unlock even with the key in the lock so I called them to say that I was locked out of my car and the RAA guy came and unlocked it and said that it was the battery and he had done several similar in the last few months.

[Wonky]

As planetdavo said above, I had my car in for its 3,000km inspection/oil change today and they told me they'd recalibrate the BCM as they now have a fix for the problems that have plagued some VEs.

I told them not to do it as mine doesn't seem to have any problems (see above, left one week no problems) and I didn't want to run the risk of them also doing something to the ECM and messing up my tune.

[MYSSV]

Hi all
Am new to the site. Having read the battery issues I am keeping my fingers crossed that my SSV will not begin same problem. Having said that am absolutely in love with my car, drives like a dream and have taken it on a short trip( 1000km) down the Stuart Highway fuel economy was amazing 11km per 100l travelling at 130km. However, have had a number of cosmestic issues. Have afew rattles inside the cabin of which the dealership is unable to find! Also have a rattle coming from aircon everytime it starts up or climate control kicks in. Also have noise coming from front right hand side when car in full lock. Also unable to be found by dealers service area. Holden Australia very helpful but dealership cant help treating me like a female!

[Janus]

Well mine went dead again last night. Man, am sure getting sick of this. For a $60k car I kind of expect it to start when I want it to.

Am going down to the dealer on Monday and they better be able to sort this out considering it next happened until I took the car in for the 3,000 km service and now it has happened 3 times in a week. I sure hope they are going to replace my battery, as chances are it will be screwed after going completely flat so many times.

[Janus]

Am taking mine in tomorrow. They promise me they know what the problem is and have a fix they can apply.

I certainly hope it works.

[Wonky]

Am taking mine in tomorrow. They promise me they know what the problem is and have a fix they can apply.

I certainly hope it works.
Almost certainly the BCM recalibration that's been mentioned here a few times already.

[Janus]

Almost certainly the BCM recalibration that's been mentioned here a few times already.

Yep it was. I had also reported some issues like the sat nav occasionally not coming on or having things like "ABS fault" and "Check engine" warnings quickly flash up briefly when the car is started, which the service guy said was most likely also caused by the battery and now I shouldn't have those anymore.

The only thing they didn't manage to fix was the left hand scroll wheel not working whenever the driver's central display updates, be it activating cruise control or sat nav changing etc. They said it was something to do with the computer control module (or something like that) and when they removed it it was damaged and had to order another one, which will be in tomorrow. So now I have to sort out a time I don't need the car and they will come and collect it and return it to me when they are done.

["V"]

Janus... Our car does that also.... the check Engine and ABS fault warning appears briefly when the car is started. Our car is going in next week for this update to fix the issue.
Also to have the rear DVD player replaced as the screen is not folding down.

How is your car now? Does it still have the warnings when you start?

[Janus]

How is your car now? Does it still have the warnings when you start?

Well that is always the problem I have had. I can't work out what makes the problem happen it just pops up some times when I start the car and I happen to notice it. I have only driven the car 4 times since getting it done yesterday and it hasn't happened thus far....but that doesn't mean it is fixed.

[darrenblake]

Seems I'm not alone.

After battling through a list of problems with the new Calais V, i too have suffered a flat battery. 10 days ago, the battery failed. So i called out the RACV who told me the battery was completely dead. No problem, they changed it out and i sent the car to the local dealer to have the BCM reprogrammed. That was 6 days ago.
To my surprise, this morning the battery is flat again!!!!!

WTF, what do i have to do to get some miniscule pleasure from this car.
$60K buys you a nice Subaru or Honda, but all it gets you from Holden is a heap of SH#$, that spends more time at the shop, than it does with me behind the wheel.
I have had the car 42 days so far, and it has spent 20 of those with the local dealer.
GIVE ME BACK MY BA XR6 any day!!!! -at least i got some joy from it!

The car is fitted with SAT NAV, DVD, and sunroof. I wonder if it is one of these units which is consistent with other on this thread where there may be a ground leak running down the battery????

[Wonky]

they changed it out

The car is fitted with SAT NAV, DVD, and sunroof. I wonder if it is one of these units which is consistent with other on this thread where there may be a ground leak running down the battery????
Sorry, what do you mean by "they changed it out" Darren? I suspect from other things I've read that the DVD is a possibility for draining the battery due to a ground leak or something. I don't have one and left my car for a week with absolutely no sign of problems.

[lollymanv8]

The car is fitted with SAT NAV, DVD, and sunroof. I wonder if it is one of these units which is consistent with other on this thread where there may be a ground leak running down the battery????

My ve ss has none of the items mentioned above but it still goes into a deep snooze as well.
The local nrma dude has zapped it out of its slumber a couple of times already.
I was told by a Holden service advisor that all it needs is a full slow (~8hrs) recharge of the battery and some flashing.
It's going in for the 3k service this monday. Hopefull they can cure this problem ;-)

[GB Hills]

Hi Guys,
New this forum.
Just thought that I would let you know that my VE V with 8000klms failed start yesterday for no reason. :vpo:

The history on the car is
The display in the stereo blanked out once and was reset by the dealer.
The display on the stereo blanked out again, and was replaced by the dealer at around 3000klms

I have had an unknow symbol flash on the dash display several times in the last month.

Some times I have heard the fan for the heater, either seep up or slow down for no reason.

The dealer said yesterday that they had a software fix for the problem, and that it would take 48 hrs to charge the battery.

Should I push the dealer to replace the battery as faulty, or what else should I do.:confused:

I'm not impressed in having an unreliable car, my VT was magic for 7 years never missed a beat.

[mustanger]

There is finally a pcm upgrade for your problem. Give your dealer one more chance. I have had three flat batteries in my GTS and all is good since the last upgrade. I don`t drive my car very often, but all has been OK since the last upgrade.......Cheers John

[darrenblake]

Hi all,

Well after some serious complaining yesterday about the battery going flat, i was told the problem has still not been rectified by Holden, and there is to be a meeting with holden Service and Holden Engineering next week. I have had the BCM done, and two new fully charged batteries installed already, but to no avail - damn thing ran flat after three days parked in the garage.

In the meantime, they have fitted the V8's larger capacity battery (my Calais V is a 6), and given me a jump start battery pack to keep in the boot for emergencies. Not happy but what do you do???

It makes you wonder what they did with all the testing time they put on the new VE. Maybe just sat around admiring the looks and sipping Lattes!!!

[EfiJy]

It makes you wonder what they did with all the testing time they put on the new VE. Maybe just sat around admiring the looks and sipping Lattes!!!

or they were driving them and not leavin them in the garage 4 a few days

[Alex(AUS)]

or they were driving them and not leavin them in the garage 4 a few days

Mine is in the garage for more than a week at a time (like now; no time to drive it) and it starts no problems ... there must be more to this than a BCM tune. Or, maybe I drive differently or longer when I do actually go for a cruise???

Alex

[GB Hills]

Well I got my VE back this morning, after 2 days to charge the battery.
and with a software fix to alter the charge rate / time, so I was told.

I hope that the fix works.:bow:

[Marco]

I booked my VE in for its 15k service today and was told "oh, and there's a recall on yours for the BCM/Battery issue, we'll do that as well". (I'm guessing it's a field product campaign rather than an actual recall).

I haven't actually had any battery problems, but there you go. (Mine's a 2/07 build BTW).

[GB Hills]

Well One week has passed and the car has not let me down. I hope that the charge hold in the battery.

[Janus]

Janus... Our car does that also.... the check Engine and ABS fault warning appears briefly when the car is started. Our car is going in next week for this update to fix the issue.

How is your car now? Does it still have the warnings when you start?

Well I had all the warning flash up again the other night so clearly whatever they have done did not fix the problem. I haven't had another flat battery since the update so that may have actually fixed that but it would seem, at least for now, that all the warning messages coming up are not related to the battery as the dealer told me.

However reading through what people have said since my last post it would seem that they may have not actually fixed the battery issue, so them again maybe the battery does cause it and mine is just running down again.

[Janus]

That is actually exactly what I have been thinking. I pick my brother up from work and usually sit in the car outside for a little while and have noticed that if I leave the car off but with with the ignition primed with the radio etc on then the warning lights come on.

I tested it a couple of times last night when I was waiting for him and it happened and was going to test it again tonight.

Will let you know the results.

I do love that Holden have no idea about any of the problems and we need to spend all this time working out it all out for them before they will do anything about it. It is like beta testing my $65k car!

[the big fist]

Thats pretty much what a series 1 is. Beta testing !

["V"]

That is actually exactly what I have been thinking. I pick my brother up from work and usually sit in the car outside for a little while and have noticed that if I leave the car off but with with the ignition primed with the radio etc on then the warning lights come on.


Our car has done the samething... I have been in the car and turned the ignition on to access the radio and I have seen the check engine symbol appear even if the car is not turned to the on position... Im doing back to my dealer soon to have my DVD screen replaced and they will look at the warnings then.

[GB Hills]

Well two weeks has passed, the battery is still OK, but i have had the warning flash up twice while driving, but two fast to see what the warning was. Its still 5K to go till the next service, and I will let them know.
This time i will take the car to Penfolds in Burnley, as I'm not to happy with Watsons in Bundoora / Watsonia

[lethal66]

In the meantime, they have fitted the V8's larger capacity battery (my Calais V is a 6), and given me a jump start battery pack to keep in the boot for emergencies. Not happy but what do you do???

It makes you wonder what they did with all the testing time they put on the new VE. Maybe just sat around admiring the looks and sipping Lattes!!!

HeHe do you get keep the battery pack i wonder when they fix your problem?

[ausrugbysux07]

You all may want to check for other areas car may be using up battery power. The glovebox light on my VE SV6 would come on when door closed and go off when opened. Bit of a problem when on all night.

PS It was probably Soymilk decaff lattee's

[MrCV5700]

I must have the record here. I've just had my 5th battery put in a WM Caprice by NRMA. I've booked it in for its 2nd visit with Holden tommorrow. By the way the car has just hit 1000KM. :vpo:

[Aus8]

I must have the record here. I've just had my 5th battery put in a WM Caprice by NRMA. I've booked it in for its 2nd visit with Holden tommorrow. By the way the car has just hit 1000KM. :vpo:
Jesus thats bloody shocking!

[thermos]

VE SS - Build Date 27 Sep 2007

Havent driven the car for 5 days. Car completely dead, measured battery (2.1V)

Rang dealer they said battery needs to charge for 24 hours and for me to leave the car there (after I get roadside assistance to start it).
They said there are no service bulletins due for my car.

I thought Holden would of fixed this by now

[Wonky]

VE SS - Build Date 27 Sep 2007

Havent driven the car for 5 days. Car completely dead, measured battery (2.1V)
What options have you got, either dealer or aftermarket? DVD player by any chance?

Who is charging the battery and are they using the special charger required for when these batteries go completely dead? If not it will probably go flat again as it will only be partly charged. :(

[CSP]

I'm surprised this is such a seemingly unknown issue on these forums.

There is a Holden Techline on this. Make your dealers look it up!

[thermos]

What options have you got, either dealer or aftermarket? DVD player by any chance?

Who is charging the battery and are they using the special charger required for when these batteries go completely dead? If not it will probably go flat again as it will only be partly charged. :(

No electrical options.

Roadside assist just jump started the car and said see how you go. They said it would be best to see the dealer about it. Cant be assed about it today, will speak to the dealer again on Monday.

Does it matter if the car is unlocked ? (as it is in a garage)

[Wonky]

OK, just seemed to me from previous posts that cars with DVDs seemed to have most of the problems.

See post #4 and #18 in this thread for info on charging.

[MrCV5700]

Well after going through 5 Batteries and 2 Visits to the Repair centre it looks like the problem has been fixed. Latest firmware update did the trick.

[planetdavo]

Holden's latest bulletin on VE warns NOT to fit higher capacity batteries than what is fitted standard, as the regulated voltage fix is thrown out of whack, leading to further flat batteries.

[darrenblake]

Spot on Wonky.

After going through 4 batteries now, even after having the BCM flashed some time ago, the bastard went flat again the other day.
Got the RACV to start it and took it back to the local Holden dealer.

They reported the DVD module was not turning off when the rest of the cars electronics shut down.
Holden have (apparently) flashed the DVD module and it should be all ok now.

[thermos]

After the battery went flat yesterday, I drove around for about 30 mins to charge the battery.

Put the battery on a conventional battery charger for the day and then till about 10PM.

In the diagnostics menu the battery voltage was around 13V and the capacity around 60%.
I disconnected the battery charger as I dont like leaving the charger on overnight.

This morning I checked the battery voltage and it was around 12.8V but the battery capacity is now reading 100%

Went for a drive initially the battery voltage was around 14.5-15v, but then tended to stay on about 12.9v-13.2v

That seems a bit low to me.

Has anyone had Holden Roadside Assistance replace the battery or should I not even bother and see the dealer?

[cmatkin]

Ive had the same problems with flat batteries. I went interstate for a week and gave holden my car. They found out that it was the BCM. it was faulty. Randomly it would leave an accessory on and flatten my battery.
Since it has been replaced, I have had no battery problems.
I go interstate for 2 weeks on end the battery is fine. I go to the drivins and have the stereo running for 3 odd hours and car starts.
Get your BCM checked.

Regards
Craig

[thermos]

Thanks for the reply Craig.

I am wondering if its because I leave the car in the garage unlocked.

[vessloveit]

Hi Thermos, I leave my VE unlocked most of the time whilst garage is locked, car is six months old never had battery trouble. will keep fingers crossed.

[slide86]

ive read through all 7 pages. some people are close and have obviously had experience with this.

most people know the fault, but ill throw my 2 cents in, seeings as i re-flash at least one car a day for this problem.

basically there is a software fault in the BCM that tells the alternator to charge too late, to much power has already been drained from the battery.

the setting used to be 50% capacity, start charging. now, with the revised software, the alternator charges when battery gets to 80%

im pretty sure bout the figures, but ill double check tomorrow.

it is true that putting a bigger battery in IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. the BCM doesnt know that a larger battery has been installed and will actually drain more of the battery before it charges properly.

ill scan the documents for this, and upload them. seeings as this is such a big problem, people can read what holden have to say for themselves :)

there have been instances of modules draining power, most times it has been the REC (rear entertainment centre), which will also cause the battery to go flat.

driving the car after it has gone flat WILL NOT charge the battery properly. it needs to be put on a AC charger for at least 8 hours to get a proper charge in it.

stay tuned for the upload!

[thermos]

ive read through all 7 pages. some people are close and have obviously had experience with this.

most people know the fault, but ill throw my 2 cents in, seeings as i re-flash at least one car a day for this problem.

basically there is a software fault in the BCM that tells the alternator to charge too late, to much power has already been drained from the battery.

the setting used to be 50% capacity, start charging. now, with the revised software, the alternator charges when battery gets to 80%

im pretty sure bout the figures, but ill double check tomorrow.

it is true that putting a bigger battery in IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. the BCM doesnt know that a larger battery has been installed and will actually drain more of the battery before it charges properly.

ill scan the documents for this, and upload them. seeings as this is such a big problem, people can read what holden have to say for themselves :)

there have been instances of modules draining power, most times it has been the REC (rear entertainment centre), which will also cause the battery to go flat.

driving the car after it has gone flat WILL NOT charge the battery properly. it needs to be put on a AC charger for at least 8 hours to get a proper charge in it.

stay tuned for the upload!

My car is at the dealer today after battery went flat last Friday. Car started ok today.

Is this information in the Holden technote?

My software revision is 015.018.107

[thermos]

Got a call from the dealer. Said they've charged the battery and the car checked out fine (of course).

Maybe I'll have to tow a Gen Set behind just incase.

[VIPER6]

Nothing has gone wrong with my VE... yet. Hope this doesn't occurr to me.

[julesgr]

There is no voltage regulator and the charge rate is software driven using a duty cycle.
There is a Holden update 'cos the software has a bug in it . The update is performed via the Tech 2 scan tool and the ALDL socket. It is called TIS Web4.

The battery is a silver calcium battery and it is true that with a normal battery charger you're only going to get about 60% charge at absolute best.. A special battery charger is required, you guessed it, available at the dealer.

[slide86]

TIS is the program that communicates with tech2

TIS 2 WEB is just a live update through the net

we have never used a 'special" charger to charge the batteries. just the regular 240v charger you get from any auto store

[Wonky]

we have never used a 'special" charger to charge the batteries. just the regular 240v charger you get from any auto store
Based on what others have said it would therefore seem likely that you haven't fully recharged the batteries, potentially leading to further failures. The evidence seems pretty conclusive that a special charger is required to help prevent that.

[ilovebeer]

You know, you read these posts and think, SHIT, all these problems, but I don`t have ANY!!!!........Well guess where the car is, yep, getting the battery charged at the DEALER. Flat as a shitcarters hat this morning, got it there before 9am. but sorry mate, we`ve been busy, 4pm today, should be right by LUNCHTIME tommorow.........well I reckon his right ear must be bleeding from the sprey, see what he`s got to say when I pick it up!!!!.....................MERRY F~@#KN CHRISTMAS........Ross...

[R8_Maloo]

Just checked mine. 11.8V before starting and 14.3V after. Dunno what that means but I haven't had problems with my battery. I drive my car every day. Maybe those with problems only use their cars on weekends, or use accessories with the vehicle not running.

By the sounds of it those reading are reasonably accurate... a battery can only hold around 2.1v per cell, thus in theory you could only get a maximum of 12.6 volts while the engine isnt running...

once the engine is running the volt meter will be picking up the voltage from the alternator. generally 14.4v is a healthy reading when the car is running... a few points of a volt difference is fine. it may not be the most accurate volt meter in the world either, but it is giving you a good enough indication.

edit: shite... i should read the whole thread before posting...

[vasyd]

Go figure this one out!! I have had my car for just over a year and have not had any problems with the battery going flat. The car has sat in my garage up to a week at a time without being started and when I got in it, started perfectly without even a groan.

Well that was until last week when I took the car to the dealer to have the BCM upgrade done. The update was done on Thursday morning. Started the car on Friday morning and I noticed a bit of a sluggish start. Didn't think twice about this. Left the car in the garage all weekend. Went to start it on Monday morning and guess what?? The battery was flat of course.

Used the wifes car to jump start it hoping that the 1 hour + drive to work would charge it enough. Well it did and it has been going OK since then. We'll see what happens this weekend!!

[thermos]

Got a call from the dealer. Said they've charged the battery and the car checked out fine (of course).

Maybe I'll have to tow a Gen Set behind just incase.

After the dealer charged it, the car has been ok for the last month.

I have tended to lock it though in the garage.

[ByfordBlade]

The Christmas break has been great with a few mates coming back from the mines and popping over for a catch-up and to take the new SS for a spin. Yesterday morning wasn't the best when I gave the keys to one mate who wandered back inside a minute later and told me it wouldn't start. Went for a look and absolutely no power. Called Holden Assist and the car was jump started and he told me to ring the dealer I bought it from as flat batteries are a common problem.

Spoke to the dealer who said there was a software issue on the MY07 models but he believed it was fixed on the MY08. I couldn't get it in there yesterday due to breakfast beers with the lads but ran it in today. Seems the software problem has not been resolved and they need to keep my car over the weekend to fully charge the battery and then reset the electrics. Whoo hoo - they've given me a gold coloured Epica for the weekend.

Seriously, this shit should not happen on modern vehicles :vpo:

[Gonadman2]

I was not aware of a battery problem on the VE until I went and saw a dealer about an unlock problem (car was going to sleep and not unlocking remotely). Anyway he put the VIN into the system and the computer said that there was 4 software/recalls that needed to be done before he could reset the keys (or whatever it was that they were doing about the unlock). One of the updates he said was a fix for the BCM discharging the battery, although I have never had this problem. This was at Brian Gardner Holden in Perth. Just a bit of info for you guys.

[thermos]

The Christmas break has been great with a few mates coming back from the mines and popping over for a catch-up and to take the new SS for a spin. Yesterday morning wasn't the best when I gave the keys to one mate who wandered back inside a minute later and told me it wouldn't start. Went for a look and absolutely no power. Called Holden Assist and the car was jump started and he told me to ring the dealer I bought it from as flat batteries are a common problem.

Spoke to the dealer who said there was a software issue on the MY07 models but he believed it was fixed on the MY08. I couldn't get it in there yesterday due to breakfast beers with the lads but ran it in today. Seems the software problem has not been resolved and they need to keep my car over the weekend to fully charge the battery and then reset the electrics. Whoo hoo - they've given me a gold coloured Epica for the weekend.

Seriously, this shit should not happen on modern vehicles :vpo:


My car is MY08, I had the same flat battery problem.
Car was charged for 24 hours at dealer and the car hasnt had the same issue again (say 6 weeks).

It does shit you off when it happens though.

[kooji]

Yikes!

Ok, I've had a VE SS for 4 days now, and although I hate to sound paranoid, but I'm feeling slightly panicky about this battery problem. Namely because - although the VIN indicates it is an 07 model, the door tag says it is a Nov.06 build (so I'm guessing it's a "prototype"!).

I'm based in Q8, so it is essentially Chevy Lumina SS. The dealer here is absolutely clueless (in general, as in they didn't even know the VE was sold with a 6-speed auto elsewhere). I was told my first scheduled service was at 10K, but I was going to take her in for new tires and a strange knocking sound from the front right hand side that happens only once every single time I drive off after switching the car off. The car also drifts right, but I think that's just the bad tires (bad because they've obviously kept this car in transit and storage for god knows how long).

If anyone comes across any form of official documentation from Holden, indicating a software upgrade, or what no, I'd appreciate it. I think that will be the only way to get this local dealer to actually do anything about it.

[kingwalker]

Based on what others have said it would therefore seem likely that you haven't fully recharged the batteries, potentially leading to further failures. The evidence seems pretty conclusive that a special charger is required to help prevent that.sorry to say this but i work where your holden battery is made and they use the same chargers for all the batterys they make but use a longer charge time,the pontiac battery is made in italy and charged here, soon to be made here, it comes down the same line as the ford,toyota has the most cca out off the car makers so far and for supply toyota beat all for more units purchased

[slide86]

thankyou...

[wmssvute]

I have a 08ssv ute and at 4000 suddenly noticed a low volt reading prior to start up in mornings so i got into the habit of putting car into tech mode before starting and found battery reading down to 11.2 volts and charge down to 65-70% told dealer about this and they said bring it in we will check it out. Dealer checked car said they found no unusual current draw and put a new battery in it, now i find volts stay at 12.1-12.4 but charge has been as low as 54% and car has twice started with "battery saver mode" on trip display. Sounds to me like it is only a matter of time before i have a dead battery. could be just luck but i had a tow kit installed at 3k service and had never expierenced a prob before that.

fingers crossed wm

[AAJ8A8]

Very useful thread...

I have a Nov 06 build WM V8 Caprice. Bought it in Mar 07 from local dealer from the showroom floor. First had the battery problem a month later, called Holden assist, RACQ turned up, jump started it and I took it straight to dealer. They mumbled something about a problem with the new batteries and a sofware update needed. They kept the car for 48 Hours (scratching head and charging time I guess), and I didnt have a problem for another 5 months or so. My rear entertainment system failed 3 weeks ago, they said it was a failed rear screen (rear drivers head rest), and replaced it. I got the car home, and sat in the back to test the unit, and noticed that the screens were on, even though I hadnt turned the unit on yet... I tested the DVD, it worked and I turned the system off. One week later, you guessed it, car dead as a dodo. I am thinking from reading this thread that my entertainment system is being randomly turned on and drained the battery. Car has been taken to the local holden dealer by roadside assist (RACQ), lets see what they come back with... Im guessing I will be told, similar to what appears in this thread!

Is anyone aware of a trickle charger that suits this battery type (on the WM)? I leave my car in garage when I travel, sometimes for 3-4 weeks at a time. (NB Each time the battery has failed it has been after consistent driving, not after being left for 3 weeks alone).

[Wonky]

Is anyone aware of a trickle charger that suits this battery type (on the WM)?

From post #18 in this thread "In case anyone is interested in buying a battery charger for their VE it is called a "smart battery charger" from AC Delco. Part number is SBC1205-ACDELCO. These can be purchased through Redarc Electronics in Lonsdale, SA. Costs around $185."

[igniton]

From post #18 in this thread "In case anyone is interested in buying a battery charger for their VE it is called a "smart battery charger" from AC Delco. Part number is SBC1205-ACDELCO. These can be purchased through Redarc Electronics in Lonsdale, SA. Costs around $185."

check this little charger for cars like mine that don't get driven for up to 2 weeks at a time ...it slowly charges your battery and cuts out when fully charged and ..then maintains battery voltage when needed ...does not need turning off till you are ready to use your car..top little unit cost $55.00 at repco..
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z226/ignition005/DSC03255.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z226/ignition005/DSC03256.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z226/ignition005/DSC03259.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z226/ignition005/DSC03261.jpg

[kingwalker]

thats all you really need mate, i have a solar charger on the shed roof to keep the bike battery toped up,as i said no specail charger is needed but some people wont believe it will work,some have to spend big dollars when there is no need

[AAJ8A8]

Thanks, I actually did some research today, spoke with my holden dealer, auto electrican and also spoke to a "Projecta" rep over the phone regarding charging and maintaining the calcium battery that is fitted to my vehicle.

The consensus is that you may use a regular charger (lead acid battery), to maintain the calcium battery, but it wont take it back to 100%. For example, if when the charger is attached its at 70%, it will maintain it at 70%. So if its completely or close to flat, they are ineffectice and wont be able to bring the battery back to 100%.

The battery charger recommended is the Projecta MC121045C 4 Stage Automatic 12V 4500mA CALCIUM BATTERY CHARGE MCU controlled. Its specially designed for charging calcium batteries and delivers an additional charging mode to return calcium batteries to full service. It also has the Float stage, that maintains the battery at a safe voltage allowoing it to be maintained and ready for use idefinately. This suits my issue of 4-6 weeks storage at a time.

The battery charger retails for about $215 and any auto sparky should be able to source and fit the necessary leads for easy use.

You can find the above model on the Projecta website. projecta.com.au
worth reading........

[mac06]

Thanks, I actually did some research today, spoke with my holden dealer, auto electrican and also spoke to a "Projecta" rep over the phone regarding charging and maintaining the calcium battery that is fitted to my vehicle.

The consensus is that you may use a regular charger (lead acid battery), to maintain the calcium battery, but it wont take it back to 100%. For example, if when the charger is attached its at 70%, it will maintain it at 70%. So if its completely or close to flat, they are ineffectice and wont be able to bring the battery back to 100%.

The battery charger recommended is the Projecta MC121045C 4 Stage Automatic 12V 4500mA CALCIUM BATTERY CHARGE MCU controlled. Its specially designed for charging calcium batteries and delivers an additional charging mode to return calcium batteries to full service. It also has the Float stage, that maintains the battery at a safe voltage allowoing it to be maintained and ready for use idefinately. This suits my issue of 4-6 weeks storage at a time.

The battery charger retails for about $215 and any auto sparky should be able to source and fit the necessary leads for easy use.

You can find the above model on the Projecta website. projecta.com.au
worth reading........

That's exactly right. All those trying to get away with the cheap battery chargers will find they don't work. It's okay if your battery is already fully charged and you just want to maintain it while you're away, but if the battery is dead then you need the special charger, either the one mentioned here or the one I mentioned earlier in post 18

[kingwalker]

That's exactly right. All those trying to get away with the cheap battery chargers will find they don't work. It's okay if your battery is already fully charged and you just want to maintain it while you're away, but if the battery is dead then you need the special charger, either the one mentioned here or the one I mentioned earlier in post 18

to end this argument for good i ll go back to work on wend at exide where your battery is made.ill get the guys from qc to write down how they are charged and compare with normal batterys ,as far as i been told before no new chargers installed in the charging area,and all we do for current gto ,LN4batterys is charge them they are sent from italy wet and sealed currently on version two,white in colour.we are going to make black when there are made here in sa

[commodoreking]

I suggest you have a look at the Projecta website link below:
http://www.projecta.com.au/catalogue/cid/5/asset_id/30/
MC121045C - 4 Stage Auto 12V 4500mA Calcium Battery Charger MCU Controlled
"A specially designed battery charger custom made for charging calcium batteries. Delivers an additional charging mode to return calcium batteries to full service."

[mac06]

I suggest you have a look at the Projecta website link below:
http://www.projecta.com.au/catalogue/cid/5/asset_id/30/
MC121045C - 4 Stage Auto 12V 4500mA Calcium Battery Charger MCU Controlled
"A specially designed battery charger custom made for charging calcium batteries. Delivers an additional charging mode to return calcium batteries to full service."

This web site really does answer the argument for good. All technicians who have access to Holden's recommendations will have seen that Holden specify these automatic 4 stage chargers (DL 18/07).

Lead Calcium batteries have different characteristics to Lead antimony (conventional) batteries. Using a conventional charger will lead to a battery that is only 60- 70% charged. Therefore some battery charger manufacturers have developed chargers that are specifically for use on calcium batteries. These counteract the stratification and sulfation as mentioned in the Projecta web site and fully charge as well as extend the life of the battery.

If after all of this anyone still believes the conventional battery chargers will work, then go ahead and use them, you'll be disappointed.

[Devil CV8]

went out this morning and the SSV (10/07 build)had a flat battery, and I'm just about to head off on a 3000km trip. Jump started ok, and restarted ok after half an hour of driving, so went and purchased a jump starter in case it happens again. if it does I'll deal with it when I get back.

[cmatkin]

I know the pain of a flat battery after having a few of them.
It was found that my SSV had a faulty BCM and this was leaving power on in a random fashion. This was changed.

At one stage i was taking a jump start battery kit donated by holden around in the boot.

I leave my car at the airport at weeks on end with no flat battery. :).

All good now.

My SSV has all options and accessories installed.

Regards
Craig

[Devil CV8]

Car hasn't missed a beat since, and all I did was drive to Adelaide and back. 11 hours each way including stops.

[eldan89]

The battery problem in our VE Senator was finally solved the other week. After a year of problems it turned out that the climate control unit was faulty and wouldn't let the car go into "sleep mode". So when the car was supposedly off the Climate control unit was drawing 2 amps constantly which resulted in a dead battery.

[SPUD71]

I had the same problem months ago...flat battery with no obvious signs of it going. My dealer reckons it could have been the bluetooth staying on, as the phone sits on the kitchen bench which is right next to the carport. As you know, if the phone connection is active, ie, a call in progress, even when you switch off the car and get out, the bluetooth connection stays on as long as it's still in range.

It may be right, but I haven't had any probs since.

[Tommo1982]

The battery problem in our VE Senator was finally solved the other week. After a year of problems it turned out that the climate control unit was faulty and wouldn't let the car go into "sleep mode". So when the car was supposedly off the Climate control unit was drawing 2 amps constantly which resulted in a dead battery.


My Senator is due to have the HVAC controller replaced on Tuesday - but not because of the battery issue (my battery problem was solved in June last year - it was the rear entertainment system that was faulty, as well as the battery needing to be replaced).

Do you know what they replaced on yours? Was it the HVAC controller ?

I'm a bit worried about the work being carried out; There are countless electrical problems with mine, but HSV seem to think this will fix them.

[GUNSV6]

Flat battery i had a VE SV6 MY06 kept having flat battery the dealer replaced the battery 2 times the third time they recharged the battery overnight and thats it problem solved never arised again. So replacing the battery doesnt solve the problem Holden Ltd has told the its dealers to recharge the battery overnight instead of replacing it but there some dealers ou there who onli look at profiting themselves instead of fixing the problem once and for all.

[F.E.A.D.C]

hey dude i have a brand new ve and mine has gone flat twice

it took a while for holden to find the problem until i got angry with them. they sad the alternator wasnt charging at idol so they re programed the computer to do it and eva since it has be ok

[Squidders]

Hi there Guys,

My VE Berlina is now doing this, 2007 model + Rear seat Ent. package.

Is there any fix for this problem and more specifically what is the cause? The local Holden dealers haven't a clue and I plain don't trust them with my car or their competence, and I actually used to work for the one here where I am. Basically Their NRMA patrol man said it could be anyone's guess as to the cause lol.

This guy is an NRMA patrol man as well as a Holden Technician so Is he telling the truth do Holden really not know what is causing this?

The Griffith service guy's have done a Software calibration and that hasn't help at all, It's beginning to be a major pain in the rear as well as a total embarrassment. A New car that always needs a jump start doesn't look good.

Please...... Somebody help.

Cheers :cheers:

Squidds ;)

[cmatkin]

Dude,
Get your BCM replaced. My SSV did the same.
Holden tracked it down after having the for a week and running current tests consistantly.
It was found that the BCM randomly left some devices on. I have the read DVD & Sat Nav as well.

Since the BCM was replaced a year ago, i have had no issues.

Secondly, I asked holden to change the BCM power down time to 30 seconds from 15mins. IE: after the car locks, 15 seconds passes and all devices turn off. The factory setting is 15min.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Craig

[VUIISS]

I have just bought an new SSV ute. Drove it home from the dealership, left it sit for 7 days, then went to drive it..........battery dead flat. Have removed battery from car (not an easy job either) and have taken to dealer to have it tested.

Waiting to see if its can be claimed under warranty.

[kingwalker]

I have just bought an new SSV ute. Drove it home from the dealership, left it sit for 7 days, then went to drive it..........battery dead flat. Have removed battery from car (not an easy job either) and have taken to dealer to have it tested.

Waiting to see if its can be claimed under warranty. your battery is made at exide in sa,on your bar code on the battery there are numbers LN2-- ,LN3--- ,we also do the LN4 white battery that is made in italy ,all we do is charge it up for about 12 hours, holden must getting busy two thousand Ln2 went down the line this week

[HSVQUE]

Mine whent flat after sitting in the garage for afew weeks.. even after starting it once or twice a week.. I think ill jump it and if it happens again ill just take my battery into holden for a full charge(with the calcium charger) and see how it goes from there..

Otherwise ill ask about the BCM been recoded or replaced..

My car is standard electrical wise and I have no DVD player.. battery was fine for a year only been driven on weekends and its only just recently stuffed up. Seems like the Alternator hasnt been having to do much work on anyones cars. :confused:

Rob

[Excellent]

Most BMW batteries die if not driven in 3 weeks or so.

[Squidders]

Hi there Guys,

My VE Berlina is now doing this, 2007 model + Rear seat Ent. package.

Is there any fix for this problem and more specifically what is the cause? The local Holden dealers haven't a clue and I plain don't trust them with my car or their competence, and I actually used to work for the one here where I am. Basically Their NRMA patrol man said it could be anyone's guess as to the cause lol.

This guy is an NRMA patrol man as well as a Holden Technician so Is he telling the truth do Holden really not know what is causing this?

The Griffith service guy's have done a Software calibration and that hasn't help at all, It's beginning to be a major pain in the rear as well as a total embarrassment. A New car that always needs a jump start doesn't look good.

Please...... Somebody help.

Cheers :cheers:

Squidds ;)



Dude,
Get your BCM replaced. My SSV did the same.
Holden tracked it down after having the for a week and running current tests consistantly.
It was found that the BCM randomly left some devices on. I have the read DVD & Sat Nav as well.

Since the BCM was replaced a year ago, i have had no issues.

Secondly, I asked holden to change the BCM power down time to 30 seconds from 15mins. IE: after the car locks, 15 seconds passes and all devices turn off. The factory setting is 15min.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Craig


Thanks Craig, but that's all been done lol... except for the BCM Replacement... Had the Vehicle Back to the dealers on monday and to date No one has even hinted at replacing BCM's ??? Current draw was checked etc etc, and the harness connectors in the door (That's a newy eh?) apparently water gets in them?? They checked out ok. Then the Harness that delivers the charge back to the battery was checked where it connects at the firewall (apparently holden investigations have found some complaint vehicles have had loose and corroded connections there) That was all good too.
They replaced the dead battery and then tried to charge me for that... Battery warranty lapsed less than 20 days ago. I refused to pay that one didn't I lol. Got the car back with a fingers crossed approach from the Tech...........



It lasted two whole effing days!!! And now it fails to start pretty much every time I go to drive it. Rang the Salesman this time, Got more of a dedicated response and after a wait while he spoke to the service dept, he tells me that they now want to replace the wiring harness ??? I am sincerely hoping they don't mean the whole thing I don't want my whole car dismantled causing future rattles etc.

Has anyone here heard of a wiring harness replacement and this no starting issue???

Is there someone from Holden on here that can possibly shed some light... PLEASE!!!:bawl::bawl: I Just want my car to work!

Cheers

Squidd.

[maRGas]

i went out to start my ve on sunday morning and the ket wouldnt unlock it via the button, (was already unlucked which i didnt realise)

i tried my spare key.. nothing
then i tried to start it.. nothing

i called road side assist and the guy said my battery had 0% charge... completely dead

I bought a car charger for mny fone last week. and that was plugged in over night, maybe that could have caused the problem. Ive also noticed the dash has said "battery saving mode" but cant find anything in the book about it

:S

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

Ahhhh yes.... here we go :flipoff::flipoff:

Have had the flat battery syndrome at least 4 or 5 times in the WM Grange. Only started after around 70,000kms but regularly since then.

Always had to jump it from the boot directly off the battery as supposedly the under bonnet posts were not correctly connected from the factory in many VE/WM's and i'm damned if I have to leave the car with Holdens for a day for them to root around with pulling the floor out and rebuilding the firewall to get the wiring through!!!

No worky, no income!!!

Anyway... just for the fun of it the wife's Calais V decided it wanted to join in the action and threw a flat battery at her on Friday arvo 5;45pm.

She had to wait 45 mins for her dad to come to the rescue as RACV quoted 90 -120 mins and I was at the airport picking up clients.

So, they jumped it and all was fine till yesterday arvo. Flat again, call the RACV, wait 35mins (not so bad), guy checked it... "It's dead, totally flat, wont hold a charge, better get it to your service department as soon as I get you going.

So, jump started it... drove it to Holden...

We will have to run some tests... must be drawing current from somewhere...

Hmmm where have I heard that one before???

No, we cant fault the computer, no leaks etc. so we have replaced the battery under warranty.

When she rang to tell me I was like.... HMMM :confused::confused:I get it 4-5 times and tuff luck, she gets it once and :jester:we've replaced your battery ma'am. (I know I dont have tits or a pretty face but....)

I DONT THINK SO!!!:flipoff::flipoff::flipoff:

AND LO AND BEHOLD??

At 11.30 this morning I get a phone call...

You woudn't believe my battery is flat again...

OH YES I WOULD!!! they didnt replace it at all!!!

Anyway another 45 mins on the side of the road waiting for RACV and straight to Holden again.

I will let you know what happenned but havent heard from her yet.

and so the saga continues........................

[spank]

ive had my wm for 1 week, had to jump start it at the guys place i bought it from because it had been in storage for several weeks, i believe that he hasnt been driving it, he was selling because he has a new calais v for a company car, also the fuel was stale in it, idled rough and pinged bad, anyway two tanks of mobil 8000 fixed that, ive had to jump start it at home once as well, i told my dealer, i get the usual, leave it with us overnight and we will fully charge and then test the battery, maybe the bcm is leaving something on. i just carry around a set of jumper leads in the car now and i have a small battery charger that i leave on overnight a couple of times a week just to help it along

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

UODATE re: wife's Calais V....

Holden rang yesterday to advise they have detected a fault in the wiring loom and will need the car for a further 24 hrs to get the part and fit it...

Ringing them today to order one for the Grange as well...


:bow::confused::bow::confused:

[Squidders]

Yeh, me again... finally found out about the whole harness thing... Turns out, as the foreman said "This whole thing is just a process of elimination." This harness thing is just one of the new things to do I guess... It's actually supposed to be a revised door harness set up for all 4 doors I believe, apparently connector issues and moisture leakage has been found in some fault vehicle.

Dealer says Holden hasn't actually made the Part yet and is expecting it any day now.
But Guess what... here is a little funny for ya's. I effing bought my self a Battery/Jump pack the other day, No more waiting for Holden assit for me... lolBloody car should have came withone lol.. Bloody $45,000 + piece of shite!!!

Holden you suck at new Technology... I wan't a NEW car and an appology !!!!!!

[CalaisRider]

I gave up with the flat battery syndrome. I went and bought a biigg succker Absorbed Glass Matt battery. I haven't used it long enough to fully compare, but these types of batteries offer many advantages over normal batteries (they have previously solved my boat fridge power problems)

The one in my car now is heavy but has huge CCA and also deep cycle reserve

[spank]

I gave up with the flat battery syndrome. I went and bought a biigg succker Absorbed Glass Matt battery. I haven't used it long enough to fully compare, but these types of batteries offer many advantages over normal batteries (they have previously solved my boat fridge power problems)

The one in my car now is heavy but has huge CCA and also deep cycle reserve

mate i would like to get one of these batteries, could you please provide us with some specs, its cca and reserve capacity, also brand? and where you bought it from, price and anything else you think is relevent, i had to jump my WM caprice today in the city after 15 of the radio at very low volume, this is starting to wear thin !!!! my problem seems to be reserve capacity rather than excessive voltage drain

[CalaisRider]

mate i would like to get one of these batteries, could you please provide us with some specs, its cca and reserve capacity, also brand? and where you bought it from, price and anything else you think is relevent, i had to jump my WM caprice today in the city after 15 of the radio at very low volume, this is starting to wear thin !!!! my problem seems to be reserve capacity rather than excessive voltage drain




The below is the reasons you would choose one imho.




Why AGM Batteries?

Some great reasons … to make the smart investment in Absorbed Power AGM Batteries:

Maintenance-Free / Sealed AGM Batteries: The valve regulated, spill-proof construction of the Absorbed Power AGM battery allows trouble-free, safe operation in any orientation. There is no need to ‘top up’ the electrolyte. They will also not corrode the battery surrounds.

Economical: Absorbed Power AGM batteries give by far the best “Bang for the Buck” due to their exceptional performance and longevity and at realistic prices.

Long Service Life : Under normal operating conditions, four or five years of dependable service life can be expected in stand-by and cycling applications. With quality charging and care not to over-charge, under-charge or over-discharge the batteries, even longer life can be expected. Perfect for both starting and deep cycle applications.

Mulit-Purpose Use : Absorbed Power AGM batteries may be used in series and/or parallel to allow a choice of voltages and storage capacities and can be used in cyclic, starting or standby applications.

High Discharge Rate: Low internal resistance allows discharge currents of up to five times the rated capacity of the battery. High discharge rates make them ideal starting batteries.

Long Shelf Life: A fully charged Absorbed Power AGM battery will hold it’s charge for long periods at room temperature before charging is required, due to its low self-discharge rate. This means no flat batteries after leaving them sitting for long periods.

Fast Charging: AGM batteries will allow charging at many times the maximum charge rate of standard batteries, meaning much quicker charge times.



This link should tell ya more. I rekken top notch batteries are imperative to hassle free running in todays techo cars.


http://www.absorbedpower.com/battery/default.asp

http://www.absorbedpower.com/battery/support/applications/

http://www.absorbedpower.com/battery/support/faq/



They even work when mounted at any angle at all, "including" upside down or underwater. I'd suggest a 100 amp hr. The 150 gets bloody heavy for a car, albeit I run 2x200 amp (cycle) and two by 100 amp start and reserve in my boat - spensive but great insurance and peace of mind. Oh and their size/dimensions to power capacity are tiny by comparison to normal batteries (another bonus)


Pete :)

[spank]

thanks pete, ive just emailed them and the website says that they have a store here in vic at port melb marina, i might swing past tomorrow if the car starts, actually ill go anyway, the VT will start :goodjob:

[Gorty]

My battery went flat this morning, second time in two weeks. I'm about to ring up the dealer! :vpo:

[Gorty]

My battery went flat this morning, second time in two weeks. I'm about to ring up the dealer! :vpo:

Holden have had my car all day today and have just rang to request the car stayover so they can continue process of elimination tomorrow!

HOLDEN + VE = USELESS PIECE'S OF SHIT! :flipoff: :flipoff: :flipoff:

[HSVDKB]

Holden have had my car all day today and have just rang to request the car stayover so they can continue process of elimination tomorrow!

Better they do this than give it back with the problem still unresolved. Did they give you a courtesy car.

[Gorty]

Better they do this than give it back with the problem still unresolved. Did they give you a courtesy car.

I agree, I want the problem fixed. No courtesy car! Luckily my work has loaned me a car, especially seeing as I am doing 12 hour shifts.

I just get a little annoyed at spending 50k on a car and have a lot of pissy little things go wrong. :bawl:

They still have my car! :confused:

[cmatkin]

Guys,
I have just come back from over seas for a over a month. SSV started fine.
I used to have the same issues as every one else with regards to the battery going flat.

My BCM was replaced. Thats all. I have all options on my manual SSV and have never had an issue since.

Get it replaced!! Holden had my car for a week and found that randomly the BCM would leave an accessory on.

My two cents. :)

Regards
Craig

[skip100]

As I've stated elsewhere in these forums, I ran my battery flat by leaving the headlights on. I don't think it has ever fully recovered. I say this because sometimes the starting is weak, particularly if I use the battery to power my 12V pressure washer with the car off. (I used to be able to do this without any problems at all)

Are the full specifications for the LN2 available online anywhere?

If not, can anyone recommend the maximum charging current I should use?
(according to the Redarc web site it should be from about 10% to 20% of the battery's AH rating - I'd like to know whether I can go higher with this specific battery though)

Also, is it worthwile trying to reset the vehicle charging system (the BCM, I gather) BEFORE going to the extent of manually recharging the battery? I understand that the BCM can "forget" what the 100% charge level is, which prevents it from ever fully charging a battery. So, assuming it is even possible to do such a reset without replacing the battery, should I try this? It is inconvenient for me to recharge the battery, however I would prefer NOT to simply replace my battery at this stage.

Thanks,
Greg.

PS. I'll call Exide (SA) if no-one can point me to the specs.

[Wonky]

I'd like to know too Greg! :goodjob:

[skip100]

I haven't called Exide yet but I bought an 8amp Ozcharge charger. I disconnected the battery from the car and charged it - it all happened very quickly indeed, which leads me to believe that the battery was already as fully charged as it could be. The Bulk stage lasted 20 seconds or so, and the absorbption stage lasted a few minutes I think. The Equalisation stage lasted much longer (a couple of hours or so - very approximately).

Assuming there is no improvement in the performance I suppose I need to buy a new battery.

When I reconnected the battery, the eng. mode charge % was 0%. Is there something I can do to reset it such that it begins at 100% rather than 0% after having charged the battery?

Greg.

[Hoangkar]

i had the same prbalem after i fidle around the earth cable, then after that all fine.

[skip100]

Called Exide: they didn't give me a precise specification for the maximum charging current - they said it's not all that critical. They said it would have been ok if I had used the 16A charger, for example. (the next one up from Ozcharge is 16A) They said the important thing is the voltage, which has to be higher for the calcium batteries than standard.

They said that because my car is so new, running it flat once should NOT have ruined the battery. They recommended that I have it tested.

In the meantime I have fitted a new battery (identical, from Holden), and so far it seems better - I used my pressure washer last night and the car started easily this morning. I'll see how I go.

The Battery Charge display is showing a few percent only after having fitted the new battery. I'd really like to know more about this battery charge indication function. I asked my dealer whether there's anything I need to do to reset it, and they weren't aware of anything.

Greg.

[skip100]

Update: Still with the new battery installed, the Battery Charge percentage went from about 15% last night, to 86.6% this morning, with no driving inbetween these two readings. It did not go any higher than this whilst driving this morning (when it was down around 15%, it was going up by about 0.4% every 10 minutes or so, very roughly)

Also, with the engine on, the Battery Voltage readout alternates between approximately 14.5V (charging, presumably) and approx 13V. The 13V value seems a bit odd to me - according to my battery charger documentation the float voltage for a calcium battery should be 13.6V. (13.5V for a standard battery) I've measured the voltage at the battery terminals - it really is 13V.

If I stop it and restart it, the voltage typically goes back up to 14.5V for a short time, and then drops to 13V again.

Can anyone explain why it's going to 13V and not 13.6V?

Also, does the fact that the voltage drops under the charging voltage mean that I do NOT have the BCM upgrade? (it should have - the dealer said they had applied the fix)

Greg.

PS. Regarding my pressure washer, I've calculated that it would use just 1.5% of the Reserve Capacity, tops, each time I use it. (the pressure washer's motor runs for a few minutes only). Since I drive the car after every use, I really don't think that this should affect the battery in any way.

[skip100]

I've been watching my Battery Charge and Battery Voltage readouts like a hawk for last few days.

Typically, the voltage will quickly go to 14.7V immediately after the engine is started, and then settle down at around 14.4V. I believe that it's charging when the voltage is this high. (my calcium charger charges at 14.7V, but I assume that 14.4V is also enough to charge?)

As I said before, when it's NOT charging, the float voltage seems to be around 13V. It seems to gradually (but quite quickly, over a few minutes) reduce the voltage down to 13V as it presumably approaches full charge.

However, I still haven't seen the voltage at the float voltage (13V) with the charge being at 100%. A few days ago it got to 86.6%, but today it's just over 90%. Once it stops charging, the charge percentage seems to stop increasing. (as one would expect)

IF it is measuring the charge current, and is terminating the charging when the current drops sufficiently, why doesn't it update the charge percentage to 100% at this time? I wonder whether it's slowly learning the characteristics of my (new) battery, and will soon show a 100% charge?

Greg.

[skip100]

I've had my suspect battery tested by an independent mechanic - the battery is "good", however it's state of charge is only 25%. This is despite having charged it with my calcium charger, and leaving it on float for a few days. Once again, the battery was ALREADY charged when I took it from the car, because the charger went through the stages VERY rapidly. (note that I didn't want to put it through another equalisation stage so soon after the one I had done a week ago, so I aborted the calcium mode equalisation, and restarted the charger on a standard wet/sealed cycle, so the float voltage was slightly lower than it should have been - 13.5V instead of 13.6. Nevertheless, the battery should still have been fully charged. Unfortunately it appears that I can't disable the equalisation function in calcium mode)

Anyway, I think it's reasonable to assume that my battery is indeed stuffed, after having running it flat by leaving the headlights on. I'd like to do one more test though - have my new battery tested at the same place, just to confirm that their tester can be trusted with this specific battery.

Greg.

[skip100]

Got my new battery tested at the same place - the tester reported that it's good, and charged to 96%. :) (the dash display was reporting 80% charge just beforehand, FYI)

So I'm chucking out the old one. Btw I read somewhere that calcium batteries are particularly susceptible to over discharging.

Greg.
p.s Drove an 06 WM Statesman today, and noted that there was no Battery Charge readout in Eng. Mode - just the voltage.

[prh1973]

Had my WL Stateman go flat overnight last week. This is the first time I have had this problem. Has not happened again. Wierd that it only went flat the once.

[BikesareBetter]

Yep, there is something not right with the VE's. Had my SV6 for 1 month(second hand 38,000km, 18 months old). Took it for a long drive to work and back. 60km round trip. That evening, dead as a door nail. Could not even open the door - had to use the key - old fashion style!
Jump started it from the Subaru, let it idle for 4 minutes, turned it off and left it. Came back to it 1 week later, and it started first go as if nothing happened. Go figure.

[skip100]

I noticed something which I found curious the other day - the battery voltage whilst idling (in Park) was rather low - approximately 12V and sometimes a bit under 12V. With the voltage this low, current may have been drawn from the battery. If I revved the engine (still in Park), the voltage rose.

Usually, I find that the voltage is maintained at no less than around 13V. Even with the climate control on and high beam, it can still maintain this voltage when idling. So, if the alternator is capable of supplying enough current when idling, why wasn't it on this occasion? I didn't have the headlights on - all I had on was the climate control. Note that it was a warmish day - around 30. The Battery Charge percentage was quite high. (I can't remember the actual value, but it was definitely above 70%)

Greg.

[falcom]

I have a friend with a Calais V and the battery went dead flat for no reason.His car was built in June 2008.I thought they would have sorted this problem by now.Is this still an ongoing problem?The VE is now well over 2 years old and they still have this battery issue.

I think this reflects quite badly on Holden!

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

Well after being stranded at the airport for over 90mins last week unable to jump the grange from another car. RACV did it in 2 secs flat with their industrial strength battery pack :bawl::confused:

Anyways, under diagnosis from the team at Booran Holden Cheltenham, finally got the rear door wiring harnesses & bluetooth kit fitted.. parts supplied under goodwill gesture from holden, labour $378 on my head :flipoff::flipoff: even though problem started and reported from 50k onwards... now with 170k on the clock... "oh no warranty, but holden will out of their great generosity supply the parts if yu pay the labour".

BULLTISH!!!

wait till the weekend when I draft my letter to Holden customer service. cc: HSV, Herald Sun, Age, Motor, Wheels, VACC, RACV and dept of fair trading.

Cucking Funts:flipoff::flipoff::flipoff:

[thescroogewins]

Had my brand new SS Sportwagon with 500km on it fail to start due to a flat battery.

Holden took the car overnight to recharge the battery. The service chick asked if was leaving the car in the garage unlocked overnight. Which I was doing, she said that locking the car each time you leave it may solve the mystery problem as they believe if you leave the car unlocked for extended periods (overnight) the cars "brain" (as she termed it) keeps firing up expecting me to return hence flattening the battery over a few nights.

Sounded like shit to me but I've been locking it every night and its been starting fine for the last four weeks.

The RACQ guy (Roadside Assist) also said that in QLD the RACQ have refused to replace batteries in VE's on the roadside as the labour it takes to remove the side, floor, and boot interior panels to remove the whole battery is not covered in $$$ terms in the payment they receive from Holden so now any VE's with dead batteries unable to be jump started get towed to the nearest dealership for them to deal with.

[holden6.0]

quote/The service chick asked if was leaving the car in the garage unlocked overnight. Which I was doing, she said that locking the car each time you leave it may solve the mystery problem as they believe if you leave the car unlocked for extended periods (overnight) the cars "brain" (as she termed it) keeps firing up expecting me to return hence flattening the battery over a few nights. /quote -thats definately untrue i leav mine unlocked every night in garage,been 9 months now. for the ppl havin this problem im sure ive read about a service fix for that in ere sumwhere- earlier in this thread probably do you hav a rear dvd player

http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=94815&highlight=ve+battery+flat

[Shulkor]

Not sure if this has bein posted but apparently leaving the keys in the ignition can do it for reasons as posted above happened to a mate of mine in his ssv and thats what they told him and he did leave em in that night.

[darb]

ive had exhaustive conversations with auto sparkys and high level holden techs over it.

The issues are these ;

1) The VE is a greedy manager of its power usage when the car is off. Systems stay active too long, particularly if left unlocked and ESPECIALLY if the key is in the ignition ...therefore you may think youve just got the radio running ... but youve infact got a lot more drawing on it. Every time you wake the car up (open a door), it resets timeouts, wakes up modules and leaves them on etc ... so if youre saying, waterskiing for the day and have radio on, or camping or whatever ... expect the VE to destroy the battery on its own accord very easily. The reason is sh1t engineering.

2) The VE charging system is a farce, it has seven highly complicated modes, and in essence its charging and monitoring sytems are just straight out crap. Again, bad engineering.

I wanted to hook up a dual battery sytem with smart solenoids and other things to my VE ... two of my auto sparkys have said they wont touch it with a bargepole unless i undertake a very real expectation that warrantys may get voided and theres every chance of breaking something due to unneccessarily complicated wiring and systems.

A replacement battery of higher ilk isnt really doable given the restricted space (in VE ute anyway).

Personalyl want im doing now to try and get around things is wheni go camping and run fridge and/or music with amp is a) remove the key and leave it out. b) direct feed for power to them amp, aswell as amp (have got override switch for when this is done, usually it pulls power control of the key...) ... a seperate standalone abttery back for the fridge ... problem is it cant be charged by the car (refer above.)

Shit engineering.

[Excellent]

Imagine how many potential sales Holden have lost over what should be a minor maintenance issue that should be performed once every 3-5 years. If that frequency increases from a few years to a matter of a few weeks, that's piss poor!

[ringram]

Has anyone got the technote for the BCM change from 50% charge to 80% charge mentioned earlier?


ive read through all 7 pages. some people are close and have obviously had experience with this.

most people know the fault, but ill throw my 2 cents in, seeings as i re-flash at least one car a day for this problem.

basically there is a software fault in the BCM that tells the alternator to charge too late, to much power has already been drained from the battery.

the setting used to be 50% capacity, start charging. now, with the revised software, the alternator charges when battery gets to 80%

im pretty sure bout the figures, but ill double check tomorrow.

it is true that putting a bigger battery in IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. the BCM doesnt know that a larger battery has been installed and will actually drain more of the battery before it charges properly.

ill scan the documents for this, and upload them. seeings as this is such a big problem, people can read what holden have to say for themselves :)

there have been instances of modules draining power, most times it has been the REC (rear entertainment centre), which will also cause the battery to go flat.

driving the car after it has gone flat WILL NOT charge the battery properly. it needs to be put on a AC charger for at least 8 hours to get a proper charge in it.

stay tuned for the upload!

This is the post referred to in my query above ;)

[darb]

id like to know too ... particularly why holden havent done a recall? or have they? I.e does the latest BCM fix the issue?

I had mine looked at recently, repalced the battery (11 months, just in warranty) ... said that the charging system was fine.

I dont buy it, but ive given up, screwed by design.

[OZChris]

Bugger :(

We experienced a flat battery after our month old VE Sportwagon was parked over the weekend. I went to start it on Sunday afternoon (parked since Friday night) and nothing happened :(

Luckily I have a 'battery pack' and re-started with some assistance. We went for an hour drive to charge the battery.

Seem okay at the moment, but now I am nervous that it will happen again.

Any one got any updates re recalls / flash upgrades ???

[Wonky]

We went for an hour drive to charge the battery.

From things I've read on here I believe that will only part recharge it. :( It's a pain that they still don't seem to have got on top of the problem. Do you have any extras eg DVD?

[OZChris]

From things I've read on here I believe that will only part recharge it. :( It's a pain that they still don't seem to have got on top of the problem. Do you have any extras eg DVD?

Cheers, I had a look at the % charged level through the 'service backdoor' and it said 100%.

Our SS Sportwagon is bone stock at the moment.

[VESS-VWagon]

Hi,
have just read through the mountain of posts relating to this issue from as far back as 2007 and cannot believe this issue has not been properly addressed by Holden.

I left the wagon parked for 2 nights, locked, in the garage and came out yesterday morning to start it and nothing. The dash lights came on, barely, but hit the key and the whole thing dimmed away to darkness. Had to fart around and use the trusty old Hilux to jump it. i have no extra loads connected i.e DVDs, car phone kits.

Got straight on here and read the posts relating it to it for 2 days. Armed with the info I rang Holden today. Guess what, my particular dealership says there have been no issues to date with the VE and Sir, please continue to monitor as it was a one off.

I feel like printing the 20 odd pages from this single thread and throwing it to them to read. Anyway, guess I will have to hope it doesn't happen again and in the mean time, I'm off to buy a charger.

[darb]

holden stick their head in the sand and dealerships deny any "known issue" (straight out lying) ... because essentially what we're talking about is a design flaw across the entire VE range, that cant be fixed, it is an inherently sh1t engineering design of their charging systems, the computer algorithms in use that measure / control charge rates, aswell as a batch of bad batteries .. AND VE systems are prone to amp-draw.

I had my battery replaced (1 year warranty on batteries) ... and touch wood it's been OK.

Incidentally, it takes 7 hours for the VE to correctly charge a flat battery, and has something ike 5 different charging cycles / algorithms.

Unpug the battery (resets the car) ... will reset the "current charge state" and possibly let the car charge the battery properly.

You'll never actually fix the overall cause of this issue ... just bandaid & handhold to prevent the sypmtoms.

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

I noticed something which I found curious the other day - the battery voltage whilst idling (in Park) was rather low - approximately 12V and sometimes a bit under 12V. With the voltage this low, current may have been drawn from the battery. If I revved the engine (still in Park), the voltage rose.

Usually, I find that the voltage is maintained at no less than around 13V. Even with the climate control on and high beam, it can still maintain this voltage when idling. So, if the alternator is capable of supplying enough current when idling, why wasn't it on this occasion? I didn't have the headlights on - all I had on was the climate control. Note that it was a warmish day - around 30. The Battery Charge percentage was quite high. (I can't remember the actual value, but it was definitely above 70%)

Greg.



This is pretty much what we discovered with the Grange..

Not Holden mind you.. they are useless money grabbing monkeys who dont know their arse from their heads.

No t'was Gary (Chev) and my research that solved it.

At idle 550rpm no accessories or a/c on the car was showing 13.9v. When we hit the headlights and a/c to 25% they dropped to 12.5v. Basically not charging the battery at all.

Under normal driving scenarios for my industry we are idling half the day more recently with the heat wave with the a/c on as well.

No wonder the batteries were going backwards.

Anyway I have tossed the calcium POS and gone for an Optima Yellow Top 750CCA battery and then Gary with his trusty laptop, and a bit of experimentation with the revs at idle and their impact on when the alternator started kicking in, upped the idle to 730rpm so now it is still reading 13.7v with accessories and a/c on.

No change to fuel economy, the car does creep a little in D under brakes at thew lights but HEY at least there are no more flashing warning lights and it starts first time every time.

:smilesandbanana:

[Excellent]

This is pretty much what we discovered with the Grange..

Not Holden mind you.. they are useless money grabbing monkeys who dont know their arse from their heads.

No t'was Gary (Chev) and my research that solved it.

At idle 550rpm no accessories or a/c on the car was showing 13.9v. When we hit the headlights and a/c to 25% they dropped to 12.5v. Basically not charging the battery at all.

Under normal driving scenarios for my industry we are idling half the day more recently with the heat wave with the a/c on as well.

No wonder the batteries were going backwards.

Anyway I have tossed the calcium POS and gone for an Optima Yellow Top 750CCA battery and then Gary with his trusty laptop, upped the idle to 730rpm so now it is still reading 13.7v with accessories and a/c on.

No change to fuel economy, the car does creep a little in D under brakes but HEY at least there are no more flashing warning lights and it starts first time every time.

:smilesandbanana:

Better send Holden a memo. Might save a lot of current Caprice owners a lot of headaches.

[falcom]

Hi,
have just read through the mountain of posts relating to this issue from as far back as 2007 and cannot believe this issue has not been properly addressed by Holden.

I left the wagon parked for 2 nights, locked, in the garage and came out yesterday morning to start it and nothing. The dash lights came on, barely, but hit the key and the whole thing dimmed away to darkness. Had to fart around and use the trusty old Hilux to jump it. i have no extra loads connected i.e DVDs, car phone kits.

Got straight on here and read the posts relating it to it for 2 days. Armed with the info I rang Holden today. Guess what, my particular dealership says there have been no issues to date with the VE and Sir, please continue to monitor as it was a one off.

I feel like printing the 20 odd pages from this single thread and throwing it to them to read. Anyway, guess I will have to hope it doesn't happen again and in the mean time, I'm off to buy a charger.



I could not agree with you more and this problem is going to cost them future sales.

I know of three VE owners that have had flat battery issues(all 2008 models) and they all said they will never buy another Commodore again.(Not because they had a problem but because Holden have still not fixed this issue 2 YEARS down the track) (This reflects very badly on Holden)

It does not inspire much confidence in a car when every time you get in it you are afraid it might not start.

[Tre-Cool]

I've had no drama's with my 07 ve nor my brothers 06 when left for over a week parked up, and my brothers car has been parked up at the back of our house for over 3 weeks.

started it up this morning and drove his to work, just to make sure it doesnt go flat.

sounds more like dodgy batteries than a problem with the electrical systems draining to much power.

[Wonky]

Got straight on here and read the posts relating it to it for 2 days. Armed with the info I rang Holden today. Guess what, my particular dealership says there have been no issues to date with the VE and Sir, please continue to monitor as it was a one off.

I feel like printing the 20 odd pages from this single thread and throwing it to them to read. Anyway, guess I will have to hope it doesn't happen again and in the mean time, I'm off to buy a charger.

Would be good to do anyway but the f**kers would still claim ignorance...... :vpo:

[lomax]

My clubsport LS3 had a flat battery too, but hey its only a flat battery.
The clubsport is the best car for your money.
Now if they won't buy a VE because of a flat battery then they will never buy a BMW. Try a M3 that just stops because the computer tells it to stop and you have to get it towed. Nice at 110km down the freeway.
And we will not talk about the difference in money between a BMW and HSV.
I think people should just enjoy driving their HSV.

[VESS-VWagon]

My clubsport LS3 had a flat battery too, but hey its only a flat battery.
The clubsport is the best car for your money.
Now if they won't buy a VE because of a flat battery then they will never buy a BMW. Try a M3 that just stops because the computer tells it to stop and you have to get it towed. Nice at 110km down the freeway.
And we will not talk about the difference in money between a BMW and HSV.
I think people should just enjoy driving their HSV.

Lomax, I completely agree. I'm definitely not going to get in a bad mood because my car wouldn't start once. I do like the performance and comfort of the Sportwagon for the money I paid.

It's just Holden's attitude to the obvious problem. I see what other people have said though, very costly to admit they went the cheap option on the battery.

But yeah, at the end of the day, I'm still satisfied with the overall product. Got to expect a few hiccups. That's why I was completely calm when on the day we picked up the car and the A/C shat itself on the way home on an unseasonally friggin hot August day last year. It stopped working, I pulled over, checked fuses and all that jazz. Nothing. Then driving along with windows down sweating our ring pieces out it kicks in again, hasn't missed a beat since. Stupid machines, but I love em anyway,

[Excellent]

Lomax, I completely agree. I'm definitely not going to get in a bad mood because my car wouldn't start once. I do like the performance and comfort of the Sportwagon for the money I paid.

It's just Holden's attitude to the obvious problem. I see what other people have said though, very costly to admit they went the cheap option on the battery.

But yeah, at the end of the day, I'm still satisfied with the overall product. Got to expect a few hiccups. That's why I was completely calm when on the day we picked up the car and the A/C shat itself on the way home on an unseasonally friggin hot August day last year. It stopped working, I pulled over, checked fuses and all that jazz. Nothing. Then driving along with windows down sweating our ring pieces out it kicks in again, hasn't missed a beat since. Stupid machines, but I love em anyway,

I was told by somebody at Holden that the VE battery issues are fixed. They had problems with the early VEs. The same person also told me some terrible stories about late model BMWs and VWs and their electricals. It can be frustrating but be positive, it could happen on any new car. If the dealer is customer focused, they'll treat you good. If they don't care, try another dealer. At least that's what I would do.

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

I was told by somebody at Holden that the VE battery issues are fixed. They had problems with the early VEs. The same person also told me some terrible stories about late model BMWs and VWs and their electricals. It can be frustrating but be positive, it could happen on any new car. If the dealer is customer focused, they'll treat you good. If they don't care, try another dealer. At least that's what I would do.

Great in theory but show me 1 dealer service centre that is customer focussed on WARRANTY ISSUES.

When the $$/hr they get from GMH are almost half of what they get from the paying customer why would they want to waste their time on pesky customers. Much easier doing a minor service for $200 in 15m than doing the hard yards to fix dodgy batteries over and over again for GMH $$.

:flipoff::flipoff::flipoff:

Holden Service new mottos should be:

Greed is Good" and
"The warranty customer is a pain in the arse"

:flipoff::flipoff::flipoff:

[OZChris]

Got another 'car won't turn over' from the missus on Thursday arvo :vpo:

Spoke the dealer, got the 'bring it in, we'll have a look' response. I asked whether they really had a solution or was it a 'look-and see'. When I got the 'don't really know', I hung up.

Anyways, just had the battery on the charger for < 1hr and the charger is saying it's full -> me thinks the battery is stuffed.

Will try the dealer again on Monday -> otherwise I'll be looking for an aftermarket battery :flipoff:

[OZChris]

Dealer installed a new battery today, according to the invoice "found battery failure internally".

Let's hope that the end of the flat batterys :)

[Tre-Cool]

I think i jinxed myself by posting in this thread.

Parked car up friday night, went to go out saturday morning and it was completly dead. had enough power to open the boot once then that was it. nothing on dash, nadda.

jumped started it from another car, then it had errors galore on the dash. it got driven for a about 4 hrs that day and it's been fine since.

the only thing that was out of the ordinary that night is i didnt lock the car and i left my efilive cable plugged in, which all though known to use power will not drain the battery in a 9hr window. though if it kept the tcm,ecm powered up it could be a possibility.

[Wonky]

the only thing that was out of the ordinary that night is i didnt lock the car and i left my efilive cable plugged in, which all though known to use power will not drain the battery in a 9hr window. though if it kept the tcm,ecm powered up it could be a possibility.

I have heard that even leaving the car unlocked for long periods eg overnight is risky as it could send a car with previously "hidden" problems over the edge. Not sure about the EFILive cable - was it connected to anything or do you mean you just left it in ready to connect up again next day? I had my scangauge permanently plugged in to the ODB2 port (as do others) and never had a problem, even when the car was not touched for an 8 day period at one point.

[Tre-Cool]

just left it connected to the obdi port.

[HOWQUICK]

they are a small capacity battery and anything that "hangs" the BCM will cause the thing to go flat.

[LS2_307]

Me to.......:confused:

just got the car back from HSV service.....
part of service was flat battery issue upgrade for rear DVD.

2 x days later backed out to wash, turned on radio for 1/2 hr and hey presto....fucn battery flat. :flipoff:

have not had any issues until reading this thread and taking to dealer for service...go figure??

[Excellent]

they are a small capacity battery and anything that "hangs" the BCM will cause the thing to go flat.

So the batteries should be higher capacity units? That will solve all the issues?

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

No!!!!

Mine was upgraded to the 600CCA "police battery" and still went flat.

The only thing that will fix the issue is to ditch the Calcium battery if you plan on running any accessories when the engine is not running.

:soap:

[aaron__aus]

I had the same issue 2 weeks ago, mines a feb 08 model with no dvd or sat nav.

Battery completely dead after 2 nights.

BUT: I had done something different. That was the first time I had parked it in a garage. Normally it's parked outside (far away from the street).

I was wondering if being fully enclosed in darkness for 48 hours made a difference as my car has never been enveloped in darkness for that long since I've had it.... Car was all locked up, keys not in ignition.

RACV came to charge it and said I'd have to get it recharged. haven't yet and still going strong on around 14 on the battery voltage meter. Will get it done in a couple of weeks at my service.

Just curious as to whether any of you guys/girls had this happen to you whilst NOT being parked in a garage?:confused:

[HOWQUICK]

The only thing that will fix the issue is to ditch the Calcium battery if you plan on running any accessories when the engine is not running.

:soap:

what are you going to do with the hydrogen gas that gets produced in the battery operation enclosed in the boot? Serious safety issue there bloke.

[Wonky]

BUT: I had done something different. That was the first time I had parked it in a garage. Normally it's parked outside (far away from the street).

I don't know the details of how bluetooth works but is it possible that parking it closer to the house (I assume) somehow meant that was kept active?

[aaron__aus]

I don't know the details of how bluetooth works but is it possible that parking it closer to the house (I assume) somehow meant that was kept active?

Hi Gary,

That may be possible - however I got a new phone due to a faulty one a couple of months ago and have been too lazy to activate bluetooth and connect to the car, so unfortunately that scenario is out :(

I didn't even have the GPS plugged into the cigarette plug. So no idea!

[kingwalker]

So the batteries should be higher capacity units? That will solve all the issues? like ive stated before your battery will have a sticker on the bottom right hand corner on the top off the case, will tell you cca , res cap, Ln2 is about 450cca. Ln3 is about 550, both are black batterys, if its white its a LN4 about 600cca made in italy charged here,

i see them most days being made , but really cant be exact on the cca, out off all the batterys made at exide where yours come from, they are no special chargers used on the gmh batterys,yes batterys fail but holden have still got a issue regarding power drain on the ve .for a every day car a standard battery will be okay, i see even a few orbitals come back as duds, so even buying one wont solve your issue,my opion is you get a good ve or a bad one, if you got a bad one and they keep blamming the battery, tell them to put a century in, and when that goes flat, rip them a new a---ole

[OZChris]

like ive stated before your battery will have a sticker on the bottom right hand corner on the top off the case, will tell you cca , res cap, Ln2 is about 450cca. Ln3 is about 550, both are black batterys, if its white its a LN4 about 600cca made in italy charged here,

Just curious what cca should the battery be?

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

what are you going to do with the hydrogen gas that gets produced in the battery operation enclosed in the boot? Serious safety issue there bloke.


??????????????????????:confused:?????????????????? ???

I dont follow, nobody mentioned that before....

[ir0n_jaw]

Hi guys,

First time poster here.

I've got an October 08 SV6 Sportwagon in Alto Grey (supposedly a test colour) which I bought a month and a half ago as a demo. I'm about to make my second trip back to the dealer tomorrow after a second flat battery.

The first time I took it in, I was told it was a software issue and that they had uploaded new software. They also had it in overnight to recharge it fully.

What happens is I park it in my garage every night, lock it up, ensure no lights etc are on and leave it overnight. Twice now my wife has loaded the baby in the car to go out in the morning and she gets greeted by a load of warning messages on the dash (stability control off, or a big X with 'notify dealer' or words to that effect. The important thing is that the battery is completely flat. RAC came out last time to get us going and I ended up buying one of those portable jumping units just in case. The RAC guy said and I quote, "I'm not supposed to say this, but I get a lot of these".

Anyway, I'm concerned cos we have one car, one baby with another on the way - and the reason we chopped in our XR6 was to get something new, reliable and with warranty. I rang up the Customer Assurance Centre to express these concerns and within a second of me finishing my sentance the customer service lady said "Take it back to the dealer and tell them to check the sleep mode of the battery, plus contact the technical department so they can get a test case". Sounded like she's said that before!!!!!!!

Is the this the beginning of a long saga for me??

An update. The RAC man has just been and gone.

He reckons the battery is fine, the voltage is fine and its got charge - it didn't even start with his booster. I get a big red X when I try to start it with 'Contact Dealer' . I guess the engine management system is somehow buggered.

Can anyone advise what tact is best to take with the dealer?

[gtmailac]

Hi
I have an 07 VE, V Series Commodore and have had serious issues with the battery over the past 12months. I've lost count how many times i have driven it to holden or how many times its been towed or jump started by RACQ to get there. .

Originally the battery was going flat after the car sat for about 4 days in the shed with holden service using a series of excuses blaming the key in the ignition, car was either locked or unlocked in the shed and the 12v charger for my mobile phone.

Thankfully I get along with the service manager and after many frank discussions, it was revealed that they were going to investigate the blaupunkt radio. There is a known issue that the radio turns itself on internally causing the electrical system to stay live and over a short time, maybe even a few days this drains the battery. When this occurs, the battery is that flat that it cant even unlock the doors or turn on the inside light and it takes RACQ a good jump start pack to get it going. Holden refused to replace the battery, as their thoughts were somethin is causing it to drain - which it seems it a valid point.

The Blaupunkt radio was replaced and replaced and replaced (total of 5), with one head unit only lasting an hour before it completely failed - including all of the climate controls which are conveniently located within the radio fascia. Holden Melbourne heard my thoughs about the inanity of the situation at which time it was revealed that Blaupunkt were sending Holden factory refurbished units for my car. I demaned a brand new radio using the line that I paid near 40 thousand for a new car, not for a second hand one, therefore I expect new parts.

Lately the car is working ok and haven't had any flat battery re-ocurrences. A recently former Blaupunkt service agent told me this week that Blaupunkt have pulled out of Australia and Asia Pacific Region and given my experience, I can only say that the sooner Holden stops using them for radios the better.

My suggestions are:
- Keep your holden assist warranty up to date with the yearly service feature to get the next year up to the third year (Holden assist refused to accept my call for help claiming it was out of warranty, yet the car was just over 12mths old, so we rang the selling dealer and the service manager turned up himself with a mechanic and got the car going).
- Demand new Blaupunkt radio equipment
- Talk to Holden Melbourne customer service

Hope this information helps.

[darb]

in other words, 2star engineering, shithouse parts, and a company who does not give a crap and wont take responsiblity for their crap product.

Yep, thats holdin-on.

[ir0n_jaw]

Thanks for the reply gtmailac, much appreciated and interesting about the radio...

My problem turned out to be a completely f**ked engine management system, which has now been replaced. My wife took delivery of the car earlier, so I didn't get a chance to give the car the once over before accepting it back.

One thing I'm concerned about is whether the service guys will have patched the ECU up to the latest software version to avoid the battery problems coming back.

If I get any more problems, I'm going back to the dealer with the car and will not be leaving until I've got my money back. I (we) should not have to put up with this shit.

[HOWQUICK]

??????????????????????:confused:?????????????????? ???

I dont follow, nobody mentioned that before....

why you don't put lead acid batteries in confined spaces......

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/electric/leadacid.html#c4

There are plenty of battery explosion stories around from just charging them on the bench.

[ascottaudio]

MY VE omega is back at Kevin Dennis Holden for the second time for this battery drain problem.I hope it gets fixed.. but after reading about all the grief this is causing others..I am not confident.

Does anyone know an Auto elec or sevice center that can deal with such an issue ??..as it seem like the holden dealers like to have people come back many times ...with still no garrantee of a result (maybe Gm pays the dealers each time they look at the car...so its an incentive for the dealers not to fix things straight up)

Cheers.

[Wonky]

maybe Gm pays the dealers each time they look at the car...so its an incentive for the dealers not to fix things straight up

The hourly labour rate Holden pay dealers for warranty work is way under what they can get for services etc so the reason is the opposite!! Why spend time on warranty work when they do much better on normal work! :yup:

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

why you don't put lead acid batteries in confined spaces......

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/electric/leadacid.html#c4

There are plenty of battery explosion stories around from just charging them on the bench.


How is having the battery in the boot more restrictive than having it under the bonnet with the engine and all the heat its emitting???

[Drewie]

What about the original Mini's they had the battery in the boot and a very small boot at that. Never heard of any issues with them and they would have been Lead/Acid batteries. Maybe we are more safety conscious these days.

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

.... and all the big car stereo installs etc.....

pardon my ignorance and I do admit to a serious lack of knowledge in the area but I dont understand the difference:bow::bow::confused::confused:

[Excellent]

A mate at work told me he was listening to the radio for about 5 mins in his VE GTS before cranking the engine over that morning....... tick, tick, tick, dead battery! Not happy Jan.



:soap:

[Wonky]

Yeah, I never had an issue with my SSV sedan in two years but the guy who bought it from me said he used the radio for 15 - 20 mins without running the car while he cleaned it and the battery died on him.

[Hubcap]

........... and the saga continues............. my 07 SSV ute goes back to the dealer tomorrow, as the dash reads 'battery saver mode on' at the start of each day. This is despite the car always being connected to a trickle charger every night. Even bought a 1200amp starter pack just in case. Also changed the Projecta 1600ma for the Calcium MC121045C today. I have this terrible feeling (after looking at all these complaints) that this problem isn't going to go away and I too will be another statistic.:vpo:

[thermos]

yeah about 14 months I posted a post where my VE SS had a battery flat issue and the dealer charged it overnight.
The car has been fine so far, but as I drive it so infrequently say once every week or once a fortnight , I thought I really should buy a battery charger to keep the battery charged.
Is it still necessary to buy the $200 jobbie or will my 20 year 4A charger do the job?

Thanks Thermos

[Hubcap]

Since my last post and having taken it to the local dealer - no problems - so far! The dealer said that there was no 'quick fix' to this and other issues yet. However, I bought a calcium battery charger and after my car was dealt with by the dealer, it took me almost 8 hrs to recharge to full capacity! I knew this to be a good thing as my previous trickle charger merely topped up the charge to a level much lower than the max capacity of the battery.

In other words, my advice would be to get a calcium battery charger. Good luck!

Phil

[thermos]

Since my last post and having taken it to the local dealer - no problems - so far! The dealer said that there was no 'quick fix' to this and other issues yet. However, I bought a calcium battery charger and after my car was dealt with by the dealer, it took me almost 8 hrs to recharge to full capacity! I knew this to be a good thing as my previous trickle charger merely topped up the charge to a level much lower than the max capacity of the battery.

In other words, my advice would be to get a calcium battery charger. Good luck!

Phil

Do you have to disconnect the battery (from the car) before connecting this type of charger?

Thanks
Jeremy

[Bounty]

Make sure you dont leave the key in the ignition barrel even if the car is turned off as will still keep some modules 'awake' which will drain your battery. To answer your question about a calcium charger, you must NOT use a normal lead type charger, only a calcium charger.
The alternator does not control the charge rate in VE's, the body control module (BCM) does, and sometimes it doesn't charge the battery enough because it takes ages to full recharge a calcium battery and the BCM only really kicks in when the battery's are at 60% capacity.

And you must disconnect the battery when charging

[Finney]

OK, My VE SS is 18 months old. Had the battery replaced....still had problems. Then they couldn't find anything. Then found a loose connection...Fixed that.....still no good. Then after about 6 times of finding my battery dead I got up Holden directly as the dealer just states...we are just the middle man!!! Also tried it on me that it was because I was leaving the phone charger in the socket (With no phone connected). I told them if that is the case then they need to resolve the root cause as every other car I have owned it hasn't mattered. Anyway this time they believe it was the bluetooth module. So far no flat battery but it's only been a few weeks. However the new bluetooth module has been 100% reliable with auto connecting my phone!!! The last one constantly gave me the sh&ts.

Cheers

Finney

[Hubcap]

Do you have to disconnect the battery (from the car) before connecting this type of charger?

Thanks
Jeremy

Bounty is correct - although I'm not sure about removing the battery. The instructions are a little contrary, but after some questions to mechanics - I was told that it wasn't necessary. After you're first big charge and if you're on charge all the time thereafter (as I am), it charges the battery very quickly.

If in doubt, or if you're not comfortable leaving the battery connected - just disconnect. I had no issues and every time I go out - she's as good as gold. The main thing is - you need a calcium charger. My car is my toy and it only comes out when I want to. It spends it's 'off' hours on charge.

Phil

[kingwalker]

yeah about 14 months I posted a post where my VE SS had a battery flat issue and the dealer charged it overnight.
The car has been fine so far, but as I drive it so infrequently say once every week or once a fortnight , I thought I really should buy a battery charger to keep the battery charged.
Is it still necessary to buy the $200 jobbie or will my 20 year 4A charger do the job?

Thanks Thermos
no your old charger will do the job,all we do at the place there made is give them a longer charge time,any one want a pontiac battery,there 2,000 units sitting a shed going flat as holden dont want them. 600 cca

[EvokeWM]

Well I never thought this thread would go on as long as it has when I first posted up the problem back in May 2007.

Interestingly the problem I had with the battery going flat was rectified when Holden had Marshall fit a new battery. Marshall did not have a replacement Calcium battery so they put in a standard lead acid battery with a promise to call me when stocks of the Calcium batteries came in. They never called and I didn't go looking as the standard lead acid battery fixed the problem and I never had a flat battery again for the next 9 months or so until the vehicle was returned to the leasing company.

[cdbrown]

My 60th Anniversary VE has gone flat twice for no reason. The guy that came out just recommended that we make sure nothing is plugged into the lighter socket or radio auxiliary input jack just in case it drains power. 2nd time there was nothing plugged in at all and after getting jumped was told to let it run for 1/2 to get the charge back. Going in for 15k service so hopefully they can sort it out.

[hithere]

It appears this issue is still going on.

My car had a flat battery for the first time in 12 months of ownership (since new). When I dropped the car off, the dealer asked me a series of questions that was written down as a form to fill in. Questions like:

- When was the last time you have driven the vehicle?

- Have you had your radio/CD player replaced?

- Do you get 'Voice In' come up on display when NOT using bluetooth?

- Any other unexpected messages come up on display OR noticed any unusual behaviour?

Can't remember the rest now... but the bottom line is, it is clear that Holden still does not appear to have a handle on this issue.

We buy new cars so they don't break down and now we have a car that may or may not start tomorrow. :vpo:

[skip100]

Being worried about this problem, I carry a portable radio with me and listen to it when I'm waiting in the car with the engine off. When I stop the car, I immediately open and close the driver's door, which shuts the accessories down (to some extent). I then turn on my little radio.

I'm in my car a LOT, and so far, I have only ever had a problem when I had accidentally left my headlights on to the extent that the engine would barely turn over. After I had done that, the battery simply never recovered properly, even after having charged it with a proper calcium charger. Since then, everything has been fine, but I have been careful.

Greg.

[planetdavo]

It appears this issue is still going on.

My car had a flat battery for the first time in 12 months of ownership (since new). When I dropped the car off, the dealer asked me a series of questions that was written down as a form to fill in. Questions like:

- When was the last time you have driven the vehicle?

- Have you had your radio/CD player replaced?

- Do you get 'Voice In' come up on display when NOT using bluetooth?

- Any other unexpected messages come up on display OR noticed any unusual behaviour?

Can't remember the rest now... but the bottom line is, it is clear that Holden still does not appear to have a handle on this issue.

We buy new cars so they don't break down and now we have a car that may or may not start tomorrow. :vpo:
Check out the other VE battery thread for a recent bulletin on this, released 24/11/09.

[Wonky]

FWIW - worknssv (James) had a flat battery Fri morning for some as yet undetermined reason. It was totally dead - not even dash lights. Remembered my original battery was still sitting down in the shed from when I replaced it with an Optima D34 four months ago to drive my upgraded sound system.

Given the problems with VE batteries I half expected it to have gone flat after four months just sitting in the shed. James replaced it and it fired up his cammed car perfectly well! :goodjob:

[smoov GTS]

I had battery problems from new, then got the so called fix from the dealer.
Still got a flat now and then, but put it down to leaving the radio on too long or leaving a door open too long. I don't drive it much (about 2 or 3 times a week) and leave the keys in the ignition every night. You'd think if the keys in the ignition are the problem, I'd have flat batteries all the time.

Now just last week, I was away with the car and had an overnight stay. Of course I locked the car, but when I went to start it in the morning, I couldn't even open the door with the remote. It was just dead, as if no battery was connected. But luckily I carried a battery booster in the boot, I connected it to the car battery and straight away, the car started (of course). I then disconnected, so no charging time, and away I went. Now I was in an out of the car all day, will short runs and lots of starts, all this with no booster connected. How can this be? The battery was dead and with 5 seconds of booster battery connected it goes all day.

My theory is that something has told the computer that the battery voltage is low, so to stop further discharge it electronically disconnects the battery (its thinking being that this will save damage to the battery). Then when a booster or charger is connected, the computer sees the now higher voltage and reconnects. The car battery never actually being flat at all, just continues on working as normal.

I'd just like to know what makes the computer sense a false low voltage in the first place.

[smitheyes]

My 06 WM wouldnt start the other day so bought one of those jumper packs from SCA lives in the boot plugged into the cig lighter socket next to the battery just in case. live 2 hrs drive out of Adelaide dont want to get stuck in the middle of knowhere with no phone reception.

[falcom]

Holden has really dropped the ball on this issue.

My Brother has two VE's and both have had two flat batteries and everytime he goes in they say that the problem is sorted now.

I also have another friend who is on is third battery in two years.

Holden can say what they want but this issue is still there and should have been given the highest priority. The VE has been out for four years, yet we are still talking about flat batteries.

I have owned Commodore's all my life but I did not get a VE on this issue alone as I cannot take the risk of getting stranded.

[silvervyss]

My trip to melbourne justs gets better and better. Went to crown last night at 9pm. Played a bit of poker and left at 4am. Came to turn on car, wouldnt even kick over. Got check engine light and see dealer warning. Tried to jump start it, nothing. I could hear a ticking noise comming from the left passenger kick panel.

We pushed ther car, and jumped started it second gear, turned on but went in safe mode and wouldnt rev. Turned it off, pushed again and it started but with the check engine light. Drove to my parents, left it overnight; tried to start it again, nothing. I have ordered a new battery from holden ($99 trade), mate of mine said to pick it up tomorrow as he wants to charge it overnight.

Just a note, done ever ask for help at crown, @#$@#$ dont want to help anyone. Hope its the battery. If not, its off to NJCCORP to Nicks.

[RABSP]

I made the mistake of leaving the keys in the ignition overnight, that is a quick way to fatten your battery.

My cousin had a Calais too and the seat would go all the way forward at night and sit on the stop till the battery went flat.

My sister had the issue with flat batteries, turned out to be water in the drivers door of all things.

[SEMPER FI]

Went away for OS for 7 seven days and got back to find the battery was dead. I think the some of the electrics are not sleeping as it is supposed to do !!

[Raptor6L]

Have read alot about this dead battery issue that people seem to be having and i have always said "thank f*ck that's not happening to me"......until this morning. Drove the car on Saturday morning - no probs, nothing different. Didn't drive anywhere on Sunday. Come 4:30 Monday morning, open the garage, hit the remote button......"why won't this thing unlock". Thought it might have been the remote's battery at first. Peek thru the window and the alarm icon on the dash isn't flashing, so i opened the door with the key. No alarm, no interior lights, absolutley nothing, everything is dead. Fanbloodytastic!

Ended up getting a mate around for a jump start and away i went.

I seems strange that this issue has just all of a sudden happened. I haven't changed anything recently that would cause a battery drain, and i haven't had to deal with this issue before with this car. Maybe the battery is on it's way out? 3 years old - seems about right.

Opinions anyone?

[Raptor6L]

Hmmm, so iv'e started it a few times today, running errands after work and it's like this morning never happened. I've got a battery charger on it now so i don't get stuck again. I also went and found what PD was talking about back on the last page.
See here (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=1636341&postcount=29)
Think i'll be dropping into the local dealer this week to see what's what.

Cheers
Chris

[skip100]

I noticed something which I found curious the other day - the battery voltage whilst idling (in Park) was rather low - approximately 12V and sometimes a bit under 12V. With the voltage this low, current may have been drawn from the battery. If I revved the engine (still in Park), the voltage rose.

I'm looking at this issue again.

I observed this behaviour today. The engine was idling, climate control on, and an engine and/or climate control cooling fan was on. (I could hear it). The voltage was about 12.2V, and I believe the battery was quite fully charged. Assuming that the battery is always connected to the system, and assuming the battery really was fully charged, this means that a lot of current was being drawn from the battery. I say this because the no load voltage is typically 12.7 to 12.8V, and if I then switch on the headlights (with engine off), the voltage drops down to about the same level. (12.2V)

Note that the battery % charge indicator (on the Eng. Mode dash display) was NOT falling in this condition.

Also, when I switched the climate control off, the voltage returned to a normal level. When I switched it back on again, it stayed at a normal level, however the fan did not come on again straight away. (I have not yet verified that the voltage is only low when the fan is on - I suspect so though)

Is it correct behaviour for a lot of current to be allowed to be drawn from the battery when idling? (assuming that I'm correct, of course)

Greg.

[skip100]

There's something else. When stationary & idling with the climate control on, I sometimes notice that the fan seems to stay on for a VERY VERY long time - possibly indefinitely. I'll just be sitting there, and suddenly think "hmmmm - I haven't heard the fan go off". So, I then turn off the climate control, and turn it back on again, and normal fan behaviour seems to resume. (and the fan will not necessarily come back on straight away)

Given that the fan can stay on for a long time, and ASSUMING my hand-waving about the current draw just happens to be correct, this may drain the battery.

Greg.

[smokey777]

well 1.5yrs so far no probs fingers crossed lol :1peek:

[Belzey]

Went out to run the kids to school this morning and my car is DEAD god damn I am pissed off... Lucky I had another car to use!! :flipoff: this is the first problem I have had in the 5 months of owning it no idea why it just happened!