Why in the heck do Vipers eats batteries so badly?

[PAvenomRT/10]

JonB is right again (is he ever been known to be wrong?). I left my map light on and because it is a small bulb and not very bright, forgot it and my battery was dead in a couple of days. I am now very aware of the map light and as a result only drive on bright, sunny days!
Pavenom RT/10

 

[ViperTony]

I've been bitten by the map light too.

 

[JonB]

... I bought my car used, so I am not sure how old the battery was. Over last winter my car sat for 4 or 5 months on a battery tender. I had the car alarmed the entire winter. When I pulled the car out of storage, it started right up. I went for a drive and parked it for a day, came back and the battery was completely dead. I think alarming the car drains the battery much faster than not alarming it at all. My car is a 99 RT/10, so during the winter the car is not alarmed anymore.....

You discovered SEVERAL truths of the wacky world of "Viper Batteries"

The common denominators are:

1) Battery Tenders prevent most problems.
2) Battery TENDED batteries last longer.
3) Alarming the car drains the battery more than not alarming it.
4) More faults exist in 1996.5 and onward, esp 1996-7 and 2006.

 

[IL96RT10]

I just changed my battery in my 1996 for the first time last May and it was the original battery.

 

[Vic]

I've put one new battery on, in 43,000 miles, and 6 and a half years.

 

[AviP]

Living in the northeast, I've dealt with this problem for 10 winters now. What I do is to run the car for about 10 miles every 2-3 weeks (preferably 2 weeks). It lasts all winter without a problem if I do this. It's the alarm that drains the battery.

 

[AviP]

All those who are saying that they do not have battery problems, what are the low temps in your area?

 

[Vic]

All those who are saying that they do not have battery problems, what are the low temps in your area?

In winter, we might see 40s at night, and only a few times have I seen it go down to freezing at night, here in southern Orange County, CA. Its not generally cold here, so maybe that helps the batteries survive.

I remember growing up in New York, we frequently would put in a new battery every winter. Lends new meaning to the term- "Cold cranking amps", baby!

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Finally finished repairing my broken driver's side power window and now the battery won't take a charge. Looks like it is fried again. Why do these cars eat batteries?

Made in the US and even worse, Detroit. I have gone thru 5 batteries since 1999 and only 10k miles.

 

[ViperTony]

All those who are saying that they do not have battery problems, what are the low temps in your area?

In CT we've seen low 30's mostly, getting into the teens and -3 to -5 on occasion. My garage is not heated but well insulated. Temperatures never drop below 36 or so in there. I keep a battery tender on it. In fact, its sat in the garage since October and started right up this morning as I needed to warm up the engine for a compression test.

 

[slaughterj]

It's the alarm that drains the battery.

Maybe for some. But in my 98:
1. It was a daily driver, so not sitting around to die
2. It had no aftermarket electrical parts/work
3. I was fully aware of the map light
4. At home, it never had the alarm on, and that's where it was at night
5. At work, it rarely had the alarm on, because I drove to work and parked it *******

Yet, even with all the above, the car had a fairly new battery when I bought it in '01 (the previous owner had put in a new one because he didn't drive much), I had to buy a new battery ~2.5-3 years into ownership, and the day after selling it after having it 5 years, the new owner had to buy a new battery. That's some turnover, without having any of various issues some have cited for why the batteries go quickly.