jorgeb1024

Hello,
after searching thru the forums I finally gave up and decided to ask on a new thread.

I bought an 08 g37s about 2 1/2 months ago automatic 71k miles, used as my daily driver for work.

2 weeks after I bought it the engine didn't start after pressing the button around lunch time. The engine cranked and made the noise, but then it just powered down. All electric devices stayed on (radio, nav, gauges)

I powered everything off, then tried again and it worked.
I didnt think it was a big deal. The same thing happened a week later, it didnt turn on, the engine made the noise but it then turned off... as if it didnt have enough battery, I tried a couple times, then It finally worked.

The dealer gave me 30 days warranty, since i was still under the 30 days, i took the car to infiniti westminster, and they couldnd find anything wrong.
they just said the battery drained, they recharged it. the alternator was fine, the starter was fine they said.

since the dealer said everything was fine, i couldnt force them to fix something they couldnt point out. so i drove off. my 30 days went by.

Then again a couple weeks later same thing, but then it turned on after I tried again. And finally last night, It just would not turn on, the engine would try to start, and nothing. luckily I was near an autozone, and they brought the battery tester and they said my battery was too drained. they recharged the battery to 98% and the car started fine. I drove the car to the autozone so they can test alternator, and starter again. Again, the alternator and starter passed everything, so did the battery.


I then got another opinion from oreily to run the tests, they said the same thing. Everyone is telling me its not the battery. But nobody can tell me what it could be.

The original dealer that sold me the car will no longer help me because my 30 days are over, even tho I made them aware of the problem before the 30 days, but infiniti westminster couldnt figure out the issue.

the original dealer (circle audi) said they will pay for another inspection/ dianostics to another infiniti dealer, im going to try cerritos now. But they will not pay for the repairs they said. hopefully they can give me an answer.
has anyone seen this problem?

A couple weird things:
right after I started the car after the full 98% charge. they ran another test on battery and it went down to 70% charge. (autozone)
then i turned it off, and turned it on again, and my car wouldnt start again. it had then gone down to 30%. it seems like everytime the car was started, it would drain the battery a big percentage.

i left the car alone for a few mins, then I tried again and the car started. I just drove it home , and let it there. this morning I tried to start it and it started up without any issues. It felt like a strong start, not a weak one like last night. That's another thing, in the mornings it always seems to start stronger than around lunch or evening.

Any ideas?

easy rider

You need a new battery.

EnYcee-G

iTrader: (36)

the same thing happened to me last week. car didnt start but all electrical things worked. radio, windows, etc. took the battery out and got it tested that same day, and it turned out the battery was no good anymore. got a new one and its like night and day when you start the car.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

Your battery is 7 years old. It's done. Buy a new one.

jorgeb1024

Thanks for the responses. I will try a new battery... let me point out the manufacturers date on the battery is 2013...But its worth a shot anyway.

I left the car at infiniti cerritos today.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

So your battery is not old. Look into the vent control valve TSB.

jman09

possible you have some sort of phantom drain going on? i'd have a competent shop check for any power draws from the battery while your car is off.

PongSanity

iTrader: (5)

Buy an optimax. red or yellow top.

2008G-Man

If you have a amp/volt meter you can check yourself, it's pretty easy. Just Google Phantom load for a car.

2008G-Man

Optima .... you don't need the yellow top unless you have a lot of after market electronics. Still won't help you if you have a phantom power drain.

jorgeb1024

I will check for Phantom Power Drain...

But, if autozone charged my battery to 98%, and after 2 engine starts right there at the store my battery drained to where it didnt start a 3rd time, Would that even be enough time for a phantom drain to even occur? I would assume that would be the issue if the car was left alone, and something drained it over a couple hours... But this was maybe like 3-5 minutes.

Flakman

Could be a battery defect that just causes premature battery degradation. Of course you won't get warranty on it since you are not the original battery owner. Things like that happen. If after two starts, the battery level is severely decreased, that's a bad battery. Not a phantom discharge. If the electrolyte is good, then having the battery sit a while may allow it to regain enough charge to crank and maybe even start the engine. An old battery mostly likely wouldn't do that anymore. It still sounds like battery to me.

jorgeb1024

Thank you. I really appreciate all the responses.
The dealer still has my car.
Hopefully they just suggest its a battery issue.
I think I will go ahead and just replace the battery before I do anything else that they may suggest (which will probably be more expensive) and rule that out.

Everyone keeps recommending optima red, or optima yellow. my car is completely stock both electrical and body, Should I spend the little extra on the yellow if its a stronger battery?

Flakman

Unless you're gonna mod with something that will draw more than the alternator can push out, it may not be worth the added cost. The Optima battery is definitely nice for when you leave something on that drains the battery as it has a really good ability to gain back enough charge after discharge to typically start a car after a while. Other than that, you just need a good quality battery.

2008G-Man

Optima Yellow is for more than normal drain like aftre market amps, lights, etc .... red top is what you want. It's a good battery but is $$$ ... Summitt Racing online has good prices and is shipped fast and well packaged. And they are maintenance free.