What's up guys, first time posting here. I have an '08 G37 S Coupe which I recently encountered a problem with. The car has been sitting in the driveway for the past couple of months because I've been strictly using my work vehicle. I went to get in the Infiniti yesterday and the key fob wouldn't unlock my doors. My first instinct was to change the battery in the key fob, which I did, but I was still having the same problem. I ejected the physical key from the fob and used it to open the driver side door. No lights came on, and when I tried to push "Engine Start/Stop" I got absolutely nothing. I have a Stanley battery tender that I got at Wal-Mart for like 50 bucks, so I tried to plug it in and hook up to the terminals on the battery, but when I did that the horn honked once and the lights flashed once (simultaneously) --- at this point I checked the connections on the battery terminal and confirmed that they were good. I put the battery tender into "Engine Start" mode which is supposed to take 60 seconds before you can start the engine. As soon as the tender was put into "engine start" mode, the horn started honking again (w/ flashing headlights again) but this time it was repeated over & over, like the car's alarm was going off. I unhooked the battery tender and it stopped.

Does this sound like a dead battery to you guys? Or something else? FWIW, I *do* think something is wrong with my battery tender because I tried to use it to start my CBR600 (which had also been sitting) and it simply didn't work.

I am afraid to disconnect the battery for replacement because last time I did that, the car went into some type of protection mode which prevented the windows from being rolled up - and I had to get it fixed at a shop (and it wasn't cheap)....I've heard there is some tool I can use to prevent this but I have no idea what that tool is.

Please help.

-CJ

 

Hi CJ, these cars have a small battery drain. It's actually pretty common, most owners that leave their cars off for more than 2 weeks experience slow cranks or dead batteries. Being that it's been a couple of months I'm certain it is the battery. Battery tenders work as long as THEY are in good condition however with a battery drained for that long it might not hold charges. You could always give the car a jump with a proper working battery or another car to get the vehicle to start. If it does your tender is fried

Putting a new battery and not driving the car for more than 1 week will eventually start draining it also. If you are I suggest investing in a small 12v solar panel and leave it hooked to the battery, you could even hard mount the panel inside and let it do it's thing.
Some members have discovered that cutting a single wire behind the fusebox stops the battery drain however it will require more effort than a solar panel.

 

Just here to say dont take it back to the same shop you got your windows fixed. If it was that pricey they took advantage of you because it it a extremely easy fix