Battery Drain XG350

This has been happening to my 2002 XG350 since i purchased it new. The
original went dead 18 months and had to replaced with an "upgraded" one at
the dealer. This "upgrade" one lasted about another 18 months. Then I
purchased a $110.00 Sears Diehard which died just short of 1 year. This
Sears battery being replaced was under warranty and didn't cost me any $$,
due to the 3 year warranty. The small electrical test they do on the system
said all was well after the new battery was install.

My question is, what could be causing such a drain on the batterys I've had
over the years and has anyone experienced this problem themselves?
Batteries in my past cars have lasted anywhere from 3-5 years....and I think
I got 6 years out of one once. There are also NO battery lights showing on
the dash. The battery light does go on at ignition lamp test, but goes out
within a few seconds.

Thanx for any replies or ideas contibuted so I can take care of this
situation.

Steve S.

 

A couple of pieces of info. that may help.

*From what part of the country are you from? I just saw a map of the U.S. a
few weeks ago, where it showed the expected life of a car battery. In the
southern-most parts of the country, it is 2-3 years. In that case, you
wouldn't be too far behind the curb.
I guess that, even though we are in Winter, and know how hard Winter starts
can be on batteries, that it is heat that truly reduces battery life,
whether it is atmospheric heat, or engine compartment generated heat. That
is why some car makers are moving the batteries to different locations, to
get them away from that heat;

*There seems to have been a proliferation of batteries out there that aren't
lasting as long anymore. I don't know if it is cost-cutting by the battery
manufacturers (there are only a couple of companies that truly make
batteries anymore, regardless of label), or what, but I am hearing about
batteries not lasting too long more and more.
It is entirely possible that you just got three poor batteries, and maybe
the new DieHard will work out just fine. Also, I have heard about short
battery life in more than a few Hyundais and Kias, even after the original
battery is gone. Car or battery?? Who knows.

My suggestion to everyone is when the (origianal) batteries go bad, get a
replacement with a long free warranty period (preferably three years).

For example, I have purchased a number of batteries from Sam's Club. Have
NOT had good luck with them either (none has yet lasted three years), but
with the free replacement warranties, I have paid very little for batteries
over the years. It is just the nuisance of having them die and having to go
up and get them replaced.

Tom Wenndt

 

You raise a couple of interesting points. First, it was not long ago that
60 to 72 and even 84 month batteries were readily available and truly lasted
about that long. Maybe that was not good for the battery manufacturers that
stood to sell less of them if they lasted a long time. I would not be
surprised at all if the studies show that cars are sold often enough that
the owner will not be making a claim for a 60 month battery after 36 months
anyway, so offer the warranty as a sales tool, but cut costs and just get a
few years from it. You know you will piss off a few people, but most people
will be selling the car and never will know if the battery died. And we
make more money so screw the customer.

I can see that Hyundai and Kia may go for a cheaper OEM battery up front,
but I'd think the replacements should be as good or bad as any other brand.
If the alternator keeps up, it should make little difference, unless the
standby draw is more than other brands.

 

My Battery in my XG 300, 2001, is still good & is the original. A few weeks
ago the car would not start after sitting for 10 days. Turns out the Day
time running light module had failed (Canadian, eh) & that had turned the
dash lights on for 10 days (or more?). That fixed , the battery charged up
top again & all seems just fine. Lots of cranking power in the cold even
after it sits for a week plus.
As far as care goes, just kept the terminals clean But the car is never
driven anywhere for less than a 1/2 hour, so I assume the battery gets
recharged.
BCinBC

 

Thank you all for replying.. It's interesting what B Crawford says about
his/her idle XG. Mine sat still for a week (I was out of town here in San
Diego). I use the automatic "lights on and off" feature most of the time.
Are you saying that if this feature fails, the dash lights-up even when the
engine is off? That might explain the batt. drain if I understand you
correctly. Please explain a bit more. Thanks

Steve S.

 

just for chuckles, why not place an ampmeter between one of the battery
cables and its post....take a look for current draw with the ignition off.

 

I had a battery less than a year old short out on my Elantra & it took the
alternator with it. IT"S just a gamble how long it will last. With the
poliferation of electronics on new cars we are asking the battery to do
ALOT of work

 

Canadian models have daytime running lamps; your U.S. model doesn't. The
issue the other poster was referring to was with the daytime running lamp
module. Since you don't have one, you shouldn't have that issue.

I should note, however, that if system voltage gets low enough, your car
may think you've turned on the lamps and actually turn them on. But if
your system voltage is that low, you've already got a problem.

 

You should have a current draw of 50mA or less. 100mA or more is cause
for
immediate concern.

 

I appreciate everyones input. And thanx for the clarification hyundaitech
about the daytime running lights. I'll take the car into the shop for an
electrical system check and see what's-up. Thank you all for the input.

Steve S.

 

Did you ever find what was draining the batteries? I have the same problem, nothing to do with the battery. It, the xg350, will drain a brand new battery in 4 days ( no lights or radios left on) Something is not being isolated when ignition is off. I installed an isolator switch that saved the battery from being killed off (couldn't afford the replacement batteries) , but its far from convenient! Hyundai must know where they screwed up. Why don't they just come clean and give us the fix?

 

That thread is over 11 years old. Started in Dec of 2006.
Don't know if any of those guys are still around.