New Stinger GT2 - Bad Battery Will Not Hold Charge

[Jay Tea]

Hello All,

I am a forum NuB, just picked up my 2018 GT2, and would like to share some frustrations with the car's battery.

I purchased this "new" car, which had been sitting in the dealership's showroom for ~10 months. I'm guessing the car saw many looky-loos over those months, operating all the hog-hungry electrics (hatch, seats, sunroof, etc), and am guessing the dealer never regularly trickle-charged the battery back to "full"?

AGM batteries do not like discharging below ~50%, especially repeatedly, as this will ruin the battery.

I drove my new car home (~16 hours from dealership). The next morning, I washed / waxed the exterior and leather-conditioned the interior. Leaving the doors open for ~1 hour drained the battery enough so the engine would not start (instead, there was a buzzing / clunking noise from the engine bay). I put the battery on a charger for 6 hours (it instantly began at 10 amps, then declined to 6 amps then 2 amps after several hours, confirming that the battery was very low. After charging, the engine started and ran normally. I then put the battery on a 1 volt trickle charger for 2 days to "top it off". Didn't do any good, as the battery is too weak to start the car this morning.

I will make an appointment tomorrow to have my closest KIA dealer (1 hour drive away) replace this worn-out battery on my "new" car, hopefully under warranty? This is not the way to start a new relationship with a fun-to-drive car!

Has anyone else in the Stinger universe experienced a "new" vehicle with a bad battery?

 

[kezzer]

First off congrats!

It's not uncommon for a brand new car to have a bad battery, especially if its been sitting in the heat. That should be completely covered under warranty.

 

[VegasStinger]

I agree with Kezzer, if its been sitting on the lot for the long time chances are its just a bad battery. Any dealer can take care of this.

 

[MurlinatoR]

Your factory battery has a warranty for 12 months or 12,000 miles. It'll get swapped when they run the tests.

 

[oddball]

FWIW, I saw some strange things when I connected the charger to the fuse panel under the hood. Voltage held at 12V regardless of amperage, didn't seem to be taking a charge.
Connecting straight to the battery in the trunk worked normally.

I'm sure the fuse panel connection is fine for jump starting the car, but probably need to go straight to the battery for charging.

 

[Jay Tea]

Thank everyone for their replies!
I have an appointment at my KIA dealer next week, and this should be an easy issue to repair.
Just disappointed in the dealership who sold me this new car, as they MUST have known that the battery was kaput.
Of the dozens of new cars I have purchased in my lifetime, this will be the first that failed me within a few days of purchase.
Thanks again to all.

 

[MurlinatoR]

Don't let your Stinger experience be tainted by a battery.

It's very common for a car battery that's been left dead for weeks or longer to gain a weak cell.

 

[Jay Tea]

As a Happy New Year update:

My local dealer tested the battery, and confirmed that it would not hold a charge. They installed a new one, and the car operates perfectly now.

I want to mention that I purchased a new CTEK US 3300 Battery Charger for the Stinger, due to:
* Its higher charge rate of 14.7 VDC (recommended for AGM CA batteries).
* It reconditions the battery with each charge (desulphation, bulk, absorbtion, pulse).

I will be reviewing this 'intelligent' charger in a separate thread in the coming weeks.

 

[kezzer]

As a Happy New Year update:

My local dealer tested the battery, and confirmed that it would not hold a charge. They installed a new one, and the car operates perfectly now.

I want to mention that I purchased a new CTEK US 3300 Battery Charger for the Stinger, due to:
* Its higher charge rate of 14.7 VDC (recommended for AGM CA batteries).
* It reconditions the battery with each charge (desulphation, bulk, absorbtion, pulse).

I will be reviewing this 'intelligent' charger in a separate thread in the coming weeks.

Glad it wasn't anything serious and happy new year to you as well.