ND battery under-spec'd?

[RBH58]

Was the battery drain test done at the dealer with the transponder in the car or a large distance away?

I don't know, about at the dealership. I have to assume that they know what they are doing.

What I do know is that the key was 4 floors of reinforced concrete away from the car when the battery went flat...so that did not contribute.

[JBT]

I don't know, about at the dealership. I have to assume that they know what they are doing.

Hmmmm.....

[bruce]

Yes...

[OMY005]

Was the battery drain test done at the dealer with the transponder in the car or a large distance away?

I don't know, about at the dealership. I have to assume that they know what they are doing.

Dealership would have no idea, they just ask Mazda Aus HQ what to do (otherwise they wouldn't get paid for warranty work they "thought they knew how to fix"). If Mazda Aus HQ has no idea then it goes to Japan.

What I do know is that the key was 4 floors of reinforced concrete away from the car when the battery went flat...so that did not contribute.

My (uneducated) guess is the battery may be of marginal quality (mfg defect) from the beginning. And I would guess again its the key-less system that is causing the problem. Transponder close to or in the car, low current drain from the cars transmitter as the car knows it's very close and turns down the signal. Transponder out of range ("4 floors of reinforced concrete away") then the transmitter ups the signal for two weeks or more and drains the marginal battery. My transponder is very close by to the car when not dríven for the few weeks I don't use it.

Hope this is helpful, Andrew.

[RBH58]

My (uneducated) guess is the battery may be of marginal quality (mfg defect) from the beginning. And I would guess again its the key-less system that is causing the problem. Transponder close to or in the car, low current drain from the cars transmitter as the car knows it's very close and turns down the signal. Transponder out of range ("4 floors of reinforced concrete away") then the transmitter ups the signal for two weeks or more and drains the marginal battery. My transponder is very close by to the car when not dríven for the few weeks I don't use it.

Somehow I doubt that they'd program the car to keep upping and upping the signal and sustaining it in pursuit of a handshake. That makes no sense to me.

[TrackAttack]

My 2c

Dealerships do have an idea, and they also seek advice from Mazda Australia which I think is a good thing, not something to put them down for... There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and Mazda Australia are extremely helpful in both advise, and willingness to spend money to recify concerns that keep consumers happy

As for Battery concerns... the day to day struggle, thanks iStop...

Mazda dealers test batteries using an approved, Mazda Australia supplied test unit. These units cost thousands of dollars and are very particular in the way they test a battery. I have heard of batteries undergo a 5 hr equalization before a charge, test perfect and perform faultlessly.

There's always a lot of dealer bashing on forums but anyone who suggests a Mazda Dealer cannot accurately perform a dark current test needs to understand the information at hand for these mechanics is second to none, and their ability is backed by factory training. It can be the easiest place to work, as diagnosis is simple for simple concerns. They also get all of the concerns other places cannot rectify. Your generic mechanic has a fault, and if he cant fix it, "refer to dealer" is the common answer, leaving the dealer/dealer mechanic to pick up the pieces.
If the battery passes said test then the cells are good and it requires a charge. If it fails said test, it gets replaced, the dealer gets paid and all is well. Lets not throw batteries at cars that don't need them, for the environment n sh*t right... Mazda Australia are not out there trying to split hairs on replacing batteries, plus it would be more detrimental to have unhappy customers for underspec batteries than to pay the money and increase battery capacity, if that was indeed the case...

I think after over 1 million MX5's, Mazda are aware the vehicles are not used every day, and can spec a battery to suit

On to the concern,

In the area you park the ND, are there other late model Mazda's around? Let me offer an example...

Your ND sits there whilst you are away... Another Mazda parks near or drives past said ND... The transmitter in said vehicle is picked up by your vehicle, registered as not correct and all is well. This situation wakes the car up. This could happen every day... multiple times a day... from multiple vehicles... to me the communal garage is the only thing that rings a bell...

[RBH58]

My 2c

Dealerships do have an idea, and they also seek advice from Mazda Australia which I think is a good thing, not something to put them down for... There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and Mazda Australia are extremely helpful in both advise, and willingness to spend money to recify concerns that keep consumers happy

As for Battery concerns... the day to day struggle, thanks iStop...

Mazda dealers test batteries using an approved, Mazda Australia supplied test unit. These units cost thousands of dollars and are very particular in the way they test a battery. I have heard of batteries undergo a 5 hr equalization before a charge, test perfect and perform faultlessly.

There's always a lot of dealer bashing on forums but anyone who suggests a Mazda Dealer cannot accurately perform a dark current test needs to understand the information at hand for these mechanics is second to none, and their ability is backed by factory training. It can be the easiest place to work, as diagnosis is simple for simple concerns. They also get all of the concerns other places cannot rectify. Your generic mechanic has a fault, and if he cant fix it, "refer to dealer" is the common answer, leaving the dealer/dealer mechanic to pick up the pieces.
If the battery passes said test then the cells are good and it requires a charge. If it fails said test, it gets replaced, the dealer gets paid and all is well. Lets not throw batteries at cars that don't need them, for the environment n sh*t right... Mazda Australia are not out there trying to split hairs on replacing batteries, plus it would be more detrimental to have unhappy customers for underspec batteries than to pay the money and increase battery capacity, if that was indeed the case...

I think after over 1 million MX5's, Mazda are aware the vehicles are not used every day, and can spec a battery to suit

On to the concern,

In the area you park the ND, are there other late model Mazda's around? Let me offer an example...

Your ND sits there whilst you are away... Another Mazda parks near or drives past said ND... The transmitter in said vehicle is picked up by your vehicle, registered as not correct and all is well. This situation wakes the car up. This could happen every day... multiple times a day... from multiple vehicles... to me the communal garage is the only thing that rings a bell...

I completely concur and you raise a VERY interesting point. Every night it's parked right next to my wife's Abarth 124. Mmmmmm....

[Red_Bullet]

Nick your wife's battery.....

[JBT]

[TrackAttack]

Whilst I know little about the Fiat, I do doubt it registers anything on your ND. It will be looking for a very specific signal, which another Mazda can transmit, but it would be like using the wrong key so the car would see it and determine it to be wrong, whereas with the Fiat it shouldn't even transmit across.

I'm super curious about this and next time I'm chatting to a Mazda Brainiac from MA, I might just ask about the possibility of keys registering and waking a car up if they are for another car.

In the meantime, I would look into maybe a portable, rechargeable jump starter type device which could boost battery capacity whilst left dormant, or go green with something like this if the parking gets sunlight...

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Produc ... att/292829

[RBH58]

You do understand that the Abarth 124 is an MX5 with a Fiat engine built on the same Hiroshima production line as the MX5?

[Mr Morlock]

Another thing to worry about- what car is parked next to mine and do I have a check listing of compatibility of keys which could result in flat batteries and failure to start the engine. Life is so complicated but I have a car with a crank handle so I have got my bases covered.

[Red_Bullet]

All this speculative talk about different keys maybe causing the car to wake up and drain more current from the battery...

Why doesn't somebody stick an current-meter in the circuit and look what really is going on. I have an current-meter but no ND. Having some evidence might be useful to resolve this speculative thread once and for all.

[TrackAttack]

I do understand the 124 is an MX5 base, but I doubt it uses Mazda electronics or software. Its the same principal is the BT50/Ranger, and the electronics are very different between those 2 also. To keep on track this is speculation, as we like speculation...

Red_Bullet, because I also don't have an ND, and I'm not about to test a customers vehicle to prove/disprove this. Just adding an idea, and defending my line of work. My evidence would be to get an answer from the horses mouth so to speak.

[RBH58]

I do understand the 124 is an MX5 base, but I doubt it uses Mazda electronics or software. Its the same principal is the BT50/Ranger, and the electronics are very different between those 2 also. To keep on track this is speculation, as we like speculation...

Red_Bullet, because I also don't have an ND, and I'm not about to test a customers vehicle to prove/disprove this. Just adding an idea, and defending my line of work. My evidence would be to get an answer from the horses mouth so to speak.

I think would definitely use the Mazda's locking system. The functionality is identical.