dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

OK, i am totally confused and disappointed in my car. We are talking about '03 Nissan Maxima SE that has been in service since August 2002 and currently has 50k miles on it. No major issues, great running car.
3-4 weeks ago i posted here about my original battery being dead after not driving the car for 3 days. I took it to two different shops, they ran battery test and and both placces said that the battery was old and bad, not capable to hold charge.

I went to Sears and purchased a brand New DieHard Gold battery with 3 year full replacement warranty. These are great batteries and i am speaking from experience. The car was running great for the last 3 weeks. Always starts like a champ.

I moved the car from the street to the driveway yesterday around 3pm. No problems.
I am leaving the house this morning, in a hurry for work...and my car cannot start. The engine is cranking, barely....i hear a a loud clicking sound but it cannot start. Dead battery!!! Again!!!
MY brother jump started the car and it started right way and now it is starting with no problem.

Why is this happening??? This is a "new" car. Has anyone seen this before?
I did NOT forget anything running in the car - no lights, no accessories, plus, i always thought the a 2003 Maxima should have a built in battery protection. WRONG!!!
The two aftermarket things that i have installed in my car are INfinity Basslink Subwoofer/Amp and Passport Radar detector. The BassLink *should* turn itself OFF after awhile and now i am thinking if this is what is not working and killing my battery. Btw...the BAsslink is directly attached to the battery. (battery protection may not affect it) I don't think the plugged in Passport can kill a new battery over one night period.

What do you guys think?? What should i do? If i take the car to the Nissan dealer, i am afraid that they will charge me $50 deductible (i have Gold extended warranty) and they will say that everything is normal until my car is dead again when i'm stuck somewhere. I have bitter experince with Audi mechanics and electical problems from the past. Where can i start if i want to do some troubleshooting at home. I have a volt meter and all the goodies...

Thanks in advance!!!

FERN

iTrader: (2)

You may have a bad alternator.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Disconnect the baselink and see if your problem goes away.

dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

Good suggestion....

I can try to measure this with a volt meter. What is the normal output for the Alternator of a Maxima under full load ? 13.5V - 14V? I've done this on German cars many times but now i have a different beast.
I'll try it tonight.

mike_747

At the risk of stating the obvious, why not just take the car to the dealer, it is under warantee.
Let the dealer figure it out.

dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

Mike, Believe me, i would do it right away, pay the $50 but there are two things that bother me:
1. I need the car during the day, which i can somehow bypass..
2. My local Nissan dealer is not the place that has impressed me with its knowledgeable mechanics. I've had some crappy experiences with these people last year and especially when it comes to electrical problems, i have this theory that not many mechanics are good at tracking/fixing them during the first few visits. I had So much headache from the past dealing with 2 Audi dealerships, it is not even funny.

I am keeping the dealer option as plan B, but i was hoping that i can do some troubleshooting on my own with my own tools and knowledge. And if someone here has gone through this path before, i wanted to hear their experience.

Thanks!