Wrong Battery, what kind of issues can it cause to the electronics?

[acuboost]

The dealer I got the car from was kind enough to put a new battery in the car problem is that is was not the tight battery, at least according to what I can find online. I am still hoping for a simple solution to my convertible issue and perhaps the battery I have now does not have the CCA to trigger the electronics. A longshot, I know.


This is what I have now:

It is my understanding that I need a 700 CCA or more and 70Ah.

Any thoughts?

[Dave T]

I am fairly sure that a Group 48 battery is the correct size.

Now, there are H sizes and I think H-6 is the correct size. Looking the H-6 size, I see 600-730 CCA available. I think you have enough battery power for the Miami area.

[walawala]

the batteries seem to die just after a year. i just replaced them twice. both died 1 month after warranty. I wonder if it's because of the lower CCA? Both were rated about 680+

[acuboost]

Replacing the batteries twice is a costly ordeal, did you figure out why?

Has anyone had issues with the electronics, top for example or the remote not working correctly, I guess any issues at all related to a lower CCA than 700 in the 2006 Aero Convertibles?

[walawala]

haven't found the reason. They seem to get weak after 12 months. and by the 13th month the car won't start anymore. Have been trying out the brands available where i am

Yokohama : 13 months. Dead
GP Atlas : 13 months. Dead
Century Marathoner : 6th months now, but battery doesn't feel as strong when new. ACC has been acting weird too.

Charging voltage are all good.

[9-3 Aero]

I am fairly sure that a Group 48 battery is the correct size.

Now, there are H sizes and I think H-6 is the correct size. Looking the H-6 size, I see 600-730 CCA available. I think you have enough battery power for the Miami area.

As stated in the Saab 9-3 (2003-2014) forum, is the battery in OP's 9-3 to be 70Ah 700CCA (in accordance with WIS and EPC).

[Dave T]

haven't found the reason. They seem to get weak after 12 months. and by the 13th month the car won't start anymore. Have been trying out the brands available where i am

Yokohama : 13 months. Dead
GP Atlas : 13 months. Dead
Century Marathoner : 6th months now, but battery doesn't feel as strong when new. ACC has been acting weird too.

Charging voltage are all good.

That's very short. Battery life is short when it's very hot, like in Malaysia, but 13 months is very short. Sometimes batteries are old when you buy them but having 2 old batteries is not that likely. Sometimes, batteries can short because of chemical debris around the terminals, but your two batteries were clean and new. Sometimes, adding tap water that has lots of minerals isn't good, but I suspect you aren't doing that.

[walawala]

well...i'm not sure if it was because i accidentally drained them. so they didn't really last.

for the Yokohama, i left the bluetooth OBDII reader plugged in overnight and it totally drained the battery. Couldn't jump it
for the GP Atlas, i left the car ignition ON while changing the gear jalousie for the first time. (took about an hour, but i can do it in 15mins now and i put the ignition in OFF). Jumped it a few times but only lasted 2-3 more days before really quitting

so let's see how long this new battery lasts. I picked them cause they had the Home Assist so I just called them to replace the battery.

[ChicagoLiz]

Replacing the batteries twice is a costly ordeal, did you figure out why?

Has anyone had issues with the electronics, top for example or the remote not working correctly, I guess any issues at all related to a lower CCA than 700 in the 2006 Aero Convertibles?

My husband had a bad battery replaced and almost immediately started having problems. The car started making a ticking sound, the transmission malfunction light went on and the car shifted hard. Soon after, his radio went out. The trans seemed to get worse and worse. Several people looked at the trans and had different diagnosis from saying there was nothing wrong, to saying that he needed a new trans (which he eventually did). After getting the trans replaced, decided to get his radio working only to find out that the radio for his '06 Saab runs about $1000 (give or take), and needs to be 'flashed' by the dealer. It turns out that the radio is also controls the information for the car, and the convertible top.

The problems just seemed to get worse all of the time. He then started to have problems starting the car, symptoms like a bad battery. He took the car back to where he bought the battery and they told him that the battery was not bad and not good. It was during this time that the sales agent realized that he had been given the wrong battery. When they replaced the bad with the new, his car performed like a new vehicle. I have been advised that these problems could very well have been the cause of having had a bad battery installation. Any suggestions? Thanks Liz 

[RichSPK]

Without getting too deep into the issue, heat and vibration are the primary enemies of batteries. Make sure your battery isn't loose enough to rattle around and make sure your alternator isn't sending much more than 14.5v to the battery (that will overheat the battery).

CCA stands for Cold Cranking Amps. That's how many amps the battery can provide at a certain low temperature for a certain amount of time in lab tests. That number is important because it's harder to turn over a cold engine than a warm one. As long as your car cranks right up and starts, you have enough CCA (at least for current conditions). Electronics don't draw more amperage than they need, and 600+ amps should be plenty for virtually any electronics, short of large motors or heaters (and our cars don't use electric heaters). Say you have a massive 1200 watt stereo. At 12 volts, that will draw 100 amps (1200w/12v=100a). Fewer CCA than stock won't hurt your electronics; at worst, it will give you trouble getting the engine started.