Lessons from a dead battery and where you hang your keys

[Davidinseattle]

Hi all, wanted to post my lesson on where my wife hangs her keys to her LR4. The other day, we had a no start situation. Car is driven about 5k a year (wife's island car). I put it on the charger and we took my rig, and when I got home, it started right up.

I took it to the dealership and they replaced the battery. They also asked me where we put the keys when it was sitting in the garage. I told them right inside the door. The question then was, "is the vehicle going into rest mode?" I said I didn't know. The test was to open up the door and if your electronics come on like you have the fob in your pocket, then the vehicle isn't in rest mode.

Well, sure enough, we've been placing the keys too close to the vehicle while it was parked in the garage and it never went into rest mode. As a result, we ended up with a bad cell on the battery after a little over a year. We've since moved the key fobs to the base of our stairs and all is good.

 

[Surfrider77]

Sounds fishy to me. My truck keys are never more than ~4 feet from my truck hanging on a hook in the garage. Never had this issue.

 

[Davidinseattle]

what year is your rig? Wife's is a 2015.

 

[backcountryLR4]

My salesmen told me not to keep my key(s) in the car or it would drain the battery as the car would keep checking for its presence if it thought it was there...

 

[iSurfvilano]

I'm not sure that's accurate. I keep my keys in my truck while it's parked at home which is 80% of the time. Done this for 6 months now with no issue. I also have a dash cam and if the power turned on so would the cam, that hasn't happened yet.

 

[backcountryLR4]

Seemed fishy to me as well, but I did not challenge him.

With it being winter, they key mostly stays in one of my coats so it hasn't been an issue.

Usually during the summer I have left the key to my Infiniti in the car while it is garaged.

Now I am gonna be paranoid about ruining the battery in the landy, so guessing I won't be doing the same with it.

 

[midtsy]

Hello,

I have also wondered about this.

I camp inside my Lr4 and I am always trying to figure what needs to happen to my fob as I sleep inside and also go in and out of the vehicle over a 3 day period. Taking precautions like turning of interior lights and entering and exiting through the split gate when needed. Flat lined it a couple times with an unclear solution. Micro jump start is now part of kit.

 

[Surfrider77]

I camp a few times a year (just last weekend actually). I always keep my keys in the truck. Never an issue either.

I keep my interior lights disabled.

 

[AJMac]

The key is always kept inside my truck, has been for the last 4 years. Never an issue.

 

[roverman]

My key has been in mine for 23 or so hours a day since I got it. I'm in the "sounds like a load of crap" camp as well. The 5k a year most likely had everything to do with it. The battery probably never got charged up good.