Charging/Electrical problems with 2005 Kia Amanti

masharona

Car needs to be started everyday, sometimes less or battery goes dead. New Battery, about 49,000 miles. I have removed the trunk light and the glove box light...hoping to relieve the drain on the battery. Does anyone else have this problem, and what did you do to alleviate it?
I really like this car - please advise
SharonA

Mr_Shiftright

How old is the battery? If more than say 5-8 years old, you're pushing your luck. Batteries die naturally from old age.

Presuming the battery is not that old, and presuming that it tests as "OK" in a load test, then the next step would be to test your car's electrical system for a "parasitic drain". Using a volt/ohm meter with the engine off, key off, and making sure that no doors are open and no accessories are on, you should read an amperage draw on the battery of no more than around 50 milliamps, more or less.

There are lots of videos on YouTube explaining how to conduct a Parasitic Drain test.

masharona

Thank-you so much! I will do this as soon as I can and let you know. The battery is new, and does test OK. I am a bit scared because Kia Amanti seems to have this problem, from what I have googled so far and no one seems to have been able to fix it. I am willing to go through some expenditure to correct this - the car looks brand new and drives just beautifully. THX Again!

mark_e_h

I also have a 2005 Kia that I love except for this same problem. I started having problems with it in 2015 doing the same thing. We checked battery drain (on new battery as it killed the old one). My mechanic said he traced it to the courtesy system, but we couldn't go any further without taking it to dealership. I understand even the dealerships are unsure what to do. My solution was to put in an under the hood switch to kill battery drain. It is a royal pain, but at least the car starts. My cars problem is worse in the winter. How did you make out with your car @masharona?