I've have an Avic-D3 in my car for about 8 months in my brand new Vue - and since Ive had it in, my battery will die ifI dont start the car for more than a day or two. Ive tested the install and all is good - the radio turns off, I dont see a huge draw on the battery (amp check) but it kills my battery. I have the D3 on an amp since I bought it knowing the speaker hookups didnt work (seems the internal amp is dead) but the preamps work great. I also have the PAC add on to retain steering wheel control.

So, two questions - any idea on the battery? Could it be the PAC? or a bad radio?

Ayone have an idea to fix the D3 amp issue? I could then get rid of the amp and take that out of the loop. (The amp is turning off as well, tested with voltmeter).

Thanks!

I've had that same problem in 3 different Gm vehicles that were all either brand new or under a year old and each time it turn out to be a defective

o.e.m battery. You should have it tested. Especially if it's one of those Deka ones Gm likes.

unplug amp and d3 overnight and then tty to start in morning

I should have mentioned more of the history :

(I had the car at the dealer last week with the D3 in and they saw nothing on all diag tests - alternator/battery/charging all test good)

I thought it was bad battery, so I replaced it and had the car off all Xmas week and it started right up (5 days without a start). Now, about 1 1/2 months later Im back to the 1 or 2 day no starting....

When I went on vacation in December I pulled the fuses for the radio/acc and made sure nothing powered - came back after 6 days and car wouldnt start (I must admit this was odd).

Last week I pulled my D3 and mu car sat Thurs from 5pm to Sunday night at 7pm and started right up (even in 4 degree weather with a -15 wind chill).

I may put the D3 back in to see if the same thing happens again.... Just as, yet another test.

Unless you have Kintec battery or a Optima yo shit will die in less the four days sorry bro...O and u can always pout a toggle on the romete wire or jus take the fuse out from under the battery...U could also fork out about 150 I think and send it to United Radio for them to fix the D3

So will a D3 always kill the battery in 4 days?

Im for a new battery if the Kintec or Optima will do my needs...

No a d3 will not kill a battery in 4 days. You have an issue somewhere in the vehicle it may or may not have anything to do with the avic. You don't happen to have an aftermarket overhead installed in the vehicle do you?

Just as an fyi most dealer mechanics I've dealt with don't know the right way to do a current draw check. Might want to consider talking to someone at an audio shop about having one done.

I thought that a D3 killing a battery like that was odd.... Ok, so I have to have an amp since my D3's speaker output is messed - So anyone have that URL for the place that will repair it?

I know you can go Speaker -> RCA, is there a device that goes RCA -> Speaker wires? My Vue has the advanced audio, so I have the AMP in the card that came stock that should power without an issue.

Ill also pull the PAC audio - that has a wire that goes to Accessory, which concerned me - Could that be drawing power causing the dead battery?

Thanks for the input!

Are you sure the parasitic drain is not coming from the stock amp? I saw that

once in a 98 maxima when the factory radio was re installed after the installers chopped up the wire harness to put in an after market radio.

see if you can get a volt meter on that stock amp power terminal with the car

and the D3 turned off see if there is current draw after that unplug the d3 and

check it again. You should be able to get the tip of the voltmeter probe into the holes on the stock amp's wiring harness then ground the negative probe.

wow crxxfactor. if you dont have good info or help then you probly shouldnt post on here. what cousin of yours told you that "if you dont got optima or kinetic ur shits gonna die" like brand name really tells you how good of a batery it is

My 8 year old son says to me "cant he just leave the radio plugged in and unplug the factory amp and see if the battery still gets weak"Lol

kids think so simply.

11 years as a car audio pro and if there is a battery issue do a current draw test.I always change factory batteris out its a wise thing to..hottwhyrd a brand name does tell how good a battery is goin to be.Reserch those names u could learn something..

My 8 year old son says to me "cant he just leave the radio plugged in and unplug the factory amp and see if the battery still gets weak"Lol

kids think so simply.

Sometimes the simple thing is the best thing to do....

11 years as a car audio pro and if there is a battery issue do a current draw test.I always change factory batteris out its a wise thing to..hottwhyrd a brand name does tell how good a battery is goin to be.Reserch those names u could learn something..

NOT TRUE AT ALL. I've seen, on more that one occasion, Optima batteries (which people swear on their momma's soul are some kind of super battery which is gonna last a lifetime and always have a charge) go bad within months of installation. Then I've seen no-name batteries go for 5 years plus without incident. Shelling out more money for a high-end battery is not worth it. Especially since a battery that costs half as much could possibly last much, much longer. And even if it doesn't, it's no big deal to replace it, because you didn't pay a lot for it.

Thanks again guys... I was debating pulling the stock amp since Im not using it - Im using only the new after market amp (which I have tested and no power is going to it or being used when the car is off). Now I just need to find the factory amp on my 2007 Vue....

i've had about 6 new gm's with a bad cell in the battery. i'd try swapping out the battery

This is my second battery - I also thought the factory one may have been bad.

OK - More tests over the past weeks...

The factory radio back in, no power issues - The car was off for three days and no issues.

Last weekend I put my Avic-D3 back in, Stop driving on Thursday at 5pm - Car cranked a SMALL amount at 7pm on Sunday and wouldnt start.

This weekend (same Thursday-Sun) Kept Avic-D3 in disconnected all power to amp - Car did start, but the crank was SLOW and just made it. (warmer than week before) - So I dont think the amp is the issue.

Is there a place that would repair the avic? Would an Optima Yellow D34 help at all? I know the Vues have that feature to stop a battery from going to too low - One time I had my car jumped by the roadside people and he said not to let a view sit without starting for 20 minutes or it may not start.

Thanks

Would an Optima Yellow D34 help at all?

NO. Fix the problem, don't put a band-aid on it and hope for the best.

I agree HiFiSi - But I dont see where the problem can be. I have tried two batteries - Disconncted stuff, etc... I checked for AMPs being drawn and it was low - had Autozone check the system and they agreed that the system isnt drawing any extra power when idle.

I love my Avic and I would hate to pull it ... (Hate even more to buy another one ...)

I would go back to the alternator or check your belts and make sure they are not loose if they are then the alternator won't charge the battery fully coupled with the D3 drawing more amps than the stock radio = weak battery.

What are you using to power the AVIC? A module, a wire ran to the ignition? What harness?

You seriously need to do a current draw test, disconnecting one thing at a time untill the draw goes away.

Its connected using a wiring harness for the Vue that I purchased on the net - Nothing major, just a standard harness.

I have done an AMP draw test and it doesnt show any abnormal draw (as autozone also did a test and confirmed my results). I will do another one tonight just in case.

I also had the car into my Saturn dealer and they ran diags on all parts of the charging system and all came back good (Alternator/etc...)

Exactly what was the current draw?

These are all good tips. Remember also that on GM products until you open the door the radio will not power off.

GM 12volt taps for acc like cell phones and the like are not keyed. Meaning they are on all the time...

Consequently if you leave in/on a 12volt cell charger or adjunct you are draining the battery. No matter what type Optima or brand x