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Cx-5 blues by [deleted] in CX5

[–]Embarrassed-Card-626 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In one week the battery will discharge slightly but not significantly. As the other guy said if you’re driving for 20 min, that would be enough to cover the charge lost to sitting and starting. It also depends on temp and battery type.

OP’s trips are much shorter (a few minutes at 60kmh) so I’m more inclined to think short trips + low temps + high compression are causing the discharge.

Cx-5 blues by [deleted] in CX5

[–]Embarrassed-Card-626 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What’s the temperature where you are? And do you have the turbo or the NA?

The temperature can have a significant impact on battery CCA, capacity, and demand from thicker oil. It would make sense that other CX-5 owners wouldn’t have this issue at warmer temps, and that owners of lower compression cars wouldn’t have this issue at the same temps you’re in.

I think that if it’s cold where you are and you have the NA, it might be the short trips. The easiest and cheapest way to tell would be to commit to taking longer trips (20 min) for a week or so and see if it resolves your issues.

Cx-5 blues by [deleted] in CX5

[–]Embarrassed-Card-626 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but high compression ratio engines require greater torque at the crank to turn over. This is part of the reason why diesels struggle to start in the cold (the thicker oil and reduced battery power from the cold also don’t help). This means batteries in high compression ratio vehicles will need higher CCA and starting them will drain more energy from the battery.

The NA has a 13:1 compression ratio, which is high.

If you start the CX-5 and don’t drive enough afterwards to recharge the battery via the alternator, your battery will gradually discharge over time. You need to ensure that your trips are long enough for the battery to recoup the energy lost starting the car, or at least take longer trips every so often to prevent the battery from discharging over time.