So I had a Indy shop check it out. Turns out it was a compustar remote start my car has that I totally forgot I had as I never use since I have a heated garage. I checked into it and it was installed 4-5 years ago by an authorized GM installer/reseller. Probably no warranty on it now Im sure but Im just leaving it unhooked for now. I sent that GM dealership the Bill and findings to see what they had to say about it but have not heard back yet. There was a fuse hidden up in the dash for it. No wonder when I had every fuse removed from my car the High Amp draw never went down. Stupid me for not realizing I had an after market remote start.
2016.5 CX-5 Parasitic Draw
- Thread starter nfear24
- Start date
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Thanks for the update. Do you mind to tell us how much did the indy shop charge you finding the culprit? Is it possible to return the after-market alternator and put the factory alternator back, and may be get a (partial) refund?
I had a similar story on my 1998 Honda CR-V a while ago. The 8-month old Interstate battery from Costco suddenly died in the morning after not driving it for a month. The voltage is very low at ~6V. I simply took the battery to Costco for free replacement (Note that Interstate battery sold at Costco now no longer offers 36-month replacement warranty). But the new battery kept dying on me. I eventually found the culprit which was the brake lights as there’s a small rubber pad on the brake pedal lever activating the brake switch disintegrated due to age, hence the switch rod extended out without it leaving the brake lights on all the time. Got the rubber pad at the Honda dealer and the guy said that’s a very common problem for Honda.
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Unfortunately we may never know. I questioned the tech also wether the original alternator was bad. The tech told me he tested and was not charging. But seams like a pretty big coincidence all in the same week to get a new battery, alternator, and compustar remote start issue. They charged me $600 because of time to troubleshoot and diagnostics. Which I thought seemed high after he told me remote starts are the most common issue they find. So made me wonder why they don't check for that first. But maybe they just do a thorough overall check of all electronics...
I will contact GM service Dept again today about the Compustar Remote start to see their thoughts on it. Haven't heard from them yet. Unless they replace or look at for free or cheap Im going to Just leave it. Looking back at the install cost it was about $600 total with remote start and now I just had it unhooked for another $600, so Im not going to pay again to have a new one installed or replaced for something I may not use.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
$600?! Not surprised any more. Unfortunately the inflation nowadays eats everything up. The labor cost to fix cars is sky high and the price on parts is doubled on many. The alternator usually is very reliable, like the one on my 1998 Honda CR-V with 193K miles is still from factory. The indy shop worked on your CX-5 definitely took some advantage of you IMO, and a bad alternator would be my last suspicion to resolve the parasitic draw issue. And it can be bench tested for its performance. The good thing is the shop did eventually find the culprit and the problem solved!
The cost for the new alternator installed was $550 for alternator and $250 to install. I thought that seemed very reasonable. Im not a car guy though. Hopefully aftermarket alternators are good and I don't have to worry about it for a long time. I don't have any plans to ever get rid of this car. Just going to pass it down to one of my kids when I get a new one. Overall the Mazda CX5 for me has been very good and reliable. I like the size and looks of it. I would get another one someday or something simular.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
“The cost for the new alternator installed was $550 for alternator and $250 to install.”
Just checked the alternator price from Mazda OEM:
So $550 for an after-market alternator is outrageous to me. And the shop can get 25% ~ 35% off from MSRP if they get OEM parts from dealers. I feel this indy shop really has ripped you off and you shouldn’t go there anymore.
Yes your 2016.5 CX-5 is the most reliable CX-5’s among all model years. It’s the last MY for Gen-1 CX-5 and Mazda had fixed most bugs for it along the way. I won’t consider any new Mazda CX-5’s as the added cylinder deactivation to our 2.5L NA caused many possible issues to engine and transmission which had been modified to accommodate CD. 2.5T suffered cracked head too even though Mazda had modified the cylinder head but you never know if the fix is legit until several years later.
And the recent scandals in Japan:
Can We Still Trust Japanese Car Manufactures Especially on Safety and Reliability?
We are having the same no start issue with our 2016 CX5 Grand Touring.
But we dot have a remote start.
I need to learn how to check the amp draw.
Only part changed was the break switch.
Thinking the break was not being pressed.
But that did not fix it.
Battery, alternator and starter check out ok.
But I’ve checked the battery voltage when it won’t start and it reads low. 9 - 10 volts.
But without running the car, the voltage will jump up to 12.7.
But it would still need a jump to start.
Would this sound like a draw down isdu as well?
Thank you
But we dot have a remote start.
I need to learn how to check the amp draw.
Only part changed was the break switch.
Thinking the break was not being pressed.
But that did not fix it.
Battery, alternator and starter check out ok.
But I’ve checked the battery voltage when it won’t start and it reads low. 9 - 10 volts.
But without running the car, the voltage will jump up to 12.7.
But it would still need a jump to start.
Would this sound like a draw down isdu as well?
Thank you
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- Plano, Texas, USA
How old is your battery? And what brand or where did you get it?
