# Low battery voltage @11.7v. Programming Required for replacement AGM battery?



## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

So I got in my car today and before I started it the DIC showed 11.7V. After driving for an hour it went up to 12.1v. From my understanding of AGM batteries, it has low capacity and needs to be replaced soon.

I can get a good deal on a NAPA Legend AGM for $125 so ordered one for pickup. 

Someone knowledgeable like @Snipesy, does the Cruze need to be programmed when the battery is replaced? It’s kinda a euro car so not sure if the protocol exists with these.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

Diesel4Ever said:


> So I got in my car today and before I started it the DIC showed 11.7V. After driving for an hour it went up to 12.1v. From my understanding of AGM batteries, it has low capacity and needs to be replaced soon.
> 
> I can get a good deal on a NAPA Legend AGM for $125 so ordered one for pickup.
> 
> Someone knowledgeable like @Snipesy, does the Cruze need to be programmed when the battery is replaced? It’s kinda a euro car so not sure if the protocol exists with these.


No it does not.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Snipesy said:


> No it does not.


This - ours dropped a cell about 2 miles into our drive to work a few years back (conveniently on an extremely foggy morning, on a 55 mph, 3-lane-wide road). No issues when the battery was replaced (after they finally got it to test "bad").


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

MP81 said:


> This - ours dropped a cell about 2 miles into our drive to work a few years back (conveniently on an extremely foggy morning, on a 55 mph, 3-lane-wide road). No issues when the battery was replaced (after they finally got it to test "bad").


My brand new Colorado had a dead battery 2 months after I got it.

Threw an advanced auto parts AGM battery in and it’s been fine ever since

Of course this was back when cars weren’t selling so good and mine was on the lot for nearly a year (January 2019). There were lots of problems from it sitting in sun… Wipers were toast, battery, and the tires are wearing super fast.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Snipesy said:


> My brand new Colorado had a dead battery 2 months after I got it.
> 
> Threw an advanced auto parts AGM battery in and it’s been fine ever since
> 
> Of course this was back when cars weren’t selling so good and mine was on the lot for nearly a year (January 2019). There were lots of problems from it sitting in sun… Wipers were toast, battery, and the tires are wearing super fast.


Meanwhile, my FIL just traded in his '14 CTS and bought his '21 Colorado on a whim because he's been wanting to for months...but they didn't exist. The dealer had two come in, and he (rightfully) assumed they'd be gone quick if he didn't jump on it.

Certainly keeps it from sitting, that's for sure.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

MP81 said:


> Meanwhile, my FIL just traded in his '14 CTS and bought his '21 Colorado on a whim because he's been wanting to for months...but they didn't exist. The dealer had two come in, and he (rightfully) assumed they'd be gone quick if he didn't jump on it.
> 
> Certainly keeps it from sitting, that's for sure.


Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. Even some WTs are going for over 40,000.
My Z71 was MSRP $37,000 at the time…. It was marked down to like $29,500.

Now? You won’t find a Z71 below $46,000 unless you’re lucky.

First time a new vehicle has ever gained value for me.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

I paid $39k for my 2017 CCLB GMC Canyon All Terrain X 4x4 with the 2.8 Duramax. It has every option you could get on the SLE so BOSE and GPS on it.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

They're a lot more expensive now.
55 is what I'm seeing now for basic models.
85 for top end.

Wonder how long it took for vehicles to stabilize back to reality when the big 3 was order to make war equipment for the military for 5 years instead of cars for the public during ww2


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

snowwy66 said:


> They're a lot more expensive now.
> 55 is what I'm seeing now for basic models.
> 85 for top end.
> 
> Wonder how long it took for vehicles to stabilize back to reality when the big 3 was order to make war equipment for the military for 5 years instead of cars for the public during ww2


I would imagine not long. The second the war ended all those factories would desperately want to produce other stuff. Many of which didn’t even exist prior to WW2.

Then we eventually realized we were better off inventing things sooo we moved production out of USA.

Yeah that one is kind of biting us in the butt. Hence why the government is trying so hard to bring back production, especially for things important for defense like semiconductors.


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## CRUISE-CRUZE (Nov 8, 2010)

Diesel4Ever said:


> So I got in my car today and before I started it the DIC showed 11.7V. After driving for an hour it went up to 12.1v. From my understanding of AGM batteries, it has low capacity and needs to be replaced soon.
> 
> I can get a good deal on a NAPA Legend AGM for $125 so ordered one for pickup.
> 
> Someone knowledgeable like @Snipesy, does the Cruze need to be programmed when the battery is replaced? It’s kinda a euro car so not sure if the protocol exists with these.


One of my Chevy Cruze in particular never charged properly since day one, always 12.1 - 12.2V then a short period of time it jumps to 15.1-15.2V! After replacing 2 batteries and many back and forth to the dealer (the car was new!) I ended up disconnected the ring (sensor) from the negative cable. That sensor sends the info to the computer and lets it to "decide" the voltage allowed to recharge the battery. Without it, the alternator is charging most of the time ~14.2V. I drove like that for a couple years, no issues.
Just to mention that my other 2 Cruze are not having this issue..


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Snipesy said:


> Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. Even some WTs are going for over 40,000.
> My Z71 was MSRP $37,000 at the time…. It was marked down to like $29,500.
> 
> Now? You won’t find a Z71 below $46,000 unless you’re lucky.
> ...


Other than the dealer giving him...a lot less for his CTS than they should have, I don't think the pricing on his truck (a relative base CCSB 4x4 3.6L LT...with the chrome package, ugh) was much different than MSRP, if at all.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

CRUISE-CRUZE said:


> One of my Chevy Cruze in particular never charged properly since day one, always 12.1 - 12.2V then a short period of time it jumps to 15.1-15.2V! After replacing 2 batteries and many back and forth to the dealer (the car was new!) I ended up disconnected the ring (sensor) from the negative cable. That sensor sends the info to the computer and lets it to "decide" the voltage allowed to recharge the battery. Without it, the alternator is charging most of the time ~14.2V. I drove like that for a couple years, no issues.
> Just to mention that my other 2 Cruze are not having this issue..


I’ve had the car for 2 years now and let the battery bottom out twice. I learned the hard way you can’t be on a Bluetooth call and park the car and keep talking. I think the BCM won’t go to sleep if you do this. Came out a few days later and it was completely dead. The battery was so dead I tried putting a booster pack on it first but NOTHING. Ended up hooking my Golf TDI to it while running for 30 min to get enough juice to start it. 

So I think the battery got damaged by these events. It’s only 3 years old but letting it bottom out like that usually damages a battery. I don’t know how long I could keep driving it before the voltage gets too low to start it. Like I said, the battery was relatively cheap due to a sale at NAPA so for $120 seems like a good time to replace it before issues arise.

Also replaced the AGM in my Canyon this month during the NAPA sale as it also had low voltage after sitting. The battery was approaching 5 years old in the truck.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Please keep in mind that an AGM battery is best replenished by a charger with a program or setting for AGM batteries. I have a 26 amp NOCO and 4.3 amp CTEK chargers for AGM. I wouldn’t go with anything less than 10 amps for a flattened battery.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

Tomko said:


> Please keep in mind that an AGM battery is best replenished by a charger with a program or setting for AGM batteries. I have a 26 amp NOCO and 4.3 amp CTEK chargers for AGM. I wouldn’t go with anything less than 10 amps for a flattened battery.


I have the 7.2 amp NOCO G7200 charger. Love it.

I tried using it however it wouldn't or couldn't detect the status. I guess because it was so dead.

I've heard you can hook up a a low voltage battery tender on a dead battery to bring it back just enough so the NOCO can detect it and try to recover the battery.

In my case, the jumpstart did the trick and other than the 11.7 v low capacity the battery functions without any indication it has an issue with capacity. I suppose if I would have never looked at the DIC this week prior starting the car then I wouldn't even be thinking about it.


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