[Lanzz]

Hey everyone - I went to start my car this AM, and nothing happened. Just a "click" from the starter... here is where it gets interesting... All dash warning lights came on, headlights randomly flashed, and EVIC showed a bunch of warnings (Fob not detected, FCW not available, etc...) Even a jump start would not get it going.

Any ideas? I am under warranty - BUT - the car is parked deep inside a Manhattan parking garage - it will be damn near impossible to get it to the street. Tow truck won't fit inside, dollys to move the car make it too wide to fit through the garage door, and then, the ramp to the street is so narrow that I will have to have it winched onto a truck. at:

Soooo... Is there ANYTHING I could try to avoid the above?

Car is a 2013 300C Luxury Series with Hemi and 5 speed auto. It only has about 2000 miles on it, and when I last drove it two weeks back, it was perfectly fine.

 

[atomickustom]

I just had a similar experience with my 2014 300C with about 3,000 miles on it!
Battery was totally dead, would not take a jump. Turns out my key fob was too close to the car (just on the other side of an interior wall) and that, apparently, is enough to drain the battery over a few days' time.

You CAN use a jump to the under-hood terminals to give it enough juice to get the trunk open, which would then allow you to get to the battery in the trunk to either replace it or have it fully charged. In my case hooking a jump box to the under-hood terminals gave the car enough juice to put the windows up so it should surely give you enough juice to open the trunk. If not, you can fold down the rear seat and reach in to the emergency interior trunk release handle. Once that trunk lid is open getting to the battery is a matter of access, not electricity.

If it's not just a dead battery (which is what it sounds like to me based on my own experience) then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[MADDOG]

Sounds like the battery is totally dead. Try a jump using the auxiliary post and a good ground under the hood.

 

[Lanzz]

Thanks, guys.... I think I am headed to Wal Mart to buy a new battery and just put it in the damn car myself. By the time the car gets dislodged from where it is parked, trucked to Yonkers and the dealer takes care of it, I figure I am ahead a few dollars just putting a new one in. I guess if there is some sort of parasitic drain that is causing the underlying issue, it could happen again, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

[thrifty]

Have you called the dealer? I would assume the cost for all of this would be covered by your warranty.. If there's an issue with the car that caused it to drain dead... Have them pick up the tab...

 

[Lanzz]

I have called the dealer - they were nice, and roadside assistance will pick up the car. But - in all honestly, there is no way to get it out of the garage if it does not run...

 

[Yellow Toy]

Lanzz mate I feel for you, but hey I would really like to see photos of this parking garage is it really that tight and you went and bought a big Chrysler.

 

[Zakira]

Similar thing had happened to me, battery was fine, but EVIC showed the key fob was not detected, horn and lights blared. I don't remember exactly what I did, but I tried to "reset" the car by getting out, locking and unlocking with the fob. Hope you've solved your problem already, though.

 

[Lanzz]

Yellow, thanks for the perspective - I have been parking in NYC for 20 years, so it's not like there's been some major miscalculation here. The garage, like many things in a city of 8 million people, is not the same size as a suburban garage. When going through the door of the garage, there is about 1 inch of clearance on either side, and the ramp to the street is not wide enough to open the door until you get to the top. These things are not an issue for anyone accustomed to maneuvering in close quarters, but they become an issue when a car will not operate under its own power.

Zakira, the problem is not solved yet - my travel schedule is pretty intense for the next few weeks, so the damn thing is just going to sit in the basement dead until I can deal with it in June. It clearly seems like a battery issue - I put a volt meter on the battery last night, and it showed 8.4 volts - definitely not enough to start the car - just wondering now if the cause is a bad battery or some type of parasitic drain.

When I get back from India, I am going to buy a battery, slap it in, and drive it to the dealer to figure the whole thing out.

 

[atomickustom]

Just remember, you need SOME battery power to get your trunk open unless you partially crawl into the trunk through the back seat and reach the emergency interior release handle. Just saying - make sure you have a way to get in there to replace the battery or you'll have a dead car AND a useless battery.
Good luck. I hope it's something as simple as a light that was left on or the ignition was in ACC mode or something.
Once that battery goes really dead it does all sorts of odd things. I walked away from my car clicking the horn relay continuously. By the end of the day it didn't have enough juice to open the trunk lid until we hooked up jumpers under the hood.

 

[kobe24]

Just Have roadside assistance come give you a jump, that is what they did for me without having to tow it anywhere, and then drive it to the dealer and they can fix it or replace the battery.

 

[DESIREE]

I have called the dealer - they were nice, and roadside assistance will pick up the car. But - in all honestly, there is no way to get it out of the garage if it does not run...

Sounds like the subterranean parking garages in Paris, France! But then the auto service guys drive tiny service vehicles.

 

[Pwrdbym]

I doubt there is anything else wrong with the car other than the drained battery. You said you left it for 2 weeks so that is more than enough time for the battery to drain. Remember modern cars have tons of modules that are continuously running even w/ the ignition off. If the car was only driven for short distances prior and also sat for awhile then it isn't out of the ordinary to have this issue. Try your best to jump it w/ another vehicle or a jump box or just hook up a trickle charger over night. In the future ANY car left idle for more than a week should really have a trickle charger on it. With your travel situation I'd definitely look into it.


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[ChryslerCACares]

Just Have roadside assistance come give you a jump, that is what they did for me without having to tow it anywhere, and then drive it to the dealer and they can fix it or replace the battery.

kobe24,

Indeed, our Roadside Assistance program is available to customers and includes assistance when necessary for such events as dead batteries, being locked out, a flat tire or out of fuel.

For Canadian customers, the contact number is 1-800-363-4869. Customers in the United States may call 1-800-521-2779.

 

[silver06hemic]

Really? Give it a boost... buy a cheap charger or chargeable battery pack and top it up or call in Roadside assistance to have them come boost it... if you can drive your 300 in I'm sure that the whole of the Chrysler Assistance fleet has something capable of getting in there and boosting it...

 

[Lanzz]

The whole situation is so frustrating, I am just going to ignore my dead (7 month old) car until June when I can figure it out.

 

[OoTLink]

Seems like you're hell bent on hating your car man. They're all right, and the jump starter boxes are like $50 at the store, if that. Probably not even that.

The roadside assistance people should either have a jump starting battery box of that sort, or a pickup used for battery service.

 

[TheKrell]

I am just going to ignore my dead (7 month old) car until June when I can figure it out.

Maybe you'll get lucky and the parking garage will have it towed.

 

[Mike in the Dro]

Maybe you'll get lucky and the parking garage will have it towed.

Or, uh, put a few wild animal bones in the trunk and tip off the police there's human remains in the trunk. I bet THEY'LL find a way to get it out of there when they're forced into towing it in as evidence for the forensics lab.....

You're welcome. :fing02:

The Fixer

 

[DESIREE]

Sounds like somebody is going to be getting a large parking bill!