Feared power source

[honeycut_mazda5]

The battery flat alarm has begun, marking the start of an unwelcome event.
Last Saturday, the vehicle was driven for about 50 miles. On Sunday, I vacuumed the mats and carpets. However, on Monday, I received a notice on the dashboard indicating that the battery needs to be recharged.
I promptly contacted my local dealer, as my vehicle is still covered by warranty. After reading the message multiple times to fully comprehend it, the dealer informed me that if I clean the car or use a hoover with the door open, the LED courtesy light will deplete the battery. To prevent this from happening again, I should carry out these tasks while the engine is running.
I assure you without any exaggeration..
My greatest regret is purchasing this dilapidated item.

[nimbuye5]

If the notice shown on the instrument cluster is indicating a low charge danger to the 12V battery, this is a regular occurrence that occurs every time I clean the vehicle. The warning message was not received because the battery had a low charge, causing the automated message to be triggered as a precaution. The system operates on a timer and is affected by the opening of doors.
After I finish cleaning the vehicle, I begin the engine and let it to run for 5 minutes in order to reset the timer and eliminate the chime. It is not a problem whatsoever.

[Rudy7831]

I just encountered this situation when doing auto maintenance. It is reassuring to learn that the situation was not of a grave kind.

[nimbuye5]

Regarding the chime going off, I cannot determine the precise impact of leaving the doors open for half an hour on the battery. However, I can confirm that these alerts are not directly related to the battery's charge but rather occur automatically. I cannot confirm if the vehicle has a low battery warning feature, but I hope that we would get a notification in such a situation. However, it is possible to receive a warning chime even while everything is functioning well.

An instance of this is a recent journey I undertook, covering a distance of 400 km in one direction, without any breaks in driving save for brief stops to refuel the vehicle. Upon arriving at my location, I deactivated the car's engine and proceeded to open many doors while retrieving items from the vehicle. Specifically, I opened three doors, which were ajar for a duration of a few minutes. Shortly after my return, I realised that I had forgotten something in the vehicle. Therefore, I promptly opened a few of doors for a brief while. After a few hours, I go to relocate the vehicle (a journey that takes about 1 minute). Upon reaching the new parking area, I am alerted by a sound indicating that the battery is in danger. There is no possibility that the battery could have been even remotely endangered by the little act of leaving my doors open for a mere 3 or even 4 minutes, particularly in light of the preceding 400 km travel.

On the contrary, this is a pre-programmed automated alert that keeps track of the number of times you open the door. I came across information, maybe on this site or elsewhere, stating that the vehicle keeps track of the duration for which the doors are opened. Each time the car door is opened, it increments the count by 5 minutes. Consequently, when this cumulative period reaches 30 minutes, the chime is triggered, irrespective of the battery's condition. While I have not conducted a formal experiment to verify this, based on my own experience and observations of my car's behaviour, it seems to be true that the chime sound corresponds to certain events. Allegedly, there have been complaints about this issue being bothersome, prompting Mazda to either have already extended or be on the verge of extending the duration beyond 30 minutes. However, I lack any more information on the matter. If individuals claim that they have not experienced the activation of this chime, it is possible that they have not reached the required threshold or that some models need a longer duration to trigger the chime.

Mazda promotes these technologies as intelligent, however, I fail to see any intelligence since they do not appear to respond to real-time situations but instead rely on predetermined settings. It appears that Mazda has implemented a cost-saving measure to prevent customers from experiencing dead batteries. By introducing an automatic chime, Mazda aims to minimise the need for vehicle towing, which would incur expenses for Mazda if the customer is covered by Mazda Europe Service or its equivalent outside of Europe. This proactive approach aims to reduce the likelihood of battery-related issues.

Another example of these "intelligent" devices is the oil monitor / service indication. Mazda's technology employs real-time monitoring of driving circumstances to dynamically adjust the anticipated oil change interval. However, based on my observations, it seems to be a conventional timer system. I was nearing my scheduled maintenance period, and the oil change monitor indicated that I had 2,900 km remaining before the oil needed to be replaced. 15 days before to the deadline, I received a "Service soon" alert. I inspected the oil service monitor and it said that there were 1,000 kilometres remaining until the next oil change. This decrease in mileage from 2,900 kilometres to 1,000 kilometres occurred within a week, during which the vehicle was not driven. When the monitor displays a distance of 1,000 kilometres, it continuously subtracts the kilometres in real-time. Therefore, if I go to the shop, I will have 996 kilometres remaining before the next oil change. Restarting the automobile resets the odometer to 1,000 km, and this has occurred several times. This implies that there is no intelligent mechanism involved; rather, it simply subtracts the distance travelled during each trip and then resets. I covered a distance of almost 900 kilometres in total after the vehicle's display indicated that I had 1,000 kilometres remaining. However, when I started the car in the morning to take it for the yearly service, the display once again showed 1,000 kilometres.

I really hope that Mazda has included a real-time monitoring system to detect any potential issues with the battery or oil, and that we would get a genuine warning if any problems arise. However, I am currently unable to determine if the vehicle is genuinely equipped with such a feature. I would much like a notification on the battery status that has a serious tone, emphasising that the battery is indeed close to depletion rather than just sounding an irritating alert.

In summary, I believe that the warning systems are automated and may not accurately represent the current situation. However, I acknowledge the possibility that my statement may include incorrect information, albeit it is not intentionally misleading.

[DreamCatcher88]

Leaving the doors, windows, hood, and hatch open for more than 15 minutes, such as during vehicle cleaning, significantly drains the battery charge. It requires connecting the car to a 5 amp charger overnight to fully recharge the battery.
In this particular scenario, I discovered that the most convenient approach is to just disengage the battery.
(This statement is not relevant to the hybrid CX30 model.)

[torque2me]

I can really affirm that this has not occurred in my own experience. I do not recall ever receiving a low battery warning message.

Simply get a high-quality AGM battery, which should provide for your needs.

[HOV]

I concur. Acquire a high-quality AGM battery and conclude the matter. The batteries are faulty, not the automobile itself. Mazda recently opted for a low-quality battery with insufficient cold starting power, perhaps due to cost-cutting measures. Investing in a high-quality AGM battery is a wise decision. Although it may need a higher financial investment, you will express gratitude towards everyone if you choose to do so. Additionally, it is advisable to get a trickle charger, a practice that many of us have already used. Excellent investment.

[Ken_Lion]

I clean mine on a regular basis and I have not had this issue.

[xsports]

Although my automobile expresses dissatisfaction when I clean it, it has never caused any problems.

 

[allmightyASTON]

Many modern automobiles, particularly those in the higher price range, have a greater need for passive battery power. This problem is worsened by the use of cheaper, lower-quality batteries by the manufacturer. My 2020 TNGA Toyota was plagued by recurrent issues with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) batteries during the two years that I had it. In addition, I encountered many other difficulties such as a faulty starter, gearbox issues, and paint defects. These issues, along with the battery problems, compelled me to get rid of the car after a mere two years and 9.5K miles of use.

I recommend not keeping the OEM battery for more than a year, especially if you see any battery problems. Instead, it is advisable to proactively replace it with a premium battery. I consider myself fortunate that I did not have any problems with the original battery of my CX-30 until I took the initiative to replace it with a high-quality AGM cell after around 19-20 months.

[FireCar]

While waiting at my dealer for my car's second service at 40,000 km in around 15 months, I received a low 12V battery alert on my app. However, the dealer did not seem to be worried about it.
I am certain that they did not connect it to any charger, and there were no problems as I drove away.