PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

OK. I just got my 2005 GXP about 2 months ago. I recently discovered that when the engine isn't running and the stereo is on the battery dies in roughly 10 minutes. This at a normal volume. The louder the stereo the faster it dies.....obviously. Aaaaaaannnnnywaaayy............

I'm suspicious that it still has the original battery in it. I've been unable to determine the date. There was no 'pocket' with a data sheet and I'm not sure about the various codes on the stickers. Also, there aren't any numbers stamped on the battery that I can see.

The battery is an AC Delco with a yellow and black label on top. So, is this the standard battery they put in the GXP or do manufacturers just throw any battery there??

Wow, this is a lousy post..... did it make ANY sense???

Theres a good chance it the factory battery. Rated at 7 years, iirc. Sounds like ya need a new one.

AC Delco states, "The warranty date code is located on the top label of the battery. The first character is either a P or S. The next two digits determine the month, the third digit is year and the fourth digit indicates the manufacturing plant. For example, P 098N means the battery
was made in September 2008."

Of course, there is nothing on my battery that starts with a 'P' or an 'S'.......

Guess I'll just replace it.

Okay. I did finally find a group of numbers/letters hot melted on the top. The stamp is messy because it just looked like someone gouged the plastic putting in the battery. (Maybe they did ) - '4M' then a 'G' or a 'C' or a '0' and an '8'.

Fortunately, it's only the first two I needed. Found the secret formula in a Cadillac forum:

Code example: Year (0-9) Month (A-M,skipping I). 8C = 1998, March



So, my battery = 2004, December

Time for a new battery!

yep, same as mine and it's still holding on!!! going to take the family to disney world soon, so im going to replace it before i put the gxp on the road....

The original owner had two obnoxious amps in the trunk running off this battery, so I figure that did a number on it.

So, when I unhook this thing, is the system gonna go into 'security lock' mode? When I swapped the battery on my '93 SSE, the CD player displayed 'SECLK' ( I think?? ) and I didn't have the code to unlock it. Ended up finding some convoluted procedure to unlock it on line in an 'ethically questionable' car stereo forum.

Am I looking at the same headaches here?

fiveandcounting wrote:The original owner had two obnoxious amps in the trunk running off this battery, so I figure that did a number on it.

So, when I unhook this thing, is the system gonna go into 'security lock' mode? When I swapped the battery on my '93 SSE, the CD player displayed 'SECLK' ( I think?? ) and I didn't have the code to unlock it. Ended up finding some convoluted procedure to unlock it on line in an 'ethically questionable' car stereo forum.

Am I looking at the same headaches here?

I don't think aftermarket amps or anything did that battery wrong, 7-8 years on a battery is really good IMO. The radio and everything should be alright I have never had any issues with unhooking the battery in this style bonneville

Probably have to reset your clock, but pre-sets and stuff should be fine, and no lock. Might lose your trip odometer if you leave it unhooked for too long, too.

This past November I put battery number 3 in the bonne. So I'd have to say that 7 years on a battery is extremely good.

Well, I got drenched in the process (stupid torrential downpour), but mission accomplished!

Thanks for the input

dpnewfie wrote:This past November I put battery number 3 in the bonne. So I'd have to say that 7 years on a battery is extremely good.

The stock one is rated for 7. 3 batts in how many years?

Third battery this past November so two batteries in 7 years.

the build sheet for my GXP says it was made in 2004 and i just replaced the battery last friday 6/15/12 but it should have been replaced last year... for some strange reason my MPG is up by 2-3 mpg on the highway!!!! Any reason for this after the new battery installed?

Just a guess here but maybe you freed up some HP because your alternator doesn't have to work as hard?

Not having the battery in the engine bay does wonders for their longevity.

Battery life is dependent on how you use it. If you drive longer trips, and don't put lots of electrical loads on it (stereo's, hi wattage lighting, putting it under full load all the time, etc), you'll get a long life out of it. If you drive short trips and generally run it hard with lots of electrical load, don't expect much life out of it.

It has nothing to do with brand as most, including OEM and aftermarket AC Delco batteries are all made by one of two major manufacturer's who also make the batteries for Sears (DieHard), Exide, Interstate, etc, etc...

With that said, I usually average 6 years on an battery. The one in my Monte Carlo is the original and that's going on 9 years! I think the one in my Bonneville went about 7. The one in my GTO a little over 6. The one in the Caddy is now 6 years old, the one in my Camaro was over 6 when it puked. Conversely, the one in our van died an less than three years. But that's because it's constantly powering sliding doors, power liftgates, infotainment systems, etc, when the engine isn't running...