Lisa Anderson

2023 Silverado 1500 RST 6.2L with max tow-package 220 amp alternator. I never leave lights on, or leave the phone or any other device plugged in the truck etc. I have less than 2500 miles on the truck and have been stuck with a battery too low to crank the starter twice in warm coastal Virginia temps. The weak battery issues started within the first two weeks of ownership. In the beginning, the noted issue was the factory radio cutting output to the speakers, at what seemed random times while I was driving. It didn't matter what source, iPhone, Am/FM/satellite, there would suddenly be no sound for any features at all like navigation etc... it would come back on after the truck was turned off and restarted sometime later. I didn't know what was going on with that. I was told the truck is programmed to cut non-essential accessories when battery power is low, ok, but why is my battery power low? After learning that the speaker cut out was possibly related to the battery charge I began to pay attention the the battery meter on the dash, sure enough, somewhere between the first quarter and the normal mid mark is where sound would cut out. I had the dealer check my battery out last time I called roadside assistance due to a too dead to crank battery and I was fed the same line others have mentioned about how the battery and alternator are fine, but I need to drive my truck more to give the alternator the chance to charge the battery back up. They also told me to have the aftermarket stereo amp installer check out the wiring as it could be a parasitic draw...but the problem began before the amplifier was installed...no explanation for that. I do drive short distances, I work at a hospital 3 miles from my house, I work 12 hour shifts. I basically drive to WalMart, Home Depot and Tractor Supply, maybe TJMaxx if I score a hot date with the hubby, everything is less than 5 miles from home, I can't help it, I'm simple and love living a small town life. I'm putting like 100 miles a week on the truck unless I am towing the camper out of town. Driving more than I am required to for my needs is not an acceptable solution to the problem. Having to plug my truck into a battery maintainer every night is not an acceptable solution to the problem. I think those kinds of suggestions are lazy brush-offs. When the service department said that, I felt what they were really saying between the lines is that they don't value my time or safety enough to look into it any further, I'm on my own. The truck, as originally equipped, is not presently able to power all the electronic functions they've loaded into it. It isn't working as advertised, so to speak. The paranoid conspiracy theorist inside me wonders how much of the problem maybe wireless data collection behind the scenes- you know...just when is the My Chevrolet app getting my vehicle data? Is google tracking everywhere I drive? How much power does the endless privacy invasion require and is it occurring when the vehicle is shut off? Will a tinfoil hat help? I have tried driving with start/stop always turned off, I never put my phone on the charger, I completely disconnected my aftermarket stereo amp. Did this, not using multiple featured factory Chevy conveninence options sold to me for two weeks, this included a 175 mile day trip and two extra 50 mile shopping trips I didn't need to make but did just to see if the alternator could "catch up" with the extra miles . Nothing changed. The truck dash battery meter shows center/normal before I shut the ignition off, the next time I go to start the truck, whether it's 12 hours or 12 minutes later, the battery meter is down to the first quarter and it takes a long time to get back to center...again without running any elective electronic features, and with nothing plugged into any outlets. Every single day is the same story. I got mad because I couldn't improve the situation even with going without things I wanted to use, so I said F-it, and hooked my amp back up...of course after a few hours, the speaker feed signal cuts out again because the battery is low so I still have no music. Personally (anectodally/gut-feeling/no engineering knowledge/empiric data or psychic powers involved) I think it may be that GM put an insufficient battery in, I suspect every manufacturer puts crappy/minimal batteries in these days. I had a similar problem with my previous 2018 Honda CRV; the original factory battery drained slowly, constantly, to the point it wouldn't start like once every two or three weeks, phantom parasitic draws with absolutely nothing but the original facotry equipment and diligence with ensuring everything that can be manually turned off was off every time I shut the car off. For the CRV, I put a Die Hard platinum AGM battery in and never had a problem again, my son is still driving it and hasn't had any problems. This is what I'm trying for the truck next, though I'm having a hard time looking for the right size battery and understanding what is more important for my issue...I don't think it's the cranking amps I need to worry as much about, I'm inclined to think its the amp hours and reserve capacity that I should pay the most attention to, but I'm not sure. I also don't like that one auto parts store says a battery they have is an exact match for my truck but that manuafacturer's (Optima)website says they DONT have an exact match. I wish someone could tell me what a good battery is and which specific one can drop right into my truck so that the person at the auto parts store will actually do it for me. If a new/better battery doesn't fix the problem I honestly don't know what I'll do, I'm upset about having this issue at all, like really upset, to the point it has soured my overall opinion of the truck as a whole...yes I can still lay a nice strip of rubber at the stop light if I am so inclined but I can't annoy the outdoor patrons of the corner brew-pub with 1300 watts of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I don't want to lose my temper with people, even ones who patronize me- I don't like making a fuss, I just want it to work the way it is supposed to. If I go back into the shop with the same trouble and get told to drive more miles or use a trickle charger again I fear I could blow a mental gasket. I'll either cry like someone killed my kitten or set the place on fire, it's anyone's guess at that point. The entire reason I bought this truck was so I could take my camper out nice an easy- Memorial Day weekend I cancelled my trip because I was afraid of getting stuck with a dead battery in a remote location with no cell service...a couple hundred miles from our old and reliable 2012 Silverado. I'm pissed off I have to call my husband to bring the old Silverado out to the hospital late at night to jump my brand new one. His truck sits undriven for weeks at a time with a eight+ year old battery in it and it cranks every time...even with an aftermarket stereo amp in it. it's making me sad that I hold more love and respect in my heart for the old 2012 Silverado than this new one I paid literally 2X the money for. Is there anything else I should try to resolve the battery drain? I want to love this truck so much, but right now I just feel like a fool for having bought it!

Not sure this is the right subforum to ask about stereos in but... Waited 10 months from order for delivery of my Silverado...and when it came in, immediately discovered they forgot convenience package 2 with the upgraded audio. Factory sound is never top notch even with "premium" packages but the slightly better factory set-ups do generally meet my listening needs and this upgrade is always very high in my must-haves. The omission is a big let down for me but it took ten months to get my 6.2 with max tow, I don't find them just sitting on the sales lots around here, so I am obviosuly not refusing delivery for this one flaw, even though it is a heartbreaker for me... on those long multi-state drives pulling a camper I need my music! I want to try to find a way to make the standard stereo...just not suck so horribly as it does straight off the lot. I don't want to mess with the head unit at all because of the highly integrated nature of it, I want to try to do the best I can with a speaker swap out, adding amp(s) and a sub. Let's try like hell to make a silk purse out of sow's ear so to speak. I did a complete DIY aftermarket swap out on my 2012 Silverado last year using budget components, nothing high-end at all and it sounds 5000 x better than the original systems in either of these trucks, I love it actually..the neighbors, maybe not so much. If you can get that much better sound from stuff you can buy off Amazon or Walmart, installed by a total rookie DIYer with YouTube and a soldering gun, I think that speaks of an embarassing level of cheapness and lack of effort on the part of GM...making me skeptical of the real value of a GM produced add-on as a potential fix...but maybe I'm wrong to assume, I want to ask around, maybe they are decent? GM has parts 19417164 and 19417165, both have an under seat Kicker sub, the XX164 has a sort of integrated amp for that sub, the XX165 has that and an additional amp for the other speakers. The main pro/ reason I am considering trying one of these as a solution is the ready to mount/easy integration owed to the specificity of design to the GM trucks... on the cons for me are 1. I think both kits are rather pricey for what you actually get, even considering not having to purchase a seperate, custom box, and 2: I can't determine from product descriptions if I can use the smaller, lower cost kit and just change out the other factory speakers for a worthwhile, bang-for-the buck improvement or if I really need to go with the two amp set up to make a difference. I haven't yet found a YouTube comparison/demo of a before and after for these things or much of any actual customer reviews/commentary. I know at least the XX165 also needs some programming modifications that I can't do myself, it would have to be flashed at the dealership.. so labor costs on top even if I did the rest of the install myself. Would I be better off just going completely aftermarket components? Wondering if anyone else has swapped out/added on to the basic GM stereo either with those GM parts, or other aftermarket stuff; how did it turn out, are you happy or disappointed? If your upgrades were successful what kind of budget did it take to get there? Can you recommend specific componants? Thanks for any advisement anyone may be able to offer