[radz28]

It seems like batteries (bad ones) can really throw these cars for a loop. I seems like you're on the right track, but I'm not certain.

Car batteries have been junk for years. When I was at the dealership (late 90s, early 2000s) they were pretty cheap but we replaced them all the time. With all the stuff that seems to be going on in the background of our cars, it's no wonder they die, what seems like, so easily. Shoot - there's a transport mode to minimize battery drain, if that's any indication...

Also - an observation I made a long time ago, when I was working at a body shop for many years, was it seems like batteries create a sort of memory. So - if you take your DD, that you drive every day, for years, on the same battery, and leave it for a few weeks at a body shop for repairs, is those cars seemed to kill batteries pretty frequently. I can see an argument that cars (at shops) can be started several times a day (for days) moving them around and in and out of the shop, and that's only enough time to drain the battery and not charge them because they don't run long enough. That makes some sense, too. I'm just saying, personally, I've noticed a trend in what seems like a memory they seem to build, and once you start stepping out of that routine - it seems like they're easier to kill.

With you car being in the shop, and just not used the same for a good bit of weeks (albeit - that was some months ago), it wouldn't surprise me this might happen. And - with the conditions you experienced, seemingly, improving the more you drove the car (perhaps charging the battery as you drove more), it pushes me to believe your battery was either getting low on charge, needs a replacement - or both.

I remember when I first got my car (09/2019) - I didn't use the charger that came with it for months. And - within 6-months of owning the car (bought brand new), the battery ran out of charge. I wasn't driving it much (because of Winter), but it showed me just how much of a drain there was in the back ground, which shouldn't be surprising, IMO. Now - he's always on the charger.

JMVHO