Ford Edge 2012, battery has gone dead 3 times in the last few weeks! Went to advanced auto, the salesman said the battery and alternator tested great! Only thing left on today for 1 hour, the visor make-up light, this afternoon it would not start, completely dead battery!
How old is the battery??
Do you have any item(s) plugged into a power port with key off power??
Have you had or done any electrical type work done on the vehicle recently?? Radio, lights etc etc…
Did the visor light kill the battery after just one hour?? If so then you probably have a bad battery, the auto parts store test do not always catch a bad battery…
Here are a few videos that might help you…
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All good suggestions from @davesmopar
To simplify… You have what is known as a parasitic drain. Some electrical device in the car is drawing more power than it should from the battery even when the car is off.
Non-factory radios or amplifiers, remote starters, anti-theft systems, cellphone chargers, and any other non-factory add-ons are prime suspects draining the battery but factory computers can do this, too.
The videos Dave linked are to Parasitic Draw tests that will help find this Battery Vampire sucking the lifeblood from your battery.
Good mechanics can do this test, but not for free, it takes time. Look for an independent shop that accepts electrical work
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Good ideas above. Suggest to abandon the idea of using an auto parts store for this type of testing. Instead hire an auto repair shop to do it for you. They’ll do a parasitic drain test and check the battery & alternator under load. Before taking it to the shop, go out at night after it has been parked up for several hours to check for any lights on, inside or out. Especially check the brake lights. It’s entirely possible the battery and alternator are working perfectly, and the problem is a corroded ground connection.
BTW, how do you know the battery is completely dead? What are the symptoms? Engine won’t crank? Dashboard lights don’t turn on? etc .
Battery is dead. How does OP charge it? And for how long? It goes from dead at home to 100% at car store. How?
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State-of-charge is not important for a battery conductance test, a discharged battery can pass the test.
Battery charge maintenance is up to the customer, the salesclerk tests batteries for warranty claims or to make a battery sale.
Interior lights left on should automatically be switched off after ten minutes by the battery saver feature, this could be an indication of a greater problem. A completely dead battery needs to be recharged, driving for 15 minutes will result in very little charge.
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My wife’s 2017 Edge needed a new battery a few months ago. We didn’t drive it all weekend and Monday it read 3 volts. The battery was 18 months old and Advance Auto covered it 100%. No problems since.
All good suggestions but there is still no answer to the question about how old the battery is. If it is beyond its useful life then all the testing will be for naught.