What may cause a brand new battery to die, within a month of purchase? Assuming that I didn’t leave any lights or other electrically powered items on in the car.
There are a few possibilities.
The new battery could have been defective.
It is also possible that your alternator is not charging the battery sufficiently.
Another possibility is that you have a parasitic power drain, even when the ignition is shut off.
It is even possible that dirty, corroded, or loose battery cables make it impossible for the alternator to properly charge the battery.
We would have a better chance of giving you a good answer if you revealed the model year and odometer mileage of your Maxima. Also, how long did the original battery last?
The battery had a defect. Inside the battery are separate “cells” that are connected with wires and soldered contacts. Most likely is one or more of these connections has failed which means poor quality control during manufacturing.
its a 1990 maxima with 170000miles. the cables dont look corroded and their not loose. i’m guessing the alternator or the power drain theory.
How long did the battery previous to the new one last?
About a month after I purchased the car the first battery died, I just assumed it was old and replaced it with a brand new one.
Oh, I left out that I don’t even hear the clicking noise when I try to turn the car on.
This is like pulling teeth.
How long have you had this car?
If I am piecing everything together correctly, you have had the car for about two months, and the battery is about one month old. Is that correct?
The first step is to take the battery back and have it load tested. If it passes, then either you have a parasitic drain or a bad alternator or bad connection in the charge circuit.
If it fails, then you either got a defective battery or you are overcharging. After replacing the battery, under warrantee, go to another shop and have the alternator tested. Use another shop/store in case it turns out to be the alternator or voltage regulator.