My first custom vehicle is eating car batteries. I wanted to make a really small lightweight car with a powerful engine and one storage space behind the seat. It’s an 890lb 3x4 vehicle with extra light frames from an electric car, a 4.0L V6 engine that I pulled out of a truck, and a truck alternator that I recovered from the same source. It handles well and goes 118mph safely, but every time I turn it off and get out the battery is damaged, dark purple condition. It still has a charge, but if I go scavenging and come back it goes flat. I’m on my third damaged battery now. I thought I was just hitting rocks and bushes at first, even bushes seem to damage the extra light frame, but I was very careful when I took it out this third time and I have the same problem. Should I be using a standard alternator instead? Am I overcharging the battery or something?
If your vehicle is hitting bushes and stuff other parts might be taking damage from the impacts. First when a battery is purple it will constantly be loosing its charge so maybe bring along a welder to fix it back up. You might try attaching armor to the square that the battery is in and it might fix the problem.
Do some more testing. Drive the car on a road for a short distance. Does the battery sustain damage then?
Also be sure to install the battery somewhere in the back, or at least not front where it’s prone to collision damage.
I’ve never heard of engines or alternators damaging the battery in the game in all my time of playing. I’m sure it’s not that. Whatever is damaging your battery, it’s either a bug or something keeps hitting your battery. You always get a message if your car collides with something, so keep an eye on that too.