Interesting. Tom idicated that no change in design was forthcoming.
Maybe not a design change, but I wouldn't be surprised to open up a current production Vue and find that the grease has already been applied.
It looks like this has become an "official" fix from Davis Tech Support, just had the following passed along to me.
Applying Gel to a Vue's Battery Board
Weather Note
Davis has received a handful of reports from the field of Vantage Vue systems reporting "Low Battery on Station X".
Davis engineers have determined that small amounts of water in a specific location on the Vantage Vue's battery PCBA can cause the system to turn on its green indicator LED and thereby cause a larger than normal current drain that will eventually drain the 3 volt Lithium battery (CR123). The moisture, whether it is condensation or rain splash, must contact and short the gold programming contacts on the battery PCBA. See Figure 1.
FIGURE 1
If your system is exhibiting the "low battery" message or an always on, solid green light you can easily resolve the issue by applying the gel on these contacts.
How do you get this special gel?
You can order it on line here...
http://www.super-lube.com/super-lube-anticorrosion-gel-tube-3oz-model-82003-p-16.htm.
or
Contact Davis Technical Support and we'll be happy to send you a tube at no charge.
How to Apply this Gel
First dry and clean the programming contacts thoroughly. You can access these contacts through the battery door without disassembling the entire ISS. Ensure the ISS is in a location that gets no sunshine on the solar panel then remove the battery overnight to discharge the system of power. This overnight power down is important and clears the fail state from the microprocessor. Smear the gel liberally over all four contacts. 3mm to 6mm thick (1/8" to 1/4") is appropriate A Q-tip or syringe will work well when applying the gel. See Figures 2 and 3 Once you have done this you can insert a new, fully charged battery and resume normal operation.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
