Phidan

Spark plugs, perhaps?

Here's the latest - it gets better (not): Following advice, I checked the voltages - 12.4 engine off, 14.3 with engine running, so it looks like the alternator is working and it seems to be starting OK now. But yesterday while giving it a run, the EPC light came on and it began running rough. Same today (the engine light also came on for a few seconds) - EPC light is on and it's running rough. Anybody want to buy a car....☹️

Another update: I've established that the car doesn't have smart electrics capability, so no coding was needed. It started OK today after its run yesterday, so I took it back to ATS for them to check the battery. It was OK and they also checked the alternator, and it's charging at just over 13v, so that seems OK too. So still no clue as to why a new battery should be flat the day after it being fitted, or why the previous battery suddenly went flat without warning when it had been fine up til then. I definitely left nothing connected that might be a drain, I'm always very careful about that. Anyway, at the moment it seems to be firing up okay, so I guess it's a case of watch and wait. Thanks again to everybody who has helped so far.

Quick update. Firstly, the new battery came up as suitable on the ATS site when I entered my reg. Also, I've checked the terminal leads for corrosion and they look fine (see pics). I trickle charged the new battery last night, put it back this morning and took for a 25 mile drive to (hopefully) charge. We'll see what happens when I come to start it tomorrow morning.

Thanks for replies. Picture of the new battery attached, fitted only yesterday. Headlights not working. Alternator wasn't checked. No access to a digital meter at the moment to check voltage, hopefully tomorrow.

Hi - I've got a 2011 1.8 TSI Elegance that I bought used. There was no handbook with it and none of the online manual downloads seem to work any more, so I'm mostly flying blind. Two days ago, the car wouldn't start. It appeared to be the battery, so I called out Gem and got a jump start. The guy tested the battery and said it was time for a replacement. He also said the battery was a stop-start one, which surprised me because the car doesn't have stop-start capability. Anyway, I rang ATS to enquire about a new battery. I didn't mention the old battery was stop-start, as I assumed the previous owner installed it by mistake (?) ATS said they had a suitable replacement in stock, but couldn't fit it for 5 days as they were busy. I said I'd just buy it and fit it myself, which I did, and ran it for a few miles - all fine. That was yesterday. Today, the car won't start again - looks like the new battery is flat. The door opened electrically, but when I put the key in the ignition, nothing, not even a click. I took the key out and put it in again, the needles flicked halfway, then dropped back. Nothing showing on the display, although when I opened the door, the 'door open' indicator came on, but that was about all. Have I done something wrong installing the battery? I checked the terminals were tight. Should I have replaced it with another stop-start battery (the one I put in is a calcium 540A)? I've been reading online that some new batteries need coding - I don't know anything about that. Is it something I can do myself? Once I've got the car going again, that is. Any advice greatly appreciated.