The battery on my Fabia becomes inexplicably drained every few months.

The first time this occurred, i called the RAC, who jumped the battery and subsequently could detect no drain. I returned the car to the dealer as it was under warranty - they initially could detect no problem, but ultimately declared that the battery needed replacing.

A few months later the new battery was dead - again with no apparent cause. By now, the car was no longer in warranty and, to complicate things, the dealer from which i bought the car ('Streets; in Bristol) had closed.

I took the car to another Skoda garage. Again they could initially detect no problem and simply re-charged the battery. When it happened a further time, they decided it must be the fault of the electrics, and decided, after testing all of the controls to replace the main control.

I paid c.£500 for this (this included a reduction of about 25% because of 'goodwill' from Skoda')

Needless to say, the problem has recurred again. I don't know what do now: I have a car that i cannot rely on to start on any given day, I'm already out of pocket and the Skoda Garage tell me there's no record of this as a common Fabia problem. I think they suspect I just leave the lights on every few months...

Any advice gratefully received!

so has the battery been replaced at all?

The battery on my Fabia becomes inexplicably drained every few months.

The first time this occurred, i called the RAC, who jumped the battery and subsequently could detect no drain. I returned the car to the dealer as it was under warranty - they initially could detect no problem, but ultimately declared that the battery needed replacing.

A few months later the new battery was dead - again with no apparent cause. By now, the car was no longer in warranty and, to complicate things, the dealer from which i bought the car ('Streets; in Bristol) had closed.

I took the car to another Skoda garage. Again they could initially detect no problem and simply re-charged the battery. When it happened a further time, they decided it must be the fault of the electrics, and decided, after testing all of the controls to replace the main control.

I paid c.£500 for this (this included a reduction of about 25% because of 'goodwill' from Skoda')

Needless to say, the problem has recurred again. I don't know what do now: I have a car that i cannot rely on to start on any given day, I'm already out of pocket and the Skoda Garage tell me there's no record of this as a common Fabia problem. I think they suspect I just leave the lights on every few months...

Any advice gratefully received!

you need to know if there is any larger than normal (100 to 200 milliamps ,( 0.1 to 0.2 amps)), being constantly drained when the car is not being used. This can only be done by inserting a low reading DC ammeter betwwen the battery +ve terminal ,and the large cable that it normally connects to. You may have a boot light,or a glovebox light which is on all the time. Your radio may be faulty,or other car management components.For an example ,a 1 amp bulb will drain a battery to half its maximum capacity (70 ampere hours) ,in 35 hours. No battery is fully charged all the time. Hope this helps!

Broken/stretched wire from alternator?

It sounds like it's not charging on the car and you're simply flattening it

through general use.

I had that once years ago on a motorbike.

Found out after after I'd already bought a new alternator :(

All I needed was 3 inches of wire...

EDIT... Welcome to Brisky by the way

Lots of good friendly people on here :yes:

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by grr666

I would suggest if it was a significant power loss from a failing component/electrical short/permanently open circuit then ithe battery would drain quicker than three months.

Given the characterics you described, I would suspect your usuage pattern as being the main culprit. What's your mileage over 3 months ? Do you do a lot of short journeys, night/bad weather driving with all the de-misters, heated windows, mirrors on ?

The battery will become run-down quickly in these circumstances without there being a fault. and when the battery gets run down if electrical load is applied the system voltage may drop substantially, in which case the alternator may stop charging - some are designed to do this. Double whammy !

Am I correct in thinking you have had the car from new ? If so, when did the battery draining problem first arise ?

Nick

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by Clunkclick

Well mine used to fail to start say 1 in 20 times.....

the battery was less than 12 months old so i discarded this....

After getting a little peeved off with it, it turned out the battery itself was fluffed, sometimes it would charge other times it wouldnt, 6 months down the line with a new batt, my car starts on the button every time

so has the battery been replaced at all?

Yes - the first battery was replaced (Less than 2 years old)

The new one hasn't.

Broken/stretched wire from alternator?

It sounds like it's not charging on the car and you're simply flattening it

through general use.

I had that once years ago on a motorbike.

Found out after after I'd already bought a new alternator :(

All I needed was 3 inches of wire...

EDIT... Welcome to Brisky by the way

Lots of good friendly people on here :yes:

That sounds very plausible - I'll (get someone who knows what they're doing to) look. Also thanks for the welcome!!

I would suggest if it was a significant power loss from a failing component/electrical short/permanently open circuit then ithe battery would drain quicker than three months.

Given the characterics you described, I would suspect your usuage pattern as being the main culprit. What's your mileage over 3 months ? Do you do a lot of short journeys, night/bad weather driving with all the de-misters, heated windows, mirrors on ?

The battery will become run-down quickly in these circumstances without there being a fault. and when the battery gets run down if electrical load is applied the system voltage may drop substantially, in which case the alternator may stop charging - some are designed to do this. Double whammy !

Am I correct in thinking you have had the car from new ? If so, when did the battery draining problem first arise ?

Nick

Virtually all driving is short journey (c.15 miles a day work.)

yes - new car - first battery problem was after about 18-24 months

Virtually all driving is short journey (c.15 miles a day work.)

yes - new car - first battery problem was after about 18-24 months

If that's your total daily mileage then I would say journey distance isn't a problem. I do less than that, with next to no weekend use, in my 16v Twin cam Fab and don't have problems My original battery lasted 5 years, which itself was slightly on the low side - second time around I replaced it with a 60 amp hour instead of the default 45 Amp hour, in the hope that this would counter the problem. If your doing a low mileage to and from work, a once a month 20 mile burn up the local motorway (M5 or M4 ?) would help to offset the problem.

Is your car alarmed ? That drains the battery on a continuous basis. Again, I found I only suffered a when the vehicle was left unused for a three week period and the battery then went well flat.

Again I would say that if you had a serious drain of electrical power problems would have manifested themselves within a couple of months of use from brand new. There were reports with early Fabias with ****-ups in manufacture of the wiring looms and connection

Given problems started to occur after 18 months it sound to me as if a component began to fail during run in. Possibly the alternator. I know people on this forum, particularly diesels, have had problems with chaffed wires to the alternator causing problems. If the dealer was a Skoda specialist then they would have known about that. Al;so, alternators of old were prone to have diode failures which led to the battery being able to discharge through the alternator, when the engine wasn't running.

Whilst your dealer may have done a diagnostic report at every service, if the fault was something like a chaffed wire it may have been sufficient intermitent not to show -up.

Have a look underneath the car to see if any of the alternator wires are exposed/adrift (You may need to take part of underplate off). If all's OK then get a new dealer to do a diagnostic (£50) or find someone with VAG Com.

Incidentally, I'm just wondering if you are in the right forum. Is your Fabia a Mk 1 or Mk 2 ?

Postscript.

Does the battery light come on when the engine is running ?

Nick

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by Clunkclick

Mine done this. It was a wire split, and meant the battery wasn't getting enough charge. Unit found and fixed it in a afternoon!

Matt

Thanks to everyone who has posted.

Update: just got the RAC over. Confirmed that the battery had not drained sufficiently to suggest anything had been left on. Battery charges perfectly - does this mean that it can't be an issue with alternator wires? (apologies for ignorance)

RAC man suggests - it's the battery*. I suppose it's perfectly possible to be unlucky and have 2 batteries in succession which die within 2 years...?

*although technically it 'passed' the tests he did on it...

i'd check the alternator was charging at 14.4 volts....

simple to check, get a volts meter across the battery when the car is running!

I'd change the battery bud

Mines was a Halford Professional top of the range bobby and it went capoot within a year

i'd check the alternator was charging at 14.4 volts....

simple to check, get a volts meter across the battery when the car is running!

I'd change the battery bud

Mines was a Halford Professional top of the range bobby and it went capoot within a year

yep -14.4

looks like a new battery and then cross fingers...

Halfords batteries are awful, I bought one of their 5 year warranty jobs and had it replaced every 18 months for about 6-7 years because it would stop holding a charge.

Clean and check all your door locks, if one is slightly sticky, it can fail to close properly and sit there all night trying to finish locking, and draining power; had this happen on my 2nd Toyota; it was a bugger to figure out what was happening.

In the past, where battery integrity is in doubt, I have taken it round to the local fitters for testing. They will put it on a rapid discharger and nearly fully deplete any charge the battery is holding. They then attempt to fast re-charge using an industrial strength charger (30-50 amps) - almost a destruction test for the battery as the test conditions well exceed those experienced when the battery is insitu in the car and undergoes actual start-up and re-charge. If it fails to match the re-charge criteria below, then its duff and can be discarded

Note: you can't do this test on a home trickle charger which are usually only 6-10 amps.

Extracts from Elsa Win (The VAG servicing manual):-

"Check current drain when charging

Information about the state of the discharged battery can be received as fast as possible when charging starts by determining according to the current drain of the battery, if the battery has to be replaced or can be fully charged.

WARNING

Battery with colourless or bright yellow magic eye must not be subjected to any test or charge. These batteries must be replaced.

The current drain must always be tested, when the battery tester with printer VAS 5097A displays the following results:

1 - Starting power output adequate

2 - Starting power output weak

3 - Starting power output very weak

4 - not testable (the device does not switch on, LED does not light up, does not print)

Test requirements

t The battery temperature when charging must be at least 10 °C.

t Use battery chargers recommended by the manufacturer, with a capability of at least 30 A charge current (e.g. - VAS 5900 -, -VAS 5903-, -VAS 5095A-).

t If the battery charger does not display directly the power of the charge current (e.g. VAS 5095 A), the charge current must be measured with current probe e.g. - VAS 5051B/7-.

Test sequence

– Connect the battery to the charger and start charging → Chapter.

– After five minutes, read off battery charge current at battery charger or measure with current probe.

Test result

Five minutes after the beginning of the charging process, the charge current must be more than 10 % rated capacity.

If five minutes after the beginning of the charging process, the charge current is less than 10 % rated capacity, replace the battery.

Example

For a 60 Ah battery, 5 minutes after the beginning of the charging process, the charge current should be more than 6 A. If this condition is fulfilled, continue the charging and two hours after ending the charging, when the battery is not subjected to any load due to an electrical component, measure voltage again under load → Chapter. "

Nick

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by Clunkclick

When I changed mine I bought one of these.

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Type-096-Varta-Silver-Dynamic-Car-Battery-P3197.html

5 years guarantee, Next day service, Excellent packaging, big cranking power, great supplier.

I don't know what engine yours has, this is the right size battery for the tray but I'm not sure If it's suitable for

a smaller petrol engine. Either way Tayna are a terrific supplier and will offer a range of batteries for your car.

Check here----> Car battery fitment guide

The first time this occurred, i called the RAC, who jumped the battery and subsequently could detect no drain. I returned the car to the dealer as it was under warranty - they initially could detect no problem, but ultimately declared that the battery needed replacing.

A few months later the new battery was dead - again with no apparent cause. By now, the car was no longer in warranty and, to complicate things, the dealer from which i bought the car ('Streets; in Bristol) had closed.

Umm a half decent battery should have a warranty of x number of years.

Maybe you can chase that up. The way you test a battery is first fully charge the unit, then put a big load on it to see if it can sustain the voltage.. If yes battery is good, if no then its dud. Simplez.. maybe a garage will have a battery load tester.. I've used one at the marina many a times so I assume a garage would have one..?

Next.. Is the battery correct spec for the car? i.e. correct Ah and/or cranking amperage..?

From the description I would have to agree with others its something to do with the battery.. If alternator charges ok and there is no major draining of power when engine is off I don't see what else it can be.

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by JLneonhug

http://www.amazon.co.uk/RING-RSP240-Solar-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B003M9FRH2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_5

This may assist keeping any new battery in good condition i.e. preventing the plates from sulphating. Most cars used for work commuting are parked-up in outside carparks in daylight for at least 6 hours a day. Just stick this on the rear parcel shelf and plug into the cigarette lighter socket - unplug before switching on engine.

Haynes auto electric manual says that a trickle charge of one thousandth of the battery amp hour rating should do the trick. So for a 50Amp hour battery, a trickle charge of 50 milliamps will do.

The unit above delivers 333 milliamps at full tilt - half cover with a piece of card in full summer sunlight to prevent overcharging.

Nick

Edited 26 September, 201015 yr by Clunkclick

There is an issue with broken wires on the alternator

When you start the car , check to see if the battery light comes on

If not , then it is that wire

It did it on my Fabia

I bought a new alternator , but turned out just to be the wire

I broke down too :(

But when you start it , check to see if the light comes on , if not , then the alternator will NOT charge the battery , so will loose the power , as it wont recharge the battery

good luck

Sarah

Virtually all driving is short journey (c.15 miles a day work.)

yes - new car - first battery problem was after about 18-24 months

By c.15 do you mean 15 miles a day over two trips (there and back), 15 miles a day over numerous short trips or 0.15 miles a day? If you are doing constant short trips you'l be taking more out of the battery than you're putting back in and so a flat battery is pretty much inevitable unless you trickle charge it regularly.

With respect to your second battery, I always thought that once a lead acid has been fully discharged it's pretty much knackered.

Just had my Fabia fixed, after loads of problems with this - battery would sporadically go flat, unpredictably, and at the most frustrating of times. Turned out to be broken alternator wire. Apparently this wire controls when the Alternator charges. If the wire is disconnected, the alternator will start to charge, but only if the engine revs exceed 2500. Therefore, trundling into work through the rush hour would cause the battery to go flat. If your battery light doesn't go on when you turn the ignition, then this might well be the problem.

Good lluck!

We bought a Skoda Fabia estate ('05 reg) in the summer.

Two weeks after purchase, and after no problems, the car failed to start the day we were going on holiday. After a jump-start, the car started and we had no further problems until yesterday.

My wife noticed that the electric windows wouldn't work, yet the car would start.

This morning the car wouldn't start. Again, we jump-started the car, (the windows arent working still), and we went on two relatively short journeys. There was a two hour gap in these journeys.

I've just been out to turn it over, and the battery is flat again.

Any thoughts?