Hi.

Haven't been here for a while, not since selling my wife's Fabia.

Son also has a Fabia Mk1 - he has been having starting problems for a while now. Replaced his battery a few months ago thinking it was it, but clearly it's something else.

The car is fine if driven every day, but leave it for 24 hours or more and the battery is always flat. I would assume that something is somehow draining battery power even when the car is not being used. Anyone aware of similar faults? How would i go about tracing the cause?

Thanks!

BM

I've got a really great idea; try turning the radio off manually before turning the engine off!

Try taking the boot light bulb out...this causes it sometimes!

Try taking the boot light bulb out...this causes it sometimes!

Could you see whether the boot light is staying on if you took the parcel shelf out?

Could you see whether the boot light is staying on if you took the parcel shelf out?

Try that first

Could be the glove box light not switching off.

DB.

Has it had ICE put in it?

Could you see whether the boot light is staying on if you took the parcel shelf out?

Or pull rear seat down

Thanks for the suggestions, all lights appear to be switching off as they should.

I may have found the culprit though. He has one of those Belkin iPod connectors permanently plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in the centre console. He just got home there a short time ago and both the plug and the little control unit are very warm. Assuming that the cigarette lighter stays live after the ignition is switched off, this bugger might be draining power I suppose?

Yep, it's always 'live'

DB.

Yep, it's always 'live'

DB.

Well that's probably it then. Was Googling just now and these Ipod transmitters are apparently very hard on ordinary batteries, so I imagine a 24 hour drain on the car battery might be enough to kill it. Should be easy enough to confirm

Thanks for the posts.