Nice post-holiday surprise!

[PDIBK]

So, I went away on holiday, got back after a week and didn't need to drive the beast (well, the mildly aggro looking Skoda).

 

After the best part of another week (13 days total), I had to drive it.

 

Jump in, turn key, wait for lights to extinguish (TDI) and... Click.  Nothing.

 

Try again. Click

 

And one last time.  nothing.

 

Cue a mild stream of profanities and then a few stereotypical Skoda jokes run through my head...

 

i managed to push the car off the garage door - better security that way - and hook it to a charger for 18 hours or so.  jumped in and ROAR (well, clatter, thrum) and it was alive.

 

Drove it about a bit (20 miles or so), seemed fine.

 

The thing is, nothing obvious had been left on and the much awaited days of not needing to do the daily 40 mile nursery-and-back-twice-a-day have arrived (youngest joins oldest at school), so there is a good chance the Monte will sit on the drive for a week at a time. 

 

My concern is there is a problem, in that two weeks doesn't seem right to kill a battery on a year old car.  My normal driving pattern sees it covering 40 miles a day, some longer journeys, no pointers to low battery in the past. 

 

Anyone have any ideas?  I could hook it up to a variometer (or whatever my Dad said) and check it is producing all the zappy stuff it should, but I was hoping there would be an easier solution.

 

Also, my battery has no Neg terminal cover.  Should it?  And the positive cover came off in my hand when I tried to lift it up to attach the charger.  Any pointers on what the battery and terminals should look like in the engine bay?

 

Other than that, it's good to be back and commenting on posts...I await some responses, probably one from George, with baited breath!

[dobbey]

Could be a duff battery or the alternator isn't great. Do you have a multi meter? If you put it across the battery terminals with the car off, it should read over 12.5V if its any good. To test the alternator, start the engine and put the multimeter across the battery terminals and it should read above 14V

[Ootohere]

Sadly, Just common that modern car batteries only see you to about 2 weeks then fail to start.

 

Enough to look like they have life in them, but not to turn the starter.

Solar charger needs left fitted up while at Airport Car parks and the likes.

Cars on Forecourts of Dealerships need boosted regularly.

 

No Cover on Negative Terminal.

You can only cause a spark shorting across the Positive to an earth.

(If putting on jump leads, no need to put on the negative terminal, you can clamp that on any Earth, Engine etc.)

 

george

[sharkrider]

yeah, a cheap solar trickle charger might do the job

[vRSy]

My battery was fine and started on the first turn after being parked up at work for 3 months whilst i was out the country!!  Christ, even my race battery will last 7 days without causing an issue.

[Ootohere]

Firing up a petrol not a diesel tho.

Obviously every cars battery is not total cr4p, some are though, VAG do a good few.

 

I have a new battery that sees 3 weeks before failing to start, and thats on a small petrol automatic car.

Takes only 15 minutes on a Fast Charge until it does start the car.

But, Others that can start after many months, also on petrols.

 

george

[MartynVRS]

Diesels do need more of a kick but I've left TDI's a few weeks and fired up no problems in the past. Won't be driving my vRS for the next week and I expect to start it again with no problems.

[PDIBK]

Thanks guys - I will check the multimeter.  I may have to get creative with leaving the charger on trickle - it's old skool and bulky, so difficult to hide and I can't fit the car in the garage...

[Ootohere]

A £20 Solar Charger panel on the dash worked for me on my Camper Van.

The alarm was hard on the battery.

 

george