Hi

Everyone I've asked this before but it's happened again.

I'm on school hols left the car for two days yes two days and when to start the and nothing would start tried to tick over.

The battery is new less then four month old

So not sure what is draining the battery

The only thing I've noticed is a clicking sound from the passenger foot well when the alarm is on.

I have also changed the stereo to a different one could it be a Fault on that as every so often the unit flashes.

Any help our any one else got the same problem

Thanks

Most stereos these days have an alarm LED that flashes intermittently; there's no drain from that to speak of.

 

Does the drain happen when the alram's not armed?

Have you tried actually turning the stereo off rather than relying on the ignition live?

have you checked if the CAN Gateway is correct for your new radio, as if it is a newer model it may need the upgraded Gateway to avoid battery drain.

Ye the unit is switched off its aftermarket when I mean flash the lighting flickers all over it's not a red led

The car is always armed but trying it with the lower setting so pressing the alarm twice.

Sorry what's a CAN gate way

The CAN network is like a telephone line that runs around the car allowing all the different controllers to talk to each other. An example is you turn the indicator on. The steering wheel module gets this signal and sends the message over the CAN network. This is received by the front lighting control module and the rear lighting control module. These process this and then flash the indicator light. The same signal is received by the module controlling the dash lights so that it knows to flash the warning light and the module where the small speaker is that clicks to give you an audible warning.

In your case, you need an updated CAN gateway so that your new stereo can communicate with the other modules so it knows when the car is off and can shut down correctly. I would suggest that this is what's happening, hence the battery drain.

Do a search for CAN gateways and see how to replace it (easy and cheap job).

Ok thanks that was very helpful cheers

Did you recharge your battery the first time?, i mean properly recharge it- an alternator just keeps it above its current charge, so if it was totally flat, it still will be. Just driving/revving the engine will not recharge a battery. Neil.  

Just one question where can I get a new can bus or upgrade mine and would it work with my stereo unit as it is not a Skoda part it's an after market stereo

Ye I've had the battery off and had it on a charger and fully charged

this what I used for my Blaupunkt stereo and on the skoda after market kits they over came the battery drain by taking a switched +ve direct from fuse box rather than have a permanent +ve but the downfall of this that it doesn't store your stations, which is a bit naff hence the proper CAN interface.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-new-Volkswagen-CAN-interface-MK5-golf-touran-T5-Touareg-Blaupunkt-/181243501020?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item2a32f459dc

 

but before splashing out on a CAN interface I would check using a multi-meter if the radio is the actual cause as you should not have more than 0.03 amps parasitic drain

Ok cheers for the help

do you have or had installed the columbus gps system?

No the unit I bought was from China it's a es1089eu from ebay if any one take a look and see if I need to change the cam bus and what too

Did you recharge your battery the first time?, i mean properly recharge it- an alternator just keeps it above its current charge, so if it was totally flat, it still will be. Just driving/revving the engine will not recharge a battery. Neil.  

Is this so? I always understood that 'giving her a good run' is one response to a flat battery; putting on charge another. My introduction was in the days of dynamos (which required winter and summer charge rate adjustments) and only charged when running above a certain speed. With alternators, I understood they charged at any speed, and put into the battery whatever was required.

 

Next point: I'm reading this because my 59 plate Octavia Greenline 1.6 diesel had insufficient charge to start it this (slightly) frosty morning.  This last happened when it had been stood for a couple of weeks in September.  Jumped it from my wife's V reg Micra and it started immediately. I thought batteries nowadays lasted about 10 years: is this true of Skodas? How do I tell how old the battery is in my car - there's a blank white space on the label. And the acid level indicator is black, indicating that's OK.

 

How can I tell if there's something draining the battery when the car isn't in use (It has only original electrics). All ideas welcome!

Terrible battery the Octavia has. When the tints were done the fellow was listening to the radio and when I picked the car it needed a boost to start. Stayed all night charging.

For fault finding purposes you could install an ammeter inbetween the +ve termianl of the batter and the battery link lead. This will show how much current is passing inbetween the two points.

 

Safety Note - please do not turn on the ignition or attempt to start the car as this will cause a large current draw which may exceed the capacity of the ammeter. For battery drain faults I usually use a small ammeter and then try an isolate the circuit (by removing the fuses one at a time and reading the ammeter to see if there is any difference) which is causing the problems, there may be easier ways to do this but I find it quite effective. If there are any vehicle electricians that can give further pointers I am willing to learn and this may be helpful to the OP.

Thanks both. With engine off meter is reading 12.5~12.8V; with engine running it's a steady 14.5V. I'll see what it looks like in the morning. Then I'll see what ammeter tells me.  If I cannot find anything obvious draining it I'll replace the terrible battery!

 

Any recommendations? I've not had battery bother since the early 1970s, when Morris 1000 dynamo was insufficient to keep battery topped up in winter (in those days parking light was required when parking on street). Happily Moggie had starting handle, and started first swing!  I read elsewhere batteries last 4~5 years. I did 136k in my 1998 Nissan Primera GT SE over about 9 years: same battery, same plugs, same clutch...

When you go to start it in the morning, try and get someone to help you. Here's why: The helper turns the key whilst you monitor the voltmeter connected to the battery. Check the voltage before you attempt to start the car ( should be 12.5v ish), then check whilst cranking engine (should not drop below  10.5V - 11v ish). Much more would signify battery being suspect. Charging rate of the alternator looks as though it is in the acceptable range. If my battery ever lets me down I would be off to buy another one asap, the biggest would that the battery box will accommodate - I need reliability. 

You need the parasitic drain of the battery measuring using an ammeter.

You need the parasitic drain of the battery measuring using an ammeter.

As described in post 17

I wouldnt be at all surprised if a battery nowadays lasted less than 4 years, at the end of the day its a cheap consumable and should be treated as such.

Steve, I fitted a Bosch 096 S5 battery to my VRS. Although slightly bigger than the standard battery it fits fine. The battery has higher capacity than the standard with 780A CCA and 77a/h so has no trouble starting the car even in very cold weather. I got it from justcarbatteries (actually got 2 - one also for my astavan) and can highly recommend them. I think they were £80 each.

Edited 8 November, 201312 yr by FatblokeVRS

 

 

 How do I tell how old the battery is in my car - there's a blank white space on the label. And the acid level indicator is black, indicating that's OK.

 

 

If you mean the round plastic window in the top of the battery  I always thought that it should be green for a healthy battery and black for a bad one ?

Thanks all: having trickle charged over about 16 hours (until rate dropped right off) it read 12.8V. On cranking, it dropped to 9.8V. Although this was very brief, as it started straight away, my confidence in the battery is such that I'll get a new one - and yes, the 'Bosch S5 Car Battery Type 096 With 5 Year Manufacturers Warranty' which Euro Car Parts have at £82.39, which appears to be the cheapest.

 

On the current battery [Varta 5Ko 915 105E, 12V 61Ah 330A etc.....] battery level indicator is either black for OK or clear for top-up. I've another which also includes a 'green for ok' possibility too. Now where did I put my hydrometer.....?!

 

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