I have a 2001 Octavia 110 TDi.  Recently I have been getting regular flat battery, despite the battery being nearly new. Also the Battery Warning Light no longer illuminates even before I start the engine. On the advice of the local (non-specialist but decent) garage, I had the alternator replaced but still no warning light, and occasional  flat battery. I recently did a run down to Renfrew (250 miles each way) and the car was fine despite heavy rain and a night drive home, so using most of the high drain electrics. Yet yesterday morning I  ran the car for ten minutes to warm it up, but when I came to start it half an hour later - flat battery :-(

 

She has done 275K and this is the first real problem I have had. Any advice/suggestions would be most welcome.

Edited 10 November, 201411 yr by Shrimertom

Is there sign's of damage to the fues box on top of the battery?  common fault if lead from alternator is breaking down causes fuse box to melt

welcome to the forum.

 

Drop testing the battery would have been better than replacing an alternator.

 

?

So how nearly new is the battery,

is it the correct battery with enough cold cranking amps.? (CCA)

*ones not stored properly from the factory until sold new can ruin a battery,

and not all new batteries are necessarily good, but then if you have a receipt you maybe have a 3 or 5 year guarantee.*

 

If the Terminals are tight, & the earths are good,

i would suspect the Battery as being gubbed and due for replacement before you get even more cold weather than you have been having.

 

george

Edited 10 November, 201411 yr by goneoffSKi

Thanks Mikec, but no sign of damage or corrosion to the fuse box on the battery.

 

Thanks, George, but new battery this summer with 650CCA and full warranty. After 275K of service it seemed quite believable that the alternator was on its way out, but I think the clue here is the missing Battery Warning Light - I've trawled the internet, and  on another forum (SEAT?) the same problem is traced to a faulty plug or broken wire leading to exactly these symptoms, and I was rather hoping that someone had come across this on the Octavia.....

Edited 10 November, 201411 yr by Shrimertom

are you getting a charge from the alternator to the battery (think it should be about 14.5v when running) if not then you have a broken lead from the alternator or a faulty earth to the alternator

generally the battery lamp will stay on until the charge voltage matches or exceeds  it then goes out   you need to check the wiring to get the lamp lit at "key on"

Indeed, that's the aim, and the garage will be checking the wiring later this week to see if they can find the problem, was just hoping someone would be able to suggest which wire :-)

Problem Solved:

 

Garage looked at it today, and if I understand them correctly, there is a multi-plug just above the starter motor, with the leads from it routed up through a conduit in the NS inner wing. The wires had been chaffing, and two were broken. They repaired them, and the Battery Warning light now operates correctly, and the battery charges at all engine revs.

 

:-)

Problem Solved:

Garage looked at it today, and if I understand them correctly, there is a multi-plug just above the starter motor, with the leads from it routed up through a conduit in the NS inner wing. The wires had been chaffing, and two were broken. They repaired them, and the Battery Warning light now operates correctly, and the battery charges at all engine revs.

:-)

It's a very common fault - the wires become brittle and break. Check your a/c is working. 2 of the 4 wires go to the a/c compressor.