Two week old Octavia, battery discharging

[Stewart7]

Sincere thanks to all these replies, I'll try to answer all the points made.

 

Apart from one auto stop/start when leaving the dealer on day one, I've always disabled the function because I wanted as few distractions as possible and I would rather reduce the wear on the starter motor.

 

I've also turned off the daytime running lights to reduce electrical drain.

 

I checked for courtesy lights staying on when the car is empty, although I didn't think to check the lights in the boot.  I'll lower the rear seats tomorrow and check them.

 

I can't think of anything else that could lower the battery by between 25% and 50% in just 24 hours.

 

I don't have bluetooth, nor a sat-nav, nor heated seats.  (I didn't ask for heated seats, but there are two wires coming out of the floor, looping round in a braided covering and disappearing into the underside of both front seat bases!)

 

I did check the handbook before connecting a charger, and I did use the earth point away from the battery as instructed by the handbook.

 

I did another 120 mile daylight run yesterday but didn't check battery voltage when I got back.  I've just been out to check it again now, 24hrs later and it is 12.34 volts.  The lights on my charger says this means about 25% charged.

 

The handbook doesn't say anything about it being an AGM battery, it has an elelectrolyte checker, and it is just marked 69AH, so I think I will check Halfords maintenance chargers.  (I do sometimes have periods where I don't use my car for a whole week or maybe two and I know that lead-acid batteries last longer the closer they are kept to fully charged.  And winter is approaching).

 

Thanks again guys

All your comments are appreciated.

 

[andyvee]

Well done for reading the handbook and following the advice.

 

Personally I wouldn't get too stressed about it, the charging system on the O3 is very intelligent. Contrary to what others might say, the alternator only provides enough current to trickle charge the battery above the load the vehicle is placing on the electrical system in the interests of fuel economy. If the battery voltage drops too low, the vehicle will disable systems in order to charge the battery, SS being one of the first systems to be disabled.

 

Under braking conditions the alternator is engaged at full load, therefore increasing the engine braking effect and transferring that energy into charging the battery.

 

Just drive it normally, if there was a problem you would be experiencing poor starting etc. and noticing the SS system being disabled (if you had left it switched on).

 

For peace of mind you could always find a local VCDS owner to scan your car and check for any fault codes related to the battery & charging, plus any fault codes relating to unexpected battery drain when the vehicle is turned off and locked. The CAN gateway will log a fault code if you leave a dashcam permanently powered, so if anything is draining the battery then there will be a record of it.

[MrAdamwood]

I am not trying to start an argument, or challenge your knowledge

 

BUT

 

how many of these vehicles have had Start Stop systems and energy recovery systems?

 

Anyway, just in case the handbook was being over cautious for uneducated owners such as myself, I thought I would check the official Skoda workshop material. The advice there concurs with the owners manual - don't connect to the negative battery terminal as you can damage the SS system (which is controlled by the CAN Gateway and Battery Control Module).

 

As I said earlier, everyone can make their own mind up, I am not trying to preach, but it does annoy me when potentially incorrect advice is given in forums that could potentially cause damage to a vehicle.

 

Battery2.PNG

Ok can't argue with the w/s manual! I stand corrected. My apologies.

[Mallettsmallett]

Is there any way of seeing if its a battery fault or a drain issue? So some way of connecting a multimeter in line in the positive terminal cable and see what amp drain is with the car turned off? I know that you'd need to leave it a while as most modern car ecus will pull a current for a while and then drop off.

That would help narrow it down, but as everyone has said, I wouldn't worry unless it's manifested in some way with symptoms.

[MrAdamwood]

You used to be able to put a meter in line with the battery, but It doesn't work very well anymore as disconnecting then reconnecting the battery wakes up the ecu's and you would have to wait for them to sleep before you saw a true readout of battery drain. You used to also be able to pull fuses to see what was draining but this wakes things up again and you go round in circles.

The best way to identify a drain on a specific circuit is either with diagnostic equipment if the car is able to tell you what is draining or volt drop across the fuses in mV will show what fuses have current flowing in their circuits but the problem you then have is fuses tend to supply more than one circuit.

Electrical fault finding a modern vehicle is a minefield

[andyvee]

Is there any way of seeing if its a battery fault or a drain issue? So some way of connecting a multimeter in line in the positive terminal cable and see what amp drain is with the car turned off? I know that you'd need to leave it a while as most modern car ecus will pull a current for a while and then drop off.

That would help narrow it down, but as everyone has said, I wouldn't worry unless it's manifested in some way with symptoms.

VCDS will tell you if anything is wrong

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[Mallettsmallett]

Lovely, if you have vcds. I was thinking for the rest of us.

[andyvee]

There are plenty of members who would do a scan for you

[andyvee]

Ok can't argue with the w/s manual! I stand corrected. My apologies.

No need for apologies

 

SS is new to most people, and if it ever goes wrong it is bitch to get it fixed

[Stewart7]

Dear all

While waiting to pick up my Wife in a car-park yesterday, I decided to go through all the options on the Bolero display and look to see what was on.

When I looked at the 'phone' settings menu, I found that bluetooth was on.  I turned it off and remembered that, one thing the salesman showed me when I collected the car, was how to 'pair' a phone.

He didn't manage to pair it because my phone isn't a smart phone, and it doesn't have bluetooth.

Could the bolero have been trying to 'pair' all this time and draining the battery?

I measured the voltage one hour after I got home and it was 12.66, which I believe means 100% charged.

12 hours later it was 12.52

 7 hours later it was 12.51

These figures are the best I have had.

Could this bluetooth setting have been my problem?  Shouldn't it have 'timed-out' and stopped after a while?

 

As always I am grateful for any comments

 

Stewart

 

[andyvee]

The infotainment unit goes to sleep within a few minutes of the ignition being turned off. The Bluetooth module turns off almost instantly.

You are worrying over nothing, I don't know why you are measuring battery voltages at intervals - what battery related problems has your car exhibited?

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[Stewart7]

I'm worrying because as I said at the beginning.  After a 12 mile run home from the dealer, the battery was only 25% charged, and I didn't want to leave it in that state even just overnight.  Also, because I am a worrier, I kept an eye on it, hoping to see that charging it that once would be all that was required.

I'm now worrying that I'm taking up too much time and space on this forum, so I'll just say again that since I turned off bluetooth, the battery has held up.

 

Thank you all again for the help and information.

 

Regards

Stewart

[andyvee]

As in 25% charged indicated by a battery charger that was manufactured before this generation of batteries?

So, other than your battery charger making you think you have a flat battery there have been no issues?

As I said, don't worry about it, the car will pop up warning messages if you have a problem, they even tell you when to change the battery in the key!

Ask away with any questions you have, don't worry about it we are a helpful bunch.

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[Stewart7]

Yes, an old battery charger, about 10 years I think.  And no, there have been no other issues.

 

Thank you Andyvee for your compassion and encouragement.  I feel I owe you a little more info.

 

At age 68, this is my first ever new car and I am still getting to grips with all the new technology.

My previous car was a 1992 Nissan Primera which I had driven for the last 21 years, before that was a Honda Accord, owned for 11 years.

 

So you can see, I don't like to change my car very often.

Although I had read all the advertising about the Octavia, the only driving experience I had to compare it with was made in 1992, 23 years ago.

 

I will try to take your advice to heart, and to enjoy the wonderful ride the Octavia is giving me and my Wife.

 

Thanks again

Stewart

[andyvee]

No problems - enjoy the car, don't worry about the battery!

 

Things will have moved on a bit since your last car - ask any questions you need to help you settle in to the Octy.

[MoggyTech]

As an older driver myself (61) and having grown up driving Morris 1000's and the likes, I can understand how this modern technology confuses people, and in some cases, causes unnecessary worry.

 

Older car: Engine turns over really slow when trying to start = flat battery. Connect charger or jump start = job done.

Modern Car: A complex computer manages battery charge for you. Any attempt to try and be smarter than that computer involves reading several pages of technical data, resulting in headache and worry 

 

The new technology does work though. I accidentally left my two dash cams, plugged in for several days, while the car was in my garage. The computer flashed up 'Main battery low' when I went to start the car, but it did start (just). 

 

Even your alternator has several modes on your new car. To reduce fuel use, it will enter an 'idle' state at cruising speeds to reduce engine load. When braking, it enters full charge mode similar to F1 Kers technology.