Hi all. Hoping somone can help me out with this problem on my Octavia 1.8T (X plate).

This has happened twice and I have got the AA to do a home start. Basically, I go out to the car to find the battery completely drained of all power...no fob; no LEDs working etc. The AA come out hook it up charge me up and do some checks which show that the battery is fine and charging OK. They can't find any faults when they do the checks on their laptops.

The AA guy seems to think it might be a relay that is being 'left open' and as such is draining the battery down to zero and then the relay is closing due to lack of current. I know very little about this stuff but what he says makes some kind of sense.

Does anyone know of any faults relating to relays that might cause this? The car on the first occassion had been lying for four days in pouring rain - the second time I had done a 40 mile trip the previous day. There doesn't seem to be anything left on but can't really check every time I get in and out of the car. There was about three moths between the two faults occuring. The main similarities was using sidelights, heavy rain but that's all I can remember about the two run ups to the fault developing!

The only things done to the car prior to the fault occusing is that the wiper motors and linkage has been replaced and a Road Angel hard wored in - don't think they have anything to do with it as the car has been fine for threemonths in between the two faults. I have noticed some water getting in on a I think a dodgy door seal on the rear passenger side - maybe water is interfearing with the electrics?

Any help greatlt appreciated as the AA guy said it would be difficult for my Skoda dealer to find the fault if it is n't actually happening at the time of testing.

Maybe I just need to have a spare battery or charger to swap in if I can't get it sorted?

Thanks all!

Anyone got any ideas on this problem?

Thanks

Is the road Angel hard wired into the Radio Harness?

If so I'm wondering if they took a 12V supply off the permanant supply rather than the switched supply.

This might explain it

Not really sure what the garage did...just said they would hard wire it. Could check this out though so thanks for the heads up.

Still it would seen rather poor if the road angel killed a battery after just 4 days!

Yeah but if battery is only just charge up by AA to get you going rather than to full, and the Road Angel is permanantly pulling on it 4 days isn't that bad. I mean think how long a mobile phone lasts, and that isn't trying to lock to a satelite and talk to it all the time it's on.

IIRC the 12v switch and unswitch are in an odd arrangement on the octy too, so it would e very easy for them to have got it wrong

Either way do let us know what caused this in the end

Will do and thanks for your asistance on this.

Get the battery discharge tested, Halfords will do this for you. Check the charging voltage to.

The AA checked the battery and discharging and they were both fine on the test. This is why the AA said that there must be an intermittant relay issue as this would be the only way that the battery could be drained in one day. Don't think it can be the Road Angel at all as I can go months with it in the car and it never causes a problem.

It must be a relay issue...where it is being kept open and then drains the battery. Finding it will be difficult for sure.

Thanks for the responses!

hi you mentioned both faults were after you had had the side lights on,

with my car i have found if you do not turn the light switch of hard to the left it is possible to leave the instument lights on and no buzzer sounds as the instrument lights come on before the side lights position is reached.easy to notice in the dark but not in the day.