just been out in my vrs and when i came back to the car after being parked up for about 30 mins the battery was flat and it wouldnt start,looked around and there was nothing left on that could have drained it so opened up the bonnet and could smell burning from the top of the battery.i removed the cover and could tell it was coming from the little black box on top of the battery.i removed the cover and there is a red wire going to the bottom left,4 reds along the top and 1 black on the top left which has melted into the case.anyone know what has happened there then.what is this part and what can i do to repair it as i need the car over the new year.i was able to get the car started with jump leads but obviously have just driven it home and am worried about going out in it again.

Sounds a familiar problem. Have a read of the 2 threads below:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/ask-tech/altenator-cable-burn-main-fuse-box/68377/

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia/battery-charge-cable-heating-up/66147/

thanks denis,much appreciated.

just been out and started it again and it now seems to be holding charge again so with a bit of luck it will last me over the weekend until i can get it into the stealers as it is still under warranty.i suppose that with the recent weather meaning that the climate,rear demister and lights being permanently kept on has given the charging circuit a hard time which has obviously pushed a weak wire a bit too far.

i suppose taking it to the stealers will also give me the chance to have a moan about my drivers seat stitching coming undone.

can someone tell me what amp fuse is on the black wire going into the fuse box on top of the battery as mine cant be read where it has melted.the one next to it is 110amp is it the same.

is there a bodge that i can do to get me through until tomorrow,what would happen if i were to wire this black lead which i believe to be the alternator lead straight into the battery and miss out the fuse box.this couldnt have happened at a worse time as we are supposed to be going out tonight:(

As you are under warranty phone the AA. Be careful not to attempt any repairs which might comprimise you.

Fuses tend to melt for a reason so I wouldn't advocate circumventing it.

i agree with VRStu above , don't attempt a repair , ring the AA ,the car may go up in smoke especially if you bypass a large ampage fuse ,

the dealer will fit a complete new fuse box and either repair the alternator loom or replace that also

trouble is that i need to get it to the dealer first and they are approx 10 miles away.i know what you are saying about bodging it and i suppose that it was a stupid idea:Ojust a bit desperate thats all as i dont know what to do about tonight or how to get it to the stealers tomorrow.

i was just thinking that if i could get a piece of 110 amp fuse wire which i am pretty sure that it is then i could at least reconnect it and it may last me long enough to get it the the garage.thinking about it though i suppose that nothing is open today anyhow:rolleyes:.

It's not your responsibility to get it to the garage if you are under warrenty and have AA cover. It will include recovery and replacement car.

ok well my optimate has been connected for over 24 hours and there still isnt enough charge to start the car so i will have to ring the dealers tomorrow and tell them that i cant get it to them and that they will have to sort out some sort of recovery.

they have already informed me that all the loan cars are out at the moment so i just hope that they can fix it quickly.is this a part that they should already have in stock as i have no idea how my wife and i are supposed to get to work whilst the dealers have it.

ok well the car is now at the dealers,the aa bloke did a temporary bodge on it by fitting the lead straight back onto the battery with an inline fuse.he said not to drive it too far as the wire he used wasnt really thick enough and he only had a 100 amp fuse whereas the original is 110 amps.i think the battery is also shot now though as he measured the voltage when it was all reconnected and it was reading over 14 volts so it was obviously charging ok but whenever you turned the engine off the battery was still flat.luckily the dealers did have a spare car after the mechanic looked at it and said that i shouldnt really be driving it,in fact they had 2 which is a bit funny after they had already told me that all the loan cars were already out:rolleyes:

Glad to see you are on the way to getting it repaired.

i was just thinking that if i could get a piece of 110 amp fuse wire which i am pretty sure that it is then i could at least reconnect it and it may last me long enough to get it the the garage.

I agree with the others about fuses blowing for a reason (and I know you've got it to a garage now), but for future reference, an unwound thin paper clip would probably be about the right thickness. It'll just melt if you've still got enough of a fault to blow a 110A fuse.