Newbee help - Battery always dying

[drewbee]

Hi all,

ive just purchased a 2003 audi a4 convertable, in black, the 3.0 miltitronic model.

great car, abt slow for a 3.0L IMO.

by anyways, ive owned it for 2 weeks now and had to jump start it 3 times.

any idea whats wrong with the battery? ive had the battery and alternator checked at kwik fit and they say its fine.

im thinking the battrey fluid (whatever its called) is low?

can anyone comfirm my theory?

thanks

 

[Kunit]

You need to check current draw once the vehicle has gone to "sleep", does the hazzard switch light go out once the car is locked up? May take a little while. Does it have RNS-E or a aftermarket phone kit?

 

[Woorlord]

Welcome to the Forum.

You have had the battery checked at Kwik Fit and you are querying the fluid level - perhaps something they should have checked!!

As per "Kunit", are there any aftermarket add-ons, i.e. Phone kits, Radio's, TV tuner, RNS-E (Audi SatNav with 16:9 screen) - these may have incorrectly been installed and draining your battery even when the key is removed and the car is effectively powered down.

Although you have jump started your car, has the battery actually had a good chance to take in a full charge - charge it fully with a battery charger so it has a good chance for recovering? A good battery charger will also show battery charging problems if a cell is on it's way out.

A few checks you can do.....

1. Fluid Check - Check fluid level in each cell - look in every cell and make sure low level marker is covered by deionised water.
2. Terminal Check - Make sure battery terminals are not corroded and in good order - apply a very thin coat of some vaseline or silicon grease to the terminals and reconnect.
3. Alternator Check - Car ignition Off, key out. Measure Volts across battery (use a Digital Volt Meter DVM) - should be 12v. Now start the car and measure volts across the terminals - should be 14.4v if alternator working OK.
4. Good Charge - Give the battery a good overnight charge with an external battery charger - remove the earth (Chassis/0v) terminal before you connect the charger.

See what happens next with the battery holding it's charge.

 

[drewbee]

You need to check current draw once the vehicle has gone to "sleep", does the hazzard switch light go out once the car is locked up? May take a little while. Does it have RNS-E or a aftermarket phone kit?

everything seems to work, just wont start, i can unlock with the remote and the hazards flash, headlights work, dash display working aswell.

i have no phone kit or anything like that installed.

 

[drewbee]

Welcome to the Forum.

You have had the battery checked at Kwik Fit and you are querying the fluid level - perhaps something they should have checked!!

As per "Kunit", are there any aftermarket add-ons, i.e. Phone kits, Radio's, TV tuner, RNS-E (Audi SatNav with 16:9 screen) - these may have incorrectly been installed and draining your battery even when the key is removed and the car is effectively powered down.

Although you have jump started your car, has the battery actually had a good chance to take in a full charge - charge it fully with a battery charger so it has a good chance for recovering? A good battery charger will also show battery charging problems if a cell is on it's way out.

A few checks you can do.....

1. Fluid Check - Check fluid level in each cell - look in every cell and make sure low level marker is covered by deionised water.
2. Terminal Check - Make sure battery terminals are not corroded and in good order - apply a very thin coat of some vaseline or silicon grease to the terminals and reconnect.
3. Alternator Check - Car ignition Off, key out. Measure Volts across battery (use a Digital Volt Meter DVM) - should be 12v. Now start the car and measure volts across the terminals - should be 14.4v if alternator working OK.
4. Good Charge - Give the battery a good overnight charge with an external battery charger - remove the earth (Chassis/0v) terminal before you connect the charger.

See what happens next with the battery holding it's charge.

Hi Woorlord,

as per last post, i dont have any thing new installed, the cars standard inside and out. - maybe the heated seats were left on? im not sure.... would that cause a battery drain?

im going to check the fluid levels when i get the time, i work 9-5 and by the time i get home, its too dark and to be honest, i dont really know how to - going to take it to halfords and kwik fit and ask them to check

but this is very annoying as ive only had the car for 2 weeks,and ive had quite a few problems already,

firstly the temp guage stopped workin, and on sunday, the driver side window regulator broke, window stuck. and the battery has given me probs since, ive jump started it about 3 times, and im pretty sure ive drove it long enough for it to rechage.

oh, i noticed that my alarm keep going off on sat nite, and shortly after that, i tried to start my car and it went dead - could it be the alarm?

cheers

 

[drewbee]

can i just add, its not a daily thing that the battery dies.

its happened 4 times since ive had it (2weeks).

 

[pjmspeedy]

If I was you check the battery with a multimeter to see what it reads. On and off so you will then know if the charging system is working correctly.

 

[Mike B]

I had abattery problem when Iacquired a 2.5 TDI in july.It would start just but when I checked the cells with a hydrometer they were all much too low and I wondered if the battery was on the way out . I had to charge for a whole weekend to bring the reading up to good and waited to see if the charge would hold but preparing to buy a replacement because it seemed original and about 6 yrs old.So far so good so it must be recharging well because I only do local trips to work etc.It started well today after 4 days and temp was down to minus sonething horrible last nightI would try a good long charge if you are lucky to have a garage and ahome charger but check fluid levels first.If not you may have to replace but try to hold on to the old one as aspare.The local scrapper sells good batteries for very little compared to new prices.Is there one near you?

 

[1wheelonly]

thats how mine went, turned out it was the battery, got a new one on and no probs since.
just seemed odd it wasnt flat every time which led me up the path, but eventually it was.
by the way, there a bast##d to change.

 

[drewbee]

thanks for the reply everyone!

i somehow dont think its the battery as when i got the car, i had a recipet from the last owner, who had the car serviced at audi, the invoice was 4 pages long and cost the poor chap £1600!! service, new battery, mirco switch for the roof, brake dics and pads and a few bits here and there.

anyways, the battey was replaced just over 10k miles ago, surely cant be the battery?

and it doesnt seem to die all the time, 3 times in 2 weeks.

weird.

do you still think its the battery? im going to get the fluids checked at the weekend, andybody know if halfords will do it?

cheers

 

[1wheelonly]

urrm, maybe not then, although it wouldnt be unheared of.
you need to get a multi-meter on it and check what your getting when the car goes to sleep ie: when you lock up and the warning triangle goes out.

 

[pjmspeedy]

do you still think its the battery? im going to get the fluids checked at the weekend, andybody know if halfords will do it?

cheers

If the battery isn't that old then I'll think you'll find it's a sealed unit so you won't be able to top it up!

 

[PetrolDave]

the battey was replaced just over 10k miles ago, surely cant be the battery?

10k miles over what period of months/years?

Batteries should last at least 3-5 years if it's a reputable make, but there's always "rogue ones".

 

[Woorlord]

How old is the receipt from Audi on the battery change - I thought all parts are covered for 2 years - get them to check the battery surely?

DIY: You do not have to be a Rocket Scientist to check the fluid level - although being a contortionist may help to get to see the fluid level!

As per pjmspeedy says if it's a very new modern design then probably sealed so can't be topped up.

To Check Battery Top Up Levels:
The cells have screw off caps (use a 2p piece), look in with a torch and you will see water. At a certain level their is usually a plastic marker, so if the water is too low the plastic ledge is seen. Fill with Deionised Water (usually available from any garage of hardware store), until this plastic ledge is covered.

As Halfords have already said your battery is fine I would be reluctant to go back there for any further advice or fixes.

DO NOT buy your battery from Audi, you can get the same and sometimes higher rated batteries (mAh) from car parts outlets - my recommendation would be German & Swedish.

My battery died 6 months after purchasing the car (2003) - not used much initially as it's my weekend drive - after it died, did all the fluids but think a cell was on it's way out. Died on a few occassions weeks after even after fully charging with a battery charger. Anyway - bought a new battery from G&S for ~£80-£90, Audi wanted at least £150+. My current battery is sealed so can't be topped up.

What is your current battery rating there should be something like 90mAh.
Perhaps the battery you have is not the correct rating also but it was done by Audi so should be correct??

 

[drewbee]

How old is the receipt from Audi on the battery change - I thought all parts are covered for 2 years - get them to check the battery surely?

DIY: You do not have to be a Rocket Scientist to check the fluid level - although being a contortionist may help to get to see the fluid level!

As per pjmspeedy says if it's a very new modern design then probably sealed so can't be topped up.

To Check Battery Top Up Levels:
The cells have screw off caps (use a 2p piece), look in with a torch and you will see water. At a certain level their is usually a plastic marker, so if the water is too low the plastic ledge is seen. Fill with Deionised Water (usually available from any garage of hardware store), until this plastic ledge is covered.

As Halfords have already said your battery is fine I would be reluctant to go back there for any further advice or fixes.

DO NOT buy your battery from Audi, you can get the same and sometimes higher rated batteries (mAh) from car parts outlets - my recommendation would be German & Swedish.

My battery died 6 months after purchasing the car (2003) - not used much initially as it's my weekend drive - after it died, did all the fluids but think a cell was on it's way out. Died on a few occassions weeks after even after fully charging with a battery charger. Anyway - bought a new battery from G&S for ~£80-£90, Audi wanted at least £150+. My current battery is sealed so can't be topped up.

What is your current battery rating there should be something like 90mAh.
Perhaps the battery you have is not the correct rating also but it was done by Audi so should be correct??

Hey, thanks for the reply, the audi recipet was in 2007, so i think 2 years is up! its a brand called vitra or something like that, and its done just over 10k miles since 2007.

thanks for the tip of checking the cell fluid, i shall give it a try at the weekdn, too dark and cold at the mo. im not sure what the rating of my current battery is, but like you said, its from audi, so im pretty sure they know what they are doing? correct me! LOL

your problem with your battery sounds like my one, but im going to check the fluids and take it from there.

 

[Mike B]

Could be a varta same as mine original fitment.Should not be aproblem but if the previous owner had to replace the original which was then only 4 years old then there may be another fault which is causing the batteries to die early.Most batteries are said to be sealed but if like mine the seal can be removed revealing six large cross headed plugs they may be very tight and need alarge flat screwdriver to loosenBe careful with the fluid its acid and very corrosive.I hope you can save the battery they are costly and not easy to handle .

 

[pjmspeedy]

Be prepared to spend a few ££££££ on a battery for your Cab. I changed mine about 4 months ago and it was £70.