Flat battery

[discotwinturbo]

Just got back from 6 weeks abroad. Touareg started nicely. Disco flat.....not even a glimmer of light. Battery down to 7.6 volts.

Been on charge all day, with only a 5 amp charger (did not want to hit it with the big one), and back to 12.1....will leave it a little longer before I fire her up.

Next time, I will disconnect the battery. A good comparison between the D4's systems and a 4 year old car. Seems as though the D4 does not go into a full sleep. Touareg actually shuts systems down as the battery level drops. Was really looking forward to driving her....will have to wait a little longer.

Brett....

[driftn69]

G'day discotwinturbo,

I seem to remember reading or it being suggested (by the stealer I think) to me that if a D4 is to be left unused for an extended period to lock the suspension so that it doesn't keep levelling itself thus draining the battery.

Cheers Colin

[discotwinturbo]

Interesting....thanks for the tip Colin.

Have just fired her up.....she thinks its 1st Jan 2009.

Locked her up for the night and locked the suspension just in case. Will take her for a good spin tomorrow.

Brett....

[Graeme]

What do you mean to lock the suspension? Is that referring to locking in crawl mode? If so, I can't see any difference to just access height, being the same low height.

[camel_landy]

I would assume the locking in 'Access Mode'.

You might want to just get it checked out as the systems should lock down to prevent excessive battery drain. However, if there is a faulty switch or something, this will prevent the car from shutting down properly and therefore flatten the battery.

M

[stewmair]

Went away for 11 weeks with the aux battery disconnected and a maintenance charger on the main battery. No problem on return.

[drivesafe]

Hi Brett and there can be a whole host of reasons why a battery goes flat over that length of time but with a battery voltage of 7.6v, I would suggest there is more to it than just normal vehicle discharging.

Most devices stop drawing power once the battery voltage gets to 10v and a battery is flat at 10.5v, so you will need something like a light glob left on to continue to draw the battery down that low.

One other point, how well charged was your battery before you left the D4 for so long?

If you had been doing noting more than short trips before you left the D4 parked up, the battery may have been in a low state in the first place.

[discotwinturbo]

Hi Brett and there can be a whole host of reasons why a battery goes flat over that length of time but with a battery voltage of 7.6v, I would suggest there is more to it than just normal vehicle discharging.

Most devices stop drawing power once the battery voltage gets to 10v and a battery is flat at 10.5v, so you will need something like a light glob left on to continue to draw the battery down that low.

One other point, how well charged was your battery before you left the D4 for so long?

If you had been doing noting more than short trips before you left the D4 parked up, the battery may have been in a low state in the first place.

G'day Drivesafe,

The two days before we left we were carting horses about 100kms each way south of home, then also another trip at about 75kms from each way.

The VW was used little that week and battery is just over 4 years old. VW still had door alarm light pulsating before I unlocked it.

Seems as though there must be something drawing current. My reversing camera monitor is wired to permanent power. It was off, but has a little red led light when off....but doubt that would chew enough power. Led light on camera was off when the battery was flat. All interior lights were switched permanently off. Auto lights off.

Have been camping a fair bit, and left her off for up to 5 days, and starts ok.

I think next time I will disconnect it.

Brett....

[Ferret]

... suggested (by the stealer I think) to me that if a D4 is to be left unused for an extended period to lock the suspension so that it doesn't keep levelling itself thus draining the battery.

I have a recollection of being told, or perhaps reading, this too.

[Graeme]

The two days before we left we were carting horses about 100kms each way south of home, then also another trip at about 75kms from each way.

My 2009 D4 had a flat battery the morning that I then drove nearly 600 kms to have the vehicle serviced. The report was that the battery was OK but not fully charged so it was put on a charger for a while. I think the battery must be on its way out because if its not charged after a 600 km run, its never going to be. It was the last service before the end of warranty too, so no 2nd chances of getting a new battery unless it fails with then next 6 weeks and I have time to get to a dealer.