2006 A180 draining battery

[Roger57]

My son has a 2006 A180 which had the battery replaced about 12 months ago. The battery is a proper Bosch item.

However, from fully charged, if the car isnt run the battery loses its charge over a period of about four-five days. I realise that some electrical systems remain active when the car is not in use, so I have checked the current drain when engine off and its about 0.2A. My wife has a 2011 A180 and I have checked the current drain on that one too by way of comparison; it is exactly the same and we have no problems with the car.

I have removed the fuse for the alarm system just in case that was the culprit but it made no difference.

Perhaps one of you auto-electrical guys out there can tell me if that sort of current drain is normal; as I said, our other A180 has exactly the same figure. I am beginning to suspect that the battery was faulty to start with (it should be under warranty). The battery was replaced by the AA. Can anyone assist please? I would be grateful if you could.....

Regards
Roger

 

[grahamcol]

I think the car needs to "rest" for up to about 20 minutes prior to checking current drain, otherwise some systems remain active and will show a false high reading. 0.2 amps is quite a lot if the car is fully rested and l believe around 0.03 amps is more the norm. Others will be able to advise further.

 

[Roger57]

I think the car needs to "rest" for up to about 20 minutes prior to checking current drain, otherwise some systems remain active and will show a false high reading. 0.2 amps is quite a lot if the car is fully rested and l believe around 0.03 amps is more the norm. Others will be able to advise further.

Yes. That makes sense. I thought that figure was a little high too. I did leave both cars for a few minutes prior to testing. Might try again and leave it a bit longer. Any further information would be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

[grahamcol]

Could be even longer and I'd give it 30 mins or more to be sure. Trouble is if you open a door or anything l think the car wakes up again. Suggest you're very careful to obtain an accurate reading. Good luck.

 

[Tony Dyson]

For the test you should also open doors and bonnet/boot for access and simulate a closed and locked condition by rigging the locks and switches so the car goes fully to sleep and doesn't sense your presence and wake up during tests.
Was your original battery a Bosch?

 

[Roger57]

For the test you should also open doors and bonnet/boot for access and simulate a closed and locked condition by rigging the locks and switches so the car goes fully to sleep and doesn't sense your presence and wake up during tests.
Was your original battery a Bosch?

Yes, it was a Bosch battery....

 

[Roger57]

Yes, it was a Bosch battery....

When you say original do you mean the one in the car now? Yes, that is a Bosch battery of the correct capacity. It was supplied and fitted by the AA. We do not know what it replaced but I cant see that this will make a difference would it?

 

[Roger57]

Strange things happening here. Went out to the car yesterday and the central locking didnt work. Flat battery, thought I. Opened the door manually and put key in ignition - nothing. Dead. Removed the battery and connected my fancy smart charger and....the battery would appear to be fully charged....

In the charger's 'regen' mode, the battery shows 100% charged and a voltage of about 13.6v.

All I had done prior to this was remove the fuse for the car alarm system (there is a chart on the fuse box). Obviously made sure it was the correct fuse. So I replaced the fuse and the battery but still nothing.....

So tomorrow I'm going to fit the battery in my wifes A180 and see whats what. Unless anyone has an explanation...

I'm going to repeat the current drain test on that car too following the instructions I was given above.