I went for a 5 day holiday and returned to find that my car battery went completely flat.
When i got the mechanic to change my battery, he said this is a common occurrence. When people go for holidays too long, the battery go flat because the car hasn’t been started up daily.
He said another family down my street asked him in in the morning with the same situation as well.
I’m puzzled because I use a dry cell (as in most modern cars nowadays). How did the battery go flat on its own? I did checked that the lights and radio was off. What’s draining the cell? The battery was alright when I left.
if the battery is that new (and not defective) then there’s some sort of parasitic draw somewhere in the electrical system. I would have a shop load-test the battery to make sure it’s OK; if it is, then some sleuthing is going to have to be done to track down what’s drawing power.
5 days is a short time to totally deplete the battery.
There is definitely something amiss, a battery that new should most definitely not lose its charge anywhere near that quickly.
As an aside: I gather from your use of the King’s English (and the car model, a Toyota Ractis?!?) you’re in the UK? In America *tires *go flat (not punctured), batteries go dead!
And are sealed, dry cell car batteries really common there? They’re still an expensive novelty here.
Batteries do go flat if the car isn’t driven for a while, but this typically takes anywhere from two or three weeks to several months, depending on the model of car. I’m not aware of any car that will drain the battery in a matter of days if left sitting.
If you hook up a current meter to the battery you can pull the fuses one at a time to figure out which circuit is causing the excessive drain. If you aren’t comfortable with this sort of electrical work then a competent shop should be able to do it for you fairly easily.
Did you leave an interior light switched on? Maybe a trunk or cargo area light you turned on to reach a suitcase? It’s easy to turn on one of these lights manually and forget it won’t turn itself off.
Does the radio have a mode where it can be turned on or left on without the key?
Was something left plugged in to an unswitched power socket?
Another quick check is just reach up and feel your relays after the car has been sitting and see if any of them feel warm. This will often give you a quick clue to the circuit involved. I second the idea to double check your trunk light and under hood light to see if they have been left on somehow or the switch somehow became dislodged.
Japan, I’d guess, maybe Hong Kong, considering that the 2005-2010 Ractis was supposedly released only over there.
It’s a sign that things might get worse. You could charge it up, and things might be good for awhile. But do you really want to wake up morning having to go to some important presentation or meeting or some such and find your car dead, or would you rather cough up the $100-150 for a battery?
I replaced mine the other day. First sign was acid buildup. Then it wouldn’t start, and was 6 years old, so I figured it was time. If the battery is dead because you left something on, then that would not be reason to replace.
Many types of batteries chemically self destruct if they get too empty. If you have a good external charger you can sometimes revive them without too much damage. If you don’t have a charger, a new battery doesn’t cost much more than a charger. Many folks will just buy the new battery and be done with it.
Not long ago, I let my truck sit for twelve days without being started. When I tried to start it, the battery was completely discharged. It turned out to be the phone charger that I had left plugged into the accessory socket.
Thwarted by modern technology! This could happen in newer cars. Most older ones AFAIK cut power to all nonessential accessories like cigarette lighters. See also: transponder keys, cost of.
Yeah, could the OP clarify that? If they are in fact common where you are, I’d be interested to learn more; like Rick I’ve never heard of them being used for that purpose.
Do you possibly mean gel cell, of which Optima seems (to my not-in-the-biz eye) to be the most popular brand in the US?
You should have your alternator checked. Its job is to keep the battery charged. If it is failing to maintain constant voltage (usually ~14v) as the battery drains during regular use (running several electronic components while driving - radio, heater fan, electric radiator fan(s), headlights, etc.) then the battery is slowing losing its charge. It will discharge to the point where it does not have enough power to start the car. It may still run the headlights dimly but lack the cold cranking amps to turn the starter. In the US most large chain auto parts stores will test your alternator for free, in the hopes they can sell you a new one of course. A new battery should be able to sit well over 5 days without discharging. I’m not sure about dry cell batteries, but the acid filled type commonly used in the US are spent when they totally lose their charge and a replacement is recommended.
