Parents recently bought SX4,not sure what year it is, assume 5 to 10years old. Battery will be flat if left for a couple of days. Car dealer has replaced battery with a correct one,, then a larger one with no improvement. Dealer claims his auto sparky has checked it without finding a problem,(could be bollox, not sure. ) When should they be asking for their money back?
trade4us2,
Dec 10, 5:16pm
I know someone with that problem. It turned out that there was a phone that was dialling out randomly. The dealer was supposed to have disconnected the phone. The auto sparky should put an ammeter in the battery lead (do NOT try to start the car! ). If there's a reading, disconnect all the fuses one by one.
msigg,
Dec 10, 5:19pm
Well 2 things, either the batteries are stuffed, or more likely there is a small drain, a mulit meter will tell you if there is a drain and how large, either something is left on, alarm, or fault, that's the easy part. If bought very recent I would take it back to the dealer and say fix it please as this is not correct and can't use the car like this, or ask for money back, money back then they will get is sorted I think. Leave in driveway, give them the keys and walk away ask then to call you when fixed.
marte,
Dec 10, 5:29pm
Glovebox or boot light? Interior light left on? That's how I bought my car so cheap.
Fixed it & swapped the interior lights over to LED's for better light at a lower power consumption.
After over a year I did have to replace the battery, having it sit for about a year dead flat wouldn't have done much good for it. It would go flat after a week sitting, then 4 days, then 3, 2 & once, it got to that point, Replacement.
aoc1,
Dec 10, 5:51pm
I would be checking this first.
kazbanz,
Dec 10, 7:48pm
It should be very VERY easy to diagnose. Unlikely but possible to be double dead battery, Alternator is dodgy or there's a parasitic drain.
pauldw,
Dec 10, 9:17pm
IIRC the interior and boot lights on the SX4 timeout if left on. I did manage to run it flat once leaving position lights on.
kazbanz,
Dec 11, 8:57am
Incidently my first suspect is always any after market radio fitted
skull,
Dec 11, 9:04am
They should reject the car as soon as it becomes clear the dealer is unable to fix it. There's got to be 100 more SX 4's available without the problem. It may require a visit to a more onto it auto sparky, you can't just deny the problem if the battery is dead in 2 days. Plainly there is a problem and it needs fixing. Give the dealer the car, ask him for a loaner and tell him to phone you when it's sorted, it's not really up to you to locate the problem/solution, that's his job.
franc123,
Dec 11, 9:49am
As per #9. Whoever is investigating the problem needs to have the car at least for a few days to monitor what is drawing power when its standing. The purchaser needs to be granting the dealer an adequate opportunity for them and who does their work to sort it out at their own cost first, it's how the CGA works.
supernova2,
Dec 11, 12:29pm
And tell them to put the correct proper battery in it. Shoving a "bigger" battery in is not the way to fix the problem you have.
elect70,
Dec 12, 11:54pm
My P38 range rover was doing it , pulled out fuses 1by 1 with ampmeter on the battery . Found drivers sea theater switch was faulty staying on & bat going flat in 2 days . Took me all of an hour to trace .
franc123,
Dec 13, 2:01pm
I wouldn't be, I wouldn't ask for a smaller battery to be refitted in place of a larger brand new one as long as the alternator can charge it properly. Theres no need to.
supernova2,
Dec 14, 9:26am
That's fine but we don't know what this "bigger" battery is that the dealer put in. My SIL bought a Honda Fit and after a couple of years the battery died. Goes to get replacement and autosparky asks her why her little fit has a stop/start battery fitted. SIL remembered when she bought the car it had no battery. Dealer produced one from somewhere saying they had taken it out as part of the grooming process. So the question is for the OP's car did the dealer just plonk any old thing in that was lying about? IMHO most cars in normal NZ use don't require anything different to what the maker specs
Also OP didn't say the replacement batteries were "brand new" only that the dealer replaced the battery.
franc123,
Dec 14, 10:01am
Well let's wait until that gets stated either way. Only an idiot would be turning down a free upgrade if it was offered to them. In the meantime swallow an adequate amount of Cold Cranking Amps with your smoko and have a wee chill.
tgray,
Dec 14, 12:56pm
Obvious question, but have to ask it - the alternator has been checked, right? Are the battery terminals nice and tight? You would be surprised at how many I can wiggle with my bare hands. Don't just accept the car dealers word he has had it checked. If you drive to any battery place, they will test it, and the alternator free of charge. Failing that, does it have an after market stereo or alarm?
sparkyz,
Dec 14, 7:21pm
Just get the dealer to take it to a competent auto electrician.
muzz67,
Dec 15, 5:08pm
Well, An update of sorts. Dealer finally got back from holiday, and went and took battery away, checked and recharged it ,and re-fitted it to car so at least car was mobile again. Was jammed into a carshed and Olds couldn't get it out. The car has a fob, but also also has a turn-knob in the ignition to start and stop the engine. The fob has a fold-out key which will fit into the turn-knob for emergencies like the fob battery going flat. The Olds have been using the key in the ignition,, apparently modern technology is just too complicated. Seems to be going flat only when the key is left in the ignition. Pretty sure anyone competent with a multimeter would figure it out.
franc123,
Dec 15, 5:18pm
Umm, why is the key being left in the ignition? It should not be in there when the car is not being used , even if it's a locked garage. If its sensing the key is in there the signal networking system wont be shutting down correctly, ie control modules will be staying active. Ensure they are removed from now on, there may not be a fault at all.
trade4us2,
Dec 16, 12:41pm
I never have any of these problems with my 22 year old car.
martin11,
Dec 16, 12:51pm
The Audi A6 2004 I had would not shut itself off completely and run the battery flat if the key was left in it . Had to take the key away from the car when parked at home overnight .
franc123,
Dec 19, 10:01am
I'm sensing some red faces here. But of course the old "you sold me a dud" thing kicks in real quick.
ml6989,
Dec 19, 10:23am
franc123 wrote: I'm sensing some red faces here.
I have been in the motor trade over 40 years. I think that the diplomatic answer here is "Operator issue, education required"
franc123,
Oct 8, 4:03pm
Lol yep. It's for the most part covered off in the glovebox manual. do not leave keys or fobs in unattended vehicles.
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