BikerBill

Has anyone ever measured the current drain on the battery when the alarm system is off (car unlocked) vs. alarm on (car locked)? I'm trying to track down a battery discharge problem that happens when I leave my car locked at the airport for 7 - 10 days but doesn't happen when the car is unlocked at home for 15 days. At first I thought this might be due to all the radio transmissions at a busy airport frequently waking up the remote entry system but then I began to wonder if it's just the alarm system consuming more current. If someone has actual data please also indicate what vehicle you have. Mine is a 2000 A4 and the alarm system is the factory installed system.

mnemonic

My 2000 has been parked for weeks at a time locked, with no battery issues.

BikerBill

and flash? I'm assuming it does its thing for 10 or 15 minutes maximum, and then goes back into some sort of baseline monitoring mode. I wouldn't think that would drain a significant fraction of the energy from the battery.

When your car was parked for weeks, was that at an airport, home, or someplace else?

mnemonic

and I wasn't there. My car has been left at work, airport, train station and home in the last couple of years. I think the longest was 18 days with out an issue.