V10 Rob

I have a 2006 A3 (3.2 Quattro) with ~45KL miles. In December ’09, the original battery (#1) died. Not too bad – got over 4 years out of it. After trying to find a replacement that fits in the trunk space locally - I gave up and picked up a replacement factory battery (#2) from the local dealer. I replaced it and – surprise – that brand new battery was dead. I jump started it - drove to the dealer, and they identified it as a "dead cell" and replaced it for free. This next battery (#3) lasted for about 6 months and one afternoon in June – the battery was dead. And note that this car gets driven pretty much every day for 5-10 miles, not short trips.
I jumped it again, drove it to the dealer, they tested it, and said it was a “bad battery” and replaced it with another new battery (#4) for free. They kept it overnight and gave it a draw test and said that that battery died! Yet they saw no unusual draw! So they put in another battery (#5), it tested fine and sent me on my way.
Three weeks later (last week) the car started fine, it was driven ~5 miles and after sitting for 10 minutes – it was dead again! This time I had it towed to the dealer – dead. They checked for current draw, saw none, charged the battery and watched it for the past 4 days. Then today, they say that the car started slowly and they intend to put in another new battery (#6) today and see what happens.
Phew – that was long to type! So, experts – what do you think? The dealer is happy to give me new batteries – but I can’t help but wonder the probability of getting 5 bad batteries in a row in a 6 month time period!
Any ideas? Comments?
Thanks, Rob

azoceanblue

Are there any other after-market electrical parts installed, i.e. new radio, an Ipod, radar detector. The battery cables run from the trunk to the front of the car, is there a nick or cut in the cables? Are the cables being pinched some where along the way up front?

I had a similar experience with a Jetta a few years back. Like you, the dealer could find nothing wrong. A friend recommended I take the car to a car electrical expert. The electrical expert found that my trunk light was not going out. They fixed the switch, problem solved.

I hope your issue gets resolved soon.

Rob V10

Well, they put in another new battery last Thursday and for the past 4 days it has been fine! Who knows, maybe it was a batch of 4 year old batteries and they finally sent a new one over to the USA...

I'll keep you posted. Thanks. Rob

Rob V10

Update after 1 week... Still starting like a champ! Maybe it really was as simple as a bunch of faulty batteries!

Rob