TTsumibishi

So about a month ago I got a brand new battery in the 2001 TT. I left her for a week while on vacation (it wasn't cold cold where I left her, but pretty chilly). I came back a week later and she was completely dead again and she needed to be jumped. I checked the forums again and while it does seem to be prominent, I have some questions if anyone would be kind enough to help answer them.

Just FYI, the system was checked out and there doesn't appear to be any drain on the battery, and the alternator appears to be working just fine.

1. Is this a common issue with the TT
2. What causes this? I've been told a combination of the cold and the smallish battery. Can anyone elaborate?
3. Does the new MK II TT have a similar issue?
4. What can I do to prevent this?
5. Why doesn't my trunk and gas cap release work afterwards?
6. How long should I drive the car after jumping it to properly charge her up?
7. Why does it happen to the TT and not, for instance, my other car (scion tc), left for a longer amount of time in the same weather conditions?

Thank you in advance...I'm beginning to worry!

dirrTTy

it's gotta be a short somewhere.

blackfnTTruck

the battery is fully charged the cold weather shouldn't effect it that quickly. If you leave it for more than a month, it's good to exercise any battery by charging or using it. There must be some sort of drain on the battery. Check the drain it should be around 18ma with the doors unlocked, slightly more with them locked.

Qu!cksilva

I finally go mine back from the shop after 10 weeks of sitting idle...no battery charging involved...an even a few demos of the DVD/audio to a few friends at the shop...
When it came to starting the car up...first tun of the key.

Optima Red Top btw

TTinCT

once a wet cell battery is fully drained they never recover properly, so the life expectancy is shortened dramatically....that said, you should be able to leave the car for 3-4 weeks before it kills a good battery.....

New batteries are not fully charged when you buy them in most cases due to storage, and time on the shelf....they are typically close to 85% capacity but you could get a bad battery (that was new) or one that is not charged enough.

Charging the battery with the alternator can take hours or 30minutes or so depending on your driving. THe charge will occur faster if you are driving the car at highway speeds as alternators perform more efficiently above 2k rpms in most cases...so leaving the car to idle in the backyard to charge a battery will work, it will just take longer.

The cause is mostly due to the amount of the electronics in the car. The TT draws a bit more than average due to the alarm, radio on overall needs of the electrical system

If you use a good battery, and do not drive the car 2 miles and park it...that will help with this issue of charging the battery fully. If you have a tendency to let it sit, purchase a battery tender as this will keep the battery fully charged.

The trunk and gas cap are electrical switches...no battery charge=not working

The TT requires 12.4 volts or better out of the electrical system/battery to start...anything less than that is problematic.....

Hope this helps...

|everso!|

one under warranty from the battery maker/seller.

maybe you have an overactive immobilizer or something? i dunno what's causing such quick drainage of it though..

TTsumibishi

0.26A...if my math is correct that's 260mA right? If my math is really correct, 260mA > 18mA

This sound like a drain somewhere? :\

TTsumibishi

I drove it home at almost highway speeds for about a half hour last night, I hope it starts this morning. If not, I'll have the battery tested again tomorrow and see if it's still good. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be. As I mentioned in my response to blackfnTTruck the drain is 0.26A which is high compared to the 18mA he stated.

I wonder how much charge is required for the trunk and gas cap. The car ran for 30-40 minutes to get me home and the buttons still didn't work, but the button on the keyfob worked. Bizarre!

I wish I had the ability to have a battery tender where I live but there's simply no way to swing that at my apartment complex...I assume all of them you plug into a wall outlet?

Thank you for the response and ideas!

TTsumibishi

I'm definitely going to talk to the seller and have them test it again...

blackfnTTruck

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