2004 Jetta goes dead after 5 days

mvtdiowner · Jul 10, 2006

My 2004 Jetta TDI wagon, goes dead after 5 to 7 days if unused. The dealer says this is normal and has suggested a solar battery charger.

Has anyone had this problem or has any advice, the car is close to ending warrenty period.

Thank you, Steve on Martha's Vineyard

Link977 · Jul 10, 2006

I'm not sure it is normal or not.
Bot I parked my 2000 Jetta TDI in my underground parking for a week before I got the plate. No such problem.

scurvy · Jul 10, 2006

That doesn't seem normal. Have you checked for the proper voltage output from the alternator or tested the battery under load? The alternator is really only good to maintain the battery, not recharge it. You may need to put it on a 10 amp charger every night for a week or so and make sure the cells are topped up (with distilled water).

You also mention the warranty period is almost up. It's completely possible your battery is about to give up the ghost. Many folks here have mentioned 3 - 5 year lifespans for the batteries in these cars. Glow plugs and high compression isn't necessarily kind to a battery. Make sure any replacement batter has the correct amp-hour (Ah) rating, not just cold cranking amps (CCA).

scurvy

njkayaker · Jul 10, 2006

mvtdiowner said:
My 2004 Jetta TDI wagon, goes dead after 5 to 7 days if unused. The dealer says this is normal and has suggested a solar battery charger.

Has anyone had this problem or has any advice, the car is close to ending warrenty period.

Thank you, Steve on Martha's Vineyard

This is not normal.

99JettaTDI · Jul 10, 2006

mvtdiowner said:
My 2004 Jetta TDI wagon, goes dead after 5 to 7 days if unused. The dealer says this is normal and has suggested a solar battery charger.

Has anyone had this problem or has any advice, the car is close to ending warrenty period.

Thank you, Steve on Martha's Vineyard

My FIRST question would be - Do you have an AFTERMARKET alarm, remote start, andthing like that? (Aftermarket = ANYTHING not installed on the assembly line) As a kid I managed a stereo store. When installing a car alarm - or anything else with a starter interrupt relay, the alarm module gives a ground 'trigger' to the relay to hold it open. The other side of the relay trigger, should get +12v to hold it open. Here is the trick however - if you give it constant +12v, the relay will constantly draw roughly 25ma. Not too much for a NEW battery, but will run it down over time. I have seen weak batteries go down after a few days.

It is diffiicult to to a "draw" test on a car with an aftermarket alarm - since when you connect the battery cable to the AMP meter, it will cause the alarm to go bat-$h1t when the module powers up.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

This is common, probably more so, on Dealer Installed Alarms.

supton · Jul 11, 2006

Get the battery replaced; it sounds bad. First, check the voltage at the battery at idle; if it's above 13.8V or so, the alternator should be just fine.

You're not make short trips, right? Lots of trips for only a couple of miles may do this. I'm not sure what the recharge time is for the battery, I think it's no more than 5 minutes or so; but if you're taking at least 10 minute drives then that shouldn't be a problem.

At any rate, methinks you may regret not replacing it (or doing the solar charger thing instead) come winter...

jayp111 · Jul 11, 2006

mvtdiowner said:
My 2004 Jetta TDI wagon, goes dead after 5 to 7 days if unused. The dealer says this is normal and has suggested a solar battery charger.

Has anyone had this problem or has any advice, the car is close to ending warrenty period.

Thank you, Steve on Martha's Vineyard

Definately not normal.

Either the battery is not charging (Alternator/Voltage Reg issue) or there is an appliance that is drawing juice at an excessive rate.....OR you have a short somewhere.

Get the Alt/VR tested. If they are good get a 12v tester....one of the lightbulb types are perfect. Check each of the fuses to see if they are drawing juice while the car is off. Once you know which circuit/fuse is suspect you should be able to trace out the electrical from the bently manual and see what devices are downstream and test each of them.....I've seen folks plug stuff into 12v Cig outlets that are live all the time and forget that they are drawing power......

Joe_Meehan · Jul 12, 2006

I would not say it is usual, but not that unusual. All modern cars have some current drain when parked (dark current). As a battery ages it can get to the point where it has less capacity and may need some help.

Your case is special. Your identified yourself as living on Martha's Vineyard. That means little driving on the island or likely a lot of time parked for extended periods on the mainland. In the first case the battery may not be getting enough time to recharge. In the second the repeated non-use periods could be damaging the battery.

In both situations that recommended solar battery charger should eliminate the problem, but you may already have a damaged battery.

Joe_Meehan · Jul 12, 2006

I would not say it is usual, but not that unusual. All modern cars have some current drain when parked (dark current). As a battery ages it can get to the point where it has less capacity and may need some help.

Your case is special. Your identified yourself as living on Martha's Vineyard. That means little driving on the island or likely a lot of time parked for extended periods on the mainland. In the first case the battery may not be getting enough time to recharge. In the second the repeated non-use periods could be damaging the battery.

In both situations that recommended solar battery charger should eliminate the problem, but you may already have a damaged battery.

Joe_Meehan · Jul 12, 2006

I would not say it is usual, but not that unusual. All modern cars have some current drain when parked (dark current). As a battery ages it can get to the point where it has less capacity and may need some help.

Your case is special. Your identified yourself as living on Martha's Vineyard. That means little driving on the island or likely a lot of time parked for extended periods on the mainland. In the first case the battery may not be getting enough time to recharge. In the second the repeated non-use periods could be damaging the battery.

In both situations that recommended solar battery charger should eliminate the problem, but you may already have a damaged battery.

2004 Jetta goes dead after 5 days

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