I sold my Golf 1.6 mk3 to my sister who when coming to drive it away found that the battery was completely flat. The AA man said that it was probably the Clifford alarm that I had installed that had drained it, but after 10 days being laid up, my personal feelings is that this is rubbish.
A few months ago the battery was drained and Green Flag said that this could have been the cooling fan draining it after the engine was switched off. (this was during the hot spell).
Is it a question of getting a new battery as this one doesn't seem to be able to hold its charge? Or does it sound like I have a short circuit somewhere? Or would it be possible for the alarm to drain it?
Is it possible to test whether the battery can keep a charge or whether there is a short circuit somewhere?
I feel I need to sort this out for my little sis so any advice would be welcome.
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I had a Cavalier which would be drained by its alarm over two weeks and I never found anything particularly wrong with it - although with the alarm disconnected the problem went away.
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How old is the battery ?, if its 4 or 5 years old then a 35 ma load ( i.e. alarm, clock etc. etc will drain a tired old battery in 10 to 14 days. If it is of reasonable age then firstly when the car is running and the battery is charged up do you get at least 14.5 Volts or so across the battery at 2500 rpm or so. If you do then you need a half decent meter to check the battery load., this is done by undoing the battery Pos clamp and connect the meter between the clamp and the Positive terminal. ( May need two people ). Set the alarm and allow it to arm, you may have to over ride the bonnet switch. When it is all armed carefully lift the clamp up and note the current. If the reading is between 10 and 40 although some alarms can be greedy at 60 ma, then that’s not the problem if it is greater then bit suspect. Assuming this test is ok them reconnect everything and go to you local auto store and ask them to check the battery, most stores have a decent tested that pulse discharges the battery and calculates and displays the max cranking current and the amp hour rating and will tell you the state of the battery. You could do this first particularly if the battery is more than 3 or 4 years because that is probably the cause and the winter is going to finish the battery off. Regards Peter
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Thanks Mark - not what I wanted to hear!!!
Peter - as far as I know the battery is the same one that came with the car in 1998. Possible it should be changed and the alarm disconnected?
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I have a VW Golf Mk 2 with a Clifford Alarm. Based on my experiences if your alarm rums flat in less than two weeks you have a duff battery.
I have left mine for three weeks when I have been away on holiday and apart from turning over for a bit longer to get the petrol thro' it starts just the same as if it had been parked overnight.
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On the subject of getting the battery tested, mine is about 5 years old i think. Would i be able to get Halfords to test it for me or would i need to go to a garage for them to do that? Can i just ask them to come out and check it in the Halfords car park, in situe?
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Kwik Fit are doing free battery checks.
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Thanks all for the info. My sister took her car in and the result was that a new battery was needed as the one in the car couldn't hold its charge.
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