Xcellence Lux Battery Keeps going Flat?

[motormadmarc]

Hi guys.

My 5 month old Ibiza Xcellence Lux has suddenly developed a problem. Basically, although the car is used regularly and Is also garaged the battery has suddenly started to have problems and keeps going flat. This has happened twice now over the last 3 weeks or so and the last time it happened I couldn't even get into the car because the battery was so flat that the remote key fob wouldn't work. Even the alarm indicator wasn't flashing.

So to cut a long story short, I called out the RAC again the last time it happened and he run the usual tests via his laptop, and just like the first time a couple of weeks earlier no faults were found? The RAC guy said that the alternator was charging perfectly and that that there were no signs of a power drain either showing up on the fault diagnosis. So he replaced the flat battery with another brand new one and went on his way.

This was just over a week ago and everything seemed fine until this morning. I unlocked the car via the key fob and instantly noticed that there were no interior courtesy lights illuminated In the cars interior. And when I pushed the start button the battery just about had enough power to start the car.

So guys, I was just wondering If anybody else has experienced this problem with their SEAT and if you have, what was the problem? I've now booked the car In to my nearest main dealer to be checked out, but what's worrying me is that both of the RAC technicians that have previously checked the car for faults and have found nothing have both said the same thing. That the checks that SEAT will do won't be any different than the ones that they done. So if that's the case, how Is this problem ever going to get sorted

 

[RADIOTWO]

Hi guys.

My 5 month old Ibiza Xcellence Lux has suddenly developed a problem. Basically, although the car is used regularly and Is also garaged the battery has suddenly started to have problems and keeps going flat. This has happened twice now over the last 3 weeks or so and the last time it happened I couldn't even get into the car because the battery was so flat that the remote key fob wouldn't work. Even the alarm indicator wasn't flashing.

So to cut a long story short, I called out the RAC again the last time it happened and he run the usual tests via his laptop, and just like the first time a couple of weeks earlier no faults were found? The RAC guy said that the alternator was charging perfectly and that that there were no signs of a power drain either showing up on the fault diagnosis. So he replaced the flat battery with another brand new one and went on his way.

This was just over a week ago and everything seemed fine until this morning. I unlocked the car via the key fob and instantly noticed that there were no interior courtesy lights illuminated In the cars interior. And when I pushed the start button the battery just about had enough power to start the car.

So guys, I was just wondering If anybody else has experienced this problem with their SEAT and if you have, what was the problem? I've now booked the car In to my nearest main dealer to be checked out, but what's worrying me is that both of the RAC technicians that have previously checked the car for faults and have found nothing have both said the same thing. That the checks that SEAT will do won't be any different than the ones that they done. So if that's the case, how Is this problem ever going to get sorted

This is my two Paneth ! I am not a mechanic but I have had a lot of experience with car electrics, and yo say the RAC bloke did a test with a laptop but doing that will not check for a drain on the system, which I suspect is the problem, and I guess the main dealer wont find that with just the plug in tester.
The best tests are the old fashioned ones, what is the voltage with the engine off, then check with the engine running, and the you need to check with the engine off if there is a current draw with every thing switched off, then if there is (and this what I suspect) you need to find where the problem is

 

[SuperV8]

Sounds like 'parasitic draw' - so some part of the electrical system is faulty and/or not switching off. Simple to fault find but beyond what a break down service would do.

You are locking the car in the garage aren't you? as sometimes an unlocked car will 'stay awake' and obviously drain the battery.

 

[motormadmarc]

Hi guys.

Just a quick update regarding my battery drain issue. Basically, I took the car Into my nearest main dealer earlier today to check out the problem with the battery drain Issue and also to have some software update carried out on the infotainment system. I think It had something to do with stopping the screen from randomly re-booting Itself like It was before.

And to cut a long story short, when I went to collect the car I was told that when the new battery had been fitted a couple of weeks earlier by the RAC breakdown technician, that he hadn't recalibrated the new battery? Something to do with the cars brain not recognising the new battery but thinking that the old dead one was still fitted?

Personally speaking though I've never heard of recalibrating a new replacement battery before. But apparently most new cars need to do this whereas older cars do not.

So watch this space guys to see whether this was actually the problem that was causing the power drain. But I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed that It was

 

[tracktoy]

Hi guys.

Just a quick update regarding my battery drain issue. Basically, I took the car Into my nearest main dealer earlier today to check out the problem with the battery drain Issue and also to have some software update carried out on the infotainment system. I think It had something to do with stopping the screen from randomly re-booting Itself like It was before.

And to cut a long story short, when I went to collect the car I was told that when the new battery had been fitted a couple of weeks earlier by the RAC breakdown technician, that he hadn't recalibrated the new battery? Something to do with the cars brain not recognising the new battery but thinking that the old dead one was still fitted?

Personally speaking though I've never heard of recalibrating a new replacement battery before. But apparently most new cars need to do this whereas older cars do not.

So watch this space guys to see whether this was actually the problem that was causing the power drain. But I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed that It was

When you fit a new battery to a VAG model with stop start you need to code in the battery details (I am guessing thats what they mean by recalibrating).
The reason for this is that the Battery Management system using the Battery Serial Number (very complicated) will change the way it charges the battery so for example if you have a 4 year old battery and put in a new one the system knows its old (because you have not told it otherwise). This does not impact the usage of the new battery just the longevity (as its not charged correctly).
In my personal view (if your car is only 5 months old (or have i got that wrong)) this is a red herring (for your issue) as this is a new car so the charging cycle should not be that different on the New Battery to the old one.

 

[SuperV8]

Agree with tracktoy - the battery calibration; or lack of is certainly not the issue here! That may only 'slightly' reduce the battery's total life.

If you say the screen has been having issues re-booting - this could very well be the parasitic draw problem, so the screen/nav/stereo might not have been 'going to sleep' correctly - which will drain your battery. A software update to fix your screen re-booting could also fix your parasitic draw problem.

 

[motormadmarc]

Thanks for the replies and info guys

 

[RUM4MO]

It is a bit annoying that, or in reality, if the RAC guy did not "code in" that new battery, "Stop/Start" has been around for many years now, so all of these "big" breakdown companies show know what must be done if they end up supplying and fitting a new battery - I'm sure that the AA coded in the new battery that they fitted to my younger daughter's Arona over a year ago, I told her to ask the AA guy that it was done and I'm sure that it was.

Any or many faults in modern cars can end up forcing some of the controllers to wake up when the ignition is off and even if the car is locked up, and probably due to the total number of them and the current that they consume while being in an "awake and ready mode", places a considerable drain on the service battery.

I've been in that situation but worked out that it was probably just a S/W issue (which in the end it was, a BCM incorrected coded by the manufacturer of that unit) as VCDS never detected any fault codes being logged, the first SEAT dealer logged the drain overnight and found that the module/wiring tape, under the steering wheel was at fault, so replaced that and handed the car back, that cost quite a bit, but after a week I was back to where I had started - then that SEAT dealership was closed and the site redeveloped for housing! So, I spent another 6 > 9 months investigating things - this was a 3rd car so no real rush as my older daughter's its owner, was working abroad. Just before she returned for Christmas/New Year, I reluctantly handed it in to the supplying dealership - and they accepted immediately what I was saying concerning it probably being a BCM S/W issue, gave the car a quick health check then logged a tech help request from SEAT mothership - S/W patch identified and location sent back to dealership who downloaded it from SEAT mothership - and that sorted out that problem! That car was a 2009 Ibiza 1.4 SC, and by the time, maybe June 2015, that it first showed up in that car, it seemed that only some breakdown companies had been chatting about it - SEAT dealerships seemed only to be aware of it "early on" as it only affected round about 2009 1.4 petrol engined VW Group cars with lowish trim specs, but after a couple of years they had lost sight of this being a possibility. Now why they did not check the S/W version currently on all cars passing through their service areas - like they claim they do, I'll never know, expect that car marques, in general, do tend to leave it to the customer to report an issue before they take action - or in the case of VW Group, this works better as warranty claims stay lower and workshop load levels stay higher, as always the actual S/W patch is supplied FOC but the labour costs outside warranty are not.

Edit:- by the way, it is normally better to create new posts in the correct area for your car, doing that keeps know issues all in the same area and probably ends up with you getting better responses.