Flat battery Flat Battery within 1 week of purchase

[BAUK]

Hi,

I wa wondering if someone could advise me. I bought a new Honda Civic EX CDTi when the 07 model and reg came out this Month (March). I drove it home (approx 8 miles) from the dealership and it went straight in the garage. Unforunately I wasn't able to drive it for a week. The following weekend I went to the car to take it out for a spin and to my surprise I wasn't able to unlock the doors. The car was completely dead so I had to unlock the door manually and the lights didn't come on and the ignition didn't do anything either when I put the key in. I was sure that I had switched everything off and the alarm was on the weekend before.

We called the AA and they said that there seemed to be a drain on the battery when the car was switched off. He charged the car and said we needed to get it to Honda to check it out. The following day we checked the battery and it had dropped its voltaged again over night.

We contacted the dealership and they collected the car. We went back this weekend and they said that they could not find a fault. A battery drain was nominal and within factory specifications. The charged the battery fully two days before and today the car started without any problems.

I'm worried that this will happen again. When I was looking to buy the car I did state that it would be driven weekends only as I work in the City and there is no way I can take the car.

What do I do now? Do I leave it to sit there for a few days and check it again? What are my rights? I've had the car for two weeks and I've only managed to drive it from the dealership so far! I don't want to have to reject the car to be honest. I'm just hoping that there isn't a problem with something draining the battery and I can't leave the car standing for 1-2 weeks.

Thanks,
Bav

[czechplastik]

Basically this can happen with any car, it's not a Civic specific problem. The process of starting a car is the single action that drains a battery the most. If the car is then only driven a short distance it does not charge fully. If you really aren't able to drive the car regularly or for any great distance I suggest picking up a trickle charger which will keep the battery topped up for you while it is in the garage. The car will then be good to go when you need it! There are other threads relating to this all concluding the same. Worth having a search if you get the chance. Like I said in most cases it is not a problem unique to the Civic and certainly unlikely to be something you could reject the car over.

[Kremmen]

In my past experiences, once you have 'completely' drained a battery it will never regain a full charge nor keep it's charge.

If possible I wold get Honda to give you a new battery and for a few weekends ensure that it gets a good charge.

[geoff]

What year are we living in we i go to the airport and leave my car there for two weeks like many others do you ever see hundreds of people with flat batterys NO we don't

What rubbish are we putting up with there is something wrong

[Kremmen]

I think in this case you need to bear in mind that it is a new car. It has probably been sat around a while during pre-delivery and how old is the battery before that?

When mine arrived I looked at the battery visual inspection window and the indicator was showing that it needed charging. After a week of travelling to work and back (20 miles each way) it is now showing that it is healthy.

I think the Civ probably has more electronics that still require power when the engine is off.

And that is the case for the defence m'lud.

[geoff]

I know the pdi may not cover a battery but for good customer relations if you can check why can't the dealer

[sik2k]

I cannot believe any modern car is designed such that it needs to be driven every week in order to allow the battery enough charge to start it.

I guess all you can do is keep an eye on it and if it happens again then make sure the dealer keeps it until they do find the fault.

I agree that a discharged battery never fully recovers and you may want to pursue getting a replacement.

[andrewuk]

I think perhaps you just had a duff battery from the word go and would push for a replacement.

The OEM battery in my old car lasted 9 years 7 months. Bit annoying that it died about 4 months before I got the Civ - sod's law! They obviously don't make 'em like they used to!

[pcr]

I haven't had this problem but my expectation is that it should be possible to leave the car for say one month without issue. I would measure the battery drain myself or get an independent to do it and work out the shelf life of the car. Also get the condition of the battery checked.

As others have said, flattening a battery will have an adverse effect on it, and after say ten times it will be knackered.

My guess would be that a new battery should sort the problem out.

[Kremmen]

I haven't had this problem but my expectation is that it should be possible to leave the car for say one month without issue.

Absolutely, but in this case the battery was possibly in a state of discharge anyway ?

I'm not defending Honda but it could be due to 'circumstances'.

[pcr]

Kremmem, yes, maybe the battery was on the low side when the car was delivered and just needed a good run to fully charge it.

[BAUK]

Thanks guys for your help. I have some more information regarding what else happened.

After the AA came out (Sun) to have a look at the car we were advised to leave the car on for an hour. The car sat idling for an hour to charge the battery and I would have thought that would have been enough. During the AA visit they recorded the following information: Flat Battery 8.81Volts, Drain Test 0.36Amps, Charge Test 14.19Volts at 42.00Amps

My dad tested the the volts the next day and it had dropped a fraction.

A few days later (Wed) the dealer came around to take the car and they couldn't unlock the doors or start the engine again.

Does the readings sound ok? I just want to make sure that the car is ok? I don't think it is unreasonable to leave a car for a week without the car not starting. I would have thought more and more people drive their cars less often and I didn't have this problem with my old car where I only drove it at weekends.

Thanks,
Bav

[l-noel]

I use to let my cars without moving for one or two weeks and I never had problem with it (only once but it was during a very cold winter and the battery wasan old one...).

Because I'm working in Paris at the moment I'm like you and cannot use my civic during the week and only during the WE. The battery is good and the car alway start at the first "push on red Button".

As stated by Kremmen, I believe that the problem is coming from the fact you did'nt drive the car during a long time after delivery. And If the dealer didnt full load the battery it will not be enough to sustain the car during a long "sleeping" time. It was one of the point my dealer expalin me during PDI... and that they fully loads the battery.

But if you have a closed garage the best solution is the one proposed by czechplastik. This way you are sure to have always a ready car to travel without bothering of how long you will let the car without driving it.

You can have a look
here 2.2 CDTi EX - recurring flat battery
or Flat battery......
or Dead battery
and maybe the most interesting for you (thank you Charles for having raised the point ) here Battery Maintenance

And like said CZ use the search function and the wiki... it's very helpfull !

[pcr]

BAUK,
You say the battery drain is 0.36Amps, are you sure ? From what I can see using Google, a figure of 0.036Amps would be about what to expect, assuming all doors closed, everything off, etc.

[Hartside]

Make sure you turn off the auto lights/wipers if you leave it for long spells. AA man told me that flat batteries are not just a Civic problem, but a problem with many new cars now. He told me he attends flat batteries on new cars at least daily

[Pottsy]

Couple of links:

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-42B.htm
http://flashoffroad.com/electrical/C...rrentdrain.pdf

A 4w drain seems high - though you need to test after 15 to 30 minutes or so. If the battery was in a poor state on delivery (often the case, doors open, lights on and so on for the inspection at the factory and the PDI, with lunch breaks) then a couple of starts and an 8 minute drive will only make things worse. So it may just be that.

The alternator will maintain a battery (it's not the best place to charge one), and the current draw should be low enough to allow a perfect battery to sit idle for a month or so and still give enough for one start.

First job on my list would be to check the boot light though.

[Juuzi01]

what about this Alarm Siren Fault
Might Alarm system be key point to this problem?

[Pottsy]

Juuz, that may well be the issue.

FWIW my (working) 2.2 draws 0.54A with the interior lights on, 0.24A with the lights off and the alarm set, which then drops to 0.03A after 15 minutes or so.

[Topcat]

My car sat at the dealership for about 6 weeks before I collected it, I drove it home (about 5 miles) and due to illness it then sat on my driveway for 3 days, I then drove it for about 4 miles and it sat again for 2 days, the battery was fine.

[peter newton]

Originally Posted by BAUK

Hi,

I wa wondering if someone could advise me. I bought a new Honda Civic EX CDTi when the 07 model and reg came out this Month (March). I drove it home (approx 8 miles) from the dealership and it went straight in the garage. Unforunately I wasn't able to drive it for a week. The following weekend I went to the car to take it out for a spin and to my surprise I wasn't able to unlock the doors. The car was completely dead so I had to unlock the door manually and the lights didn't come on and the ignition didn't do anything either when I put the key in. I was sure that I had switched everything off and the alarm was on the weekend before.

We called the AA and they said that there seemed to be a drain on the battery when the car was switched off. He charged the car and said we needed to get it to Honda to check it out. The following day we checked the battery and it had dropped its voltaged again over night.

We contacted the dealership and they collected the car. We went back this weekend and they said that they could not find a fault. A battery drain was nominal and within factory specifications. The charged the battery fully two days before and today the car started without any problems.

I'm worried that this will happen again. When I was looking to buy the car I did state that it would be driven weekends only as I work in the City and there is no way I can take the car.

What do I do now? Do I leave it to sit there for a few days and check it again? What are my rights? I've had the car for two weeks and I've only managed to drive it from the dealership so far! I don't want to have to reject the car to be honest. I'm just hoping that there isn't a problem with something draining the battery and I can't leave the car standing for 1-2 weeks.

Thanks,
Bav

i feel that you should keep a eye on your battery if the problem persists then Honda should supply a new one.
i personally would not expect to charge a battery myself
thats what the alternator on the car is for.OK if you left something switched on then yes.

my only concern is when you drain a battery fully it can damage the cells inside this will show when we get server cold weather ,