Flat batteries and dodgy windows...

[birchy]

I've got an 07 petrol vRS with 1300 miles on the clock.

I do a lot of short journies to and from work which is 2.25 miles away. About february time, the battery started to get a bit sluggish one morning and was as flat as a turd the next day. I put it down to the fact that i was doing short trips (including a few frosty mornings) with the headlights/heated rear window/heater/stereo/etc running which wouldn't be fully replaced by the alternator. It's certainly a problem i encountered once before on my previous car which was a BMW. So i recharged it and thought nothing of it.

Yesterday (thursday), battery was flat again after being stood for 2 days. I've done a couple of longer journies recently and no night driving, so this time around i KNOW it's not due to giving the battery a hard time. Something else i've noticed (which may be related), is that the electric windows don't seem to work properly. Sometimes i have to press the button to start the up/down and then press it a 2nd time to stop (which i believe is correct?) and other times they will only move whilst holding the button and stop as soon as it's released.

It's only a month since i had the first service at my local dealer (Bay Horse Motors), so i'm wondering if this is going to be guarantee work or is this the start of regular visits? I didn't buy the car from them and they were a bit offish about that when i took it for the service.

[ANDREW2210]

Hi There Is A Download For Radio .with Can Make Battery Go Flat. Its Also A Recall On Some Vehicles.dont Know About Windows?
Dont Know Where You Live But Barkers In Hull Okask For Andrew Cope(master Tech)

[birchy]

Hi Andrew.

A download for the radio? You mean an update?

Funnily enough, i was thinking about possible causes yesterday and remembered that i'd used the cd player on my last journey (and i don't use the cd player every trip) and also i think i locked the car and then pressed lock again as i walked away.

Unfortunately, i'm in Hereford.


EDIT: My main concern is whether or not this will be guarantee work? After all, the car is only a year old and with 1,300 miles on the clock, i wouldn't expect to start spending on new parts...

[marco2068]

just a quick thought. check for corrosion on the batterys or more lightly look for a loose earth possibly on the altanator, might save you a few pounds, oh and ps have a look at the fuses could save you a few pounds.

[Little Jo]

Sorry to hear of your problems. Very short journeys are going to play havoc with your Octavia. Not just with the battery, but you'll get increased engine wear and other problems because your engine will never be getting up to temperature. I suspect your battery has waned prematurely - and the poor function of the electric windows (I assume you mean with the engine off) would suggest that things aren't happy with the battery.

You can reduce the strain by keeping as many of the electrics off on your short journeys, you can also reduce the strain by declutching when you start your engine as this reduces the effort required to start the car.

The best solution by far, is to give your car a good run once a week to get the engine up to temperature and boost the battery. We don't use our cars for short journeys, we tend to walk on trips of under 2 miles unless we have a heavy or bulky load to transport. Short journeys are high polluting ones, since a car's emissions when running on a richer mixture are much higher.

Jo

[Taxi 219]

Definately get the Stereo reflashed with an update.Your dealer will do it under warranty.I doubt they will replace the battery as it is in a state of low charge due to your short journeys.
Regarding your elec windows the one touch function needs to be reset then they will work.When the window is down hold the switch in the up position until closed but keep holding it in up position until a click is heard then your windows switches are reset and you should have the one touch function back.

[patrol man]

the problem with re charging a maintanance free battary whith adomestic charger is that it will only charge to about 80% even though the battary indicates 12v or more you will have only surface charged the battary in short replace it and do more miles

[downtime]

Originally Posted by birchy

Something else i've noticed (which may be related), is that the electric windows don't seem to work properly. Sometimes i have to press the button to start the up/down and then press it a 2nd time to stop (which i believe is correct?) and other times they will only move whilst holding the button and stop as soon as it's released.

That's normal when the battery is disconnected or goes flat you have to do a basic setting for the each electric window. and that just means that you have to drive all the windows to their lowest and highest position. After that the windows work correctly.
If you check the fault codes it will give you an error for all the doors about the basic setting for the windows.

[Octavia5]

There is a major issue with the type of battery fitted to Octys, if they get totally discharged they will NEVER recover even with an extended recharge. You will need to buy a new one, but get the alternator checked first, even on short journeys a modern alternator should keep the battery fully charged.

When I had 2 batteries run totally flat by the Brake Light Switch fault (2006 motors only I think) Skoda replaced the battery each time with a new one under warrantee. So if there is a warrantee-able fault causing the flat battery ask for a new one free of charge, after they fix the fault of course

[gregozedobe]

Another cause of flat batteries in Octys is the radiator cooling fans switching on when the engine isn't running (ie after it has cooled down when not running). This can be caused by faulty fan/s, faulty relay/s, faulty temp sensor and water in the fuse box.

[rurwin]

The OP sounds identical to my experiences when my battery was dying, although in reverse order. Mine was found to be flat after a two-week break, and then it almost failed to start the next afternoon (the voltage went so low the clock reset). I replaced it with a Halfords heavy duty one and all was good. The battery was about seven years old when it died though, it's definitely a warranty issue if yours died after a year. My commute is eight miles, some of it on motorway-class roads, and I do two hundred-mile runs a week, so I imagine I charge a battery better than you do.

[birchy]

Thanks for all your help chaps. The window reset worked lovely! Car is booked in for a checkup on Thursday. They wouldn't commit to whether or not it will be warranty work. I asked about the windows but they said it sounded like a circuit fault which "might be expensive". So i'll be glad to tell them i fixed that myself.

I'm now doing a 50+ miles jolly once a fortnight in order to clear the emulsification problem. I've always found that once a battery went flat on me, it was never 100% after and would struggle to hold its charge.

How do i read the fault codes? From what i understand, i need a VAG COM? Or is there a method of getting up on the dash or radio screen??