Moe

Car is working. What my mate said was the battery I bought lost amperage because it was sitting around for a week. So it struggling to send enough power to the car. Tried to jump start it but his car battery wasn't strong enough but luckily a neighbour had a car with a strong battery that jump started the car in 30 secs. 

Guys, got the battery change but still no luck. Battery voltage on the so called new one is 12.37 which I hear is low for the battery it is. Had it connected direct to battery as well still no luck. 

Been told it could be the fuel pressure pump that is low because the crank is far better now but for some odd reason engine isn't firing up.

 Any more ideas...

32 minutes ago, Bigdave1230 said:

If you haven’t sorted the battery drain issue out yet then I would try pulling the fuse out for the aux heater then leaving it over night as a faulty unit is a common cause of battery drain. Also the new battery should really be coded in using vcds so the battery control module can regulate power so You can’t drain the battery say with the radio when the car isn’t running to enable it to always start. But I doubt this would cause the battery to drain over night. 

There is a common thing with starter motors (“lazy starter”) too where they crank slow and look like the battery is flat my old Q7 had it and my current Q7 is now suffering from it. It requires changing but this is a 4 hour job as it requires an engine mounting and the alternator moving. Europarts do a Bosch unit which is about £300 but you get £70 back by giving them the old unit. 

Under the bonnet at the back is a positive connector used for jump starting. If you have a multi meter you could measure the battery voltage there and fault find

Where do I find the aux heater fuse? So far I know of 4 places where the fuse box is stuck in. Under the bonnet, front passenger and driver side and boot. I wanted to check the fuse but dunno which fuse is which.

1 hour ago, Luey said:

Sorry I mean't to reply sooner. It's been a very busy 24 hours.

I did some checking yesterday for you.

The LION battery you have currently fitted is up to the minimum specification recommended by the manufacturer, however they are a cheap alternative. 

The BOSCH battery you just bought is perfect! It's got a few extra cranking amps and a little more power too and it'll be very well manufactured. 

I'm still betting the battery has died personally. It was probably poorly manufactured or something. Hopefully you can return for a refund if it had died already. 

Again whatever is wrong it absolutely can't be anything major.

My Audi was poorly cared for by it's last owner, I like to think I rescued her, she'd done 29,000 miles without a service.

She required a little love and attention but she's not let me down yet and every time I drive her I've had the biggest smile on my face. 

I've done most of the work myself using a £25 tool kit bought many many years ago from Aldi.

Audi built fantastic cars, and they build them well, but as with any car they can have a problem every now and then. 

The only new thing I can think of you might want to check is the fans on the radiator. 

After you've been for a drive shut the car off and give it a minute or two, then go open the hood and directly beneath you will be the radiator. 

The radiator will have a couple of electric fans connected to it, see if they're still spinning, the circuit to them can breakdown and get stuck on which drains the battery.

They might/should run for a little while after you shut the engine off to cool it down. However if they're stuck on after say 5-10 mins something may be wrong.

It only takes a couple minutes to check and it doesn't cost you a penny. 

Amazing !

Sounds very reasonable. Will so after I get someone to change the battery. 

Talking of battery, would changing it play up on the car memory? I've been told it could play up and then you will need some code for the radio.

I just got back from the car after leaving it for a whole day. Won't lock or unlock via remote, so had to manually open driver side door. Sat inside and heard this eeeeeeeeee like sound. So I pressed the seat button randomly and held it, no response but the sound disappeared. When I let go of the button it reappears? Could that be the battery draining source or something? It's got me even more worried now.

22 hours ago, Luey said:

That's okay we all have to learn sometime.

I will explain thing's step by step:

1. When you turn the key in the ignition the battery sends energy to the starter motor, the glow plugs and the diesel pump
   • The glow plugs warm up the inside of the cylinder to provide the heat required for combustion
   • The diesel pump as the name suggests pumps diesel into the engine
   • The starter motor cranks the engine to start it
   • This requires a lot of energy, especially on a large displacement diesel engine
   • If the battery isn't putting out enough power then your engine won't start
2. The alternator plays no part in the starting of the engine. The alternator is basically a small generator
   • When the engine is running the alternator generates energy and sends it to the battery to top up the energy lost from starting the car
   • If the alternator dies the battery will not be recharged, it will run flat and the car will not start next time you turn the key
   • If the alternator stops working the onboard computer should pick up that no charge is being sent to the battery
   • If the alternator stops working the onboard computer should throw a warning to the dashboard

The good news is they both commonly go wrong on virtually every make and model of car in existence. So manufactures design the both to be replaced fairly easily.

Anyone can replace a battery following instructions on YouTube carefully. However an alternator is a little more tricky and usually requires a mechanic.

However as they design them to be replaced it usually doesn't take a lot of work for a mechanic to get access to them and swap them out.

I believe it's the battery that's the problem. Can you take us a photo of the battery so we can check it's suitable for your car. 

It may be too small and not holding sufficient charge even after only a few months to start the engine.

Also given that it is now getting colder it will require more energy from the 

The q7 I have, does it have a chain timing belt or something else ?

19 hours ago, Luey said:

That's okay we all have to learn sometime.

I will explain thing's step by step:

1. When you turn the key in the ignition the battery sends energy to the starter motor, the glow plugs and the diesel pump
   • The glow plugs warm up the inside of the cylinder to provide the heat required for combustion
   • The diesel pump as the name suggests pumps diesel into the engine
   • The starter motor cranks the engine to start it
   • This requires a lot of energy, especially on a large displacement diesel engine
   • If the battery isn't putting out enough power then your engine won't start
2. The alternator plays no part in the starting of the engine. The alternator is basically a small generator
   • When the engine is running the alternator generates energy and sends it to the battery to top up the energy lost from starting the car
   • If the alternator dies the battery will not be recharged, it will run flat and the car will not start next time you turn the key
   • If the alternator stops working the onboard computer should pick up that no charge is being sent to the battery
   • If the alternator stops working the onboard computer should throw a warning to the dashboard

The good news is they both commonly go wrong on virtually every make and model of car in existence. So manufactures design the both to be replaced fairly easily.

Anyone can replace a battery following instructions on YouTube carefully. However an alternator is a little more tricky and usually requires a mechanic.

However as they design them to be replaced it usually doesn't take a lot of work for a mechanic to get access to them and swap them out.

I believe it's the battery that's the problem. Can you take us a photo of the battery so we can check it's suitable for your car. 

It may be too small and not holding sufficient charge even after only a few months to start the engine.

Also given that it is now getting colder it will require more energy from the battery to start the engine. 

 

 

Man I cold kiss you right now for everything. It's given me hope and opened up a lot to me. 

Unfortunately, battery i can't take out as you already know it's under front passenger seat for which tools that I don't have are required. I have details from a receipt of which battery it could be that's in use currently. 

The battery currently in use is a LION BATTERY 019 900CCA dunno if that helps lol

The picture I have attached is the new battery I got. Tell me that I have got the appropriate one. Something tells me it may be the wrong one. 

19 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Mor,

I'm sure Luey's advice is going to be helpful to you, and yes, it's easy to assume that since you have replaced the battery then that cannot be the problem. Not true unfortunately in this day of substandard replacement components, so as with all electric issues such as this, the first port of call is to get the battery checked. I must reinforce that the battery must be in a reasonable state of charge before testing since the test includes its ability to deliver high currents for start up purposes and not simply voltage. 

As Luey says, it is also important to check that the battery is the correct type and power capability for the car, so yes, a photo or description of the wording would be great. Correct types of batteries is now very important in this age of "intelligent charging" if expensive damage to alternators is going to be avoided. 

Jumping way ahead of ourselves here but alternators being designed to be replaced and dosn't take a lot of work!  I'll lend you the spanners to change say a Rover 75 diesel alternator Luey! 

To keep it simple Mor,  Let us know the details marked on the battery, and it's make, then just make sure it  is as charged as possible - take it for a good run - and get Halfords to check it for you. If they declare it to be serviceable then get them to do an alternator output check while you are there. 

Let us know how you get on and I'm sure there will be help on here with the next stage. But one step at a time.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

32 minutes ago, Luey said:

Hey Moe

I know what it's like to have persistent car troubles. 

It's likely the battery has died, sometimes they can be faulty, they often sell them with a warranty for this reason.

Halfords will perform a free battery check and it shouldn't really matter what state of battery you show up with as they'll be reading the voltage.

It could be the case that it's not charging meaning the alternator has failed, which would be more costly than a battery but not unreasonable if from a independent garage.

If the alternator has failed you should have a light on the dash or a code stored in the car's onboard computer. Halfords may scan that for free for you too.

I can't think how it would be anything insanely costly. If you find out what's wrong I can find you a replacement part on the cheap without issue. 

No signs on dashboard about alternator. The only sign that has pipped have few times Is battery being low. 

The initial starting of a car, does the batteris job come first or alternator? I'm no mechanic but still trying to learn how car works to find out where is the car getting stuck at.

5 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Mor,

As Steve says. Is the battery on the car the original one? If so, then at 10 year old you would expect it to be near the end of its service life.

If this were mine, I would be getting it tested (at Halfords?) after at least a 20 mile run if it has been jump started. If it proves not to be serviceable, would I buy a Halfords replacement? 

If you need a new battery then I'm sure someone in here can point you towards a good make at a reasonable price. 

I would be tempted to put the diagnostics on hold until you have had the battery checked. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

The battery isn't the original. It's a new battery as mentioned above.

It's a new battery. Bought on the 2nd of July 2017 and already battery flat. I tried charging the battery with another car and after about 30 mins it came back to life all normal and no lights on dashboard. The only message that came up was about battery being low. 

Spoke to others, some have said it could possibly the wrong battery in the car which isn't powerful enough. Another said something is draining the car battery but as far as I.  Aware everything I's off ! So absolutely confused and heart broken !!

Audi Q7 (2007) 3L 's line quarto tdi,

Battery keeps dying and have to jump start it for a while till it comes back to life. Any ideas of what can be causing the battery to drain so fast?