Renault twingo battery drain?

Question

I have recently been given my aunties 09 plate twingo - she had it from new and always had problems with the battery going flat.

The other day I went to start it and all I got was a clicking. Later on I went out to try again but the central locking wouldn't work and when I tried to start the engine I didn't even get the clicking sound.

The battery was changed 2 months ago. I had read that twingos have a common problem of the radio draining the battery overnight - does anyone know if this can be fixed or does t require a new radio? I have a CD player in my old car I could put in but not sure if I would have to go to renault if this is what the problem is.

I should note that our mechanics are going to have a look at the car tomorrow but they said it can sometimes be difficult to pin point what the drain is

Cheers, H

Answer 1

Hmmm...."our mechanics are going to have a look at the car tomorrow but they said it can sometimes be difficult to pin point what the drain is" - That doesn't fill me with confidence in your mechanic to be honest.



Any semi skilled DIY-er with a multi-meter should be able to detect where the current drain is coming from. It's just a methodical case of pulling fuses and seeing if there's a difference in the reading through the battery when a specific fuse is removed.



Are there any aftermarket electrical add-ons on the car? New stereo, alarm, hard wired sat-nav etc? They often cause what you're describing.

Answer 2

apart from the two very good answers already given, have you checked your battery is clean and dry around the terminals,any dampness, will not only drain the battery, but will hinder the charging, get a clean dry rag, and wipe around the whole top half of battery casing,this is the most common cause of flat batteries, so many people have gone and bought a new one just to find they have the same problem. and not all garages are honest, anything to make money

I would disconnect the radio for a couple of days, and see if any change,if not, its not this,

And please don't do as some silly motorists do,try starting the engine with lights and radio already on, these should always be off,

Your starter motor takes almost three quaters of the battery power to start on a cold day,once started, then you can switch all your things on, as the alternator takes over the load

Answer 3

you can disconnect the positive lead from the battery and with the car turned off connect one of those pointy little tail light tester (12volt) between the battery and the cable end. If the test light illuminates somethings on or drawing juice. watch the light while having someone remove the fuses in the panels one at a time. when the test light goes out the circuit the fuse handles in the vehicle is pro bally at fault. start checking there. Somethings to watch are glove box doors sometimes there loose,bent, or the switch could be out of place and the light may stay on when you don't see it. same thing if you have a trunk light or under hood light. Also check the battery cables for lumped spots and green krud this can make the cables bad and charging could be lacking under load.