My battery died...is this normal?

So I broke my leg on 8/12 and I haven't driven my 2006 LGT 5MT (about 3,000mi) since that day. My buddy was supposed to take her for a spin last week to keep her in shape but he ran out of time that day and never did it.

 

She's been sitting in my garage the entire time and as far as I know, nothing was left on (although my radar detector was plugged in - it turns off with the car).

 

I hobbled to the garage today to get some CDs out of the car and nothing was functioning - no power at all.

 

Can that be caused by it just sitting there? Was my radar detector pulling juice even though it was off?

 

I'm so pissed right now.

It shouldn't die in 18 days unless something was draining the battery.

Something was drawing power; the car can sit for a long time without draining the battery.

Damn, sorry to hear 'bout the leg!

 

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Aggreed with others - something is causing you to have a higher drain rate than normal. Even if you bought your '06 back in '05, your battery should still be plenty new enough to keep a charge for quite a while.

 

The other possibility is that your battery itself was faulty.

it must be the radar detector....nothing else was plugged in or aftermarket on the car.

 

I'll hobble out there and check the overhead light setting too.....just in case.

 

I bought this car in late June of 06.

^ Also be sure that all of your doors are closed - particularly your trunk.

 

And definitely, double-check that the parking/marker lamp switch atop your steering column wasn't tripped by accident ( probably really poor wording, given your current health situation, but hey, gotta try to get a laugh out of you some how! ) .

will do! thanks everyone.

 

I'm actually in pretty good spirits....the whole thing is kinda funny. I broke my leg playing golf (Cart tipped over on me - I was the passenger - and broke both my Tibia and Fibula)

Whoa... A golf cart accident?

 

Was this you?

 

http://www.buzzhumor.com/images/13/Jackass-Golf-Carts-Skit44b5bb.jpg

 

 

Sorry to hear about the leg. Take it docs have said it will heal correctly?

 

-B

/broke arm before

//fell out of apple tree

^ very close to what happened!

 

yeah, I now have a rod down the middle of my Tibia and some pins in place around my ankle. Only 8 days after surgery they took off my cast and I can already put a little weight on it. The hardest part is the weakened muscles and my sore tendons in my knee and ankle where the surgeons went in. Have about 70% of the motion back in my knee and about 50% in my ankle. Both are very tender. Structurally my leg is sound.

A friend of mine broke his leg like that in 04 when we wre mountain biking. (Spiral break actually) He had the rod put in. The hardest part he had with it was like you said, the weakened muscles. That leg was much skinnier than the other. He's fine now though. No limp, no problems. We go mountain biking still now. Good luck with it. You'll be ok.

yup...mine was a spiral fracture too.....each day I get better and better.

it must be the radar detector....nothing else was plugged in or aftermarket on the car.

 

I'll hobble out there and check the overhead light setting too.....just in case.

 

I bought this car in late June of 06.

 

On my 2005, the 12V adapters (previously known as lighters) turn off when the engine is turned off. If you have your radar detector plugged in, it shouldn't drain the battery.

 

I've left my 2005 turned off for 5 weeks with the OEM battery. It fired up just fine when I got back.

 

If your lights were turned off (don't forget to check the parking light switch on top of the steering column), then there is something wrong with your battery. You should be able to get it checked for free at Schucks or Autozone.

The same thing happens to my 2006 Spec B....leave it for a week and a half and the battery is dead! Dealer says everything checks out. So put an Optima red top in....and took a two week vacation. Came home to a dead battery again! If I don't drive it for a week, it barely starts!? Still wondering what is going on.....

It could be worse than the picture from Jackass. A friend of mine had an accident in a Mule @ ~50mph. He flew off in a corner, leg smashed into a rock. Then the Mule's roll cage landed on top of the leg that is on the rock. Broke his leg in around 20 or so pieces. Now he has more titanium than the space program as he likes to put it.

This is a common problem for Euro cars, especially cars with "keyless go" sort of systems, retained power, etc. VWs will nibble on the battery all the time, my best friend the Mercedes tech tells me that modern Mercedes vehicles have a fairly voracious battery appetite. Our cars shouldn't be so bad, and the Spec.B listed above that ate a brand new Optima in a couple of weeks has an issue. Maybe the radiator fan thing starts up on its own when you're not around? Put a cot in the garage and sleep with the car to see what it's up to at night.

definitely, double-check that the parking/marker lamp switch atop your steering column wasn't tripped by accident

 

Beat me to it.

Also check that one of your dome light switches isn't on. Happened to me.

I've also got an older OBW, and I swear the battery drains down with the lights (from the stalk switch, not parking) and the engine off - yup, no lights shining.

 

Sounds nutty and, it was in the winter and the batery was a few years old but, turn the stalk switch off, leave the car overnight and it was fine.

HMM....you may have something there.....I'll keep an ear out. Meanwhile I may take it into the dealer again and see if they have any further thoughts.....still under warranty you know..............

Nope...no dome or anything else on.......first thing I checked.

This is a common problem for Euro cars, especially cars with "keyless go" sort of systems, retained power, etc. VWs will nibble on the battery all the time, my best friend the Mercedes tech tells me that modern Mercedes vehicles have a fairly voracious battery appetite. Our cars shouldn't be so bad, and the Spec.B listed above that ate a brand new Optima in a couple of weeks has an issue. Maybe the radiator fan thing starts up on its own when you're not around? Put a cot in the garage and sleep with the car to see what it's up to at night.

 

Oddly, my dad's Mercedes battery finally died (took 6 years) How long do they last anyways (regular batts)

well kids...after a comprehensive examination of everything that could possibly have drained my battery, it was not until one of the last things I checked that I noticed the problem. It appeared that the driver's side reading lamp button was pressed in. sure enough - it was. My buddy who drove it home the day of my accident must have left it on. At least he was nice enough to come over tonight, jump it and drive it around for a while.

 

Thanks everyone!

This is a common problem for Euro cars, especially cars with "keyless go" sort of systems, ...

Oh oh. If that's really true then I predict many more battery complaints after the new LGT arrives next year.

I was about to say - check the damn map light. It's so dim it's useless, and it won't shut off by itself. I only thought of that because it happened to me....twice.

dammit!

Check the battery drain with an ampmeter, disconnect the positive terminal from the battery and put it inline with the cable, any more than a few milliamps (for the security and stuff) and you have a problem.