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[tigers_gonads]

1 amp drain seems alot to me, one favourate on Meegas is the boot light staying on, Drop the back seat and check.

better still, just pull the bulb out and take it from there 
if not that one, try removing the glove box light bulb 

[Andy B]

..........
if not that one, try removing the glove box light bulb 

Isn't the glove box light ignition live?  :-/

[Andy B]

.....
For the record, now that it's got power back, the driver's door and boot locks work fine with the key, although the latter needs a drop of oil.  Glad I didn't use extra force with the key. ......

because they're opening with the aid of the central locking motors. When the battery is dead/dosconnected you're manually unlocking the locks. 

[jereboam]

The AA man used a meter and it showed there was just less than 1A going out when "everything" was turned off.  This is too high, I think, but neither the AA man nor the garage thought it was enough to drain the battery in 2 days.

1 amp over 48 hours = 48 amps consumed.

Take the average 70Ah battery, kick it in the nuts with some extra cold just for good measure.....starting (no pun intended) to see the problem?

Despite my age and general decrepitude, I did manage to do the sums.  Four years of university maths helped a bit! 

As I said, 1A is definitely higher than is desirable, but I'm fairly sure it's not taking that all the time - I can usually leave the car for a few days without a problem. 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Disconnect the power sounder.....doubt the auto electrician will be able to sort the cd changer either

[jereboam]

I think I'm going to get a couple of heavy duty wires soldered to the starter motor terminals and bring them out to somewhere convenient to attach a battery to - probably under the wheel arch.  Then next time it dies, I can inject enough power with an external battery to get the doors open.  The man from the garage thought this was a good idea.   Any comments from here?

Soldering wires to the starter motor is an idea I'd expect to dream up during a joke cracking session down the pub after a few bevvies, or after smoking some nice weed (or a combo of both).

Much easier to buy one of those el cheapo battery booster packs from Lidl for £20.

I'm so glad I brought a little amusement into your life.  What a brilliant suggestion!  Can't imagine how I didn't think of it myself. 

Do these packs come with a shoulder strap, 'cos I'll need to carry it around, won't I, 'cos it ain't going to be much use locked in the car, is it?  And I'll have to get a luggage trolley for the jack and the axle stands, and drag that around with me.  Along with the overalls, tools and torch.  Do Lidl have all that stuff as well? 

As I think has been mentioned somewhere, the problem is not the power source.  The problem is that there is nowhere to connect to the car electrics without getting underneath. 

And if I can find out what's draining the battery, none of this will be necessary

[jereboam]

Disconnect the power sounder.....doubt the auto electrician will be able to sort the cd changer either

Interestingly, the power sounder only went off when the garage man connected up his booster pack to the battery.  It took two attempts to start the car - very unusual - so I don't think the booster was fully charged. 

Do you think the power sounder is draining the car battery?  Could the power sounder battery be failing, then, with the result that it's constantly requiring charge?  (That's just a guess - no bevvies or weed involved )

The auto electrician also does ICE units, according to his card, and our window cleaner (who recommended him) says he's a genius.

(BTW, my injured finger is almost healed, so I'm going to have a go at fixing my amplifier - will post results.)

[jereboam]

1 amp drain seems alot to me, one favourate on Meegas is the boot light staying on, Drop the back seat and check.

Suspected that last time it happened, so the first thing we did after getting power back was to drop the back seat and see if the light was on - it wasn't.  Have checked regularly since then - doesn't seem to be the problem.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Disconnect the power sounder.....doubt the auto electrician will be able to sort the cd changer either

Interestingly, the power sounder only went off when the garage man connected up his booster pack to the battery.  It took two attempts to start the car - very unusual - so I don't think the booster was fully charged. 

Do you think the power sounder is draining the car battery?  Could the power sounder battery be failing, then, with the result that it's constantly requiring charge?  (That's just a guess - no bevvies or weed involved )

The auto electrician also does ICE units, according to his card, and our window cleaner (who recommended him) says he's a genius.

(BTW, my injured finger is almost healed, so I'm going to have a go at fixing my amplifier - will post results.)

My money is on the power sounder batteries being goosed and causing a drain....just disconnect it.

If the auto electrician was such a genius, he wouldn't be scratching around cars measuring for volts and amps!

[jereboam]

.....
For the record, now that it's got power back, the driver's door and boot locks work fine with the key, although the latter needs a drop of oil.  Glad I didn't use extra force with the key. ......

because they're opening with the aid of the central locking motors. When the battery is dead/dosconnected you're manually unlocking the locks. 

I really couldn't turn the key any further, and neither could the AA man or the garage man.  Do you think that the mechanical locking would engage with a bit more force, then?  Neither lock was difficult to turn once the power was restored, and the key turns past the point at which the motor cuts in, which is more or less where it stuck without power.  I'm reluctant to disconnect the battery to test this (even though I've memorised the radio code by now ), but I might ask the garage to have look when it goes in there.

And despite abrasive comments from certain quarters, I really don't think the locks have been "neglected"

[jereboam]

My money is on the power sounder batteries being goosed and causing a drain....just disconnect it.

OK - we'll give that a try - don't really know what it's supposed to do anyway. 

Did I read somewhere on here that fiddling with part of alarm system can give problems with the insurance?  Would I be better to replace the batteries?

If the auto electrician was such a genius, he wouldn't be scratching around cars measuring for volts and amps!

Well, compared to our window cleaner...