Flat battery

[Auto Addict]

I remember being told once that when a modern battery dies you get little or no warning, they just go.
With older ones you would notice it struggling to turn over.

That's my experience as well.

[x25xe]

I remember being told once that when a modern battery dies you get little or no warning, they just go.
With older ones you would notice it struggling to turn over.

This is indeed the case.  One of my other vehicles was running and starting perfectly and the next day, when I came to use it, dead.  Slight glow from the dash lights but that was it.

I tend to detect a slightly slower starting speed and when this happens I change it straight away.

[bob.dent]

I remember being told once that when a modern battery dies you get little or no warning, they just go.
With older ones you would notice it struggling to turn over.

This would appear to be quite true. This has happened to me twice now - once with my previous car and a couple of weeks ago with  the Omega. Get home at night and it's fine - go out to the car the next morning and battery's completely dead

[zoltron]

My missus managed to flatten my battery by not closing the flap over the mirror on the sun visor, might be worth checking out.

[Martin_1962]

My missus managed to flatten my battery by not closing the flap over the mirror on the sun visor, might be worth checking out.

Mine always digs out makeup just as we come up to speed humps/junctions/twisty roads, pulling the mirror down means corner harder

[nixoro]

Have you checked the light switch to the doors and the bootlid only if one sticks it can cause the battery to drain.

Worth looking as my other omega I had removed the rear plastic cover and the light switch wasn't making contact and it drained the battery.

HTH

[Taxi_Driver]

Doesnt really apply to the problem.....but ive found this....

I had to buy a new battery for my merc some months back....coz it was parked up waiting for some bodywork repairs.....it didnt move or get started for weeks.

I think the prob was the alarm flattened the battery and it was left with a flat battery for some time.

It wouldnt recharge.....well it would....it would start the car once.....then couldnt after you switched off.

I think the answer is...if the car is going to left for sometime (like a couple weeks or more)
if parked outside on driveway and near enuf ..... shove a battery charger on it....set to trickle charge.

Or if left at airport/etc for a period of time.....is to get one of those solar panel trickle chargers.....the ones where you shove the solar panel on the dash board......plug it into the ciggie lighter.....and then hopefully when you come back from abroad all tanned....your car will start and not have a flat battery  

[Andy B]

Or if left at airport/etc for a period of time.....is to get one of those solar panel trickle chargers.....the ones where you shove the solar panel on the dash board......plug it into the ciggie lighter.....and then hopefully when you come back from abroad all tanned....your car will start and not have a flat battery  

You will if it's plugged into the ciggie lighter on a Vauxhall.  :-? It's ignition live!

[zoltron]

Or if left at airport/etc for a period of time.....is to get one of those solar panel trickle chargers.....the ones where you shove the solar panel on the dash board......plug it into the ciggie lighter.....and then hopefully when you come back from abroad all tanned....your car will start and not have a flat battery  

You will if it's plugged into the ciggie lighter on a Vauxhall.  :-? It's ignition live!

You get very weird results if you plug stuff into the omega ciggie lighter socket and leave it, ie the alarm keeps going off (had this on both of my omega's Elite & MV6 (Facelift Models)), also if its one of these jump start battery packs in the lighter socket, try plugging one of these babys in before turning the ignition off, then try and turn the ignition off, you get some very, very strange results, ie the engine continues to run, the imobiliser goes mental, the doors won't lock from the fob, and when they do lock they open straight back up.