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Flatbattery gets you nowhere
A friend has had a Renault Clio Expression 1.2 16 valve 3-door since its first registration on 15th November 2001. It has done 18,000 miles. Since the warranty expired, the battery has been going flat after a week. The car is on its fourth battery that also goes flat after a few days and no one has been able to find out why. Nothing obvious has been left on, no courtesy lights. A fault light used to show but that has remained off after the local garage applied their test equipment. The Renault agent was only able to suggest that the computer might be at fault. The current battery is now charged as required in situ. Small red illuminations behind the radio controls are permanently on, the radio is never used. Can you please suggest what might be running the battery down?
Asked on 26 June 2010 by MF, Syston, Leicester
Answered by
Honest John
Some general tips that could apply to any car: If the interior light has a delay then it might be that. Switch the interior light off altogether.
Alternatively it might be the coding circuit to the radio taking more
current than it should. To check that you'd need to keep a note of the code and disconnect the radio completely. Finally it might be the boot light staying on when the boot is closed. So remove the bulb from the holder. When leaving a car for more than a day it’s always best to switch off the interior light completely, and switch off the radio and heater fan before you switch off the ignition.
Alternatively it might be the coding circuit to the radio taking more
current than it should. To check that you'd need to keep a note of the code and disconnect the radio completely. Finally it might be the boot light staying on when the boot is closed. So remove the bulb from the holder. When leaving a car for more than a day it’s always best to switch off the interior light completely, and switch off the radio and heater fan before you switch off the ignition.
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