Volvo V 60 - Flat Battery

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 29 May 2013 00:22
Volvo V 60 - Flat Battery - ellastonepaul

I have a two year old V60. It was parked late afternoon, engine switched off, electric park brake applied. All the doors/windows were closed. I did not lock the car....but did remove the key! TWO mornings later (i.e 36 hours) I came to start it but the battery was flat. Volvo Assistance attended, put a meter on the battery, 3 .8 volts i.e totally drained! The car started once the battery had been boosted with jump leads.

There were no "messages" to indicate a fault. The technician could offer no explanation, however he did advise that the electrics would not shut down completely until the car was locked by the PCC (key). Thus there would be some current drawn somewhere. (I assume that this is similar to a PC computer, or a TV, in "sleep" mode, as opposed to switching it "off"?).

Is it possible that a two year old battery could be completely drained in 36 hours under these circumstances? The car regularly does long journeys so the battery should be fully charged. There is no instrumentation to verify the charging or state of the battery. What sort of "load" is there on the battery if the vehicle is not locked? Even if a door had not been properly closed, could the courtesy lights have totally drained the battery in 36 hours?

Obviously without a clear reason I am concerned that this may occur again in less convenient circumstances. Any comments would be welcome.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 29 May 2013 09:37
Volvo V 60 - Flat Battery - craig-pd130

Interesting, I have a 2011 V60 D3 and have sometimes left the car unlocked on my driveway overnight (maybe 18 hours or so) but it's always started as normal the next day.

You wouldn't have left the ignition on by accident, as you get a strident warning chime and flashing messages if you do this. This happened to me one time when I brushed the start/stop button while grabbing my keys and getting out of the car.

The only thing I can think of is some sort of ECU routine that's activated when the car is unlocked, but that would still demand a steady couple of amp draw to drain the battery.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 29 May 2013 22:57
Volvo V 60 - Flat Battery - Cyd

Yes, it is possible.

Most electronic modules are active when the car is unlocked, but are put "to sleep" when the car is fully locked. You should fully lock your car if you are leaving it for more then about 15 minutes.

Even with regular long journeys it is unlikely the battery was fully charged. It is worth charging your battery properly with a charger once or twice a year to keep it tip top and extend its life.
More info here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/news/car-battery-life-and-breakdowns.html

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 29 May 2013 23:44
Volvo V 60 - Flat Battery - 659FBE

I would have been in trouble with this arrangement in my last job. When working away from base (over several days), personal cars had to be left unlocked in secure storage with the keys at the registry.

I never fully trust the electronics on my Superb, but it seemed to cope with this without problems. Returning to base in the small hours to a non-starting car would not please me one bit. How on earth can Volvo do this?

659.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link