In this weather, (sub zero for days on end!) any battery on its way out will show these symptons.

I would get the battery checked as well.

Q.

i used the car every day and drive 16 miles .ive tested it with a voltage meter over night and there is no drain .alternator is putting out 14volts when i do a drop test .

What parasitic drain do you have with all loads off?This can only be tested accurately with an in-line or clamp type ammeter.Have you tried disconnecting the radio?hth

i have a 12 volt drop tester i am using ,i didnt think of the radio ,could it be i am not putting enough charge back in to the battery as i go to work in the dark and come back in the dark .and this problem has only been happening for the last few months .i have been using another new battery and thats gone flat .7 miles to work and 7 miles back ,the car sits for 8 hours .

7 miles to work and 7 miles back ,the car sits for 8 hours .

7 miles in the cold and dark with the lights, heater, demister, etc all running may well not be enough to replenish the juice it takes to crank and start the thing in the cold. An uprated alternator might help, but the simplest approach is probably to get a trickle charger and plug it in overnight every few days.

A colleague who lives close to the office had the same problem in the winter months with his car. That was the answer for him.

7 miles should be fine if the alternator and battery are fit and well.

Uprated alternators (if available) may need uprated wiring, no good having a car that starts if it catches fire.

Wifes old commute was about 5 miles each way, did it from 1996 to 2010 in a Golf, Mondeo and then C-Max. Never had a problem, Golf was nearly 7 years old when sold and still on original battery.

7 miles should be plenty to replenish the battery, its charging at up to 80 amps for the first few minutes, the rate only reduces as the voltage starts to come back to normal.

If its going flat in 8 hours it must be drawing several amps, so set your meter to the 10 amp range unless it auto selects.