Rich Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Go down to Allparts, they will test it - http://www.allpartsautomotive.co.uk/contact-us/our-branches/allparts-enfield/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Go down to Allparts, they will test it - http://www.allpartsa...lparts-enfield/ Thanks I'll try and take it down tomorrow. Â There's definitely some electrical issue in the car, my satnav keeps opening and closing on its own, which is a little annoying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Maybe you would be best to take it to an auto electrician then, they'll find the cause very quickly if it's not just the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Maybe you would be best to take it to an auto electrician then, they'll find the cause very quickly if it's not just the battery. I'm getting to the point where I may just book it into Lexus and get them to sort it out, but I'm going to remove the car kit first as it doesn't work anyway and I have a funny feeling it's at fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyelcomb Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Don't take this the wrong way, but three pages on and nearly three months later, after numerous suggestions from various people, you still haven't had the basic battery test done and now you are saying you'll take it in to Lexus to sort. Begs the question - why ask on here? Â The vast majority of electrical problems stem from poor connections and dodgy batteries, so do the basics first - get that aspect eliminated before looking anything more obscure / expensive / unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Fair enough, it has been going on a while. Don't see how it discounts any of the advice on here, ER mentioned above that Allparts can test it so I'm going to take it down tomorrow if I have time. Â I actually phoned Allparts a short while ago who didn't seem to know what a drop tester was but said they have a device that gives them a printout of whether the cells are good and some other stuff - they apparently need this for battery warranty claims, so it must be the right tool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I suppose it depends on what branch you go to but the guy I know at Watford is very helpful. They should have the right tools for testing a battery, all you do is put it on the terminals and the meter tells you whether it's dead or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Well Allparts said the battery is fine, so need to get the electrics checked. ER I think you mentioned using an auto electrician before, anyone you can recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffers Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 If the weather isn't too bad you could start taking out the fuses and narrow it down to at least a circuit to save some money with the auto-electrician if you can't find it yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Well Allparts said the battery is fine, so need to get the electrics checked. ER I think you mentioned using an auto electrician before, anyone you can recommend? Â Only one I know and have used is in Essex so too far from you. I think google is your best bet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 How did you get on with this? Â I saw this as well and thought of you! Â http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_38519.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Still not got to the bottom of it (unsurprisingly) mainly because I've not used the car since the beginning of the month and it's fairly low priority in terms of my things to do. However someone suggested that there's a good chance that my possessed satnav screen is the cause, so to try charging the battery fully, then disconnecting the screen and leaving the car for a few weeks to see if it still goes flat. Will be doing that when I get a bit of time one weekend to take that part of the dash apart.  That's a bit of a bargain if it works, just £2.99! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Fingers crossed it is that causing it. Yep it's a bargain if it works ok, worth a punt at that price but I don't have a Lidl local to me otherwise I'd get one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted April 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Called a few mobile auto electricians today to see about someone coming round to have a look at this issue, all quoted around the £120 mark to diagnose the problem regardless of how long it takes.  In my head I'm thinking that isn't too bad based on maybe a couple of hours of labour, plus the travelling costs to me - does it seem a reasonable price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 1, 2013 Report Share Posted May 1, 2013 Wow, prices have gone up since I last used one but that was a good few years ago. I guess you don't have much choice TBH and it's still cheaper than taking it to the dealer who could spend twice as long trying to diagnose it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted May 1, 2013 Report Share Posted May 1, 2013 I had a similar problem with my daughters Corsa. First thought was the battery, so as I had a spare I switched it. She didn't use the car over a period of 4-5 days and then found it was as flat as the original had been. Next step was to disconnect the positive lead and connect my multimeter across the + and earth. It showed a continuous 0.3 amp drain, so removed the glovebox and boot bulbs with no effect. Then pulled and replaced each fuse in turn until I found the circuit causing the drain. It was the circuit for the radio/dashboard comp/hazard warning lights, and further investigation showed that a crap installation of the aftermarket radio was to blame. I didn't have the time to take the dash apart before she wanted to use the car so as a temporary measure, she just pulled the fuse when the car wasn't being used.  A few weeks later I had a similar problem with the IS200 Sport, so went through the same routine without finding a fault. Took the battery to the local battery shop, and after the drop test they pronounced it well and truly knackered, Unfortunately it was out of warranty so bought a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted May 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 So the auto electrician has been out today and it's been a little inconclusive unfortunately. Using all his equipment, he said the alternator is good, and there's no drain either (showed about 50mA, which he said is normal). Â The battery does need replacement though, he isn't sure whether it is now dead because it's spent a lot of time completely flat over the last few months, or if that was the original cause, but either way it definitely needs to be replaced. Â Obviously if this continues then there is a problem with something perhaps intermittently coming on and draining the battery, but hope it's not that as that sounds like a real pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Dead flat batteries need a hefty boost charge to get them back to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 dead flat batteries are ruined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted May 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Just to finally put this saga to bed, it turned out it was the battery! Bit annoyed that both Halfords and Allparts said the battery was good when it clearly wasn't. Wish I'd just taken it down to my dealer in the first place and this would have been sorted ages ago. Â Final result, took it to my dealer who have replaced the battery free of charge as it was still under warranty, so the only real cost has been for the auto electrician but don't mind that as it's nice to have the peace of mind that my car's electrics are fine (plus it was a good excuse to get a few other things done on the car that have been due a long time!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Ahem , post 14 . Whatever caused the initial problem having a battery drop really low ruins it , it will never be the same again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Glad it's sorted mate. Seems odd that Allparts said it was ok, my branch is usually good with things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted May 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Ahem , post 14 . Whatever caused the initial problem having a battery drop really low ruins it , it will never be the same again Lol yep, think someone else mentioned battery as well - those battery tests threw me off totally but I will be getting myself some humble pie for lunch  Glad it's sorted mate. Seems odd that Allparts said it was ok, my branch is usually good with things like that. Don't really get those tests, they could easily have sold me a new battery so telling me it was fine when it wasn't is a bit confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Don't really get those tests, they could easily have sold me a new battery so telling me it was fine when it wasn't is a bit confusing. All I can think of is the equipment was faulty or they couldn't read it properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted May 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 All I can think of is the equipment was faulty or they couldn't read it properly? The machine was all electronic, just gives you a print out at the end saying the battery is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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