What have they done to my car?

Yozz76

Yozz76

Yozz76

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Joined
13 Aug 2007
Posts
1,229
Location
Wide Ness
I have a VW Bora TDI which went into the garage on Monday for a service and to replace a faulty brake switch. The new brake switch did not turn up until 5pm on Monday and turned out to be the wrong one. Ended up having to leave the car with them overnight and finally got a call at lunch time today to tell me it was ready, was also told that it was 4 brake switches later that they received the correct one! Anyway, drove the car from the garage about 500 yards to my works car park. This was at about 1pm. I finished work at 8pm tonight to find that the car would not turn over, it seems that the batterry is as dead as a dodo!

Anyone have a plausable explanation for me?
 
Probably been using your radio to pump some 'sounds' into the garage.........until it went flat, at which time they push started it, let it run for 15 minutes and then gave it back to you.
 
brake lights wont come on without the ignition being on.

chances are they left the door open too long while waiting for bits, fitted the part the car started but only just managed it, the short drive to your work car park wasnt enough to charge the battery back up past what had been lost by starting it previously and now thus it is dead.

batteries can be finicky about accepting a charge once flat, the drive to your work may have not charged the battery up again in the slightest.

on the other hand you may just be unlucky and the battery/alternator has died at the same time.
 
brake lights wont come on without the ignition being on.
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This is not always the case. I am fairly sure that the brake lamps on the old shape passat worked with the key out. Not sure about the new one though.
 
Brake lights on VW do not need ignition to be switched on. My Mk IV GTI brake light switch broke last week, cost to repair for the parts = £15.04!

PeterT
 
Managed to get this sorted today. The garage were good enough to admit they had left the lights on over night and had to jump start it yesterday. However, they should have told me about this when i picked it up. Little did they know i was only driving it to a car park 500 yards away, not enough for a decent charge. They were quite apologetic and sorted it out for me today.
 
As long as the battery is in good health, it will be fine. Do you know how old it is anyway? (date stamp should be on it)
 
Yozz76 said:
Yes, i left it with them all day today as i was in work anyway. Is just charging it gonna leave me with problems do you think?
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I reckon as long as it accepts charge to get it back out of the "completely flat" state, then you should be fine.
 
Clarkey said:
where did you learn this? I've not seen a single car where the brake lights didn't work with no keys in. I'm pretty sure this is some kind of requirement.
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pretty much every car i can remember having has had the brake lights work with the ignition off. normal innit?
 
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