I have a 96 A6 quattro wagon, and am having serious problems with it not charging. I tried a new alternator, and a few batteries, and it dies if it sits for a week. Then it started dying after a day or 2. What could the possible problem be. I don't want to bring it to the dealership and have them spend a week looking then charge me for a weeks time.

 

It might not be a charging problem. See if AZ can do a system check for you.

Are you using the vehicle daily or is it sitting most of the time?

If it sits most of the time -- Look for a light that is on -- Might be in the glove compartment or under the hood. Maybe the radio!

 

Its sitting, as it won't even start anymore without a jump. Would it help if I just pulled the bulb from the glovebox to see if that could be a problem?

 

Get it started and let it run for awhile to see if it charges the battery.

I suspect something is on --- Normally the vehicle uses a little power when sitting for things like the alarm system, clock etc. but it shouldn't cause a problem unless it sits for months.

Maybe you haven't gotten the battery fully charged from the first problem. It usually takes a few hours of hiway driving to get the battery charged - sometimes a few days if you use the lights, radio etc.

 

I've brought the battery in to the auto store to get thrown on the charger, first one wouldn't even take a charge. Then I got a new one, checked it, and all the cells were fine, and it was killed in a few days. Could it be possible it has something to do with the aftermarket alarm if its installed wrong?

 

hey, my a6 also cant stand more than a week then the battery runs down. think it might be the radio, dunno, maby they just require lots of power when they sleeping.

 

New batteries are not always fully charged. If your not driving the car on a regular basis get a trickle charger from the auto store and leave it plugged in for a few days and then see how long it lasts when you unplug it.

I think your problem is that you don't drive it enough!