I drive a 99 A4 Quattro and until recently I had no problems. The other night after work I tried to start my car and instead of starting it started frantically clicking. The electronics all worked but were very dim and the engine wouldn't turn over. I finally got it started after a few more tries. But now it seems if I leave my car for a couple hours it drains battery power to almost nothing and then won't start. I haven't been able to find anything from online searches that exactly match my problems. I haven't had time to get to a mechanic. I hope I posted this in the right area.

 

Have you tried recharging the battery in between starts? How old is it? Sounds to me like you've either got a bad battery or a bad alternator.

 

Yeah I just recharged the battery today. It's only about a year old. After the recharge the check engine light now sits on and instead of crazy electronics it just fails to turn over until about the 4th or 5th try.

 

Yep, sounds like your alternator then. I would take it to auto zone or advance and have them test it just to be sure. Used to be free.

 

Thanks, soonest I can get in is Friday. I hope it lasts that long or I may be biking to work.

 

I would just charge it every night then until you can get your alternator tested lol

 

Try jump starting the car and get it running. Once you get it running, unplug the positive wire from the battery. If the car keeps running, the battery is bad. If the car shuts off, it's probably the alternator.