HELP! I am a total Audi novice (I've had Saab's, Mercedes, BMW's, Volvo's...) so this car is completely foreign to me (not that I really know anything about cars anyway).

I bought my 1999 A6 Avant Quattro wagon the day before yesterday - the car seemed solid and well-taken-care-of even though it has ridiculously high miles (191K).

So, I fill up the gas tank for the first time yesterday morning (made sure it clicked closed), drove to work, then drove to Best Buy. I came out of the store and started my car. Just lots of clicking noises and blinking lights. AAA came out and jumped my battery - I guess it was registering pretty low. I was able to make it home and the battery was stuck at a little over 12 volts (today it is about 13+). However, the Malfunction Indicator Light came on and has stayed on.

The first night I had the car, I didn't realize that my boys had left 2 doors open for about 4 hours, plus I believe an interior light was left on (curious kids, I guess - grrrrrr!). I closed the doors and all seemed to be fine. It started up just fine in the morning and allowed me to do errands and go to work.

So, MY QUESTION IS THIS: Can the battery being drained trigger the MIL light to come on? Is there a way to test the battery and see if it is still good? Is it safe to drive the car today?? (It's Sunday, and most mechanics are closed here). Also, is it normal for a battery to be drained from just leaving doors open? I've never had that happen before....

Thanks so much everyone! My husband is in Afghanistan and I am not that great with cars - I need all the advice I can get! (But, please be nice - LOL! I already feel like an as* having these issues happen so quickly).

 

i would take the car to autozone and ask them if they can scan ur car for u with trouble codes.