I have a 52 plate Audi A6 TDI which has done over 180,000 miles. It has developed a problem where every nine days or so the battery is flat in the morning. This does not happen at any other time. The AA have been called out a few times but cannot locate the battery drain.The last operator checked and found that the vehicle was drawing 4.5 amps from the battery. He disconnected the connection from the alternator and the drain stopped. Any ideas?

 

Without trying to state the obvious, the Alternator?

It is quite possible that the Alternator has a short and /or the voltage regulator which is part of the Alternator

 

The alternator was suggested as the problem by the AA man but it is less than a year old. He checked it when the car was running and it seems okay. I appreciate this doesnt rule out a duff alternator but wondered what else may be the problem.