JayhawkMom

I had this guy (apparently not too bright!) come out to install an auxillary input so my husband can play his iPod through his 2005 Honda Accord LX. It turned out the car and input would not work together, so he replaced everything and left. I tried to pull the car back into the garage and the battery was dead.

Does removing the power from the audio system, as I believe this guy did, somehow disable/discharge the battery? Or did he do something that will continually drain the battery? I.e. leave something unplugged?

Clearly I have no idea what I'm talking about, but maybe I've given you enough info to tell me what's going on???

p10hlm

does the battery have any voltage?

can you jump start the car?

JayhawkMom

Yes, I jumped it just fine. I am just concerned about what he might have done to make it discharge so quickly (about an hour) as well as whether whatever he did will continue to discharge the battery.

Thanks for any guidance anyone can provide!

stereo69

he most likely left the door open with the done light on and ignition the durration of the install and drained the battery.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

The only way to discharge a battery is for some type of load to be placed somewhere between the positive and negative terminal of the battery.

That being said, what stereo69 said is probably correct. Another possibility is that the stereo is incorrectly wired, and is somehow drawing current from the battery while the car is off.

What to do:

1. Make sure all the interior lights are off.
2. Take your car to auto zone or something and have them run a test on the battery.
3. If your battery is low, have them charge it for a few hours while you sit down with your husband at the starbucks next door, sit down, have a cup of coffee, and talk about how much you hate the guy who ruined your car.
4. Your battery should be done by now, go pick it up, take it home, and let it sit overnight.
5. If it is dead the next morning, then you have your answer: the stereo is putting a load on the battery while the car is off.
6. Take your car to a reputable stereo shop, and pay a little more money to have it done the correct way this time.
7. Never let anyone you don't trust work on your car ever again.
8. Have a beer or perhaps some merlot or chardonnay (whatever you prefer) and rest assured that you won't ever have to worry about getting a jump start again (at least until something else breaks on your car)

JayhawkMom

Ah! I didn't really think about the fact that he had the door wide open for an hour and I bet he left the dome light on too. I tried it this morning and it started right up so perhaps it was just a one time thing. Thanks everyone for the advice and help!

aasarsak, I especially enjoy step 3 above!

Ross 2.0

You probably have a weak battery anyway. Have it tested and or replaced. Honda has a 3 year battery warranty.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

My pleasure darling

Heat

Do you have a battery charger? If so, hook it up overnight - I'm sure your battery will then be fine.

If you do take the battery out to take someplace to have it tested, remember that some places are more honest than others. Just my personal beliefs, but as an example I would trust Autozone or Pepboys, but would not trust Sears or Midas. Heck, Midas will probably tell you that not only is your battery bad, but your transmission needs rebuilt and you need a new exhuast system. And some brake work.

In general, places that have a mechanic on staff will be more likely to lie to you since they want to keep the mechanic busy. Places that sell just parts will tend to be more honest about whether you need the part or not.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

dude, she already said that her issue is resolved.

Let it go man, just let it go...

Carcrazy1

Maybe because of some sort of short circuit that’s why most of the audio system empties a battery at sudden time.

stereo69

the guy pulled the radio to plug a AUX adapter it just plugs into the back of the radio like a cd changer it's not like he was spliceing and cutting wire to hookup a alarm system, also the battery is 4 years old all it would need is someone to leave the door open and radio on while he's taking it out for a hour to drain it enough to not start!