Battery drain - due to SatNav?

[dickymint]

Hi all,

320ci (2001) E46 fitted with OEM satnav TV etc. Sorry can't find the manual for model.

If the Wife doesn't press "monitor off" before parking the car overnight the battery drains!

Battery is fine and this is definately the only time the battery drains.

Is there a way/function/setting to get the damm thing to automatically switch off when the key is removed?

Hope you can help as I'm a tad fed up of getting up early to charge the battery for "Her that leaves it on"

[E30M3SE]

That's a fault with the monitor/nav system then, it should all shut down when ignition is switched off and key removed. Certain circuit will stay primed for upto 16 minutes after the car is closed up and locked, but after this times it should draw only 40mA.

[dickymint]

E30M3SE said:

That's a fault with the monitor/nav system then, it should all shut down when ignition is switched off and key removed. Certain circuit will stay primed for upto 16 minutes after the car is closed up and locked, but after this times it should draw only 40mA.

Cheers - I've scoured the net and found loads of quirky and mystical electrickery things these "modern" cars do whilst sleeping! Bearing in mind I'm old school TVR type, these things are weird.

So you got me thinking - If I leave the car unlocked would that cause the electrics to stay "awake" and drain the battery?

[blondini]

Simply disconnecting power for a while can cure all sorts of wierd electrical ailments on these cars, but care needs to be taken not to disconnect it before the nav has completely shut down. This takes a little while after the car is switched off so I would power down the monitor as you have been doing, then leave it for 20 minutes before disconnecting the battery. Just undo the -ve earth terminal... No idea how long to leave it for, just as long as you can bear and don't lock yourself out with the battery disconnected.

[Cemesis]

Pop the boot and use the key to clip the boot look closed. Lock the car and wait a minute, then the red light should have gone out on the Nav unit and you can remove the negative terminal. Rest the boot closed but it won't shut because you've moved the lever in the boot lock.

Come back in an hour and reconnect.

I had a battery drain which turned out to be my telephone. I had disconnected the handset in the armrest and because it wasn't present, the car didn't know to turn off the boot mounted module.

[dickymint]

Thanks guys.

Found out how to turn on the on-board diagnostics so I can do a battery/alternator test. Will be tinkering today and will try the battery re-boot first.

We bought the car minus the phone hand set so maybe part of the problem?

[dickymint]

Thought I'd update this.

Removed the 30amp fuse for the Satnav/TV etc. and all seemed well. Then discovered that occasionally one of the door windows was not closing properly. Had to push it slightly to align with the seal and go up that final 5mm. I am hoping that this is causing the "not going into sleep mode" problem.

With hindsight the battery drain has only ever occurred when the hard top was fitted. I guess the soft top is more flexible and the window always closes properly?

Anyhow - fuse back in and we always make sure that the window shuts fully and all is well.

Could anybody confirm that "sleep mode" is not activated with an open window?