V8 vantage roadster - help with flat battery issue

[JetskiJezz]

I hope someone can help.
My V8 vantage Roadster has been sat in the garage for the last month or so with battery conditioner plugged in - or so I thought.

I've just discovered, at some point over the last few weeks for reasons unexplained the trickle charger plug has not quite been in the wall socket and therefore hasn't been connected.
So I've just gone to unlock the car and found that it's completely flat.

I'm just wondering how I can get into the car now, it won't let me even turn the key manually in the lock.

I just plugged the battery conditioner back into the wall socket but not sure if it's going to be strong enough to bring a flat battery back to life. The conditioner is a Ctek mxs 3.8 and is plugged into the socket in the boot with just the lead and the 3 pin plug sticking out of the boot itself with the boot closed and of course locked.

I'm not a desperate rush to get the car out. but any help would be really useful. Thank you

[Neil1300r]

You certainly used to be ago to open them on the key.
Some conditioners aren't man enough to charge from a completely flat battery

[JetskiJezz]

When I chose the conditioner, I thought I chose one that was a little bit more beefy than the standard ones.
I'm going to leave it plugged in for a couple of days and hopefully it gives just enough charge to be able to unlock the car - at least than I got a bit more choice.

I'm really frustrated with myself as I made sure it was all plugged in when I left it before Christmas, the problem is the 3 pin socket is a little bit loose in the wall and I think I must have knocked it whilst getting all the Christmas decorations out the back of the garage.

Fingers crossed I get enough power into the battery.

[JetskiJezz]

When I chose the conditioner, I thought I chose one that was a little bit more beefy than the standard ones.
I'm going to leave it plugged in for a couple of days and hopefully it gives just enough charge to be able to unlock the car - at least than I got a bit more choice.

I'm really frustrated with myself as I made sure it was all plugged in when I left it before Christmas, the problem is the 3 pin socket is a little bit loose in the wall and I think I must have knocked it whilst getting all the Christmas decorations out the back of the garage.

Fingers crossed I get enough power into the battery.

[dave-the-diver]

I'm missing something.

Isn't the whole point of the door lock, and the mechanical key, to allow access to the car in the event of a flat battery, so you can then open the bonnet, apply jump power, start the engine or get access to the boot and thus the battery?

David

[JetskiJezz]

dave-the-diver said:

I'm missing something.

Isn't the whole point of the door lock, and the mechanical key, to allow access to the car in the event of a flat battery, so you can then open the bonnet, apply jump power, start the engine or get access to the boot and thus the battery?

David

So far, I've tried putting the key in the driver's door lock and turning it, as soon as I reached a resistance point I didn't want to force things.
I wonder if anyone can confirm that you just have to turn the key harder than you normally would in order to unlock it. I just don't want to break anything.

[dave-the-diver]

I can't help, as mine is currently at the dealers, for a bit of fettling and the supply of a mechanical key, so I can get into the car if the battery ever goes flat.

Or so I thought!

David

[Dingle Dell]

JetskiJezz said:

So far, I've tried putting the key in the driver's door lock and turning it, as soon as I reached a resistance point I didn't want to force things.
I wonder if anyone can confirm that you just have to turn the key harder than you normally would in order to unlock it. I just don't want to break anything.

I had your situation, but no skeleton key, so had to get one cut from a dealer.

Once I had picked up the key I felt mightily relieved so got home to try it only to find it didn't turn in the lock, and like you I didn't want to force it.

After a moment of panic, I tried the passenger door and I got in no problem, so if you haven't tried this give it a go.

Edited by Dingle Dell on Thursday 21st January 22:57

[justin220]

My roadster won't charge using the boot socket, only the arm rest one.

The socket works OK, it just isnt live without the ignition on

[JetskiJezz]

A quick update and a bit more advice please.

The battery conditioner wasn't putting enough power back into the flat battery to charge a backup.
On the advice given here, I tried turning the key just a little harder in the lock and easily open the drivers door which then gave me access to the engine bay.
I put a battery charger onto the charging terminal under the bonnet and the car instantly flicked back into life (and set the alarm off).
I removed the battery conditioner from the boot and left the car charging for a couple of days to bring the battery fully back to life.

Almost everything is now working as it was, the car starts and all of the electrics work with just one small exception:

When you unlock the car and go to open the door the window isn't dropping by the few hundred millimetres that it used to. It's not dropping at all and is catching on the door rubbers.
I've tried leaving the car locked for an hour and then trying again hoping that it might have reset itself, but still the same problem.

Has anyone got any idea how to resolve this? Thank you.

[J12KJR]

Hi Jeremy

Hopefully this will help but from the Frequently Asked Questions sticky at the top of the page:-

Window / Seat Resets

After a low or flat battery resetting the windows may be required, the tell-tale sign is when a door is opened the window drops slightly an on closing the door the window does not return to the closed position,
1. Sitting in the car with the ignition switch turned on with all doors closed, press and hold the electric window switch in the down position, once the window is fully down keep the button pressed for a further 5 seconds, you may hear a click as the window position is relearned,
2. now send the window fully up again when the window reaches the top continue to hold the button for a further 5 seconds again a click may be heard,
3. repeat the above procedure for the other window

If this doesn't work a 'hard' reset can be carried out on the appropriate window module by removing the power. Further info on the reset for the Vantage is on a link within this answer in the above thread.
Good Luck

[CSK1]

Glad you sorted the problem. The windows have to be reprogrammed, you need to lower each window, hold until you hear a click and then back up again, hold until you hear a click. That should solve it.

[justin220]

There is a common 'window reset' sequence you need to do, but I cant remember the exact steps.

A quick google will solve it hopefully

[JetskiJezz]

Thank you very much everyone for your input.
Today has been the first dry day of the year, so managed to get the car out of the garage, ran through the window reset procedure for both Windows and are now working perfectly.

I even had a chance to drop the roof and go for a quick spin round the block to blow out the cobwebs and remind myself why I have the car sat in the garage in the first place. What a fantastic noise.