# Parasitic Drain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** beetle, volkswagen\ **Created:** [April 13, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654 "2013-04-13T08:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AgnesTheBeetle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d78d45/32.png) [@AgnesTheBeetle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AgnesTheBeetle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/1 "2013-04-13T08:28:14Z")
Howdy! Agnes, my Beetle has developed a rather bad habit of not starting. Got a jump at work, and came home. Car wouldn’t start again. Replaced the battery, and it was fine for a couple of days, but today Agnes is back on strike. Battery and alternator seem to test fine, but I am wondering if I have a drain on the battery in the electrical system. Both days that the car battery died, I had left the power windows down and the doors unlocked at work (it’s rather warm in my part of the state this week). Could that be causing the drain? If so, how best to test. Any other details that you need, please let me know! ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/2 "2013-04-13T09:06:31Z")
You may find this helpful. > **[How to Stop Car Battery Drains](https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a5859/how-to-stop-car-battery-drains/)** > > There are plenty of energy-robbing devices on your car that are supposed to go to sleep when it's parked, and sometimes, not all of them go to sleep. Here's how to give them a tranquilizer. ---
**Author:** ![AgnesTheBeetle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d78d45/32.png) [@AgnesTheBeetle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AgnesTheBeetle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/3 "2013-04-13T10:58:34Z")
Thanks so much for the link, I hope to be able to report back tomorrow on exactly what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/4 "2013-04-13T14:39:16Z")
When you say “alternator seems to test fine”, how did you test it? It sounds like the car won’t even start after you’ve driven it. In that case, I’d want to make sure the alternator is working correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/5 "2013-04-13T19:02:02Z")
It does sound like there is a current drain on the battery but I doubt the window or lock circuits are involved with the trouble. Proper testing will reveal where the fault is at. ---
**Author:** ![Roybus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/roybus/32/2590_2.png) [@Roybus](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roybus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/parasitic-drain/78654/6 "2013-04-17T05:05:32Z")
drop the back seat and see if the light in the trunk is on when the trunk door is closed…if it is, fix the switch or take out the bulb… common problem with this car.