Is Your Audi’s Battery Draining Fast? It Could Be an Alternator Issue

Have you ever tried to start your car in the morning or while out on a shopping trip, only to find out it will not start? Just a clicking sound, or the engine is turning over so slow that the car will not fire?  Dead batteries on your Audi or anything other car is one of the most frustrating events you can run into. Sometimes you will find the battery is past its expiration, but many other times it can be an alternator issue. Digging into why you have an Audi battery draining fast, will look at the symptoms of having an alternator issue, how to avoid it, and what to do if you find out it is indeed an alternator problem.

Purpose of an Alternator

Your Audi, as all other combustion engine cars have a battery to turn the engine over during starting. That, of course, is not the only function of your car’s battery. It also must operate all of the electronics in your Audi while you are operating it. Off the top of your head, you may not think that there are many electrical items to run off of your battery, but here is a list of a few of these things.

• Entertainment System: Years ago you would have had a car stereo to run off of your battery, but in today’s high-tech world, there is much more to this system. Music is not the only function of the system. Think screen with high definition graphics, bluetooth, GPS, a display of all of your cars actions, and settings, etc. All of this uses power from your battery to function.
• Interior Lighting: All of the lights on the inside of your Audi run off the power of your battery.
• Headlamps and Driving Lights: Using the most of your power is at night when you turn on your headlamps, and don’t forget about those driving lights that stay on during the day.

Knowing that these components and many others use your batteries’ power source to function, we can discuss the purpose of the alternator. The alternator on your Audi is designed to recharge your battery and keep it fully charged while driving. The unit is driven by a pulley and belt attached to your engine that creates electric current to feed back into your car and battery. If the alternator happens to malfunction, your battery will only be able to partially charge or not at all. When this happens you will soon find your battery, no matter how new it is, dead.

Symptoms of Failing Alternator

Before you have a starting failure, there are symptoms which will show while operating your Audi. Paying attention can keep you from being stranded and having to have your car towed to a mechanic, or purchasing a new battery when not needed. Let’s look at some of these signs that your alternator is bad.

• Battery Light Illuminated: When your battery is not putting out enough voltage, the onboard computer on your Audi will recognize this and display an illuminated battery on your display. This could mean you have a battery issue, a connection issue, or an alternator problem. Either way, if the battery light illuminates, have your car serviced at a recognized Audi shop with trained technicians.
• Dimming Lights: As your battery drains while driving, you will begin to notice your lights are dimming. This is true for the interior lights and especially your headlights. At night this can be a dangerous situation, as you can lose visibility while driving.
• Battery Dies After Jump Start: It is easy to assume that you left something on in your car and drained the battery down. In older model cars this was a common issue. After having your Audi jump started by a wrecker or a good samaritan, the battery will not allow the car to start again, since the alternator is not charging the battery.

Where to Take Your Audi

Having your Audi in for regular servicing is one of the most important things you can do to find issues before they become a serious problem. At Milestone Motors, our team of professional and trained technicians have you in good hands. Serving the Palm Beach, Wellington, West Palm Beach, and Royal Palm Beach, Florida area we can determine if your alternator is outputting the current required with a simple test. Call us today to have your Audi serviced or repaired.