Leaving ignition on?

[mad_pete]

I've had the ignition on for say 20 mins but not started the car and now it won't start. The starter is a little slow but it's turning over but it's not firing. Does leaving the ignition on without starting the car upset anything ? I have DRLs but they aren't a big drain are they ?

[skard]

Were your heaters blowing, stereo on, headlights?
I find it takes not a lot of time to drain the battery on my Golf (half an hour or so) thus when doing VCDS type work I turn off all electrical systems.

[mad_pete]

My wife was letting my 2 year old son play drive the gti at the time (hence engine not on) so I suspect a selection of controls were turned on and off. AA man came out today and condemned the battery as rubbish and dead. AA man has thrown a new battery in. Do I need to check it's make or rating ?

[skard]

Your battery was probably on its last legs, as normally a few accessories on would take a while - on my car anyway.

If you have your old battery handy then compare the specs (or did he take it?), or post up any info from labels on new one you can see so someone can help confirm.

If it's similar capacity, with a good crank rating and branded (Varta, Bosch etc) it'll be good.

[mvb12]

just jumping on this thread for a moment?

Do you know if its worth while looking into getting a dry battery for the mk5?

[stealthwolf]

I've had no issues with leaving the HU on for an hour or so for firmware updates, and no issues with leaving the HU on whilst vacuuming the car via the 12v supply.

[vwrascal]

I have only flattened my battery after leaving HU and amp on and doors, boot open for 6 hours! Jump started it and hasnt missed a beat since then. Original battery from new 56 plate