[izzikio_rage]

Hi BHPians

Wanted some advise on our Tata Tiago Petrol 2017 model. Due to the pandemic the car has been a bit underused however the battery has been discharging very rapidly (in less than 2 weeks) even with long runs between these idle periods (20 km+ per run). The car has gone to the Tata Workshop in Gurgaon almost 3-4 times now and still there are no results. Before this the car has been used frequently for over 3 years with no issues at all.

Things tried
1. Changed battery - did not help
2. Workshop kept it for a few days to check for 'current leaks', after the 3rd visit something worked and it remained trouble free for 2 months now it's discharged again
3. We've tried to run it multiple times a week and it works fine, however even after than if you leave it for 2 weeks odd the battery is completely drained (even the remote unlock and dashboard indicators don't light up)

Any suggestions on what I should try next or if there is a highly recommended Tata service center in Gurgaon that could help solve this. Pretty much at my wits end

Mods : Please feel free to move this thread if it's under the wrong section

[anjan_c2007]

There must be a leakage possibly a short circuit that the ASC has not been able to detect. Very surprising for a new car to have such an electrical issue.

Please also go to the main authorised dealer in your city for the battery make, that is fitted to your car. They can also check the circuit with their instrument plugged to both terminals. If something is found amiss while checking, please reach your ASC. And if ASC is incompetent, pls take up the issue with the Tata Motors corporate office.

In the meantime:-

- please disconnect the positive terminal every time you finish your drive and have to park it for a long time. You can reconnect when you have to use it again.

-please buy a portable home battery charger for recharging the battery if it gets low on power. 24 hours of charging is OK. And the charging can be done only by removing the six battery cell covers for easy breathing while on charge. And this charging needs to be done in a far away room away from your living rooms, as some obnoxious gases are emitted while the charging process is on.

[gkveda]

There can be only two possibilities.

1. If you have installed any Accessories (local or Chinese), they would be draining the current. If there are no Accessories installed, some OEM electrical parts must be draining the current.

2. The alternator is not charging the battery when the car runs long distance. So, the battery is drained by electric parts and not getting recharged.

To find out the cause of the problem, Suggest you to start your journey in the morning after resting the car for a week.

1. Before starting the car, check the battery voltage. Let's say it is A Volts

2. After running the car for 4-5 hours check the battery voltage immediately after ignition off. Let's say it's B Volts

3. Check the battery voltage next day. Let us say it is C Volts

Now analysis goes like this.

After step 2, if the voltage(B) has not increased significantly from initial measurement (ideally it should be rated voltage 12.5 V) and it is say 8 or 9 V, then it is alternator issue. It simply means that alternator is not charging the battery. If it is 12.5 V then, alternator is charging the battery and it is working fine.

After step 3, if battery voltage is reduced to say 8 or 9 V, it is issue with current leakage in accessories or electric parts of the car.

[Nanolover]

Advise you to key lock the car. Not remote lock. Immobilizer consumes a lot of battery and I had this battery drain issue in my tigor also if car is not used regularly. Since I had a covered garage,used to lock it with key only as my running was less than 5kms every week and that too only on Sunday

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by izzikio_rage

Hi BHPians

Wanted some advise on our Tata Tiago Petrol 2017 model. Due to the pandemic the car has been a bit underused however the battery has been discharging very rapidly (in less than 2 weeks) even with long runs between these idle periods (20 km+ per run).

20+ kilometers is not a long run and it will hardly replace the current used to start the car. About 500 km or more is needed to fully charge a car battery with the alternator.
I suspect you car is only being used for short trips everyday and your battery is dead and will not hold charge.

Just a week ago I went on a trip totalling about 300 km with aircon on. When I left, my battery was at 67% and when I returned the battery was at 80%.

Get a new battery and a trickle charger and the problem should go away. A car battery is not a fit and forget item. It needs to be maintained to keep it healthy.

My battery is 4 years old and takes a beating every winter with cold starts down to -25 degrees. I connect a trickle charger about once or twice a month. That way sulphating will be minimal and the barttery lasts longer.

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by izzikio_rage

3. We've tried to run it multiple times a week and it works fine, however even after than if you leave it for 2 weeks odd the battery is completely drained (even the remote unlock and dashboard indicators don't light up)

Any suggestions on what I should try next or if there is a highly recommended Tata service center in Gurgaon that could help solve this.

Tiago has a feature that if the car isn't started for a week, then remote unlock doesn't work. You need to unlock it via key. This is how it works in my Tiago. I cannot comment on battery draining problem though.

Which TATA service center have you been to in Gurgaon? You can try visiting Arya Motors in Sec 52 if not yet. The SA who attends to my car is usually helpful. Let me know if you need his details.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by izzikio_rage

We've tried to run it multiple times a week and it works fine, however even after than if you leave it for 2 weeks odd the battery is completely drained (even the remote unlock and dashboard indicators don't light up) Any suggestions on what I should try next or if there is a highly recommended Tata service center in Gurgaon that could help solve this.

You have a parasitic drain in your car. Have you fitted any aftermarket accessories? Was any electrical accessory changed? Please check the wiring and fuses and perform a drain test yourself using a YT video as a guide assuming you have a multimeter. Otherwise take the car to a reputed car electrician for trouble shooting.

Also check alternator diodes, these are the most innocuous of drains and most people look in every nook and cranny of the vehicle for the cause of trouble but almost never check the diodes. You will see a thick red wire connected to the alternator that is the main output wire which charges the battery. It is connected to the battery +ve post via the main fuse (referred to as "Alt" or similar) in the fuse box. Check the temperature at that spot in the morning letting the engine cool down overnight. Normally a shorted diode will cause that spot to be warmer than the surrounding metal.

Good luck, an electrical issue can be very frustrating and requires patience and diigence to trace and fix. But it can be done.

[izzikio_rage]

Originally Posted by Nanolover

Advise you to key lock the car. Not remote lock. Immobilizer consumes a lot of battery and I had this battery drain issue in my tigor also if car is not used regularly. Since I had a covered garage,used to lock it with key only as my running was less than 5kms every week and that too only on Sunday

Did not know this, will keep this in mind. I've usually locked it with the remote lock. However in my case the drain varies a lot. At times the car will last a month without running and start fine. Nowdays seems to drain in barely a week or 2

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Tiago has a feature that if the car isn't started for a week, then remote unlock doesn't work. You need to unlock it via key. This is how it works in my Tiago. I cannot comment on battery draining problem though.

Yup, we've taken it to Arya motors. Please do send me the contact, it should help

Originally Posted by gkveda

There can be only two possibilities.

1. If you have installed any Accessories (local or Chinese), they would be draining the current. If there are no Accessories installed, some OEM electrical parts must be draining the current.

I'm pretty sure its not the alternator since after a jump start with a completely dead battery it still charges up and then is fine for a week or so. It seems to be draining out only when the car remains standing. Even that is erratic, it may last 2 weeks may last a month

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by izzikio_rage

I'm pretty sure its not the alternator since after a jump start with a completely dead battery it still charges up and then is fine for a week or so. It seems to be draining out only when the car remains standing. Even that is erratic, it may last 2 weeks may last a month

Refer the below video. If you have a basic multimeter you will be able to isolate the circuit that is causing the drain. I would suggest you invest some of your time to troubleshoot if you are a interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoD7ZI03et8

[nathanjdias]

I don't know if this will help but I had a similar problem with my Tata Hexa. It was having an issue where in the interior lights used to turn on randomly while the vehicle was parked. This somehow used to drain out the entire battery over night. After frequent visits to TASS, the culprit was found to be some diode module which was replaced under warranty.

[izzikio_rage]

Originally Posted by nathanjdias

After frequent visits to TASS, the culprit was found to be some diode module which was replaced under warranty.

Am planning to visit the service center soon, will suggest this also. Have already purchased a 4 Gauge jump start cable after getting sick of push starting the car

How did the TASS people finally get on the right track to discover this?

[izzikio_rage]

Would the group be able to guide me to a good Tata service center in Gurgaon. Arya motors keeps telling me there is no leakage fault. The battery is a new Amaron battery.

I jump started the car, drove around for an hour. Would easily start post that. Then the battery drained to 0 in barely a week again.

I guess the next step would be to get it checked at a another service center

[izzikio_rage]

A quick update, finally got the service center to do a through check and removed/changed some wires for the lights. Touchwood it sould work fine now hopefully. But the journey has been a crazy one

[izzikio_rage]

More updates, went to the service center again and escalated this to almost everyone including their regional teams. After almost 4-5 days of keeping the car they said that there is no current leak, alternator is fine and it's the battery at fault. So another 6k spend on a new battery and keeping fingers firmly crossed that this now makes the difference

The service experience has in general been pretty bad at Tata Motors