# Low battery charge activate drive system



## Bartender (Feb 8, 2010)

Getting this if I just leave car for a day. Is it new battery replacement?


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Either that or a good 12 hr charge may restore it's capacity
Does the TT have the stop/start system?
Hoggy.


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## Bartender (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi. Yeah it has start stop. But that hasn't worked for a while, only been doing short 11 mile journeys in it. put it down to cold weather. Start/stop only seems to work if I've driven car for an hour or so.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Stop/start won't work if system detects battery volts will be low, so get battery on charge or replace it.
Hoggy.


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## Bartender (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks. I put it on overnight charge now.


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## ChesterUK (Dec 22, 2019)

Over the lock-down periods, I've been topping up my battery when the sun's been shining (solar powered TT!). That's definitely helped. There's been some relatively recent episodes on Harry's Garage and others about battery chargers/conditioners; well worth a look if you don't drive your TT often.


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## Bartender (Feb 8, 2010)

Drive it every day, 11 miles to work and back seems to happen if I don't use it on my day off. It's always started, just get that low voltage warning. Bought a Naco charger not had time to try it yet.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

Maybe the battery being in the boot does not help as it does not get warm from the engine.


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## shtu (Nov 23, 2020)

Bartender said:


> Drive it every day, 11 miles to work and back seems to happen if I don't use it on my day off. It's always started, just get that low voltage warning. Bought a Naco charger not had time to try it yet.


That does have the whiff of a battery a fair way towards it's end, it should be happy enough to be parked up for much longer than a day.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

I'm having this same warning message at the moment. This might sound dumb but are there any specific chargers I should be looking to purchase to charge this car without problems (Audi TT 2015 2.0 S-Line Quattro Petrol)? Also if I have to leave my car charging overnight in my driveway, how do I do this safely and securely? If you leave the bonnet slightly ajar with wires connected, can you lock the rest of the car with the remote keyfob button as normal or will the alarm go off or something? Do you have to lock the car doors physically with the key if the bonnet is not fully closed to avoid the alarm going off? I don't want the alarm to go off in the middle of the night and obviously don't want people getting in my car or messing with it so need everything as locked as possible.

Online it says to always monitor the car when you are charging it - this is obviously not gonna happen when you are charging it overnight or for any length of time...


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, I use the Ctek chargers & have done for 10s of years without any problems & are left connected for months.
I have 4 cars connected up right now & one is under car port with bonnet on first catch & will be for a few days until it gets used again.
Not sure about the MK2/3 TT but MK1 can be locked with the bonnet not fully closed. 
Hoggy.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, I use the Ctek chargers & have done for 10s of years without any problems & are left connected for months.
> I have 4 cars connected up right now & one is under car port with bonnet on first catch & will be for a few days until it gets used again.
> Not sure about the MK2/3 TT but MK1 can be locked with the bonnet not fully closed.
> Hoggy.


OK - Cheers for that


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Master Yoda, if your TT didn't have the stop/start system, you wouldn't be getting that alarm.
It's warning that the stop/start won't work because it detects the battery may be getting low & if it was allowed to continue you could end up stranded with a flat battery the next time the engine stopped.
Hoggy


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Hoggy said:


> Hi Master Yoda, if your TT didn't have the stop/start system, you wouldn't be getting that alarm.
> It's warning that the stop/start won't work because it detects the battery may be getting low & if it was allowed to continue you could end up stranded with a flat battery the next time the engine stopped.
> Hoggy


Just wondering - I'm looking at the CTEK chargers at the moment - should I buy an MXS 7.0, or would you recommend the MXS 5.0 (£30 cheaper)?


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Master Yoda said:


> Hoggy said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Master Yoda, if your TT didn't have the stop/start system, you wouldn't be getting that alarm.
> ...


Hi, The MXS 5.0 will be perfect even the 3.8 will be fine as most of the time it will be on a trickle charge anyway.
If you need to recharge it quickly rather than just maintain/condition it the higher the amps the better, but not required to keep battery healthy.
Two of mine are the 0.8 version & work fine to keep the batteries fully charged.
Hoggy.


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## shtu (Nov 23, 2020)

If you can find them, the Lidl\Aldi own-brand chargers are excellent value for money, usually about £12 when in-store.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, If you don't want to pay the Ctek prices this Ring Smart charger does the same job & will charge at 4 amps if required.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ring-RSC404- ... p&LH_BIN=1 
Hoggy.


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## Bartender (Feb 8, 2010)

I charged mine using the Naco charger, Just connected it to the battery in the boot and you can close the boot fully with the extension lead hanging out . I bought the Naco Genius 5.
Havent had the warning message since but Ive been working every day so driving at least 32 miles a day.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Bartender said:


> I charged mine using the Naco charger, Just connected it to the battery in the boot and you can close the boot fully with the extension lead hanging out . I bought the Naco Genius 5.
> Havent had the warning message since but Ive been working every day so driving at least 32 miles a day.


Is it safe to charge direct to the battery in the boot? I read online that you should only charge to the charging points in the engine bay and that the car uses the power differently from there as it goes through various systems before going to the battery.


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## 90TJM (Sep 30, 2013)

shtu said:


> If you can find them, the Lidl\Aldi own-brand chargers are excellent value for money, usually about £12 when in-store.


 I have had a Lidl Charger for almost 20yrs still going strong


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Master Yoda said:


> Bartender said:
> 
> 
> > I charged mine using the Naco charger, Just connected it to the battery in the boot and you can close the boot fully with the extension lead hanging out . I bought the Naco Genius 5.
> ...


Hi, As long as you are not using a rapid charger, 10+ amps it shouldn't cause any probs.
Most modern car electronics don't like rapid chargers if battery is left connected, as the initial voltage may be much higher.
Hoggy.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Can I just urgently check something. I fully assumed my battery was an AGM type battery (TT 2015 MK3 Quattro 2.0 Petrol Semi-Auto) and am currently charging it as "Car AGM Reconditioning" option on CTEK 5.0 charger. I also read everywhere people saying that if your battery is in the boot it will be an AGM battery as the gases would build up otherwise inside the cabin. The way the battery has been installed in the boot - it's impossible to see what the battery actually is - you can't see anything. The manual is very unclear about what battery is installed.

I was just looking on some forums and noticed people telling owners of a MK3 TTS that their battery isn't AGM(??)? Please urgently confirm my car would have an AGM battery factory fitted as standard in the UK? I need to make sure I'm not wrecking the battery... I've already started charging... It's my understanding the AGM setting uses a higher voltage. Also - it went straight to Step 2 and after a second went to Step 3 - is that normal? It didn't go to Step 1 at all.

Also - it says everywhere online to only charge in a well ventilated area as the gases generated are explosive, but I have to keep my car locked as I'm charging it outside. I believe it should be safe charging with all doors / boot closed as I believe there is a pipe running gases from the battery to the rear bumper - isn't that the case? I believe I can see the pipe... Also if there is a pipe leading gases constantly outside the vehicle, then wouldn't that mean it's not AGM...(?)


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Don't know whether it's AGM or not but the extra 1 volt won't make much difference anyway in this cold weather.
There is a frost setting which raises the volts by 1.
If the battery is in a good state of charge then charging/conditioning process will be quicker anyway.
Ctek chargers are well designed not to cause any problems.
Hoggy.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, Don't know whether it's AGM or not but the extra 1 volt won't make much difference anyway in this cold weather.
> There is a frost setting which raises the volts by 1.
> If the battery is in a good state of charge then charging/conditioning process will be quicker anyway.
> Ctek chargers are well designed not to cause any problems.
> Hoggy.


Hmmm - Strangely mine doesn't have any frost setting on it... (purchased brand new from Amazon). There is no snowflake symbol and no mention of any frost setting in the manual.

I think I can see a 'Pb' sticker with a recycling bin symbol with a cross across it on the battery implying the battery is not AGM (...) - the battery is all black with no other visible labels. The car manual says my car is fitted with a "special deep-cycle battery (e.g. AGM)"

The charger has gone from Step 3 to Step 4 already (only spent about 15 mins on Step 3...) - The CTEK charging manual says Step 3 takes up to 20 Hours... ?? This sounds very odd to me - I thought Step 3 was the main charging step...?

Also - can I just check if I have to stop charging for any reason before the final step e.g. it starts raining outside - can I just switch it off at the mains any time I want and disconnect it without any issues?


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

Mine is on Step 6 now (Car AGM reconditioning mode) - taken about 4 hours to get there. Hopefully I make it through to the other side :-?


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi MV, Yes you can disconnect & reconnect anytime without causing any problem.
These Ctek are pretty foolproof, because there are plenty of dumb people out there for them to contend with.
It will all be fine
Hoggy.


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## kevin#34 (Jan 8, 2019)

mk3 TT OEM battery is AGM type (as for the 99% of cars with a start&stop system) and it should have a well visible BEM sticker too on the top, maybe the original battery has been replaced by a non-AGM type?



Master Yoda said:


> Can I just urgently check something. I fully assumed my battery was an AGM type battery (TT 2015 MK3 Quattro 2.0 Petrol Semi-Auto) and am currently charging it as "Car AGM Reconditioning" option on CTEK 5.0 charger. I also read everywhere people saying that if your battery is in the boot it will be an AGM battery as the gases would build up otherwise inside the cabin. The way the battery has been installed in the boot - it's impossible to see what the battery actually is - you can't see anything. The manual is very unclear about what battery is installed.
> 
> I was just looking on some forums and noticed people telling owners of a MK3 TTS that their battery isn't AGM(??)? Please urgently confirm my car would have an AGM battery factory fitted as standard in the UK? I need to make sure I'm not wrecking the battery... I've already started charging... It's my understanding the AGM setting uses a higher voltage. Also - it went straight to Step 2 and after a second went to Step 3 - is that normal? It didn't go to Step 1 at all.
> 
> Also - it says everywhere online to only charge in a well ventilated area as the gases generated are explosive, but I have to keep my car locked as I'm charging it outside. I believe it should be safe charging with all doors / boot closed as I believe there is a pipe running gases from the battery to the rear bumper - isn't that the case? I believe I can see the pipe... Also if there is a pipe leading gases constantly outside the vehicle, then wouldn't that mean it's not AGM...(?)


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

I've just reached STAGE 7 (GREEN LIGHT)!! Yessss - we did it!?!!! [smiley=guitarist.gif]

Took about 10 hours to fully charge - not too bad. Thanks everyone!!


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Master Yoda said:


> I've just reached STAGE 7 (GREEN LIGHT)!! Yessss - we did it!?!!! [smiley=guitarist.gif]
> 
> Took about 10 hours to fully charge - not too bad. Thanks everyone!!


Hi, as I stated it will be fine.
Hoggy.


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## red_TTS (Jun 27, 2020)

Master Yoda said:


> Is it safe to charge direct to the battery in the boot? I read online that you should only charge to the charging points in the engine bay and that the car uses the power differently from there as it goes through various systems before going to the battery.


I'm interested in this too. I'm planning on buying a CTEK charger for my TTS but I would like to know wether it should be placed and connected in the engine bay or the boot, as well as if the rubber sealings are going to suffer in the long term when closing the bonnet/boot.


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## leopard (May 1, 2015)

red_TTS said:


> Master Yoda said:
> 
> 
> > Is it safe to charge direct to the battery in the boot? I read online that you should only charge to the charging points in the engine bay and that the car uses the power differently from there as it goes through various systems before going to the battery.
> ...


I would use the charging points after all that's what there, there for.

As far as the rubber seals are concerned I assume you mean being damaged by being compressed by the cable in the closed position. If so don't fully close the bonnet, just let it rest or feed the cable through the grill


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

red_TTS said:


> I'm interested in this too. I'm planning on buying a CTEK charger for my TTS but I would like to know wether it should be placed and connected in the engine bay or the boot, as well as if the rubber sealings are going to suffer in the long term when closing the bonnet/boot.


DON'T connect the charger directly to the battery in the boot. I looked this up and you're definitely NOT meant to. Connect only to the charging points in the engine bay. The Audi Owner's Manual also has a warning in it to only charge the battery using the charging points in the engine bay.

Also when I charged mine, I put the cable through above the bonnet near the windscreen close to the charging points i.e. compressed by the seal without any issues - I closed the bonnet fully without any problems. I was careful not to get anything compressed by any metal. Nothing was damaged and I found it was the best way to do it - I couldn't get the cable through the tiny gaps near the front grille (which was what I first tried to do). The seal looked perfectly normal after and exactly the same as it did before after being compressed for 10+ hours. The cable was also in perfect unmarked condition. This also allowed me to lock the car outside as normal.


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## red_TTS (Jun 27, 2020)

Thanks both, now it's really clear.


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## kevin#34 (Jan 8, 2019)

technically speaking, there shouldn't be any reasons to avoid connecting the charger directly to the battery


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

kevin#34 said:


> technically speaking, there shouldn't be any reasons to avoid connecting the charger directly to the battery


Hi, I would also like to know the reason why a charger can't be connected directly to the battery. :? 
Is it just take into account the knowledge/incompetence of many & make it a fail safe operation?
Hoggy.


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## leopard (May 1, 2015)

Negative lead should always go to ground when battery connected in situ, hence the grounding post.


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## macaddict111 (Jun 13, 2018)

Should always connect to the terminals under the hood, as these are both fused and pass through the battery management system (aka it will register the amps you put in with the start/stop system). You're not going to wreck an AGM battery with the wrong voltage with an occasional charge. More hazardous is an improperly-programmed battery management system set for a flooded battery when you actually have an AGM, which will hold the AGM battery at a lower voltage and never fully charge it, which AGM batteries hate.

Also, US TTS owner here (no start/stop because 'Merica), and I have a normal/flooded battery in the trunk.


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## Master Yoda (May 18, 2019)

My 'Low Battery Charge Activate Drive System' warning came back a couple of days ago and is now showing every time I go to start the car - this is only a month after fully charging / reconditioning the battery using the CTEK MXS 5.0... Does this mean my battery needs replacing or does it need several full charges to recondition it? The warning message disappeared completely for a month after charging it the last time.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, I expect this cold weather is hastening the end of your battery.
Hoggy.


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