Hope this is the right place to ask this because no one else can help me. I've got a problem with my 2002 commodore wagon where the radio won't turn off/not use the battery. Usually I can't turn on the radio without the keys turned in the ignition but since last Thursday it's constantly in 'stand by' (not sure if that's the right term) so when I wake up to go to work the battery is dead. I've been disconnecting the battery everyday but that's getting tiresome. I took it to an auto electrician who charged me $180 to tell me he didn't know what was wrong with it and couldn't fix it (thanks mate) so I'm hoping some of you Holden geniuses could give me a tip on how to fix this?
1. It's as frustrating as hell but don't go doing anything stupid like pulling your radio out because the radio very likely will not be the issue. In fact all you would need to do to isolate the electrical circuit for the radio in any event is to go to your owner's manual, locate the fuse that covers the radio, and pull that fuse out.
2. The radio in my VY (when I had it 5 yrs ago) could always be turned on manually from new when all was turned off and the key was out of the ignition. Exactly the same with my current VE since new. So if you can do that in your car I would expect it is normal. Just ensure you radio is switched off when you lock up the car.
3. If your battery is 3 or more years old then discard it and get a new one. An old battery may not hold it's charge and the electronics running in the car when not in use for hours will be enough to weaken an already weak battery so you will not be able to start the car.
4. Like A lot of trades people these days who pass themselves off as professionals, but are anything but, the auto electrician you used was seemingly incompetent. If you do have a parasitic current draw that is the cause of the problem rather than your battery, all he had to do was locate the circuit which was drawing abnormal power in order to isolate the problem to a specific area and then deal with it. But I guess that was too big a task for his limited intelligence.
A simple explanation of what you need to have done is here in the link below. Print this out if you like and take it to any competent mechanic or auto electrician and tell him this is what you want him to do to isolate the excess current draw. Only then will you be able to locate the item that is causing the excess current drain and address it. Give them your owner's manual so they can easily locate all the fuses for your model and know what is what.
https://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-electrical-problems/parasitic-draw-testing
While you are at it also have your alternator checked to ensure it is producing the power it is supposed to while you are running the car.
5. I do recall a few people with VYs who found there was an issue with the seat motor which kept drawing power when supposedly not in operation. So you might want to check that circuit first up to see if there is an excess current draw there.
(Also if you have a faulty switch for one of your electric windows, power can continue to run to the window motor and your battery can run down over night. I had this issue in a VT but a new switch under warranty fixed that.)
