Strange goings on in the car

[seedy100]

Last night I parked the car on my drive way, as normal.

Radio off, lights off, lock it, go in have tea, watch telly, go to bed, snore loudly, a normal evening on the face of it.

About 1:00 in the morning, i get an elbow in the ribs. Its SWMBO telling me Ive left the car radio on. - er no and even if I had it goes off when you take the key out!

But she's right the car radio is on!

Coat on slippers on go out in the rain, unlock the car, turn the radio off, lock the car and so back to bed.

At about 3:00 the same thing happens, and again at about 04:30.

Now, what the hell has caused that?

Thinking back there have been a couple of occasions when the battery has been low on power I now wonder if may be the same thing has happened before and not been discovered.

Any ideas?

Is it possible that I have the worlds first haunted Astra?
What would it fetch on flea bay?

[Dan]

Last night I parked the car on my drive way, as normal.

Radio off, lights off, lock it, go in have tea, watch telly, go to bed, snore loudly, a normal evening on the face of it.

About 1:00 in the morning, i get an elbow in the ribs. Its SWMBO telling me Ive left the car radio on. - er no and even if I had it goes off when you take the key out!

But she's right the car radio is on!

Coat on slippers on go out in the rain, unlock the car, turn the radio off, lock the car and so back to bed.

At about 3:00 the same thing happens, and again at about 04:30.

Now, what the hell has caused that?

Thinking back there have been a couple of occasions when the battery has been low on power I now wonder if may be the same thing has happened before and not been discovered.

Any ideas?

Is it possible that I have the worlds first haunted Astra?
What would it fetch on flea bay?

I'd say, after careful consideration, that it's broken.

[carty]

Haunted mate definitely - I'd not only sell it on fleabay, I'd give it away to the nearest person. I thought a clock at home was haunted once cos it seemed to gain time randomly - horrible experience.

[jaffacakes]

May be a more modern version of this............ http://www.ark666y.com/

[El Saxo]

Is it possible that I have the worlds first haunted Astra?

There's your problem.

HTH :wink:

[Mighty Boosh]

Astra la vista....:cool:

[Paul the 6th]

I had the exact same thing on a vauxhall once... I tried alsorts but the only remedy was to park it in a river and buy a mondeo :)

[dizzyblonde]

Sounds a bit like my dads old orange escort, could go to the pub(when you could have a couple of beers way back in the dark ages) park up, turn the car off, take the key out and it would still be running when you came out of the pub! (also way back in the dark ages when you could leave a car doing so)

or indeed it could be one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WOUaBckzw

[Holdup]

Astra

There's your problem.

Agreed! im fed up with my 2001 one now had light on dash fualt code sad throttle body (£200 on new one) nope try again, ECU (£600) exhaust system (£160) second hand hub carrier (£30) vaccum pipe came of throttle body or inlet manifold other day idled at 2,000 rpm drunk 2ltrs of oil in under 3,000 miles, poss manifold (which has cat in) is gettin knackered and ive only had it since september :(

[Nicky S]

what car is it ?? and have you done anything to it ??

[blackknight]

is the car called christine

[Ceri JC]

Have you been sacrificing chickens in it?

[yorkie_chris]

Sounds like he's not sacrificing enough tbh.

[Daimo]

Agreed! im fed up with my 2001 one now had light on dash fualt code sad throttle body (£200 on new one) nope try again, ECU (£600) exhaust system (£160) second hand hub carrier (£30) vaccum pipe came of throttle body or inlet manifold other day idled at 2,000 rpm drunk 2ltrs of oil in under 3,000 miles, poss manifold (which has cat in) is gettin knackered and ive only had it since september :(


Yet our standar 237bhp astra, with 40k, and only 20k servicing, has had no problems at all, even after track thrashing.

In fact, all the vauxhalls we've had have been fine. They aint no FORD or FIAT uknow ;)

tbh, I think yours is just screwed and get rid of it. I use many Vauxhall forums in the last 8 years, and no-ones ever come near with that list of issues on a fairly modern car..

[plowsie]

The first of the new Mini's were known to unlock themselves etc at night :lol:

[shifter]

I had the same on my Astra, I changed the stereo and no probs since.

[dizzyblonde]

Perhaps it needs exorcising

http://www.progression.ie/Images/news/ghost/temEseg91.jpg

[ophic]

borrowed a VW Golf from work once and noticed it had a habit of winding all 4 of its windows down in the middle of the night. Fortunately it chose nights when it wasn't raining and there were no scrotes or cats brave enough to try to get in.

[dizzyblonde]

borrowed a VW Golf from work once and noticed it had a habit of winding all 4 of its windows down in the middle of the night. Fortunately it chose nights when it wasn't raining and there were no scrotes or cats brave enough to try to get in.

My dads Audi A6 did that for a fair while, can't remember what he did to solve. Think it were summat to do with his alarm fob battery or something equally as stupid

[Miss Alpinestarhero]

Im going with the haunted option...

:smt051

[punyXpress]

borrowed a VW Golf from work once and noticed it had a habit of winding all 4 of its windows down in the middle of the night. Fortunately it chose nights when it wasn't raining and there were no scrotes or cats brave enough to try to get in.

Ditto with Skoda Fabia ( I know but my car doesn't have to prove anything ) & it was due to wet in the window power connector on the a-pillar. A suitable spot for some ACF-50 methinks.

[mrs cuffy]

Im going with the haunted option...

:smt051


Me too, as 3am is spirit time :smt045

[Lou M]

SWMBO???? Closest I could work out was 'some woman in my bed'???

[keith_d]

Me too, as 3am is spirit time :smt045

If I'm still on the spirits at 3am there will be goblins hammering on the back of my skull in the morning. Oops, maybe this be in the "You're too old when.." thread??


On a slightly more serious note, lots of modern radios (mine included) will allow you to turn them on for an hour, even with the ignition off. Maybe a faulty switch.

Keith.

[dizzyblonde]

SWMBO???? Closest I could work out was 'some woman in my bed'???


She Who Must BE Obeyed

[seedy100]

Tahnks for the replys.

To answer some of the questions asked

Its a bog standard 54 plate 1.6 Astra, and until recently possibly the most boring car on the planet. Its not been modified in any way, except by spending thousants of pounds putting petrol in it.

I do not sacrifice chickins in it, but am prepared to start if its guarenteed to cure the problem.

Last night was peaceful with not a murmer.

SWMOB, as Dizzy says She Who Must Be Obeyed, but Some Woman in My Bed sounds like a good idea to me!

I will be going with Shifters plan of changing the stero as a first option as the exorcist claims to have lost his bell, and his candle gone out! However, as a precaution I have ordered a couple of chickens and would appreciate detailed instructions on the rites to be enacted - please Ceric JC

Iam off to bed soon just in case the Astra doesnt sleep through the night!

[Lou M]

She Who Must BE Obeyed


Ah! I wasn't even close was I !!!!:D

[shifter]

Cool, sounds like I've been useful for once! I started having trouble with the battery going weak first, then the stereo started cutting in and out while I was driving. Then one night I parked up in the dark and as I walked away from the car noticed the backlights where still on, on the stereo.
It turned out the conections on the removable face on the stero had worn and started to make it do strange things. On that stereo you could still eject a cd with the ignition off and a few other things.
So basicaly you'd think it was off when it wasn't etc. changed the stereo, and hey presto, no more battery problems.
Having said that the haunting theory sounds a lot more fun.

[Stu]

Iam off to bed soon just in case the Astra doesnt sleep through the night!
Turn the volume down before you turn it off.


Wish you could do that with babies :D

[xXBADGERXx]

I would monitor it , there are a few things you may need to look out for , apart from the obvious like dodgy connectors and water seepage .....

is it ................

1. Playing "Slayer" loudly on the radio ?
2. Parked in a Pentacle drawn in a sinister fashion on the driveway ?
3. Honking it`s horn and flashing it`s lights whilst bouncing up and down ?
4. Pulling up outside the local "Blood Donor" place and flashing the Fuel light ?


Personally I think it`s feeling a bit lonely and puts the Radio on to keep itself company , a bit like whistling or humming a tune to yourself on a dark and lonely , sinister , cold street at 3 am ............................ Muahahahahaha

[yorkie_chris]

1. Playing "Slayer" loudly on the radio ?

Nah, gotta be venom :-D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5wUr4Lut4A)

[Gene genie]

maybe the time is right for the machines to take on world domination, man verses machine.
on the other hand its a vauxhall, not renowned for their electrical reliabillity.

[xXBADGERXx]

Yeah ...... Terminator wouldn`t quite have the same impact I think if they didn`t go to Skynet but went to Ellesmere Port instead , To halt production of Vectras someday . The Vectras got fed up of mankind slagging them off and developed a sentient mind , they then formed a new supercar that enticed a certain Jeremy Clarkson into it ..... it was last seen doing 187mph into a wall with Clarkson screaming with his hair on fire , just how he wanted to go :)

[Essex of Essex]

Mice? It sounds silly but the little b******s get in strange places, I know someone who has been having car alarm problems and they were the cause.

[Holdup]

Yet our standar 237bhp astra, with 40k, and only 20k servicing, has had no problems at all, even after track thrashing.

In fact, all the vauxhalls we've had have been fine. They aint no FORD or FIAT uknow ;)

tbh, I think yours is just screwed and get rid of it. I use many Vauxhall forums in the last 8 years, and no-ones ever come near with that list of issues on a fairly modern car..

Swap? mine has fsh as well part from last year when only an oil change as it had only done 2k miles since its service about the same time in 07, i do plan to get rid of it when i get insurance renewal and get a car with a warranty, hope insurance will b cheap on a 1.8 focus as i will only b 18

[seedy100]

Most recently Thursday night at 02:32 precisly I was treated to the BBC World Service, I think, I must confess to not staying around long enough to be sure. That was the only event!

Friday night was perfect peace!

Whilst it seems like a good idea to just turn the volume down that would probably mean waking up in the morning to a flat battery.
Today was a full day at work, so no chance ti investigate, and tomorrow there is no chance so it seems at least a week more hauntings.

I've just nipped out with a lump of chalk and drawn a pentangle round it so as to protect the rest of the world from the ghoolies and ghosties!

Tomorrow i might just have time to buy a mouse trap and leave that armed on the drivers seat overnight, just in case it is mice. Monday morning I may just be singing in a very high voice.