Car is B5/A4/2.8. For about a week now, every time I start the car, there's an announcement "The language you have selected is ready to use" and since this started my battery seems drained and the car barely starts. These two things seemed to coincide. I am planning to test the battery (battery and terminals are newish) and alternator ASAP. Any ideas on this? Is this NAV related?

 

lolwut? I wasn't aware you could get B5 A4's with factory Nav. Where are you located?

 

It's got the CD Nav (unit is in driver side trunk compartment)

 

Right, we got the trunk mounted CD changer but to my knowledge the earliest model to be outfitted with factory navigation using the changer was the 2002 S4. Does your nav still function otherwise?

 

Yeah the nav works but I haven't used it since I switched to portable gps units. My 2000 Avant has a small single disc nav unit next to the CD changer spot. I don't have the CD changer unit but can see the hookups for it. Do you think the factory nav could be related to my power drain problem? My battery's been getting lower and lower every day and that started at the same time the Nav began saying "the language you have selected is ready to use" (I only hear that announcement the first time I start the car before work every day for the last week). Very weird.

 

CCA4, when I started the car this morning the radio was on SAFE so it looks like a battery connectivity issue...would you agree?

 

Was it still difficult to start? SAFE mode would be caused by disconnecting the battery, but the voltage threshold to kick it into SAFE mode is high enough that if your battery is dead or dying like you described, that could do it too. Did it still yack at you about the language?

 

Yes whenever I start it now the battery seems to have just enough juice to start, like a battery that's about to completley crap out on me. I've experienced SAFE mode whenever I've swapped or disconnected a battery but this time it occurred w/o disconnecting or removing the battery. And it still yacked about the language selected.

Are you saying that the voltage can be at a point low enought to kick in SAFE but still start the car?

Maybe I'll try a new battery this weekend.

Thanks

 

Where are you located? If you have easy access to an Advance or Auto Zone I believe they still test batteries and alternators for free

 

I'm in Englewood, NJ. I'll go to the local Autozone or Advanced and get my battery tested, good place to start. Thanks man..