Vauxhall Astra electical fault

2003, 1.4 LS petrol Astra, 33k miles.

Battery keeps going flat due to glovebox light not switching off (should go off when ignition is turned off but does not). Likewise radio can be turned on before the key is put into the ignition switch. I have removed the glovebox bulb to avoid another flat battery, but does anyone have any ideas what the bigger electrical fault is here?

G
Reply to
G
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Glove box lights normally have a switch somewhere.

All Vauxhalls do that. The radio will only stay on for an hour though.

Reply to
Moray Cuthill

the radio can have its preference changed so that it stays on or goes off, look in the manual. the glove box has a switch

Reply to
mrcheerful

Since it's GM, It probably has the same crappy glovebox light as my Saab. The "switch" is a worthless piece of bent Coke-can held in place by spigots on the plastic lens. It makes a bad contact and gets hot, the plastic spigots then melt and jam everything up - either so it never turns on or so it never turns off. GM then expect you to pay them extra money to buy another piece of shit exactly the same as the one that probably nearly set fire to the car the first time round.

With a Stanley knife, you can make it as good as new i.e crap.

I've just read the bit about it being meant not to work with the ignition off, so the above answer doesn't apply but I'm not going to let that spoil a good rant.

The radio is probably meant to work as you describe. It should turn itself off every time you turn the ignition off, or it should time out after a while if you never turn the ignition on.

Cheers,

Colin.

Reply to
Colin Stamp

Thus spake Colin Stamp unto the assembled multitudes:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That seems to be a very expensive way of buying a radio... :-)

Reply to
Andy Clews

It might be, but it's a really cheap way of running a car...

Cheers,

Colin.

Reply to
Colin Stamp

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