My car was in the body shop getting some old collision work re-done. Was there for 2 weeks and sat a good part of the time. Apparently they left doors open and totally drained my battery b/c when they handed the keys over to me it was totally dead-no accesseries, lights, chimes. They said they jumped it to pull it around for me but then turned it off.-real smart

Anyway jumped it again and I drove it for a good 30 minutes of hwy driving then let it sit and idle for another 30 mins. While driving my voltage meeter was holding steady a bit above 13v which leads me to believe my alternator is ok-correct?

Turned it off-tried to start-only about 10v. Could not crank it.

Then went to movies came back and absolutely dead again.

I have to assume my battery is shot, but why did the rest of the charge totally drain in a few hours? Does the computer drain that much? Please advise if this could be anything other than the battery.

BTW i have no aftermarket stereo or other electronics.

 

Standard lead acid batteries do not recover well after being deep discharged. Hence the reason Optima batteries are so popular as they fair much better with deep discharges. Replace your battery.

 

Thats my first step once I get home from work.

I also forgot to mention another symptom. When I was driving it trying to recharge it when I turned on my turn signal my guages (speedo and voltmeeter) would jump for a split second. Whats up with that?

 

Could just be another symptom of the low battery. It could also be caused by a poor ground connection. Change your battery and see if the symptom comes back.