Current draw with ignition on, engine off

[Silvestris66]

Does the XC70 have an unusually large current draw with the ignition on, but engine off?

Yesterday, I was in an automatic car wash that has garage doors on both ends that close in colder weather. I shut off the engine, but kept the ignition on to listen to the radio. I even turned the headlight switch to parking lights so that the headlights wouldn't be on. It was probably around 5 minutes for the wash. When it was over, the starter would click, but the car wouldn't start. I had to get pushed out of the car wash and jump-start the car.

I did replace the battery after that, which was almost five years old, even though it still nominally tested good.

Still, it seems strange to me that simply having the ignition on would drain the battery so quickly. I had just driven 20 miles, so it should have been pretty fully charged. And I know the charging voltage is 14.1V. I've checked it recently.

I've generally owned American cars before where you could listen to the radio with the engine off without severely draining the battery since a radio doesn't draw that much current -- or shouldn't.

[Astro14]

In answer to your question: no.

You had a weak or undercharged battery.

I've left the windows open and listened to the radio (ignition on) during a tire rotation and oil change in my driveway. Took me well over an hour. Maybe two.

Car fired right up afterwards.

Batteries last a long time on this car because the trunk/rear cargo area is kind to them. They're spared the high temperatures of being under the hood. Five years old is pretty young for a battery, but battery quality really varies.

[pbierre]

A weak battery. The parking lights chew up more current than the radio. If the radiator fan runs past engine shut-off, a big current drain.

All modern cars have a number of "always on" circuits...the clock, door fob receiver, security system, etc. The P3s with the power-operated tailgate.
Having a battery with ample reserve capacity is essential. Yet, every used Volvo I've bought recently came with an undersized battery which had to be replaced (the P3s have a low battery power warning on the console that shows up well before the car refuses to start).

[Willy]

I hope you replaced it with a H8 size battery which is the largest size that fits the battery box, H6 and H7 fit but the H8 is fitted to the diesel models in the EU as they need substantial more cranking capacity.

I ordered our MY2004 2.5T XC70 with the H8 battery, it was still in very good condition
when whe traded in the car...13 years later!