– DEAR TOM AND RAY: I purchased a new 2010 VW CC, and the car has 5,000 miles on it. During a long weekend, I left the car unused for four days, and the battery died. There were no lights on or external power drains.

On Tuesday I went to the dealer where I purchased the car and was told: “There is nothing wrong with the car — they just do that because there is a lot of power drain due to the computer.” I called another VW dealer and was given a similar answer.

My question is, How can a car company design a car with a battery that lasts only four days? Shouldn’t a car be able to sit for more than four days without the battery dying? Thanks. — Tim

TOM: Yes, it should. In fact, VW itself says the car should be good for 30 days without a problem. So I think you have every right to go back to your dealer and ask him to investigate further.

RAY: In our experience, most cars can sit for about two weeks these days before the battery is too weak to start the car.

TOM: Why is that? Well, there are certain electronic components that continue to run even when your car is turned off. There’s usually an alarm system, and there’s the evaporative emissions system, which needs to cycle whether the car is running or not. Normally, there’s enough juice in the battery to keep that up for a couple of weeks, unless it’s extraordinarily cold outside.

RAY: But there are a couple of things that could shorten that time frame. One is a weak battery. That seems unlikely on a brand-new car, but maybe your battery is defective.

TOM: Or perhaps you were making lots of very short trips leading up to the long weekend, and never really charged up the battery.

RAY: The other possibility is that something is draining the battery too quickly. The dealer should be able to put an ammeter on the battery with the engine off to see how much current is being drawn off. If it’s an excessive amount, then he needs to figure out what’s causing it.

TOM: Maybe there’s a fault in the alarm system or evaporative emissions system. Maybe there’s a courtesy light that’s staying on. Maybe a trunk light.

RAY: Or maybe there’s a factory defect. I remember that VW did have a problem with new cars being delivered to dealers with batteries that had drained during shipping. That problem supposedly got fixed, but it’s something the dealer could look into for you.

TOM: If you can’t figure it out, and this continues to be a problem, your last-ditch solution would be a trickle charger that you can leave on the battery when you go away. That’ll ensure that the battery stays charged, that you’re able to start the car and that you don’t lose all the presets on your radio. But that’s kind of a Mickey Mouse solution for an expensive new car. So push the dealer a harder, and tell him what VW said. Good luck.

DEAR TOM AND RAY: I just returned from visiting my daughter, who is a Peace Corps volunteer, in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. Now, my daughter is an adventuresome gal, and she’s become infatuated with the Lada Niva. It’s a very small but particularly utilitarian 4-wheel-drive SUV.

She’s decided that to reward her for her service to humanity, I should procure one for her upon her return to the U.S. She’s scheduled to come home about a year from now, which gives me some time to research this and find a viable reason for telling her it can’t be done. She would like for me to make contact with one of her Armenian friends, have him find and buy the vehicle on her behalf and ship it to the U.S. My alternative plan is for her to purchase the auto in Armenia, where she’s now based, drive it across Europe and ship it across the pond once she reaches the Atlantic.

Here’s my question: What would I need to do to the Niva to have it pass U.S. import standards? Would I need to bring two home — one as the primary vehicle and one as a parts car — or would I have ready access to parts in the U.S.? Please help me out, guys. I’ll have hell to pay if she’s not greeted with the car, or at least a convincing reason for my not having been successful. — Chuck

TOM: Well, your daughter obviously has bonded with the people of Armenia. That’s wonderful. And she clearly wants to take a piece of her experience there home with her — she wants a keepsake.

RAY: But it would be easier, and cheaper, if she just married an Armenian and brought HIM home, Chuck. Because there’s no way you’re ever going to get a Lada approved for road use in the United States.

TOM: If a vehicle doesn’t meet U.S. safety and environmental standards (and trust us, Chuck, this one doesn’t), the U.S. Department of Transportation requires you to either upgrade it and make it comply, or destroy it. Guess which option you’re going to be forced to pick?

RAY: Unless you’re the kind of guy who makes nuclear reactors out of balsawood in his spare time on weekends, you’re not going to be able to upgrade this thing to meet U.S. code. Even car companies have a hard time doing it. For an individual, it’s almost impossible.

TOM: Trust us, a wedding’s going to be cheaper, Chuck. No matter how many lamejun pizzas you have to come up with for the reception.

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