Dead battery following alarm/electrical oddities

One more quick update for now, because I feel like an idiot and I want those who said this before to get the validation they deserve; having left the battery for a few hours whilst I worked, I just went back to it and threw the tester on real quick to see if anything had changed. Immediately it was giving me a reading of 9.8V, 9.7V, 9.6V and going lower and lower, presumably from the stress of the tester being connected.

I put it back on the charger which as had done so far, immediately said it was full and when I put the tester back on it was at 10.1V, 10.0V, 9.9V and so on. So something is happening there that doesn't make sense, either the battery can't hold a full charge or the charger is crap like others have eluded to.

More importantly for this update though, and the reason I feel like a moron. So many mentioned checking the boot wiring loom, and I had looked - AT THE WRONG ONE. I just opened up the actual one on the hinge that you all so kindly pushed me to and it like a horror movie in there, see attached image. Of the seven wires I can count, 4 are cleanly disconnected with the others hanging on for dear life. I'm surprised it took this long for issues to arise. As soon as I finish work I'm gonna head to B&Q and grab a bunch of smaller gauge wire, as I only have big mains power style stuff, and go to work repairing them all and extended them too as others have suggested to ease the pressure on them when opening and closing the boot lid.

 

Wow! What a mess and pointed out by those in the know.
I am learning so much about these cars since I joined this Forum.
When you have sorted out that wiring check with the multimeter what the alternator is putting to the battery. 

Can I remonstrate with you about your “feeling an idiot / moron”comment. You are here & asking questions, those are not actions of either an idiot or moron, they are the actions of someone who wishes to know more tomorrow than they do today.
There will be few contributors who regularly post on here whose job it is to repair cars in general & these in particular.
You have therefore to address the question, “how did they know that?”
They started by asking questions which they thought moronic, then all of a sudden they find out that the same question has been asked any number of times. Because you are hearing the same sort of question with such regularity & seen those constructive contributions from contributors you will eventually be able to advise on the answers even though, in some cases you haven’t experienced the problem.
You keep asking & the chaps on here, for sadly it is chaps, will endeavour to help.
M

I'm not a chap...I'm a bloke....we don't do chaps in Oz!
Mind you, up in Oxford Street Sydney there are plenty of blokes that do chaps.....but that's another matter entirely!

You are doing very well, dont knock yourself at all. You have asked, you listened, you have looked how to apply that knowledge and you have learned. That's how all of us on built up knowledge and confidence.

Well done for uncovering the boot hinge wiring problems. Unless you have already been to buy the cable I would suggest you order a metre of automotive wire in each required colour rather than general wire from a general DIY store. Wire made for automotive use is a bit more flexible which is quite important for the hinge area which is subject to vibration and movement. The insulation layer is thinner but more durable than ordinary knock about wire. It's also best to match the existing colours. Joint are best soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing

I shat amend my last line to accommodate our residents ‘strine
“You keep asking & the blokes on here, for sadly it is blokes, will endeavour to help”.
Is that better Cobb’s? Maybe we might encourage the ladies (blokeses) to rejoin.
We try to be inclusive.
M

Blokettes  is much less clumsy to say

Blokettes is the diminutive form & might be considered exclusive to the more mature lady.
To satisfy those grammarians amongst us, we would need to ascertain the mean age of the hypothetical female contributor, (spanner jockey/ jockette/jockess)
Once verified we would have to consult the good bergers of the OED to adjudicate.
M

@Airportable.....in a post above you said "you shat"...did you really shat in chat?
just asking...

Jockette is a brand of bloke's underpants here in Oz so probably best not to use that one for anything other than underpants!

Notanumber wrote:

You are doing very well, dont knock yourself at all. You have asked, you listened, you have looked how to apply that knowledge and you have learned. That's how all of us on built up knowledge and confidence.

Well done for uncovering the boot hinge wiring problems. Unless you have already been to buy the cable I would suggest you order a metre of automotive wire in each required colour rather than general wire from a general DIY store. Wire made for automotive use is a bit more flexible which is quite important for the hinge area which is subject to vibration and movement. The insulation layer is thinner but more durable than ordinary knock about wire. It's also best to match the existing colours. Joint are best soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing

On my way to B&Q I thought about whether or not I should get automotive wire specifically. With needing to be mobile in the car this weekend if I can, I opted to get something cheap for now to give me a temporary fix (and to confirm that the broken loom is the cause), and then the specific automotive wire I've ordered should be here for me to replace it all during the week next week. 

For shat read should, I am full of remorse for this interruption in poetic flow. Even blank verse is now affected by “ageing fat finger syndrome” coupled with reduced optical function & spell check.
It’s interesting that shat is in my spell check library, I don’t remember a text where I found myself referring to a French cat.
My most humble apologies.
M