Mk4 golf 1.4E struggles to start when cold

[ARW-360]

I recently had not driven my car for a while, it was sat static for most of the last 6 weeks. My dad did take it for a run twice but after picking my car up last week i found that the battery was completely flat. I thought he had just left my CD player on or something because you have to manually turn it off each time. I then started the car using jump leads, everything was then back to normal and i used the car for a very long 450 mile trip on sunday with no issues.

It seemed to be working fine all over the weekend but today i found that it struggled to start from cold. The starter motor seemed be a lot slower with a dragged out noise when you went you turn the key. The electrics also flickered and dimmed.

I have asked some people with a bit of knowledge on cars as i dont really have a clue and they said that it being left for so long and then it being completely flat for a good few days may have knackered the battery. Is this the simple problem or could it be something else????

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[kite]

Take the battery off and charge it overnight.
Check the battery voltage is 12.5v

....If only I was as smart as this bloody phone

[Crasher]

You need to start with a new battery. Six weeks will drop the charge level so low on a modern car it will not stop and going that flat on an old battery can cause deposits to build up on the plates. I find 3 weeks is the limit for most cars and mine (new battery and the car in perfect condition) is too low to start after only 10 days.

[geoff eeles]

before i was a Golf owner i had a ZR. I bought a new battery for it in january 2011 when we had all the cold weather and snow, cost me 92 pound and was a 720 mAh or something like that. In Dec 2011 the engine blow up on ZR, left it standing for 2 and a half months before it went to the scrappy, i took the battery out before it went and put it in Golf, I charged the battery overnight and put it in. What a difference that battery made and is still in good working condition to this day. this is what i have but 760 Cold Cranking http://www.exideuk.com/premium-096te-ea722-152-p.asp

[belfastmark]

As Crasher says, start with a new battery.
That should sort you out !