Doom - Flat Battery....

[Howard]

So, it had to happen, a few days of -4 C coupled with short journeys to work, with everything running, lights, blowers, heated rear windows etc....

I go out to the car today having parked it up on Thursday afternoon, and get in it, and the battery is so flat it won't even power the illuminated sills, or the central locking, naturally the jump leads are in the boot and i have no idea where the master key is.....

So...... I get the wifes Ka , and her cotton thin jump leads and give it a go, all the while thinking 'these are going to melt as soon as any load goes on it ' the wife raises the revs on the Ka... and i let a bit of charge go into the old beast before i try and start it....

Whaddya know, it starts!! , nearly killing the engine in the Ka in the process , the jump leads are warm enough to make toast on, but its running, drove it to dads and left it in his yard overnight on trickle charge, means a nice bus journey to work for me at 5.30am tomorrow, but hey ho at least it will be fixed for the journey home....

 

[Rumble]

Sorry but 'This winter at work i shall mainly be doing nothing ... ' this is making me laugh! Maybe you're car has been reading this forum!

 

[Howard]

LOL ! I reckon so...

Winter is our time to relax where i work..... although saying that , it can be our busiest time depending on the weather.....

 

[Will]

I take it you are getting another battery Howard? Don't want it letting you down somewhere more awkward than where it currently has, especially the way the weather is meant to be going

Try GSF or Halfords etc. Shouldn't be a fortune

Will

 

[esox]

So, it had to happen, a few days of -4 C

.

Hope it is just this - usually the first few frosts of the winter will kill a tired battery.Ive just had to put a new one on Mrs Esox`s P*****t,it was beginning to be a tad lethargic and then the frosts came and finished it off.
The local motor factor said that batteries were flying off the shelves.
You`ll know tomorrow if expenditure is imminent!

 

[Benzowner]

Howard you are lucky, try starting a diesel with a flat battery, off a petrol car not much chance make sure you replace the battery, it WILL let you down, they have a nasty habit of that

 

[230K]

Hi

Genuine Mercedes batteries are half price at Mercedes Commercial compared to the MBcar dealers.

230K

 

[mapleleaf]

does anyone know what the voltage should be for a fully charged battery ?
I have been having problems with the 1 year old battery on the Mustang - ie car not starting after being stood for anything more than a day . so I took it off on xmas eve, charged it up and then checked the voltage - it read 12.76 volts. just checked again (the charger was disconnected after the full charge) and the voltage is now reading 12.40 volts. is this normal or is my battery knackered?

 

[nigel cross]

Normal, a brand new battery on 100% charge would be 13.4 volts, which is 6 cells at 2.2 volts each but as it gets older the cells hold less voltag. When it drops below 12 volts its knackered. :bannana: :bannana:

 

[SimonsMerc]

Howard you are lucky, try starting a diesel with a flat battery, off a petrol car not much chance make sure you replace the battery, it WILL let you down, they have a nasty habit of that

Hey, I've started the Mercedes off the Hyundai before - no problem whatsoever. Incidentally, the Merc battery was down because the wife ran out of diesel, then kept trying to start the car without realising why it wouldn't start. By the time she put the 5 litre backup in the tank, there wasn't enough charge in the battery to start it ;-)

-simon

 

[wallingd]

We've just had an adventure out @ Cleethorpes. Ended up being longer than we thought . Mum has a W-reg Matiz. Been perfect for years. Feels bulletproof. Parked for about 20~30 mins, during which there was a flurry of 'weather' (varying from 1 sec to the next here - very localised as well.) Hail blasting directly at the front of the car. Came to move off - no startup. Ancillaries worked, but not enough charge to start the engine it seemed. I was thinking battery but was not sure and would have been guessing anyway. Thought the weather would have to have something to do with it. Called AA (worth mum becoming a member anyway to help if she becomes stuck on her own at any time in the future e.g). He gave it a quick boost. Started. Should have been 12.4 (not 13.4?). Was showing 11.5. Orig battery (5.5 years old). Reading what others have put above do you reckon it's worth changing??? And I'm also guessing it's likely to happen again.

 

[Brian WH]

He gave it a quick boost. Started. Should have been 12.4 (not 13.4?). Was showing 11.5. Orig battery (5.5 years old). Reading what others have put above do you reckon it's worth changing??? And I'm also guessing it's likely to happen again.

5.5 years is good for a battery. So worth changing for what they cost and as winter problems are only just starting (excuse the pun).

 

[Dieselman]

We've just had an adventure out @ Cleethorpes. Ended up being longer than we thought . Mum has a W-reg Matiz. Been perfect for years. Feels bulletproof. Parked for about 20~30 mins, during which there was a flurry of 'weather' (varying from 1 sec to the next here - very localised as well.) Hail blasting directly at the front of the car. Came to move off - no startup. Ancillaries worked, but not enough charge to start the engine it seemed. I was thinking battery but was not sure and would have been guessing anyway. Thought the weather would have to have something to do with it. Called AA (worth mum becoming a member anyway to help if she becomes stuck on her own at any time in the future e.g). He gave it a quick boost. Started. Should have been 12.4 (not 13.4?). Was showing 11.5. Orig battery (5.5 years old). Reading what others have put above do you reckon it's worth changing??? And I'm also guessing it's likely to happen again.

Deffo change it.

Any battery that can't hold charge for 24+Hrs is on the way out.

A sudden collapse after running is how some batteries go.
I once recovered my Father who, having no problems, had driven into town and parked for 30 mins max.
Upon starting there wasn't even enough juice to illuminate the dashboard lights and the car wouldn't jump even though the leads were melting, and it wouldn't even tow start for 300 metres.
The battery had gone "dead cell" and still wouldn't do anything immediately after driving to a factors for a new one.

 

[wallingd]

Might seem a silly question but how much can we expect to pay? Will any-old Halford's 1 do or are there certain recommendations / ones to avoid? Mum has very limited funds. My dad for 1 when choosing things tends to go for money-1st-quality-2nd...

 

[Dieselman]

The problem is that cheap batteries tend to have short lives so actually end up more expensive as well as hassle.

 

[AMGBoy]

go for an MB battery thay are good

 

[grober]

It never fails to amaze me that people agonise whether to replace an old battery or not. Its normally a DIY job anyone can handle. The battery supplier will normally fit it for you if you ask. There are plenty sources of good quality batteries. What's it going to cost? £40 to £70 quid. Thats 1 to 2 tankfuls of petrol/diesel for an ESSENTIAL component that will immobilise your car whether it costs £5,000 or £50,000. Its a no brainer! Just ask the following questions. Is the battery over 3 years old. Is the charging circuit/alternator ok. Is there any definite reason why its gone flat, long period of inactivity, lights or other electrics left on draining the battery NO then buy a NEW BATTERY It really is that simple. VARTA and BOSCH get a good reputation and shouldnt cost too much for a Matiz. Look in your local yellow pages for motor factors and get a few quotes over the phone.

 

[wallingd]

Dieselman: thanks.

AMGBoy: in what way are "thay" good?

Grober: I'm enquiring here because we have never owned a car this long and £40 is a lot of money to some people and an amount that would rather not be spent if one can help it. Hence me asking for advice here 1st. Ty for recommendations though. Same with anything it seems: go for brand names...

 

[andy_k]

just drop into your local hellfrauds, their batteries are as good as any (if not better than most) and have a good and 100% reliable 3 year warranty - if the battery costs you about £40 then it works out at less than £14 a year even before you factor in taking the battery back about a month before the warranty runs out "because you are having difficulty starting the car"

Not that I'd suggest anything like that


Andy

 

[Alps]

just to let you know, costco do cheap bosch battteries!