How long should a car battery last?

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  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
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    LABMAN wrote: »
    It really does!!!

    Why as long as it gets charged?

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
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    cuthbert_rumbold wrote: »
    I don't have that problem. Just buy a decent battery after you've sorted the issue with your car.

    There isn't an issue with the car!

    It has been OK for11 years prior to this battery.

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • BeenThroughItAll
    BeenThroughItAll Posts: 5,018 Forumite
    derrick wrote: »
    There isn't an issue with the car!

    It has been OK for11 years prior to this battery.

    .

    So things don't break when they get older, without warning?

    Haven't you ever met a pensioner? They can't stop telling people about all the bits of them that don't work any more.

    You cannot possibly state that there is nothing wrong with the car - because there clearly is. The charging voltage is lower than it should be.
  • Car_54
    Car_54 Posts: 8,209 Forumite
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    derrick wrote: »
    There isn't an issue with the car!

    It has been OK for11 years prior to this battery.

    .

    In the same way that the battery was OK for 2 years before it failed ....
  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
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    BeenThroughItAll wrote: »
    So things don't break when they get older, without warning?

    Haven't you ever met a pensioner? They can't stop telling people about all the bits of them that don't work any more.

    You cannot possibly state that there is nothing wrong with the car - because there clearly is. The charging voltage is lower than it should be.

    If an alternator charges at 14.4 volts it will charge a battery at let's say 10 hours, but if it charges at 13.6 volts it will take let's say 12 hours, hypothetical times but it will just take longer hence the charge ever few weeks to top up, after all not every car, if any, will be charged to optimum capacity at all times, hence the sale of battery chargers.

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
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    Car_54 wrote: »
    In the same way that the battery was OK for 2 years before it failed ....


    And in the same way my previous 2 batteries lasted a lot longer than 2 years.

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »
    Quick google suggests a Carina E petrol needs an 005L battery - and they start at just over £30 online.

    I seem to remember the one on the car when purchased was 065 which is what I replaced it with before this one.

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    derrick wrote: »
    If an alternator charges at 14.4 volts it will charge a battery at let's say 10 hours, but if it charges at 13.6 volts it will take let's say 12 hours, hypothetical times but it will just take longer hence the charge ever few weeks to top up, after all not every car, if any, will be charged to optimum capacity at all times, hence the sale of battery chargers.

    .

    You don't get it and that's fine, but you need to understand that if the charge voltage is not as expected, then there is mostly likely a problem with the voltage regulator and when the RPMs rise you may find it's not charging at all.

    I had to strip down an old Lucas A series alternator and rebuild it with a new regulator after it was doing just that, in fact it was charging at 14v and stopped charging with RPM OR when it had been running more than 10 minutes.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

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  • YorkshireBoy
    YorkshireBoy Posts: 31,541 Forumite
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    derrick wrote: »
    It does not matter how the battery is charged and if you read my posts you will see that the battery is charged either by a charger or the car.

    The charger does it's job and surely if the alternator is not charging at full capacity it will just take longer to charge!

    The fact that the same alternator was OK for the previous 5-7 years goes to suggest there is nothing wrong with it and I got a bad battery!
    Derrick, it's a long time since I was at college (and auto electrics aren't my field of electrical expertise), but I seem to remember that a 2V cell (you have 6 of 'em in your battery) required a charging voltage of at least 2.25V before it would start to charge. So that's (6 x 2.25 =) 13.5V

    I think you said the diagnosis was originally 'no charging current'*. This points to the alternator, not the battery. I think you'll find you've a faulty diode (causing overnight/gradual discharge) in the voltage regulator.


    * Was this done at fast idle and with all electrical load switched on?
  • Rolandtheroadie
    Rolandtheroadie Posts: 5,102 Forumite
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    I've had a couple of my current car (chrysler GV) and both have suffered from "undercharging".
    Both normally charged at around 13.6v, due to a battery temperature sensor. I've not replaced the battery on my second one (it's been in for 2 years now) but the first one needed a battery every couple of years due to constantly under charging.
    The CCA also halved over the same period.
    Solution? A resistor fitted to the battery sensor. This bumped the charging voltage up to 14.4, for around 20p, so not expensive.
    If your battery has constantly been undercharged, it'll give you problems.
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