Distilled water in to a car battery!?

coinxoperated

Hi!

Just a ponder!!

My uncle mentioned today that he had 'topped up' his car battery with distilled water.... unsurprisingly it now keeps going flat.

I've never ever topped up any of my car batterys and in the 6 years of driving different cars, have only had to replace one (and even then, I think the dodgy garage I used to fit a clutch who then went on to put a whole in my radiator may of robbed my battery!)

Am I missing a really obvious thing? Surely it's just easier to go a buy a new battery?

Also - I would never take anything off of a battery! Maybe I'm too safety conscious...

Is my uncle completly loop de loop?

Splott

It used to be commonplace to top up batteries with distilled water however with some of these modern sealed ones I'm not so sure you should be doing that even though you can take the tops off.

DUTR

coinxoperated wrote: »

Hi!

Just a ponder!!

My uncle mentioned today that he had 'topped up' his car battery with distilled water.... unsurprisingly it now keeps going flat.

I've never ever topped up any of my car batterys and in the 6 years of driving different cars, have only had to replace one (and even then, I think the dodgy garage I used to fit a clutch who then went on to put a whole in my radiator may of robbed my battery!)

Am I missing a really obvious thing? Surely it's just easier to go a buy a new battery?

Also - I would never take anything off of a battery! Maybe I'm too safety conscious...

Is my uncle completly loop de loop?

Without knowing what cars, or more so what battery it is using, no your Uncle is fine, maintainence free batteries won't need topping up (or if they do, the user cannot do that) Perhaps you have driven more modern cars that have maintainence free batteries fitted.

coinxoperated

Maybe so! He drives a 2001 renault people carrier thing! It just shocked me for a moment. I had a 'blonde' moment when my car overheated at the safari park and they told me to put water in it. When I got to the garage and went to put the water hose in my petrol tank... that was when someone screamed at me!

Cars and I don't mix that well... neither does petrol and water!

Dave_C_2

Modern maintenance free batteries shouldn't need topping up.

A few years back, after calling the AA (I left lights on in car park and the battery flattened) the AA guy removed the battery seals and topped it up (distilled water of course) before jump starting the car.

He said that this would not harm the battery, but to keep an eye on it. Needing a top-up is the first sign that it's on the way out.
Lasted a few weeks before I replaced it.

Dave

Strider590

coinxoperated wrote: »

Hi!

Just a ponder!!

My uncle mentioned today that he had 'topped up' his car battery with distilled water.... unsurprisingly it now keeps going flat.

Your not meant to do that anymore, the whole point is to replace them when they start acting up.....

So many people do so many stupid things to try and bring an old battery back to life, I blame high street motor factor prices for new batteries, just like light bulbs, people are reluctant to replace them or get them replaced.

Horseunderwater

Most modern batteries should last a min 3-5 years these days - and yes I can remember the good old days of topping up my battery with DW as my Dad taught me to. But cars were simple back then, you topped up oil, water and coolant changed any plugs and tyres if you had a puncture and yes me Dad showed me the basic stuff. I have always loved cars and engines and stuff - now drive buses for work. And you have to be able to do all that where I work. Oh BTW I am female and 99% of the time I can tell you what is wrong with a bus engine - much to the detriment of the chief engineer at a stagecoach depot many years ago. I told him that a coach turbo on the engine was about to fail and that it would be expensive if it went while on the road. He said it would easily last the trip to Saffron Walden and back. It went a mile down the road and blew, smashing the engine to bits. Whole reconditioned engine and £6k instead of the cost of fitting a new turbo! Next time he saw me he wondered if I wanted a job? And I got introduced to the next new Chief engineer a few weeks later as the lady who knows stuff!

rev_henry

In the manual of my 2005 Proton it claims you can top up the original battery, which I thought was bizarre given how new it is. However when I bought it it had already been replaced with a normal, maintenance free one.

UsernameAlreadyExists

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Femgineer

Kudos to you.

I can't help but wonder if you chose to move into the "mechanic" arena, you'd find it 1000% harder than a snot nosed male oik who can't even scratch his balls without instruction.

I'd listen to a woman (I have to, being partnered to a northerner), but there are many out there that simply won't. Shouldn't you be in the kitchen?

Also +1 on the distilled water being the right thing.

forgotmyname

Most maintenance free batteries can be topped up. Cover or label ove the chamber usually.

It will help the battery live longer, As long as you dont wait for the battery to kill itself 1st.

The water acts as a coolant to the plates in the battery, Water boils off and acid remains. You top the water up, Otherwise the plates overheat and the battery dies an early death.

I wonder how many people actually open their bonnets these days. How many know howto?

maninthestreet

Maintenance-free batteries should be sealed for life - they use a gel-based electrolyte, so adding distilled water probably isn't a good idea. FWIW, every 'modern car' I've owned over the last 30 years has had a maintenance-free battery.