New battery or charger ?

catoutthebag

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Why was it at the garage?. Was this a problem before it went there? If its fine now why do you want a new battery?

When you turn the key fully the starter motor turns the engine.This should normally happen for a second or two before the car starts.

When it packed up?. What was the problem?.

Ok

It was at a bodyshop garage. I collected the car from the owners house after work, the car was parked on his steep driveway when it 'packed up' (as described earlier, the engine wouldn't start til it was jumped started )

I am looking at another battery, because prior to this (last couple months), 20% of the time the car would not start from cold. As others said, sounds like a battery replacement may be in order

Some people are saying get a new battery, some are saying dont

The car is fine now, but I travel up to 30miles for work, it's cold & dark, so I'll probably get a replacement (if its the £35 one)

snowcat75

Most likely the cells are either starting to collapse or have become calcified over time, Smart chargers can recover the latter however an inverter charger to do this will cost you more than a car battery...

Cost free way of having an idea on the condition of a battery is to remove the caps on the cells and to see if there bubleing or not each cell should have water just above the plates, If one cell isnt bubling then that is certainly the problem.... (PPE is a must)

Two things kill modern battery low water levels and being fully discharged, sometimes leaving the lights on once even on a brand new battery is enough to to ruin it, On the overwintered kit which can be stood up for 6 months we put smart chargers on which will charge and discharge the batterys in cycles..

Leisure battery can withstand a full discharge without damage and is one of the reasons they cost more.

To test the cars charging side simply put a multimeter across the terminals before starting the battery should be around 12v with the engine running it should be around 14v...

The only other common problem can be a slow drain, usualy a short someware, this can be checked again with a multimeter by removing the battery's terminals and checking for continuity between the two..

Other possibles for poor starting can be poor earth connections, bad joints especially swagged terminals etc.

Buying batteries online is the way to go, I must have bought a dozen or so throughout this year and all were next day, on large commercial batteries you can save a good £50,

frank777

:)My battery is over 12 years old and still working, on a cold morning it can take 10 -15 seconds, had the same problem last year, do I need a new battery?

[Deleted User]

I was looking at some cars, on a local dealer's lot, when I noticed a wire on each one, coming from the passenger door, and disappearing under the corner of the bonnet.

At first I thought they were part of some kind of alarm, then I spotted one of these behind the windscreen of each car.

WTFH

That'll be a solar charger. The better ones plug into the EOBD port under the dash. Cheap ones, which produce a lower current, require cabling into the battery.

The AA one is highly recommended by car enthusiasts.

[Deleted User]

WTFH wrote: »

That'll be a solar charger.

I know what it is.

The better ones plug into the EOBD port under the dash. Cheap ones, which produce a lower current, require cabling into the battery.

Most (even many of the cheap ones) can also be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket, if the lighter works with the ignition off.

TBH, you don't really want a high current, given it is designed to be connected to the battery for months/years.

They're not really designed for battery charging, but rather for keeping the battery topped off, during extended periods of non-use.

Norman_Castle

catoutthebag wrote: »

Ok

It was at a bodyshop garage. I collected the car from the owners house after work, the car was parked on his steep driveway when it 'packed up' (as described earlier, the engine wouldn't start til it was jumped started ) So it didn't pack up, it failed to start due to a flat battery. Presumably it was unused waiting for bodywork. Its normal for a battery to discharge when unused.

I am looking at another battery, because prior to this (last couple months), 20% of the time the car would not start from cold. As others said, sounds like a battery replacement may be in order If the battery can turn the engine over for 15 seconds its likely the battery is fine

Some people are saying get a new battery, some are saying dont

The car is fine now, but I travel up to 30miles for work, it's cold & dark, so I'll probably get a replacement (if its the £35 one)

Ask a garage you trust to check the battery.

Westmead_Fan

just fully charge the battery & test it, simples

WTFH

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I know what it is.



Most (even many of the cheap ones) can also be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket, if the lighter works with the ignition off.

TBH, you don't really want a high current, given it is designed to be connected to the battery for months/years.

They're not really designed for battery charging, but rather for keeping the battery topped off, during extended periods of non-use.

See page 1 of the thread.

[Deleted User]

WTFH wrote: »

See page 1 of the thread.

Which post/part of post, on page one, are you referring to, and which part(s) of my post, does it relate to?