battery i bought needs replaced 5 months later?

Gordie1975

Hi there, could someone please give me advice on this please.

Around 5 months ago (28th feb) my car wouldnt start as id left the boot open in my car and the internal light stayed on draining the battery, i called more than recovery number, they sent the RAC out who told me the battery was on its way out and needed changed.

I went to a local place the RAC man mentioned (RAC wanted £90) where i got one for £40, all seemed fine until yesterday when the car again wouldnt start, the battery appeared dead, i realised the internal light was switched on on the ceiling (it must have bumped on somehow).

So i again phoned more than, and the same bloke came again from the RAC, and he said the battery was needing replaced, i asked if the car could have caused it, but he tested the alternator and all seemed fine, he said the light being left on should drain the battery like it did, and his meter is saying it needs replaced again, but shouldnt be failing after only a few months and that i should take it back.

Trouble is i cant find the receipt, i had a lot going on right about then(i still do actually, but hey ho), and i paid cash, i know when it was as i checked the call history for when i phoned them, and i went to wickes after buying the battery and bought a spanner on my card, so i know i bought the baterry on 2/3/16.

I visited the shop, and they basically laughed at me and told me , no receipt, no garuntee, i tried saying as it was faulty i shouldnt need a receipt, but they said they may sell 40 batteries per day, so without a receipt, im getting nothing.

Is there anything i can do?

The RAC have emailed me a report of their tests on the battery and alternator.

Thanks for any advice.

pappa_golf

yes , go to the shop and ask them for a duplicate receipt , you know the day and the time don,t you?

bigjl

A single incidence of discharging won't kill a battery

Remove it from the car if possible and give it an overnight trickle charge.

I did the same on my Legacy years ago and the battery was still perfect till the car was stolen a couple of years later.

I future buy your batteries from somewhere like EuroCarParts, but online for local collection using a discount code.

If you bought it from an independant local factors you paid more than you needed to and are at the mercy of the shop owner when it comes to warranty issues.

Wouldn't surprise me if the battery you bought was a cheap Chinese knock off. Or even a used battery cleaned up and given fresh stickers.

People say the independant local factors are being killed by Halfords/Euro/GSF/Amazon.

But some of them pull all kinds of strokes.

Laughing a customer out of the door due to no Reciept is not the best way to get repeat business

Ganga

Gordie1975,take the battery off the car and charge it with a trickle charge for 24 hours and it will probably ok,nealy every battery will last more than a few months!
If a battery goes completly flat through leaving something on you can jump start the car but the battery will not charge properly as the alternator needs some voltage from the battery to work properly. ( bigjl has beat me to it as i was typing but fully agree )

Gordie1975

Thank you for the responses, i doubt the retailer will dig out the receipt for me, as if they were willing to do that they would have done that when i went seen them today, i think they are just happy they dont need to replace the battery as i dont have the receipt.

As for charging the battery, i dont have a charger, i suppose its worth asking round if anyone i know has one i can borrow for a night before buying one.

But the car is starting now, the RAC man gave the battery enough charge to start it, then did a test while it was running to see if it was taking a charge properly and that the alternator was supplying enough juice, the alternators fine but the battery is on its way out apparently.

Heres what the tests say...
Battery Test

Battery Manufacturer: OTHER

Rating of battery tested: 410SAE

Chemistry of battery tested: FLOODED

Rated Ah of battery tested: 45

Smart charge: No

Battery Test Results

Time: 08/08/2016 17:50

Temperature: 16.1°C

Measured voltage: 11.68Volts

Measured rating: 71SAE

Reserve capacity: Poor Reserve

State of health: 25%

State of charge: 0%

Test Result: Replace battery

System Test

Jump pack used:Yes

Starter Avg voltage: 10.03Volts

Starter Avg current: 6.6Amps

Starter result decision: Normal

Alternator voltage (unloaded): 14.21Volts

Alternator voltage (loaded): 13.87Volts

Alternator current (unloaded): 16.5Amps

Alternator current (loaded): 15.2Amps

Charge acceptance test performed: No

Diode decision: Normal

Alternator test decision: Normal

First drain test voltage: 11.69Volts

First drain test current: -0.5Amps

Second drain test voltage: 12.18Volts

Second drain test current: -0.4Amps

Anyway, if the retailer wont do anything, i might have to take to facebook, warning all my friends not to touch them.

thanks again.

daveyjp

I doubt it needs replacing.

After doing low mileage for a ffew weeks, followed by another week not moving I went to start my wife's 4 year old car. There was barely any charge in the battery, it just turned over, but on the 4th turn of the key there was just enough to get it to fire.

I've driven the car extensivley since and the battery is back to normal.

Get yours charged and drive it for an hour on motorways. Take the bulb out of the interior light so the problem doesn't happen again!

bigjl

Gordie1975 wrote: »

Thank you for the responses, i doubt the retailer will dig out the receipt for me, as if they were willing to do that they would have done that when i went seen them today, i think they are just happy they dont need to replace the battery as i dont have the receipt.

As for charging the battery, i dont have a charger, i suppose its worth asking round if anyone i know has one i can borrow for a night before buying one.

But the car is starting now, the RAC man gave the battery enough charge to start it, then did a test while it was running to see if it was taking a charge properly and that the alternator was supplying enough juice, the alternators fine but the battery is on its way out apparently.

Heres what the tests say...
Battery Test

Battery Manufacturer: OTHER

Rating of battery tested: 410SAE

Chemistry of battery tested: FLOODED

Rated Ah of battery tested: 45

Smart charge: No

Battery Test Results

Time: 08/08/2016 17:50

Temperature: 16.1°C

Measured voltage: 11.68Volts

Measured rating: 71SAE

Reserve capacity: Poor Reserve

State of health: 25%

State of charge: 0%

Test Result: Replace battery

System Test

Jump pack used:Yes

Starter Avg voltage: 10.03Volts

Starter Avg current: 6.6Amps

Starter result decision: Normal

Alternator voltage (unloaded): 14.21Volts

Alternator voltage (loaded): 13.87Volts

Alternator current (unloaded): 16.5Amps

Alternator current (loaded): 15.2Amps

Charge acceptance test performed: No

Diode decision: Normal

Alternator test decision: Normal

First drain test voltage: 11.69Volts

First drain test current: -0.5Amps

Second drain test voltage: 12.18Volts

Second drain test current: -0.4Amps

Anyway, if the retailer wont do anything, i might have to take to facebook, warning all my friends not to touch them.

thanks again.

Take this to Facebook?

Let's not forget that the Battery isn't faulty. You flattened it by leaving a light on.

If you bothered to charge it you will find out that the battery is fine, just discharged.

Repeatedly discharging a battery fully is bad for a batteries longevity but doing it once is not that likely to cause a problem.

When you "take it to Facebook" don't forget to tell everybody the entire context.

Even though the motor factor could have been more understanding you lost the receipt and left the light on.

Not them.

Gordie1975

bigjl wrote: »

Take this to Facebook?

Let's not forget that the Battery isn't faulty. You flattened it by leaving a light on.

If you bothered to charge it you will find out that the battery is fine, just discharged.

Repeatedly discharging a battery fully is bad for a batteries longevity but doing it once is not that likely to cause a problem.

When you "take it to Facebook" don't forget to tell everybody the entire context.

Even though the motor factor could have been more understanding you lost the receipt and left the light on.

Not them.

Are you saying the RAC man was wrong, and the battery is fine, but just needs charging?
Why would the RAC man lie?

facade

Gordie1975 wrote: »

Are you saying the RAC man was wrong, and the battery is fine, but just needs charging?
Why would the RAC man lie?

Did he fully charge the battery before he tested it? (No, you can see in his results)

A discharged battery is never going to pass any tests.

It might charge up fine, if it has been left discharged for days it might have killed it.
Charge it and see.

The Factor should know when they sold it as they will have marked the battery to stop you simply taking the old one back for a refund.

arcon5

Whatever his machine said, I suspect if you took it for a good drive to let the alternator charge it, it would continue starting okay thereafter.

mrmot

Because the RAC sell batteries for £90 when you can get one for £40 and they get commission on sales. They don't always get it right, the RAC once told a customer of ours that the back axle was about fall of their two day old car, so they came into us quite wound up with all guns blazing and gave us both barrels . What had actually happened was that they had ran over a metal rod , which went clean through the tyre and was hitting the inside of the wheel every time it went round. When the car was collected, there was a discussion as to how it wasn't covered under the warranty.

How the RAC missed a blatantly flat tyre, I'll never know.