How long should a car battery last?

derrick

Purchased a car battery 30-10-14 for £49 with a 2 year guarantee, it has been alright until 2 weeks ago when after sitting for a week it was flat, got a jump start and did a 30 round trip, then left it on charge for 24 hours.

It was then showing 12.5 volts not running, started engine,showing charging at 13.5v, turned on rear demister, headlights and 4 speed heater fan, still showing charging at 13.5v.

Car left for another week then did the checks outlined above in 2nd paragraph with same results.

However another 7 days later, whilst still not been used the car would not start, (flat battery), and is showing as 9v.

Called recovery who checked the battery and whilst charging at 13.5 I was told no "charging amps", health "0", "replace", there was nothing said about buying a battery from him, he actually said we don't sell batteries.

Took car to where I purchased battery, (it is 5 weeks out of warranty),and told nothing they can do. Told them regardless of warranty it should last longer than 2 years, would not budge save to suggest I buy another,(duff?), battery and they would send mine to manufacturer and they may if it is faulty replace, (not likely that would happen even if he actually sent it back, why would he if I buy another one?). Or he would sell me another one for £25 without warranty or receipt, I did not take him up on that one!

On Wednesday I disconnected the battery and charged it for 24 hours, it was showing fully charged at 13.6v, 24 hours later, today, battery is down to 12.9v.

Have I got a case to have the battery replaced re SoGA or do batteries with a 2 year warranty only last 2 years and 5 weeks?

Battery fitted to a 1996 Toyota Carena E 1.6 Petrol

Battery details :
PL2024
12v 60amp
CCA 480

The car does not get used regularly and can sit in the garage for 2-3 weeks, but it has been OK for the last 2 years and several years prior to that on the previous battery.

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Stoke

Derrick,
My feeling is that jumping a flat battery is a very bad idea, unless you're absolutely desperate. It does it no good, it just charges it very fast. You've perhaps not helped there.

The best way to charge a battery (as I'm sure you're already aware) is to get a slow charger from the internet. 4amps can be had for about £15. Then if you're still desperate to get moving, maybe run it after half a charge. I don't think that will have done it any good.

A week feels a little short for a battery to die. Do you have any parasitic drains on the car that could have caused it to die quicker? Anyway, probably a bit late now.

What brand of battery?

2 years feels very new to me. You could try and recondition it?

AdrianC

13.5v charging is low - it should be about 14.4v. Add that to the infrequent use - and constant drain from remote locking, stereo memories etc - and I'm not altogether surprised that you're getting through batteries fairly fast.

Should it last longer than two years? Yes, everything else being equal, it should.

But what are you going to do about it? Issue a small claim? Let's say it can reasonably be expected to have four years life. It cost £49 two years ago. You could claim for half of the new value - £24.
You've already been offered that as a discount off a replacement, with the same warranty as if this one had not failed - and you've refused that.
You've also been offered submission to the manufacturer to request an out-of-warranty goodwill replacement - and you've refused that.

Stoke

Also, just to throw it out there.... I asked what brand of battery because £49 for a battery is seriously cheap. The last one I bought was an Excide. Good make but by no means the best and it was £78 and it was for a VW Lupo.

AdrianC

Stoke wrote: »

Also, just to throw it out there.... I asked what brand of battery because £49 for a battery is seriously cheap. The last one I bought was an Excide. Good make but by no means the best and it was £78 and it was for a VW Lupo.

Quick google suggests a Carina E petrol needs an 005L battery - and they start at just over £30 online.

derrick

Stoke wrote: »

Derrick,
My feeling is that jumping a flat battery is a very bad idea, unless you're absolutely desperate. It does it no good, it just charges it very fast. You've perhaps not helped there.

The best way to charge a battery (as I'm sure you're already aware) is to get a slow charger from the internet. 4amps can be had for about £15. Then if you're still desperate to get moving, maybe run it after half a charge. I don't think that will have done it any good.

A week feels a little short for a battery to die. Do you have any parasitic drains on the car that could have caused it to die quicker? Anyway, probably a bit late now.

What brand of battery?

2 years feels very new to me. You could try and recondition it?

That was the only time it has been just started.

Branded Proline.


What do you mean by "recondition it"?

AdrianC

derrick wrote: »

Branded Proline.

Proline? Or Powerline?

https://www.tayna.co.uk/005L-Powerline-Car-Battery-P8901.html

Either way, it's a cheapie.

Stoke

Ahh, sorry I missed that. Looking now on CP4L.

The cheapest I can find on there is £49 and is a Lion.

Now, I know very little about Lion as a brand, but they're significantly cheaper than the rest on there (Excide is a similar price to what I paid) and there's a possibility that they're a bit naff and don't last very long.

Sometimes it's better to spend more if you're planning on keeping the car for a long time. Isolating parasitic discharges would be good though.

derrick

AdrianC wrote: »

13.5v charging is low - it should be about 14.4v. Add that to the infrequent use - and constant drain from remote locking, stereo memories etc - and I'm not altogether surprised that you're getting through batteries fairly fast.

Should it last longer than two years? Yes, everything else being equal, it should.

But what are you going to do about it? Issue a small claim? Let's say it can reasonably be expected to have four years life. It cost £49 two years ago. You could claim for half of the new value - £24.
You've already been offered that as a discount off a replacement, with the same warranty as if this one had not failed - and you've refused that.
You've also been offered submission to the manufacturer to request an out-of-warranty goodwill replacement - and you've refused that.

Read my post again! The replacement would have no warranty and I would not even receive a receipt.

With that in mind I doubt it would even be sent anywhere except recycling.

.

Stoke

Wow, yeah the PowerLine looks even cheaper than the Lion. I'm not sure it's sealed either which means technically it's not maintenance free (although that's a buzz term anyway)

You can recondition it using Epsom salts. Have a look online, very straightforward to do. Might last another 6 months, but it's probably on the way out.

derrick

AdrianC wrote: »

Proline? Or Powerline?

https://www.tayna.co.uk/005L-Powerline-Car-Battery-P8901.html

Either way, it's a cheapie.

Definitely Proline.

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