Do I need to change battery?

neilmcl

adzy77 said:

AdrianC said:

When you say "it chugged a little bit and took a good few seconds to finally start", do you mean it was turning over slowly, or that it was turning over fine but not firing?

If the latter, then it's not a battery issue.
If the former, then jump start it, or get the battery on a charger. And give it more use.

If this is the first time it's been discharged, it'll probably survive - batteries have a huge headroom of capacity. But the more it gets discharged, the more likely you are to have problems. Stop-start shenanigans will probably be your first indication.

It was turning over slowly. I'll get it on a charger.

What will be causing it to discharge, or does that still happen if its sitting there doing nothing?

Just get it on a charger. Car batteries will naturally discharge if not used much, short journeys aren't enough to top up a battery so it doesn't surprise me that yours is getting flat. I've had warnings on mine this year for the first time mainly because it's only getting driven to the supermarket once a week, if that.

neilmcl

adzy77 said:

daveyjp said:

Take the car on a decent run, 30-40 miles, then check the battery charge level.  If it isn't fully charged it will probably be on its way out.

ECP have some good deals at the moment.  A friend needed a stop start battery and it was coming in at about £150.  ECP new year discounts saw this down to £95.

Thanks, ill take a look

Also bear in mind if it is an AGM battery for your start/stop system you may have to get it coded so your car's ECU fully recognises it, depending on the manufacturer.

sevenhills

adzy77 said:

I checked voltage of the battery the next morning after sitting all day and it was 11.8 at the time and then when starting the car the cranking voltage dropped to around 9 then back up to over 14.

Its a stop start model so you are looking at £150+ for a new battery, something I could do without buying at the moment unless really needed.

11.8v is a low reading, maybe it was because it was very cold, but I would be thinking at 11.8v I would be getting a new battery.

My van has just been stood for 2 weeks and it started ok. I would think you could get it cheaper than £150, what is the make and model?

adzy77

sevenhills said:

adzy77 said:

I checked voltage of the battery the next morning after sitting all day and it was 11.8 at the time and then when starting the car the cranking voltage dropped to around 9 then back up to over 14.

Its a stop start model so you are looking at £150+ for a new battery, something I could do without buying at the moment unless really needed.

11.8v is a low reading, maybe it was because it was very cold, but I would be thinking at 11.8v I would be getting a new battery.

My van has just been stood for 2 weeks and it started ok. I would think you could get it cheaper than £150, what is the make and model?

Its a VW Passat 2.0 61 reg. It has stop start so uses an 096 AGM battery. I have seen some for around £110 delivered now. If I need one then I will get one, I just wanted to make sure I wasnt spending £100 for no reason or at least hold off on spending £100 for a few months yet whilst keeping an eye out for some offers

dipsomaniac

Good news is that your alternator is working if you are getting 14v when engine running. Worth charging once but if voltage drops again below 12v I would replace battery as soon as you can afford to as it's likely to only get worse if it's struggled in the first cold spell we have had this winter. The old battery is worth a few £'s scrap but ECP may offer to take it off your hands for free.

robertosherman

neilmcl said:

adzy77 said:

AdrianC said:

When you say "it chugged a little bit and took a good few seconds to finally start", do you mean it was turning over slowly, or that it was turning over fine but not firing?

If the latter, then it's not a battery issue.
If the former, then jump start it, or get the battery on a charger. And give it more use.

If this is the first time it's been discharged, it'll probably survive - batteries have a huge headroom of capacity. But the more it gets discharged, the more likely you are to have problems. Stop-start shenanigans will probably be your first indication.

It was turning over slowly. I'll get it on a charger.

What will be causing it to discharge, or does that still happen if its sitting there doing nothing?

Just get it on a charger. Car batteries will naturally discharge if not used much, short journeys aren't enough to top up a battery so it doesn't surprise me that yours is getting flat. I've had warnings on mine this year for the first time mainly because it's only getting driven to the supermarket once a week, if that.

Yeah thats worth trying to get into a charger. I used to do it on mine and it works. Try running it occasionally while you are working at home.