Faulty car battery

Grumpy_chap

Glen49 said:

I may take the battery back again and see if I can speak to a different employee.
If I get any satisfaction I'll post it on here
Thank you all for your help.

You might have to put the battery back in the car.  Halfords fitted the battery and that may be in the terms of the warranty.  Otherwise, you *could* be going in with any old battery...

sevenhills

Glen49 said:

@ sevenhills There was nothing switched on that would drain the battery when I was in the Supermarket.

The Garage tested it with a Battery tester and said it was faulty

The point that I have been attempting to make, is that just saying it's faulty is not enough.

My battery would be "faulty" if I left it for a week without starting the car, because it would have dropped to 11.5 volts, but then if I charge the battery it will increase to 12+ volts and be ok.

Anyone can make a mistake and be unaware of something left on.
Your garage should have been aware that battery was new and given you more information about this test. These days it would have been quite easy for them to take a photo of their battery test.

If it really is faulty, you should not have a problem, you have not followed the guidance.

chrisw

A load tester will soon determine whether a battery is faulty or not. It would seem the battery is now faulty. 

The issue is, what's caused it. If it's a manufacturing fault it would be covered, if it's misuse through either leaving lights on or a faulty alternator on the car then it won't be covered.

The issue you have now is that you have no way of proving that the car is fine therefore it must be a manufacturing fault in the battery. I suspect very few actually get refunded.

peter12345678910

I am guessing you left the old battery at the garage. Just go back to the garage and ask if they can charge it. Put it in the car then go back to Halfords. 

No point doing a load test, if the battery is not working. Do the load test after 4 years every 6 months so you know when to buy the new battery. Even if you get about 9.3 you know battery only has a few months left. 

Glen49

Just a quick update.
I've been  back to Halfords this morning and they agreed to test the battery. 
It did indeed test faulty.
Unfortunately I couldn't claim a refund because, as I was told before the battery had to be fitted on my car so that they could test both the battery AND the car for faults.
The guarantee that I got with the faulty battery carries on.
Can I interest anyone in a new car battery ??       

mgfvvc

Glen49 said:

I've been  back to Halfords this morning and they agreed to test the battery. 
It did indeed test faulty.
Unfortunately I couldn't claim a refund because, as I was told before the battery had to be fitted on my car so that they could test both the battery AND the car for faults.

I'm not at all sure that would pass muster under consumer rights legislation, but it probably wouldn't be worth taking to small claims. Take a look at moneyclaim online (small claims court) and see if looks worth the effort. Alternatively, last time I was having trouble getting a refund, a 1 star TrustPilot review got things sorted in short order.

Grey_Critic

Glen49 said:

Just a quick update.
I've been  back to Halfords this morning and they agreed to test the battery. 
It did indeed test faulty.
Unfortunately I couldn't claim a refund because, as I was told before the battery had to be fitted on my car so that they could test both the battery AND the car for faults.
The guarantee that I got with the faulty battery carries on.
Can I interest anyone in a new car battery ??       

I agree with mgfvvc I also doubt they can imposde such a condition - Cars or compnents do not fail to order. Recovery depends on what breakdown cover you have and even if it is nationwide and the circumstances. I have just returned from a few days in Blackpool - if it had failed on day 1 are they sugesting I should cut short my holiday? The test meter they use for batteries will produce a code and that will tell them if the battery is faulty. Maybe a wors with trading standards raising a complaint with a copy to Halfords. I doubt they pointed out that condition in the T&Cs when you purchased the battery so they could be said to have mis-sold the product.