Car Battery

threlkeld53

I started my car this morning after scraping off the first proper ice of the winter. Travelled 2 miles to the supermarket. An hour later having done the shopping, the car wouldn't start. 
The electric windows, radio, time & date all not working too.

I called a breakdown recovery through my insurance. The guy arrived & said the battery was dead and that I needed a new one. He got me started by using  jump leads and I was able to get to Halford's 20 mins away.

A staff member at Halford's brought out a new appropriate battery and before fitting it, he tested my old one. I was surprised when he told me that he can save me £95 because there is nothing wrong with the existing one & that the alternator is also fine.

I was confused why the breakdown guy said it was flat and I would need a new one, yet Halford's confirmed it is absolutely fine.

cymruchris

Would it be possible that when you went into the supermarket you left your sidelights on or the boot slightly open so that the interior light was on?

With it being a cold morning, and the fact you'd driven a short distance could have been the reason the battery dropped in charge to the extent you couldn't start it which could be related to how you drive your car. Then after a jump start and a long drive, it recharged the battery back to the correct level, so that by the time it was tested, it was showing ok again.

How often do you use the car - and for what length of journeys? Is it used to go to the supermarket twice a week? Or is it used nearly every day, with a few decent mileage trips fairly frequently?

If you do mostly short trips and the car sits around for a few days, and with the cold weather, the battery will slowly discharge itself, and short journeys aren't enough to top it back up.

There is a chance the battery is fine - or it could be on the way out - the way to tell really is to ensure the car gets a few decent trips of at least 20 miles every week or so, and then see how it goes.

If you do only use it for supermarket runs twice a week around the corner, then you'll likely repeat the scenario you were in as you go through the winter. Replacing the battery might help - but it can be the driving style and routine that will bring you back to exactly where you started.

fatbelly

I'd give it a charge and see if it behaves normally.

How old is the battery? Six years or more, and you might as well change it.

I wouldn't use Halfords though

Lorian

As above they often don't last past 5th/6th winter reliably.

400ixl

If the battery is low then a sharp drop in temperature can cause issues with the cold crank ampage it can deliver. The short drive could well have dropped it to a level where that CCA was not sufficient to start it but the 20 mile drive was enough to get it charged back to that level.

Put it on charge until it is full (may take a couple of days / long sessions to get there though).

threlkeld53

Thanks all for the above replies.

Yeah as a retiree, most weeks I can go 3 consecutive days without using it. Approx once a month I make a 200 mile journey to see family.

@fatbelly, why wouldn't you fancy Halfords? They quoted me much much less than Kwikfit.

fatbelly

Well they might be better than Kwik Fit.

If you're confident of fitting it yourself you can source your own online.

If it's a faff, as most modern cars seem to be, your local garage or tyre place can probably source and fit and give you a better product, than those big chains - probably on a while you wait basis.

I was once fobbed off with an old used battery by a place I trusted. It failed again a month later. We looked at the date of manufacture and got a full refund. So now I look for the date on the battery

400ixl

fatbelly said:

If you're confident of fitting it yourself you can source your own online.

Many modern cars need coding once the battery has been replaced, so that needs to be checked before DIY'ing it. If no coding is required then it is easier, but some still require power to be maintained during the swap, so you need to know how to do this.

Just disconnecting one and the fitting and reconnecting another has not been a good way of doing it for many cars for quite a few years now.

Bit of research and all is do-able, but it is often better for many people to just get it swapped for them.

Slinky

I had a Vauxhall Astra where the battery kept going flat. It turned out to be the glovebox light staying on, which of course you can't see with the glovebox closed. Never managed to sort the problem so had to take the bulb out.

cymruchris

threlkeld53 said:

Thanks all for the above replies.

Yeah as a retiree, most weeks I can go 3 consecutive days without using it. Approx once a month I make a 200 mile journey to see family.

@fatbelly, why wouldn't you fancy Halfords? They quoted me much much less than Kwikfit.

So it's the driving style that's likely contributing to the low battery performance as the temperature drops.

If you replace the battery, you'll be ok for a while (probably until next Winter), but will eventually be back where you started.

It needs a longer journey more than once a month to maintain the charge. When it's sat there all day, there are constant drains on the battery even if it's all turned off (things like the alarm are always on).

Alternatively it needs a form of top-up charge to keep it going. Where's the car kept when not in use? Anywhere near a power supply? A garage by any chance?

And as much as there are always people against Halfords/Kwik fit etc- the Halfords batteries are actually pretty decent batteries with a good warranty. Yes you can save a tenner by buying a no-brand battery online and fitting it yourself - but it likely won't last as long, and if it fails you have to swap it yourself. The Halfords one if it has a wobble - they can look at it - and change it again if necessary without hassle to you.

badmemory

Perhaps we should also say kudos to Halfords for not just selling a new battery, which in the circumstances they could have done without any known cause for complaint.