Is your Car Battery ok ?

[Manoverboard]

This could be you but today it just happens to be me

It's a lovely day here so Mobietta and I decided we would like to escape the barbed wire fences and go for a ride in the car. I have been letting it tick over every ten days or so for about 45 minutes during the whole of the Lockdown period. Each time it fired without difficulty ... but not today.

Zilch, the RAC will arrive in the next 90 mins. They arrived on time but advised me that the battery is as dead as a dodo and beyond repair ... and that it is not covered by the guarantee even though it is only three months old. This, they said was because I did not keep the car running sufficiently during the period. They were NOT trying to sell me a new battery but even if they had tried they wouldn't have been successful. The problem is that the power dropped too low and wouldn’t charge enough to start the car. They could get it to run but once it stopped it would stay stopped.

My next call was to the garage that sold and fitted the battery. They will be sending somebody to take the battery back to the garage where it will be trickle charged for several days and then we will know if it is / is not a write off. If it is my man says that there will be many people in the same position and that he would be very surprised if a compromise couldn’t be reached.

More to follow ....
.

[david63]

No problem with mine - went out for a short drive yesterday and have been out at least once a week (all for allowable reasons) during lockdown.

I don't understand how some cars/batteries fail and others don't. Our car was "laid up" for five weeks when we went on a cruise just before lockdown and the car started first time. Some friends of ours who have the same model, albeit a different year, have been having a flat battery almost every week!

[Onelife]

I’ve been taking our cars for a quick spin around a 3 mile route just to keep them ticking over….Stephen would know more about this than me, but I think I’m right in saying you should give your brakes a little pump while going back and forth on your drive every couple of weeks, as the brakes cylinders can get a bit stuck is you don’t?

[Manoverboard]

... I don't understand how some cars/batteries fail and others don't ...

I know what you mean, David, we have left cars for months at a time even during the winter periods with heavy snow and yet none have ever failed or even if they did a simple re-charge solved the problem.

I’ve been taking our cars for a quick spin around a 3 mile route just to keep them ticking over….

You're only a boy and not super vulnerable so going out is not an issue for you like wot it is for us old ens.

I did know about the brakes but thanks for mentioning them

[Stephen]

I was going to reply. Started a long'ish message then I hit a wrong button and lost the lot, so s*d it.

[screwy]

No problem with mine - went out for a short drive yesterday and have been out at least once a week (all for allowable reasons) during lockdown.

I don't understand how some cars/batteries fail and others don't. Our car was "laid up" for five weeks when we went on a cruise just before lockdown and the car started first time. Some friends of ours who have the same model, albeit a different year, have been having a flat battery almost every week!

Hope you wasn’t clogging up Ainsdale/Formby like the the other thousands of idiots.?
On this occasion I will blame Boris for his ill advised advice to go for a drive anywhere you like.Not good at all.

[Quizzical Bob]

Advice from the RAC here:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car- ... st_Feature

Just ticking over is not enough to charge the battery. A diesel will take a lot of starting current because of the high compression ratio. Plenty of diesel delivery vans have battery problems because they frequently stop and start.

[Manoverboard]

I was going to reply. Started a long'ish message then I hit a wrong button and lost the lot, so s*d it.

Thanks Pal, as Mobietta would say when we receive a crap XMas Card ... " It's the thought that counts "

[Manoverboard]

Advice from the RAC here:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car- ... st_Feature

Just ticking over is not enough to charge the battery. A diesel will take a lot of starting current because of the high compression ratio. Plenty of diesel delivery vans have battery problems because they frequently stop and start.

That's very interesting QB, it makes me wonder why the RAC didn't ship an e-mail to either of us on the subject albeit the car covered by them is a Petrol fueled 4 x 4 .... and one with a heavy duty battery.

[towny44]

Advice from the RAC here:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car- ... st_Feature

Just ticking over is not enough to charge the battery. A diesel will take a lot of starting current because of the high compression ratio. Plenty of diesel delivery vans have battery problems because they frequently stop and start.

That's very interesting QB, it makes me wonder why the RAC didn't ship an e-mail to either of us on the subject albeit the car covered by them is a Petrol fueled 4 x 4 .... and one with a heavy duty battery.

Ì don't doubt the advice is well meant, but if so why has stop start technology been rolled out to diesel engines cars as well, or do these have higher performance batteries fitted? I hope they do as I have just let my breakdown contract lapse as I doubt I will be doing more than a hundred or so miles over the rest of the year.

[Quizzical Bob]

Advice from the RAC here:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car- ... st_Feature

Just ticking over is not enough to charge the battery. A diesel will take a lot of starting current because of the high compression ratio. Plenty of diesel delivery vans have battery problems because they frequently stop and start.

That's very interesting QB, it makes me wonder why the RAC didn't ship an e-mail to either of us on the subject albeit the car covered by them is a Petrol fueled 4 x 4 .... and one with a heavy duty battery.

Ì don't doubt the advice is well meant, but if so why has stop start technology been rolled out to diesel engines cars as well, or do these have higher performance batteries fitted? I hope they do as I have just let my breakdown contract lapse as I doubt I will be doing more than a hundred or so miles over the rest of the year.

Yep, special batteries are advised:

https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.c ... start-stop

I’m not a great fan of stop/start systems myself, but my days of fiddling with car engines date back to before pre-engaged starters.

[Ray B]

I have a diesel car and the battery does look a big OL bugger compared with the one in the wife's petrol car.
I have always had a battery charger from when I first had a car, in those days, a 'new' car for me was 10 years old and same for the battery I should imagine.
Now days I am like the AA, have battery charger will travel, mainly for my daughter, a quick jump start then it's back to mine to charge her battery on my electric.
A bit like Stephen's Christmas lights, plugged into the neighbors supply.

[Stephen]

I have a diesel car and the battery does look a big OL bug*er compared with the one in the wife's petrol car.
I have always had a battery charger from when I first had a car, in those days, a 'new' car for me was 10 years old and same for the battery I should imagine.
Now days I am like the AA, have battery charger will travel, mainly for my daughter, a quick jump start then it's back to mine to charge her battery on my electric.
A bit like Stephen's Christmas lights, plugged into the neighbors supply.

[Onelife]

Have any of you taken your second car off the road to save car tax....l'm currently paying £20 per month car tax on one car, whereas our other car falls into the £60 per year tax bracket.

I'm seriously thinking of doing so...

[Mervyn and Trish]

We've not bothered. One is a £30 job, the other is free. I just take them out alternately to try to avoid Moby's problem.

[david63]

Have any of you taken your second car off the road to save car tax

Unlike you Keefy us poor folk only have one car.

Perhaps having two cars is one of the reasons why you are always appealing for contributions to your cruise fund

[Onelife]

Have any of you taken your second car off the road to save car tax

Unlike you Keefy us poor folk only have one car.

Perhaps having two cars is one of the reasons why you are always appealing for contributions to your cruise fund

Absolutely David, our second car “Rolls-Royce Phantom” isn’t cheap to run at the best of times

[Manoverboard]

Absolutely David, our second car “Rolls-Royce Phantom” isn’t cheap to run at the best of times

No wonder he has to keep chickens

[Stephen]

Have any of you taken your second car off the road to save car tax

Unlike you Keefy us poor folk only have one car.

Perhaps having two cars is one of the reasons why you are always appealing for contributions to your cruise fund

or flogging his chocs on the black magic market

[Stephen]

Talking of cars, our Rolls Kinardly passed it's MOT today. Had to mask and glove up before entering the reception area. All respect to NHS staff that wear these things all day. I had it on for around five minutes and that was enough for me. Horrible bl**dy things.

[Onelife]

Stephen.....Our car was due a few weeks back but as you are allowed a grace period of l think three months we have decided to leave it.......do you know if when we get its mot will it start from the date that it is mot'd or is it back dated to the date of when it should have been mot'd?

[Stephen]

Stephen.....Our car was due a few weeks back but as you are allowed a grace period of l think three months we have decided to leave it.......do you know if when we get its mot will it start from the date that it is mot'd or is it back dated to the date of when it should have been mot'd?

It's 6 month grace.

If you can get it done now I would, Come the revolution when things start getting back to normal the world and his mother will be trying to book appointments.

As for back dating, I doubt it very much unless you have any time left on your current certificate. It will be a regular 12 months certificate. That's providing it passes. And going by the look of you motor I don't think you need worry about a pass. The only pass your likely to get is straight pass the garage to the scrappy.

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[Onelife]

Stephen.....Our car was due a few weeks back but as you are allowed a grace period of l think three months we have decided to leave it.......do you know if when we get its mot will it start from the date that it is mot'd or is it back dated to the date of when it should have been mot'd?

It's 6 month grace.

As for back dating, I doubt it very much. It will be a regular 12 months certificate, that's providing it passes. And going by the look of you motor I don't think you need worry about a pass.


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In that case I'll don on my mask and get it done.......btw....even though it needs a bit of a touch up it will still fetch more than your Relient Robin

[Stephen]

Stephen.....Our car was due a few weeks back but as you are allowed a grace period of l think three months we have decided to leave it.......do you know if when we get its mot will it start from the date that it is mot'd or is it back dated to the date of when it should have been mot'd?

It's 6 month grace.

As for back dating, I doubt it very much. It will be a regular 12 months certificate, that's providing it passes. And going by the look of you motor I don't think you need worry about a pass.


Untitledb.jpg

In that case I'll don on my mask and get it done.......btw....even though it needs a bit of a touch up it will still fetch more than your Relient Robin

Whatever turns you on.

No wonder your exhaust makes funny noises

[Onelife]

It's 6 month grace.

As for back dating, I doubt it very much. It will be a regular 12 months certificate, that's providing it passes. And going by the look of you motor I don't think you need worry about a pass.


Untitledb.jpg

In that case I'll don on my mask and get it done.......btw....even though it needs a bit of a touch up it will still fetch more than your Relient Robin

Whatever turns you on.

No wonder your exhaust makes funny noises

I should be so lucky