flat batteries

[shaggy]

not used the surf for 4 days and the $$$$$$ batteries are flat
to be honest the engine turnover has been slow for a while
anyhow
ive changed the batteries now (which have gone up due to higher lead charges
i went to start the car up and there was a beeping noise
ive turned the car back over and the beeping has now gone

is it anything to worry about?

oh yeah the engine flies now when starting

[henry F]

Mines playing up as well,
have you had battery problems recently in cold weather?

i've been told to look at starter and earthing straps etc
right now its on charge overnight, and is about once a week, as thats how long it seems to last
between no-go mornings.

Suppose its simply taking more out in electrical terms than it can recoup on short journeys to work

[TonyN]

Mines playing up as well,
have you had battery problems recently in cold weather?

i've been told to look at starter and earthing straps etc
right now its on charge overnight, and is about once a week, as thats how long it seems to last
between no-go mornings.

Suppose its simply taking more out in electrical terms than it can recoup on short journeys to work

If you get someone to test the batterys, make sure they disconnect one first, most muppets just bung the tester on each one, and all you get then is the average of both.

9 times out of 10 its the batterys, if they are still the ones it was imported with, bin them both and get new ones.

As Shaggy said, I'm paying £10 a battery more than in the summer!! Damn Chinese!!

[da SLUG man]

funny that... my chinese stays the same price all year!... but the kebabs heav recently gone up to £3.50!!!

[henry F]

He did indeed check them in-situ, the last time this happened it was ONE new battery and good another year

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

He did indeed check them in-situ, the last time this happened it was ONE new battery and good another year

Merityre by chance ? [cue muppet soundtrack]

[henry F]

Fraid' not Trev
although TBH the numpties are Legion' these days

[shaggy]

i had them both checked out seperatly and both were naff
they had chinese writing all over them so presumed they were on when imported
just so you know they are 068 & 069 if you need to ring round for them
i got the lead calcium type for £40 each + vat from 5 star batteries in rothwell leeds and have used this guy for 15 years now and never had to take one back under warrenty etc

the car fires up twice as fast as it did now so i suspect they have been on their way out for some time and the cold weather has been the final straw so to speek

[fv1620]

is it anything to worry about?

Yes I think you ought to check you don't have a slow discharge draining the battery down. I can measure 200ma ie nearly 1/4 amp always draining from the battery, which after some days of no driving can make all the difference whether it can start on a cold & frosty morning.

[shaggy]

Yes I think you ought to check you don't have a slow discharge draining the battery down. I can measure 200ma ie nearly 1/4 amp always draining from the battery, which after some days of no driving can make all the difference whether it can start on a cold & frosty morning.

ive had it done mate and the guy said there was a drain and traced it to be from the clifford alarm and the drain is within the alarms operating perameters aparently so time will tell
all was fine till it got really cold but like i say its been lazy at starting for some time


just a footnote here though
most sports cars ie:- bentley/ferrari etc do a kit that you plug into the mains because after a week or so they wont start due to the security and trackers etc so could your drain (or any body elses be the alarm?)
i didnt use mine for nearly 10 days in the summer and it still started even with the alarm active

[darkdezigns]

ive had it done mate and the guy said there was a drain and traced it to be from the clifford alarm and the drain is within the alarms operating perameters aparently so time will tell
all was fine till it got really cold but like i say its been lazy at starting for some time


just a footnote here though
most sports cars ie:- bentley/ferrari etc do a kit that you plug into the mains because after a week or so they wont start due to the security and trackers etc so could your drain (or any body elses be the alarm?)
i didnt use mine for nearly 10 days in the summer and it still started even with the alarm active

the alarm drain will be tiny,and top endssports cars,go into sleep mode after 7 days normaly,so u just open with key

[fv1620]

ive had it done mate and the guy said there was a drain and traced it to be from the clifford alarm and the drain is within the alarms operating perameters aparently so time will tell

I get about 40ma drain from my alarm which seems reasonable & is about the same as I get on my caravan alarm. But there is something else that contributes to 200ma that comes off the "Dome" circuit, which is not right I'm sure. It is not the bulbs being slightly switched on, the drain occurs with no bulbs.

I bought an "intelligent" battery charger from Argos. A very small unit that was programmed to charge at different rates & when charged went into a "float" charge state. This tucked under the bonnet & seemed ideal to do a little top up on cold winter nights. Unfortunately it couldn't cope with there being a constant drain. It kept clicking on & off, so never got into its proper cycle, so gave up on that.

[icsys]

just so you know they are 068 & 069 if you need to ring round for them
i got the lead calcium type for £40 each + vat

Commodity price of lead is rising rapidly. Batteries are now approx 33% more expensive than last summer.

068 and 069 are now £69 each ... Ouch

A pair was about £70 twelve months ago