Most battery testers these days are conductance testers, they are pretty reliable in the main, but I have noted that despite claiming to be able to test discharged batteries, they do tend to be pessimistic if the battery is nearly flat. It is always a good idea to give a suspect battery a charge and test it again before condemning it.
Car battery
- Thread starter Merlin5
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Most battery testers these days are conductance testers, they are pretty reliable in the main, but I have noted that despite claiming to be able to test discharged batteries, they do tend to be pessimistic if the battery is nearly flat. It is always a good idea to give a suspect battery a charge and test it again before condemning it.
I think nearly every battery tester I have used comes back with "charge & retest". I can't imagine anything that can test a flattened battery very accurately.
I just measured my battery length which appears to be about 230mm or so, with just a few millimetres extra tray space to use either side. Most battery shops, after putting my reg number in, are displaying compatible batteries that are all 242mm length. Do you think that should fit?
When I had my truck serviced back along I got an update that the battery had failed their test and needed replacing - went in and talked to the service manager when collecting and he was like "meh it just failed on one of the extended tests" and showed me a breakdown of about 12 different tests they ran and was said something along the lines of it is over-sensitive and picks up on issues that probably won't materialise for another couple of years and based on his experience it would only be a problem (specifically in this case) trying to start in properly cold weather.
Incidentally he was right about it. As I work in remote places at all time of day or night I just replaced it anyhow to try and avoid any hassle and put the old battery to other uses and sure enough it struggled in sub zero temperatures even though it works fine otherwise.
When I replaced my truck battery awhile back I found most of the battery shops hit and miss for battery details off model or registration
you will probably have to do a bit more research, which is a pain, to make sure it fits.When I replaced my truck battery awhile back I found most of the battery shops hit and miss for battery details off model or registration
Thanks Rroff, and thanks for pointing out about 60ah and 500CCA, now I know what to look for. It seems the battery in my car is 60A and 550CCA. Seems to be from Japan. No brand name and only japanese writing on it and a model number. Can't possibly be the original factory battery though unless its lasted 13 years
Apart from the online shops like carbatteriesforless, I checked batteries for my car from the big companies such as RAC, Kwik-Fit and Eurocarparts. I wouldn't buy from them because they're expensive. Eurocarparts is coming up with four batteries that are all 207mm length. But interestingly, RAC is offering 207, 212 and 242mm as compatible. And Kwik-Fit are offering two batteries both 242mm as compatible. So I guess that length should fit. Strange though, I would imagine it's going to be right up to the edges of the tray it sits on.
From a quick Google (not saying buy this) this is the kind of battery that it is https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/jis/55d23l/
55D23L-MF - apparently the stock batteries are Panasonic batteries and last 10+ years easily.
EDIT: Double check that is what it says up the top right of your image as it is partly obscured in the photo.
55D23L-MF - apparently the stock batteries are Panasonic batteries and last 10+ years easily.
EDIT: Double check that is what it says up the top right of your image as it is partly obscured in the photo.
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Good find. Well interesting, if they last 10+ years, that could well be the original 2007 factory battery in my car!
Yes, 55D23L-MF is the exact model of mine. Clearer to see in this pic.
On that Numax battery you linked, it says 'Other References' and mentions
55D23L. It's 230mm length. Perfect fit if I decided to buy it. Has anyone here heard of Numax?
Don't take my word for it but this looks like it should do the job
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/d47/
EDIT: I see some mention about the terminals being the wrong way around though so might want to check that against the battery you have (EDIT: That was a generic review unrelated to that battery but still something worth checking given the nature of what you are replacing).
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/d47/
EDIT: I see some mention about the terminals being the wrong way around though so might want to check that against the battery you have (EDIT: That was a generic review unrelated to that battery but still something worth checking given the nature of what you are replacing).
I'd defintely prefer Varta. Yes that looks a good one. But since you mentioned terminals, the photo shows positive on the right, and my red car terminal connector is on the left. I guess it's a no go unless I installed the battery back to front.
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Meh, I'd just buy a battery charger. £20, job done. Depends how far gone the battery is though I guess. Personally the AA trickle charger has done me well.
I'm thinking of buying a multimeter. Would it be worthwhile? From videos I've watched today, I have to turn lights on for 2 minutes to disperse surface current, set dial on meter to direct voltage (icon with the straight line not the wavy line), connect to battery to see voltage, then run engine and it mustn't drop below 9.6v and should go up to about 14v. Don't know which meter to buy though, or how cheap I can go before it gets inaccurate.
I think I paid about £15 for my multimeter when I was rewiring my motorcycle, worked fine. However why do you want a multimeter? Given your questions, I suspect you don't have much electrical knowledge and if you have no real need for a multimeter other than testing your battery, I suggest just buying a battery charger. Chances are you'll recover your battery, and at least you have a charger if you ever need it again at a later date.
petrol auris from other thread 2013 or so ... no
I thought most battery trays accept some play on size, so you can let price dictate your choice a bit, and the negative terminal (bm anyway) is more exposed so you have to, sensibly, disconnect it first (negative earth)
Everyone needs a battery charger in their toolkit anyway ... maybe not if you're a repeat PCPer, had mine 20 years, unfortunately not a trickle charger though,
so, cautiously, I disconnected it before topping it up after not using car for 3 lock-down weeks, to avoid frying some electronics.
Yes, you guessed I don't have much electrical knowledge
You make a good point about a charger. I'm only considering a multimeter because there's several situations, not just to do with cars, where it would be useful, where people have said check it with a multimeter. I'm quite keen to learn how to use one for basic diagnosis and DIY on things.Tbh, I had no need for a battery charger with my peugeot. I think the battery got replaced maybe twice in 13 years.
I've decided I'm going to see how this battery gets on. Not driving much at the moment because of the current situation. RAC renews in 3 weeks but I'll be changing to AA through Quidco. So getting a jump start won't be a problem if it decides to take a dump on me, at which point I can order a £70 battery the following day. A multimeter though could at least give me an idea of the battery condition.
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Mines an Auris, says 'Auris TR' next to tailgate, is 1.6 petrol, and says VVT-i under the bonnet. There's just a standard battery icon which goes out when the engine starts.
Yes, you guessed I don't have much electrical knowledge
Tbh, I had no need for a battery charger with my peugeot. I think the battery got replaced maybe twice in 13 years.
I've decided I'm going to see how this battery gets on. Not driving much at the moment because of the current situation. RAC renews in 3 weeks but I'll be changing to AA through Quidco. So getting a jump start won't be a problem if it decides to take a dump. on me at which point I can order a £70 battery. the following day. A multimeter though could at least give me an idea of the battery condition.
If you genuinely want to learn DIY / electrics, then buy a multimeter. They're cheap, simple and are useful for diagnosing troublesome electrics.
Batteries naturally discharge when not in use, due to the chemical process used to generate electricity within it. Your car alarm will also discharge it, but they're designed to last reasonable periods (weeks) of non-use without draining your battery. Your car's engine charges the battery when it is running, which is why you start seeing problems when cars aren't used for a long time - I expect many people will be similarly affected if they don't understand this in the lockdown.
It comes down to this:
1. If you leave your battery to continue to discharge, it will eventually go beyond the point of no return where it cannot be charged back up. Given the lockdown has no signs of ending soon, it is extremely likely that you will have to buy a new battery (£70) and have the inconvenience of arranging fitment by AA/RAC or recovery to a garage by the time it's over.
2. Your battery is likely to be in satisfactory condition for a few more years service if you restore the charge using an external charger (£30-40). You can charge the battery for 12hrs-overnight whilst connected to your car (very easy to do). You won't have any issues/inconvenience when you come to use the car again, and you have a charger in case you have any issues in the future.
Scythe, what charger do you recommend? And I thought a battery was meant to be removed from the car so it can be charged via mains. Halfords do one like that for £39, says 15 hours to charge on 5.4A. Don't know if that's a good charger to get?
By the way, Green Flag are doing an all bells and whistles breakdown package including national recovery and onward travel for only £78 plus £10 cashback through Quidco. I've heard they're pretty good these days. Do you know if they mostly farm out to local garages or use their own vans?
By the way, Green Flag are doing an all bells and whistles breakdown package including national recovery and onward travel for only £78 plus £10 cashback through Quidco. I've heard they're pretty good these days. Do you know if they mostly farm out to local garages or use their own vans?
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No need to remove the battery with smart chargers at all.
Cheap one here https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/2007037079