Battery on its way out?

[johnny2007]

One for the mechanics here.
In the past few months, twice i left the radio on while sitting in the car.
15 minutes later flat battery.
Jump started it and all fine.
Then lately the electric boot sometimes doesn't open (just clicks) if the car has been sitting there overnight but works perfectly with engine on or after a ride.
Also the climate control lost the programmed settings twice.
Then today i got a message on the dashboard "parking brake malfunction" (it's electric)
Once home i took rear wheels off, all fine apart from a bit of dirt.
I cleaned the connectors to the epb and checked the wire, all good.
Parking brake message disappeared.
Another fault, the rear camera lost the lines that guide you when you reverse but after running the engine a couple of minutes all is fine.
Just now i left the boot open to hoover it and 10 minutes later, you guessed it, flat battery.
Jump started it, again, third time in 3-4 months.
My question: i know i most likely need a new battery (forgot to say it's still the original one 13 years old), but could the parking brake, climate control and camera issue be related to the loss of power?

Thanks.

 

[Andydevon]

"forgot to say it's still the original one 13 years old"

I would suggest that this is the most suspect target. Low voltage can cause all sorts of issues seemingly completely unrelated so first port of call would be to replace your battery. Its on borrowed time at best and really does not owe you anything.

 

[johnny2007]

I thought so.
I must consider myself lucky that it's lasted this long.
Thanks

 

[Mottie]

Yeah, battery main suspect. Don’t know what car but I’ve had a couple of LandRovers and our Evoque was very temperamental with a low battery - threw up all sorts of faults. On those cars, I changed them when they were 4/5 years old with winter coming up on an automatic that you can’t push or tow start. What do you lose by changing it a year early - £20 or £30? Not worth the aggro, especially if they packed up while Mrs Mottie was out with the dog or the grandson - I’d never hear the end of it!

 

[Keithmac]

5 years is good going out of a modern battery, at 13 yours has definitely done it's duty!.

 

[johnny2007]

In 2018 i changed my passat's battery.
It was installed in 2001.
AND... it was a Sainsbury's battery
I must've been lucky there.

 

[johnny2007]

Got to get a new battery.
Thanks everyone, another £150 gone...

 

[ericmark]

Oh a cheap one, cost over £200 for wife's car, also have to tell the engine management battery has been changed.

The pandemic has resulted in less miles travelled by my wife and I, one car used for towing caravan and a car each so three cars in the drive, and likely over last year less than 1000 miles in total, most of that taking wife to hospital for cancer treatment, she's OK now, but 60 miles a trip and it mounts up, had it not been for hospital runs likely not more that 200 miles.

So 1000 miles = around 10 hours per car, miles does not matter, it is hours on charge, so only option was to move the smart battery chargers from battery to battery, with the jump start set, mobility scooter, and the odd two way radio plus caravan battery I have around 10 lead acid batteries in the house hold, the VRLA and AGM not so much a problem they hold their charge for a long time, but I have lost over last 18 months 3 batteries, one flooded simple old age, one a cell went short circuit, the other was over charged due to cell going short circuit in the other mobility scooter battery.

So need a very low rate charger so should a cell fail, no excessive bad egg smell. Even at 6 amp the mobility scooter charger is too large when left for an extended time unattended, as found to my cost, £50 per battery. One wants the battery charger to be around 0.8 amp maximum when leaving a battery unattended, and for it to auto switch off.

The problem is float charging at 13.4 volt still allows the cells be become unequal, so better to charge to 14.4 volt then stop until 12.8 volt then charge again, and lucky that is what smart chargers do, and once allowed to sulphate batteries take time to recover, so start car and then recharge all done within 2 miles, but leave an interior lamp on for 24 hours, and needs to be on charge for at least 4 hours, it is time that matters not the amps.

I had a battery completely discharged on the caravan, no assess to caravan to charge it, and only way to recharge was to trick charger by putting a second battery in parallel with it, the caravan battery took no charge for 10 days, then as if a switch had been flicked, fully recharged, OK extreme case but leaving the smart charger on for 2 weeks is a good idea to ensure fully charged after being left unused for some time.

I have two Lidi smart chargers, and during the pandemic one has been charging a battery all of the time, often two in use. The display shows 4 bars, once all four show it should be charged, however not quite the case, used an energy meter so from PC I could monitor, and the display on computer showed on final stage could take a week before really fully charged, and charge rate dropped to zero.

Each smart battery charger slightly different, Lidi one starts at 3.8 amp, drops to 3 amp, then 0.8 amp if set to over 12 Ah battery then 0.1 amp, if set under 12 Ah 0.1 amp then zero. And if left connected it will only return to 0.8 amp charge rate, and switches on again if battery under 12.8 volt and off at 14.4 volt, so likely once a day charges battery for 5 minutes if left on.

Some cars have a charge point, wife's Jaguar has battery in the boot, but charge point is under the bonnet, and if charged from that point engine management knows car has been charged.

 

[Mottie]

In 2018 i changed my passat's battery.
It was installed in 2001.
AND... it was a Sainsbury's battery
I must've been lucky there.

Are you sure you're not Torchy, the battery boy?

 

[johnny2007]

Are you sure you're not Torchy, the battery boy?

I was shocked myself, in fact i had to dig the receipt out to be sure.
I even called Sainsbury to check if they still sold the same battery, but no, only made in china now.
So a Varta it was from eurocarparts.
Apparently they're still made in Europe along with Bosch and a few others.
I'll come back for advice on brands, in case someone here has good experience with cheaper batteries.
Got to say, the Varta is still ok in the Passat after almost 5 years, so I should go for the same in the Audi.

 

[Andydevon]

aren't Bosch battery's just rebadged Varta ones? I fitted a Yuasa one in my Golf and can't fault it.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

aren't Bosch battery's just rebadged Varta ones? I fitted a Yuasa one in my Golf and can't fault it.

That is what I heard too! Cheapest place for batteries is Tanya in Wales. That is all they do and delivery is often next day, good people to deal with too.

 

[fixitflav]

I was shocked myself, in fact i had to dig the receipt out to be sure.
I even called Sainsbury to check if they still sold the same battery, but no, only made in china now.
So a Varta it was from eurocarparts.
Apparently they're still made in Europe along with Bosch and a few others.
I'll come back for advice on brands, in case someone here has good experience with cheaper batteries.
Got to say, the Varta is still ok in the Passat after almost 5 years, so I should go for the same in the Audi.

I bought an Exide in August 2018 for £70 for a 2litre petrol Mondeo.
The previous one lasted 7.5 years and failed suddenly, would open the doors but not offer to turn over. I thought it was a computer problem (had earlier problems there) but the AA man used a slave battery and it started straight off. He tried to sell me a bigger one for £120 on the grounds that the existing one didn't fill the battery bay. I was sceptical as the bay is one size for all models, and there are 2.3 litre and diesels. 60Ah if I remember right and it's been fine.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

He tried to sell me a bigger one for £120 on the grounds that the existing one didn't fill the battery bay. I was sceptical as the bay is one size for all models, and there are 2.3 litre and diesels. 60Ah if I remember right and it's been fine.

I always fit the largest battery the tray will take, working on the principle that the larger the battery, the less stress upon it, the longer the life. Plus of course more spare capacity to run things whilst parked and more chances to crank if I do have an issue - car has a built-in TV, diesel heater etc., so I can be warm and watch TV, whilst I wait for breakdown to arrive

 

[fixitflav]

I always fit the largest battery the tray will take, working on the principle that the larger the battery, the less stress upon it, the longer the life. Plus of course more spare capacity to run things whilst parked and more chances to crank if I do have an issue - car has a built-in TV, diesel heater etc., so I can be warm and watch TV, whilst I wait for breakdown to arrive

One reason I went for the standard size battery was some years before, the dipped headlamps stopped working, broken wire between the fusebox in front of the front seat and the one under the bonnet. I cured it with a wire link from a relay in the under-bonnet fusebox, but that caused the problem I mentioned, like the engine not stopping when turned off (while waiting to board a ferry at Dover!). No doubt due to getting a voltage where it wasn't wanted. So I took the relay out and connected it using flying leads, and it's been fine since. I dropped the relay down at the side of the battery and covered it with a pair of old black underpants in case somebody might take an interest. With a bigger battery there would be nowhere to put it.