Today, jumped in the car and it failed to start with a flat battery.

 

The car has been used very little the last ten days and I do have a camera in the car that is permanently on.

 

I usually do 500-700 miles a week so the car usually has a good run to recharge the battery.

 

My question is:  Can I fit a bigger battery and what would people recommend (besides disconnecting the camera when stopped) ?

I'd be looking for the highest Cold Cranking Amp (CCA) battery that would fit in the space available (all 3 dimensions).

There was a recent thread about battery replacement, so have a hunt for that.

I've just replaced mine with an 096 battery from EuroCarParts.

 

(No link, crap hotel internet!!)

I have fitted this for my cameras

 

set to 11.8 volt it will switch off the camera when the battery voltage drops below 11.8V

 

http://www.carcommunications.co.uk/car-accessories/driver-safety-aids/accident-and-witness-camera/power-magic-pro-for-blackvue-vehicle-recording-systems?gclid=CI7pyaW6u8MCFQHmwgodMLIA6Q

I'd be wondering if by 11.8V you'd be getting pop ups on the dash. (?)

since fitting mine I have become aware of an issue with the alternator that I would have never known about.. there were no pop ups or warning lights, it was only when I noticed the camera was shutting down during the night on a regular basis that I took it to the garage and had them check over the battery and alternator..

I need some help and advice on a realted but different question. I have two trips abroad where I need to have a portable power supply and have in mind an 80AH battery and small inverter. Will the 12v boot socket provide any useful charging support for a battery?  I'm getting a big battery with built in carry handle and fancy making up a small pigtail from a plug to a set of battery clamps. Will that do any good?

DDyer79 & JCP     Why not invest in a solar trickle charger?  A wide range is available,  some of which can be installed inside the car to keep battery topped up when vehicle is idle.  They can feed into the car's electrics via a lighter socket.  I have a weatherproof one (bought from Maplin's) installed on my garage roof to keep our "spare" car's battery topped up... does the job,  and not very expensive.

Thanks all for reponses,  Skoda Recovery on their way.  Most probably go and 1) get a bigger battery fitted and 2) disconnect camera overnight whilst in garage. 

 

Never had this problem with prior two Superbs.

 

I am sure it doesn't help the initial battery load having headlights on during start process when lights in Auto mode.

 

Off to the Lake District tomorrow (from SE London) so made me slihtly nervous now.

Edited 30 January, 201511 yr by ddyer79

I need some help and advice on a realted but different question. I have two trips abroad where I need to have a portable power supply and have in mind an 80AH battery and small inverter. Will the 12v boot socket provide any useful charging support for a battery?  I'm getting a big battery with built in carry handle and fancy making up a small pigtail from a plug to a set of battery clamps. Will that do any good?

HI JCP.

NO! - Please do not do that! It will burn out the car's wiring under the wrong circumstances..........Please let me explain:

The vehicle will always draw power from the strongest source. Should your "Auxiliary" battery be holding a better charge than the vehicle battery, the vehicle will try and draw power from that Aux. battery. Especially whilst starting! The power drawn from the Aux. battery will be back-fed back into the vehicle via the ordinary cables in the wiring loom, which do not have the capacity to pass large current, and will burn out the wiring loom, possibly various control units and not least the vehicle! Yes, you could fit fuses with a small value which might blow in time to avoid too much damage, but the risk is enormous to the vehicle and its systems!

As the engine runs, the vehicle charging circuit usually detects the state of charge of the vehicle battery and turns down the charge rate as the battery attains a full charge. Fitting a second battery in the way you envision will confuse the charging circuit. It will sense the battery with the greatest [full] charge and throttle down the charging rate before the second battery attains a full charge. Thus one of the batteries would nearly always be in a slightly discharged state.

The way forward is to fit a "Split Charger" device. Similar to those used by people who tow caravans etc. Fitting one of these will eradicate all the above problems and possibly disastrous consequences.

Hope this helps...............Tony

I agree with Great Yeti, a very good explaination.

I have installed second batteries, in other vehicles, the installation has to be done with great care, as currents can be high, and if connected without care of the wiring and circuits involved, can cause great damage.

With car batteries, currents as high as 600-1000 amps can flow, so wiring has to be capable to carry this current, or interlocked in such a way as the existing wiring operates within it's design criteria.

To preserve my battery voltage I don't use any of the 'convenience' features eg no auto head light 'guide me home' , interior left in the off position and I don't have heated screen and seats cos baby it's NOT cold outside thank goodness and AC runs only when I need it .

In Blighty that's another thing.

Thanks to Great Yeti for a well reasoned and obviously sound explanation. You have saved me from a thoughtless and probably highly unsuitable "bright Idea"

I'm with you Ryeman!

I'm with you Ryeman!

What!!??

No heated seats!?

:-)))))

What!!??

No heated seats!?

:-)))))

And no Eberspächer or Webasto heaters? :-)