Battery Charger for KESSY/ Stop Start cars & AA/SKODA breakdown service

[sussexvet]

AA specialist VW Group service

I had an occasion to call the AA specialist VW Group yesterday as I found my battery totally dead following a big mistake on my part.

 

After heavy rain and a car full of very wet golf gear I put my Octavia in our garage and left it unlocked with the windows down so that the smell would not be too bad the next morning. In addition, by mistake,I also left my KESSY key inside the car but fortunately I did lock the garage.

 

I did not realise that the battery was being discharged throughout the night, I think at the rate of 3amp per hour, mainly due to my KESSY key being inside the car. The car was totally immobilised so not even able put the car in neutral to push out of the garage and the boot lid was closed solid.

 

I immediately put the battery on charge but the charger which was quite new was just cutting out and restarting about every 10 seconds. In view of this I called the Skoda AA service for assistance. I must say that it is a very impressive service with an experienced operator who had my car linked to a bespoke computer system for my model of car. The computer programme showed a graphical view of every part of my car which was draining power from my battery and this consisted of a series of boxes in red showing problem areas. 

 

Once the slave battery had pumped some power into my battery the engine was started and run for about an hour being monitored to see just how much power was going into my battery. The computer programme could be seen removing the red boxes as power increased. Once the battery was up to about 60% the slave equipment was disconnected with the engine still running. I was advised that the results of this process automatically go to SKODA in case a trend is found with other cars. 

 

Once the AA operator was satisfied that all was in order he had several jobs to undertake to make the car operational as before which included a process with the windows allowing them to auto close, as well as things like time, date etc settings. He also recommended that I leave the engine running for another hour and then trickle charging overnight. This morning the charge was showing 90% so well pleased.

 

He advised that my battery charger was not really suitable for the type of battery required for the KESSY/Stop/Start operation with only a modest input of about 3 amp per hour when 13/14 amp per hour is required to bring the charge level up to near 100%. The best I ever saw for the charge was 70% before this problem. It seems that I need an AGM type of charger with the higher power input which will also allow trickle charging if the car is not used for a long period.

 

The specialist VW group AA service is highly recommended so I did not mind having to wait a great deal longer rather than have the standard AA operator who may not have been able to undertake the thorough review specific to my car.

 

Battery charger

Can anybody recommend a battery charger which will perform well for my specific set up and at the same time able to charge a normal battery in my wife's car.

 

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

 

                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BATVANVRS]

take a look at this thread

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/384823-some-information-regarding-startstop-system/?hl=%2Bagm+%2Bbattery+%2Bcharger

 

some useful information in there 

[DGW]

The CTEK MXS 5.0 battery charger has a charging programme for AGM batteries.

[AccoSnr]

Thanks for the OP. So easy to do things thinking they are for the best, forget something and then count the cost in time or money. Useful pointers here for other's, including me, and info on battery charging as well.

[TheOctaviator]

I have a C-tek MXS10, which is fully automatic (i.e. me-proof) and works equally well with my AGM Octavia battery and a 10-year old Corolla's conventional battery. Just ensure you connect the earth lead to the bulkhead strap on the Octavia, otherwise it beggars-up the stop-start circuitry.

[Gerrycan]

How did leaving the Kessy key in the car with windows open run the battery down overnight?

What would have been running? Lights, rear window demister, fans?

 

Had the car been locked then how would the bonnet be opened? (passenger side bonnet release/no manual key option on passenger side)

 

I believe that the sophisticated lead/acid batteries in cars with stop/start are very pricey to replace but have not heard any VW/Skoda related prices though.

In the past Lead acid car batteries never like to be run flat, and its life expectancy would suffer as a consequence. Is this still true are they more like the deep cycle versions these days?

 

I have a very simple basic Octavia version sold her in Australia in 2014, just normal key start, no stop/start, manual, and even normal (non climate controlled) air conditioner.

I like gadgets, but I like to keep my cars basic and cheap, with less fitted, less to go wrong, sort of attitude. Especially as I intend to keep it for a few years.

 

Anyway, it is hard to conceive how you could leave a car with any sort of electrical load active without it screaming at you or automatically turning off something after a period of time in my car. You have to turn off the engine with the key, so it is less likely to be forgotten or left behind.

Edited 18 October, 2016 by Gerrycan

[sussexvet]

Thanks to all for the feedback and recommendations for a suitable battery charger.

I have today purchased a RING RSC 612 Smart Charge battery charger which is suitable for AGM batteries and Stop/Start engines.

I bought the charger from Halfords which had a shop price of £85 but with the benefit of price match I was able buy for £72.

[ords]

How did leaving the Kessy key in the car with windows open run the battery down overnight?

What would have been running? Lights, rear window demister, fans?

 

Had the car been locked then how would the bonnet be opened? (passenger side bonnet release/no manual key option on passenger side)

 

I believe that the sophisticated lead/acid batteries in cars with stop/start are very pricey to replace but have not heard any VW/Skoda related prices though.

In the past Lead acid car batteries never like to be run flat, and its life expectancy would suffer as a consequence. Is this still true are they more like the deep cycle versions these days?

 

I have a very simple basic Octavia version sold her in Australia in 2014, just normal key start, no stop/start, manual, and even normal (non climate controlled) air conditioner.

I like gadgets, but I like to keep my cars basic and cheap, with less fitted, less to go wrong, sort of attitude. Especially as I intend to keep it for a few years.

 

Anyway, it is hard to conceive how you could leave a car with any sort of electrical load active without it screaming at you or automatically turning off something after a period of time in my car. You have to turn off the engine with the key, so it is less likely to be forgotten or left behind.

I would also like to know how leaving the Kessy key in the car runs down the battery

[sussexvet]

Just to answer a couple of the observations I can comment as follows:

It was the VW / AA technician who advised that if the KESSY key was NOT in the car it would have closed down after a while but with the key inside the vehicle it was continuing to undertake certain functions, but I know not. I am assuming whatever it was doing it eventually totally drained the battery.

As mentioned in my initial post the car was not locked so I was able to unlock the bonnet using the lever on the passenger side.

A further update is that following the recharge of the battery which increased to a 90% charge the battery is now showing an 80% charge after two days and just a few miles of local driving which is better than I had before. I will now use the new Stop/Start battery charger shortly to see how this works in relation to total charge.

[jonathan.tong]

I don't have KESSY, but I certainly notice that when I get in my car but don't do anything with the key (eg I'm looking for something), there's a fair bit of quiet whirring going on. Almost like it's getting things ready for driving.

[PetrolDave]

I don't have KESSY, but I certainly notice that when I get in my car but don't do anything with the key (eg I'm looking for something), there's a fair bit of quiet whirring going on. Almost like it's getting things ready for driving.

That's the low pressure fuel pump running to pressurise the fuel lines to make starting quicker.

[BATVANVRS]

OP how do you find the new RSC 612 smart charger? Have you used it yet & if so! Would you recommend it.

I'm actually thinking of buying the RSC 612 as it would serve 2 cars with AGM battery's that have start/stop.