Hi,

 

We bought our Yeti in July 2016 and it's been absolutely wonderful; the only expense being to add four new Michelin Cross Climate tyres. Yesterday morning first thing I was about to head to the supermarkets but for the first time it refused to start; just a flat battery so no big deal and not helped by Covid with only short journeys. 

 

We normally trade in at three years or less so having the Yeti die was new to us but rather than be tormented by the battery and not wishing to even attempt to replace it myself a phone call to DMK in Wakefield will solve the problem next Monday morning; our Yeti is the diesel 2.0L SE L model with automatic stop/start so the battery needs to suit this. Fully fitted whilst I wait it's going to cost us £286 which is pricey for a battery but considering how much we love our Yeti and intending to keep it we won't be crying. Many years ago I used to own my own garage business where changing a battery was a few minutes job on cars like the Ford 100E sidevalve unlike now when mission control is involved with all the electronics; I checked the owner's manual to find I couldn't even connect the battery charger negative directly to the negative post on the battery; it's got to be connected nearby to the actual earthing point. 

 

Our Yeti is always main dealer maintained by DMK Wakefield for peace of mind; trying to save a bit of money usually ends up paying a lot more long term. As I say we intend to keep our Yeti because to us there isn't a replacement we fancy; all the modern cars are clones of each other with just a makers badge being different. Having to replace the battery at four and a half years old has really brought it home to us regarding buying an all electric or hybrid car; when the battery dies on one of these will it be cheaper to scrap the car than replace the battery; these cars are still pretty new but in say eight years time who would want to buy a battery powered car? I doubt the cost of a new battery is mentioned in the glossy brochures?

 

Since 1990 we've had over a dozen brand new cars but the Yeti is a keeper unless it starts to cost a fortune in repairs. With every passing year cars are becoming more and more complicated; our Yeti has lots of electronic kit installed that we never use like the Infotainment; I've no interest in it at all and the automatic stop/start is turned off for every journey.

 

We'd like Skoda to bring out a new Yeti but basic similar to the Duster then perhaps we'd trade in.  I'm just passing a bit of time on adding a few thoughts. 

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

The EV's are coming with 8 year or more warranties on the battery packs and the % left in them after certain periods of time, and the early EV's are 10 years old now and going strong.

Even getting the rust dealt with while the batteries are doing fine.

 

They do need the standard battery as well though, so they might only be good for 5 years or so.

 

 

 

 

Edited 17 October, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

Colin, your title had me really worried .  'Dead' is sooo terminal!  Four-and-a-half years does seem a bit shorter than is often mentioned here - is this new-fangled stop'n'start thing involved?  Though I do note that you switch it off. 

 

Your mention of the stalwart Ford 100E is a co-incidence.  I've just 'shopped' a 1964 photo of our 100E van, which I can remember de-coking over a weekend with the help of a mate who'd done the job on his.  Now that's a job you never hear about nowadays  !

£286 for a new battery?  I was amazed at how much the dealership is charging you.  He's being done, me thought.

 

Remembering last year, I had a new Varta battery fitted to SWMBO's Fiat 500 (with s/s). Looked up the paperwork -  £146.27 inc vat

 

So I put my reg.number into Euro Car Parts and guess what?   I am so sadly out of touch.   OK, my Yeti needs a tad more oomph from the battery but....

Varta AGM 096 £439.99

Bosch AGM 096 £454.99

Exide AGM 096  £429.99

Lion AGM 096 £294.99

 

Good luck Fabcol, you have a good deal and I am suitably chastened!

 

1 hour ago, Bexhillian said:

 

So I put my reg.number into Euro Car Parts and guess what?   I am so sadly out of touch.   OK, my Yeti needs a tad more oomph from the battery but....

Varta AGM 096 £439.99

 

 

 

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/e39/

Hi,

 

Many thanks e-Roottoot for adding the interesting videos; the EV batteries last a lot longer than I expected. I'm definitely not up to speed regarding electric vehicles but it's a personal thing with me regarding anything fitted with a battery; from my cycling days I've never liked batteries; usually flat when I need them; I have mellowed a bit over recent years and have a Makita cordless drill/driver and also Makita hedge trimmer both accepting the single 4ah battery; I'm actually impressed by how much work the battery does before it needs recharging; having said this it's highly unlikely I'll dash out to buy an electric car. Has anyone information as to what one of the batteries cost for an EV in general terms and once the battery does finally wear out will a replacement still be available because the bit I know would suggest each car manufacturer has their own battery spec and connectors? I do like electric motors though having worked at Brook Motors here in Huddersfield for 24 years before retiring.

 

Sorry I worried you Brian (Brijo); our Yeti did die but it's having an heart transplant next Monday morning and will be welcomed back with open arms. Yes I always switch the stop/start off I can't stand it;  I want control of the car not a few electronics taking over every time I stop. Your 100E van will be worth more now than when it was new; I used to pull these 100E engines apart with a handful of spanners; have them rebored with new pistons & rings; convert the conrods to shell bearings with a crank grind and a full decoke and valve grind; oil change at every lamp post; times have moved on. I recently decoked three petrol mowers just to keep my hand in. Looking at Ford 105E Anglia rear cart springs inside the boot was common. 

 

I was seated when I was told how much the new battery would cost Bexhillian and I didn't need oxygen because anything to do with modern cars tends to be expensive; I wasn't too rattled though because for the money I'll have peace of mind for a few years and with winter upon us the battery couldn't be replaced at a better time; we had a frost a few days ago and the engine struggled to turn over so I knew what to expect. For over four years ownership our Yeti has only cost a set of tyres at £600 fitted on our driveway at no inconvenience and now the battery so no way can I complain; the Yeti is well worth it; what I do complain about is Skoda's decision to discontinue making the Yeti and I know I'm not on my own. Thanks for your good wishes.

 

Thanks for the link Rustynuts, I looked on eBay at battery prices and a good quality heavy duty battery with a five year warranty can be bought for around £90 but anyone taking a gamble and fitting such a battery themselves could well end up causing a lot of damage; I don't understand what's involved but I do know not to mess around with electronics; I spent ten years restoring vintage valve radios and a blue flash with a big bang under a bonnet won't be good news to anyone. All I've done is wash & polish; check the washer bottle; tyre pressures and Adblue; I've not had dirty hands with a car since 1990; I even stopped checking engine oil level; at only 7,000 miles per year maximum the oil level never changes. Just one fault from new on our Yeti and it still remains; a faulty fuel gauge that occasionally reads a full tank but accepts £25 of diesel. 

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

 

The battery in a stop start car has to be programmed after being replaced, so not a simple swap. They are special and expensive as well, and can only be charged with a compatible smart charger.

If they are allowed to go completely flat they may never take a full charge again.

My new Karoq was built in Feb and put on the road in August. It failed to start twice in first week with a flat battery. The battery had to be replaced. Apparently this has happened to many new cars where the battery has gone flat in storage during the lockdown. It must have also affected many cars little used or laud up for some time.

I took my Yeti off the road for 3 months but kept the battery healthy with a smart charger.

 

 

 

Well, you learn something new every day.  I never knew you couldn't charge the battery on a yeti fitted with stop-start with a standard charger.  That's a blow, I've got a good charger that's only seen service twice in the last 15 years or so.  Lives in the attic waiting its next call to action, but it seems it'll be waiting a long time!

 

I'll have to read up about this topic as my Yeti is over 5 yrs old now, so the battery will probably get near the end in the next couple of years.  Might also see if I can get a cheap smart charger - whatever that is - something else I'll need to read up on. 

 

Forewarned is forearmed, thanks guys!

I've charged my yeti a few times with a standard charger without any problems .

2.0 diesel 150 auto

Just as a matter of interest, is it thought that the charger in the link below would be considered smart enough for the task in hand as detailed in the above topic?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009A83P1E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I bought one and have been using it during the pandemic and have to say it's been functioning fine.

 

There's another make (can't remember just at the moment) which everyone says is the bees knees but which costs four times as much.  I did look into getting one of those but finished up getting two of the ones in the link. One is in use and the other boxed away as a sort of spare (at £20 a go it seemed rude not to) ... but the main reason for getting two was I can use the connector lead (that's included in the box) for my second car - it connects to the battery terminals and allows you to connect the charger to the battery by means of a very simple push connector which is simplicity itself to use.

1 hour ago, Fabcol said:

....Sorry I worried you Brian (Brijo); our Yeti did die but it's having an heart transplant next Monday morning and will be welcomed back with open arms. Yes I always switch the stop/start off I can't stand it;  I want control of the car not a few electronics taking over every time I stop. Your 100E van will would be worth more now than when it was new; I used to pull these 100E engines apart with a handful of spanners; have them rebored with new pistons & rings; convert the conrods to shell bearings with a crank grind and a full decoke and valve grind; oil change at every lamp post; times have moved on. I recently decoked three petrol mowers just to keep my hand in. Looking at Ford 105E Anglia rear cart springs inside the boot was common. ....

 

Ah, Colin, those were the days.  Not quite sure exactly which days they were, but the sentiment is there.  Forgive the minor edit, please; I sold the Ford to a friend a few years later, rather more cash in the hand than I'd paid for it, but it had had a lot of TLC invested in it in that time.  You will remember, of course, the three-speed gearbox?  Nuff said. 

 

I didn't know the 105E; our next was a beautiful Herald 12-50, almost my favourite of many cars in around sixty years - second only to the Yeti. 

 

Sorry - off-topic again, like all good ones!  Delighted about the resurrection, by the way

 

Never mind the 3 speed gearbox,what about the vacuum wipers.?

6 hours ago, Brijo said:

  I've just 'shopped' a 1964 photo of our 100E van, which I can remember de-coking over a weekend with the help of a mate who'd done the job on his.  Now that's a job you never hear about nowadays  !

 

Not in that form perhaps but carbon build up is an issue in direct injection engines, petrol as well as diesel.  Blasting the inlet ports with crushed walnut shells is the current favourite method unless you go to a full disassembly. 

 

Anyone remember Formula Shell...?  I was running a FIAT Uno 70S at the time and decided to do the decoke myself at some point in around 1989.  The inlet valves were so thickly encrusted in carbon that they'd become some kind of misshapen tulip valve alikes.  

While I had the head off, I decided that I'd replace the inlet valve oil seals at the same time and while I had the head off.....I'll give it a quick glaze bust and re-ring the pistons.  Actually, at that point it had 60k miles on it and you could

still see the original honing marks on the bores.  While I had the pistons out.....I decided that I'd drop the sump and replace the big end shells as well.   Happy daze..... 

13 minutes ago, Sad555 said:

Never mind the 3 speed gearbox,what about the vacuum wipers.?

 

I don't think they had them on the van.  There was a lever or switch of some sort but I can't remember it actually doing anything

11 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

The battery in a stop start car has to be programmed after being replaced, so not a simple swap.

There's no mention of this in my manual?  Most garrages will connect a temporary 12v supply to the cables before disconnecting so nothing needs to be reset.  On my Yeti, the windows and sunroof would need resetting but that's quite easy.  But it does say the negative of the charger should not go on the negative battery terminal but to the 'earth point of the engine'.  This is next to the fuse box in the engine bay.  The reaason given is so that the sensor on the negative terminal is not bypassed.  If bypassed it would not record accurate state of charge for the battery.

Edited 18 October, 20205 yr by farty
found different locations in the docs

It's not keeping the power going that is the issue. The car has to be paired with the battery to get best performance from it. No doubt it will work after a fashion by just replacing, but the car has to know the exact specifics of the fitted battery to use and charge it correctly. 

Similarly, an old style charger could possibly be used briefly to put enough in to start the car but left connected will eventually destroy the battery. I wouldn't risk it though. A smart charger has a specific mode for the Yeti type battery. Mine cost £55 and had been used several times this year during the shutdown.

12 hours ago, Rustynuts said:

 

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/e39/

 

...and I assumed the local ECP was the place to go.  Certainly for SWMBO's bulbs, both our blades and my AdBlue.....but clearly not batteries! Thanks for the heads-up.

(Still cannot understand the huge variation)

Edited 18 October, 20205 yr by Bexhillian

26 minutes ago, kenfowler3966 said:

The car has to be paired with the battery

Can you expand on this?  Is this accomplished via coding via the diagnostics port?  Can VCDS do it?  Thanks

Coding I understand. Personally have not seen this done so don’t have the detail. You could possibly get away with an exact like for like replacement, but that is unlikely 6 years on from last change.

16 minutes ago, farty said:

Can you expand on this?  Is this accomplished via coding via the diagnostics port?  Can VCDS do it?  Thanks

https://youtu.be/IJAScg6JrYI

 

Edited 18 October, 20205 yr by Kenny R

53 minutes ago, Bexhillian said:

 

...and I assumed the local ECP was the place to go.  Certainly for SWMBO's bulbs, both our blades and my AdBlue.....but clearly not batteries! Thanks for the heads-up.

(Still cannot understand the huge variation)

Tayna also sell on eBay, same price but with free shipping. And a bit of Quidco too.

For modern AGM batteries on cars with intelligent chargers and monitoring the only chargers I trust with the battery connected are CTEK

1 hour ago, kenfowler3966 said:

Coding I understand. Personally have not seen this done so don’t have the detail. You could possibly get away with an exact like for like replacement, but that is unlikely 6 years on from last change.

 

 

It's acceptable to replace with a like for like without coding as long as the new battery is at maximum charge level when it's fitted. 

If I don't get 8 years out of a battery I feel cheated. Don't know what make my 7 years old Roomster has because it is wrapped in black felt but that still has 'lead in its pencil'. Best battery I had was an Exide which was factory fitted into my 1974 BL Mini. It was still going when I sold the Mini 10 years later.

Edited 18 October, 20205 yr by edbostan

2 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

Coding I understand. Personally have not seen this done so don’t have the detail. You could possibly get away with an exact like for like replacement, but that is unlikely 6 years on from last change.

 

I had to replace the battery on my (nearly) 5 year old 150 and the tyre and battery place I used locally plugged a laptop into the port and in-putted a code that was on the battery when the "system" asked them for it. He said it was now quite common, and that my battery had lasted a lot longer than many others.
And I paid a lot less than the OP has been quoted!