New Member hoping for advice

[Vanwin]

Bought a 2007 Superb 2.5L V6 TDI  comfort but find it hard to understand as its very technical.

have downloaded a manual, but I am struggling as it has features my old bangers never had.

In particular, its a big engine and I drive low mileage. So battery keeps going flat. I was told  2.5L engine takes an awful lot out of battery to start it. I thought it was the starter motor did the work.

I need to find out minimum weekly mileage to keep battery charged, otherwise the car will have to go. I need to pick everyone's brains as I have a great deal to learn, thanks everybody.

[Carlston]

It sounds like you have an old battery that's no longer holding its charge. Simply replace with a quality battery such as Varta.

 

You can check the battery if you want. Disconnect the negative lead and fully charge it. Leave overnight and then check the battery voltage with the negative lead still disconnected.

 

If it doesn't have at least 12.2V (with the engine not running or having been started since charging) you know the battery has gone bad.

 

Running the car an average of 20 minutes each week (if you start it twice), should be enough to keep the battery charged. Or an average of 10 minutes for each time you start the engine (on average). If the battery is good, you can do quite low mileage and still keep the battery fully charged.

 

Starting a car, you are maybe turning the engine over for 2 seconds. But running it for 10 minutes is charging the battery for 600 seconds. So you would be charging the battery 300 times longer than you are draining the battery.

 

Edited 30 September, 2021 by Carlston

[KenONeill]

57 minutes ago, Vanwin said:

I thought it was the starter motor did the work.

Well yes, but the starter motor uses electricity which is stored in the battery. The bigger (and heavier) the engine the more electricity you need to turn over the engine. I agree with @Carlston about the likely problem, but "just in case", when were the spark plugs last renewed?

[Vanwin]

Thank you for your fast reply, but the dealer from whom I bought the car came and installed a brand new wrapped battery after

six weeks, while it was still under warrantee.

The one that came with the car let me down in the same way.

  Since writing my question, I came across a  video article that said a new battery has to be Coded into the car system when it is installed,

I watched the video showing the method if doing this which I have to say, no normal person would be capable of doing this; only a

Skoda specialist would be able to do this.

I have never heard if such a thing and may well have misunderstood the whole business.

i attach 3 screenshots.   Perhaps I have got it all entirely wrong.

[Vanwin]

DIESEL ENGINE - I am afraid I am not up to doing anything myself (old lady) but the local garage said I am not driving enough to replace the power I use on start up.

I have read in the past you need to drive for half an hour to make up for turning the key one time to start the car.

It is true I only drive a couple of miles every day.

As the 2.5L engine is big and heavy I thought, well, if I have to drive down a motorway for half an hour every few days, even if I have nowhere at all to go, the way the diesel car eats fuel, I am on a hiding to nowhere and will have to get rid if the car. 
So I need as many opinions as possible please.

[KenONeill]

8 hours ago, Vanwin said:

I need as many opinions as possible please.

There are a few other possibilities; does the battery light illuminate when you switch the engine on, before you start it? If not, then there is probably a failure in the alternator control wires, and any competent mechanic should have spotted this!

[Breezy_Pete]

I think the battery coding will be irrelevant for a car of 2007 vintage,  so relax on that front.

 

How long the car must run to replace the starting charge very much depends on how long the engine takes to start.  The current required while the starter motor is turning is very high, but if that time is brief, then the charge taken from the battery will be minimal. If it takes several seconds of cranking, then it will be much more.  A battery charger that you could plug in once a week to top it up overnight would probably be a good investment for you, especially if you have the car garaged overnight, or can do.

 

There is a possibility that something is staying on which should be turning off, which may be taking charge out of the battery 24/7 (a glovebox, or boot light for example).  This could do with investigation as soon a possible if Ken's idea above doesn't clarify things. Any time a car battery 'goes flat', it suffers and never recovers to quite what it was before.

[J.R.]

Does it have any accessories like a dashcam? Does it have the original Skoda radio?

[Vanwin]

KEN:    My trusted local garage checked the system when they charged my battery and found no problems.

WINO:    Re charging by cable from the house, it is difficult for me personally to access as its just below the windscreen and a cover with gaskets has to be removed. The car has to be parked across the other side of the road. Traffic is busy up and down the road, it would need a long cable from my house to where it has to be parked and I think the cable would be at risk with all the traffic riding over it.

   It starts instantly normally with a quick turn of the key,  no struggle at all. I do not have a garage or any way to park it next to the house.

JR:   No dashcam, I dont even put the radio on. Even in hot weather I am afraid to use the Air Condition or fan in case it uses too much battery, and do not drive at night so as not to have to use the lights. So there is nothing left using power when I park it overnight. I believe the radio is original but I won't even put it on because of this problem.

 

My garage mechanic says I need to drive it at least 50 miles a week because I start it up twice a day, once to go out maybe a mile away and again to come back home.

 

So the only power it uses it to start up, and whatever the car itself decides to take out of it, like indicator lights.  
Honestly gentlemen, I am afraid to turn anything on except open the windows and close them.

[Ootohere]

@VanwinWelcome to the forum.

 

It really does look like you have the wrong vehicle for your usage and location.

?

Was there some reason that you did buy the car that you have?   

 

You might not lose too much selling it and getting something more suitable engine wise,

but is the cars size important?

[gfinneran]

Sounds like there is a drain on the battery when its parked and/or the alternator is not charging it. Have you read the stickied water ingress thread at the top all of these cars leak water inside and will create a world of electrical problems if not caught early and repaired properly.

[Vanwin]

Are you all sure that it is not my low mileage causing problem?

 

There is a small notice above about knowing the engine code (unsigned) so if it is likely to help I can say, according to the logbook:

First registration- 28/9/07

5 seat Diesel automatic,  4 door saloon

Variant  STBDGX01   Version  NFA5FA51V039

Chassis   TMBCG63U389997252

Engine number  BDG 082957  is this the engine code referred to in the small writing below WINO's last posting? If it is relevant.

     I really appreciate the time you are all taking for me.

[Vanwin]

E-Roottoot: I suspect you are correct sir, I had earmarked a different one which on the day I decided to go and buy, had just been sold. I was persuaded by the dealer this was a good car despite having told him I only drive a short way to walk my dog daily with occasional few miles trip to supermarket. All the computerised stuff is hard to understand and learn at my ripe old age, and as I live part way up a steep mountain in South Wales, the last car struggled to get up the hill, so thought a big engine would have no trouble. And its a lovely looking car. Cost me £2,700. I am not a defeatist but age and infirmity take their toll, so maybe my bad judgement. I wont trust this dealer again, but when buying a car, who can you trust? I am beginning to feel a fool. Perhaps I can part ex it and get an AA check done on the next one. No doubt it will cost but are these AA car checks good? In the long run may save me more of my pension eventually.

  I wish there were still good old basic cars complete with the old starting handles. But they all seem to be computerised now. 

[Vanwin]

Roottoot: size is only important in that I need it to carry occasional DIY goods like timber which B&Q will cut in the shop to be shorter, otherwise its just me and the dog, so physical size not important, but 4 door as cant have a mud covered dog scrambling all over the place. Just has to be strong to get up this incredibly steep hill.

[Carlston]

You need a voltmeter to plug into the cigarette lighter socket.

 

This will enable you to keep an eye on the battery voltage, both with the engine running and before you start the engine, ie. left overnight.

 

At least 12.1V is good before you start the engine after having left the car parked overnight.

 

At least 13.8V is good with the engine idling. If you have less than this with the car's engine idling (ie. no need to rev it), your car's battery charging system isn't working properly (For example, you might need a new alternator).

 

I mainly use my diesel car for short trips. I have found 1 mile trips isn't quite enough in the winter, but 2 mile trips is fine. If you are having to drive for over 10 minutes each time you start the engine to keep the battery topped up, there is a problem with the car (ie. the car's battery isn't charging properly or there is a parasitic drain on the battery such as a faulty radio or short circuit).

 

voltmeter lcd cigarette ligher (£2.79 on amazon, including postage)

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greatangle-Universal-Cigarette-Electric-Voltmeter/dp/B08GLQDTKX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=voltmeter+lcd+cigarette+ligher&qid=1633089693&sr=8-1

 

You might find that your cigarette lighter socket works without the need to turn on the ignition, ie. it is constantly on. You can leave the voltmeter plugged in all the time, as the power consumption is tiny.

 

Edited 1 October, 2021 by Carlston

[KenONeill]

@Vanwin - Sorry I can't help further, but it's really looking like either you have a parasitic drain on the battery, or the alternator controls are too "Simply Clever" for the battery's own good. 

[Vanwin]

Carlston. I have immediately bought that but it wont arrive till beginning November.

I may go back to see if I can get one more quickly since they are inexpensive. Hope there is a leaflet with it, otherwise will google.

Thank you so much, it is something to look forward to, as if I complain to the dealer he will realise I know hardly anything and over ride what I try to say.  Wonderful, it will be good as evidence, I am truly grateful.

[Carlston]

1 hour ago, Vanwin said:

Carlston. I have immediately bought that but it wont arrive till beginning November.

I may go back to see if I can get one more quickly since they are inexpensive. Hope there is a leaflet with it, otherwise will google.

Thank you so much, it is something to look forward to, as if I complain to the dealer he will realise I know hardly anything and over ride what I try to say.  Wonderful, it will be good as evidence, I am truly grateful.

 

It sounds like it's being sent from China. There are UK sellers on ebay that have the same item and an estimated delivery time of around one week.

 

2 for £6.99 on ebay from UK seller

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353346264017?hash=item5245141bd1:g:gucAAOSwnY5f-B3K

 

These are very easy to use. You just push one into the cigarette lighter socket and the LCD display shows what the voltage is.

 

Edited 1 October, 2021 by Carlston

[Breezy_Pete]

LED not LCD, which itself will cause a little extra drain on the battery if left plugged in permanently.

Use sparingly to build up a picture of what's going on, rather than ongoing; especially if the present journey pattern persists.

 

 

[Carlston]

5 minutes ago, Wino said:

LED not LCD, which itself will cause a little extra drain on the battery if left plugged in permanently.

Use sparingly to build up a picture of what's going on, rather than ongoing; especially if the present journey pattern persists.

 

Some seller describe them as LCD voltmeters, others LED voltmeters. So it's worth searching for both terms if you're looking for one.

 

Good point about unplugging them once a picture of what's going on has been built up.

[KenONeill]

11 hours ago, Carlston said:

LCD voltmeters, others LED voltmeters

Also @Wino - Both are possible, depending on the colour of the display (not the background, the display). Grey is definitely LCD, and LED is usually red or green, but may be blue or white. The one illustrated upthread I think actually is LCD since the blue backdrop is effected by a tinted plastic filter.

[Breezy_Pete]

8 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Also @Wino - Both are possible, depending on the colour of the display (not the background, the display). Grey is definitely LCD, and LED is usually red or green, but may be blue or white. The one illustrated upthread I think actually is LCD since the blue backdrop is effected by a tinted plastic filter.

 Mmm kay.

Next time you look at an LCD display in your car somewhere while it's not displaying anything, see if you can see the 7 individual segments plus one for the decimal place, for each character like you can in Carlston's photo. 

Or see if it looks more like this:

 

In LED displays, the individual elements of the digits light up. In LCDs they don't.  

LCDs with no backlight on are incredibly power miserly, LEDs not so much.

 

 

 

[KenONeill]

3 hours ago, Wino said:

Next time you look at an LCD display in your car somewhere while it's not displaying anything, see if you can see the 7 individual segments plus one for the decimal place, for each character like you can in Carlston's photo. 

1. Carlston's photo is lit up.
2. I can see the display segments in at least some LCD displays when not powered (as in no batteries in the device).

[Breezy_Pete]

Is it? What voltage is it showing?

You seem to revel in being wrong sometimes Ken. Probably best if I pop you on ignore. Cheers.

 

[Vanwin]

CARLSTON: I am over the moon happy, the voltmeter you gave me a link to, comes from Shengen China takes up to 52 days as China often uses a 3 legged very old sick donkey to deliver overland, so as well as that I bought a quicker one with Amazon Prime.

                 I used it yesterday and it reports battery power of 13 to 14.

   This has stopped all the panic about having to drive miles on motorways with nowhere to go just to charge up. It has given me back my confidence that I won't end up on top of a deserted mountain with no help available.

  Plus, as they are not expensive, having two means I can compare readings from both, and if they are similar I can really trust them as a few reviews were not good.

 

It has removed my fears. I am so grateful.