Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

As per title, best to check your car battery now  - but why.

 

The hot, and extreme hot, and humid weather we had wouldn't have been kind to the battery (or charging system) and if the effects of that didn't show up straight away they could still be there to show up a bit later, such as now or particularly this autumn and winter (I'm getting shares in vehicle batteries).

 

Check the battery when the engine hasn't been run for 2 or 3 hours with the engine off, if you don't have a *multimeter just try something like lowering and then raising the two front windows together and see if they go much slower than when you know the battery was in a good state of charge.

 

Just driving the car won't be enough to charge or recover a very weakened battery it'll need a proper recharge with a suitable charger.  A long, low, slow recharge is often best and certainly to recover a very low battery, preferably off the car and in a more even and controlled temperature if possible but any charging with just about any charger will help - but NOT a boost charger.

 

A proper recharge of the battery will help regardless but you do need to check it's not putting off the inevitable but also be aware car batteries are probably still one of the most oversold car parts, but also owners not looking after the battery is the most common cause of car breakdowns and roadside assistance. - https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/top-ten-breakdown-causes

 

A battery kept in a poor state will also make the charging system work harder which means additional wear, think of the alternator and battery as a team if one is weak the other has to work that much harder.

 

Plus the VW computer programs can throw up all sorts of warnings, error codes and strange issues at any time from the car battery being in a low state of charge - even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough.

 

I've been recharging a few neighbour's batteries in the last few weeks - just coincidence(?).  😄

 

 

* Just as a guide figures from my neighbour's Ring SmartCharger - 

12.7v-100%,  12.5v-90%, 12.4v-80%,  12.3v-70%,  12.2v-60%,  12.1v-50%, 11.9v-40%,  11.8v-30%,  11.6v-20%,  11.3v-10%.

 

Edited 29 May29 May by nta16
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Always a good idea to run your eye over the car's bits regularly and especially the battery before the cold weather but I think you are overselling the effects of hot weather on battery life.

Living in Adelaide we regularly top 40 deg in summer and the bog standard battery in our non stop/start 1.4tsi lasted 5 years.

Some Briskoda reports of AGM batteries failing after only two years and usually related to s/s in lots of heavy traffic.

Also sealed for life batteries do not allow much opportunity or need for any sort of maintenance other than keeping the terminals clean.

 

Mk3 Fabia batteries in Europe / UK are as cheap as Skoda CZ could get away with fitting.

Premature Death by cold, death by heat, death by use, death by lack of use.  Death by Chocolate just about. 

A Consumable rather too soon, so not that environmentally friendly / green, just Green Washing and good for WLTP Certification & RDE2 results.

 

Like ECO tyres, OK if giving good efficiency and longevity, but if they provide crap winter performance or even wet weather performance and need replaced with better tyres for the cars use that are money and resources wasted. 

9 hours ago, roottoot said:

Mk3 Fabia batteries in Europe / UK are as cheap as Skoda CZ could get away with fitting.

Premature Death by cold, death by heat, death by use, death by lack of use.  Death by Chocolate just about. 

A Consumable rather too soon, so not that environmentally friendly / green, just Green Washing and good for WLTP Certification & RDE2 results.

 

Like ECO tyres, OK if giving good efficiency and longevity, but if they provide crap winter performance or even wet weather performance and need replaced with better tyres for the cars use that are money and resources wasted. 

I don't think the batteries fitted by Skoda would be any worse than any other manufacturer in the price range?

I am driving a hire Corsa with an overeager s/s in London rush hour traffic at the moment and can understand why people turn it off. It really cannot do the battery any good, and I am presuming it is considered suitable for purpose AGM or FMG?

I have no idea why people automatically turn it off when you can just do it if the location / junctions means you might need to.

But then that is when there is an Automatic / DSG , Autohold & e-Brake.

 

I drove with Stop / Start for 3 years and 44,000 miles.

Did the car no harm and it was good for those that live in the Grid Lock areas. 

But then it was a suitable battery for a TDI. 

Edited 1 September, 20223 yr by roottoot

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

On 01/09/2022 at 17:26, Gerrycan said:

I don't think the batteries fitted by Skoda would be any worse than any other manufacturer in the price range?

IIRC Skoda (VW?) did have an issue with factory fitted batteries, possibly even with the Mk3 Fabia as the battery we got was a number of pounds less weeks later, possibly because of supply and demand because of problem above - but I can't remember the details and may have misremembered or been on a mental visit to Fantasy Island again, I'm rarely as certain as many others.

 

Edited 14 September, 20223 yr by nta16
Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

4 hours ago, roottoot said:

I have no idea why people automatically turn it off when you can just do it if the location / junctions means you might need to.

But then that is when there is an Automatic / DSG , Autohold & e-Brake.

 

I drove with Stop / Start for 3 years and 44,000 miles.

Did the car no harm and it was good for those that live in the Grid Lock areas. 

But then it was a suitable battery for a TDI. 

So one post is cheap batteries, death by everything and chocolate and the next post is battery was great for three years????

 

@Gerrycan

My battery was in a 2.0 TDI DSG and not as cheap as they get away with in Mk3 Fabias.

It worked as it should with stop / start reliably functioning when it should function. 

No cold weather start issues or anything else like leaving the car sitting a week or 3 in the UK summer or winter and a dead battery.  

 

No idea if the All New Mk4 Fabia are fitted with any better / more suitable batteries than mk3 got. 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/490474-new-battery-on-mk3-and-voltage

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/430656-fabia-mk-3-stopstart

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/465217-battery-type-and-problem

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/479452-swapping-battery

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/488590-battery-replacement

 

Edited 2 September, 20223 yr by roottoot