Hi all

 

just wondering if anyone else had an issue similar to mine.

was very cold the last two days and had not used my car, got in it today and I had an error for:

 

the traffic sign recognition system (still working normally but an error message popping up every minute or so) 

head unit kept turning on and off saying 'remember you mobile'

semi working steering wheel controls (if they did work the small colour display would take about 10sec to respond)

In the vehicle stats bit in the head unit saying either 'turn on ignition to see status' (this is while driving) and something along the line of 'unable to check status'

finally unable to change drive mode

 

apart from that the car had no other warning lights and everything mechanically worked.

 

Im guessing its just a battery low on charge as I have not done many longer journeys and the cold doesn't help.

or something with ignition as the head unit was saying 'start the car' and the head unit was constantly turning on and off so maybe thinking the key was being removed

I did have a low key battery which I have now changed but I don't think it solved anything. I know these issues can sort themselves with time.

 

Any help and reassurance would is appreciated!!!

 

Quick update

 

Drove to work, only about a 5 min journey

 

car went absolutely mad... Error with brake assist, traffic sign assist, and the head unit activated component lock and nothing electrical was working really, car still started and drove as if nothing was wrong.

 

as soon as I turned the car off with the key still in the ignition the personalisation colour came back on the head unit and I was like wait!!! I turned the ignition on and every error was gone and a new Low 12v battery symbol was displayed for the first time. after starting the car and letting the car run for a min the 12v error message went and the component lock was lifted. 

 

Why could it not have said this in the first place lol. oh well at least I know now it's the battery that was low. took it on a good drive and all is normal now so we should be ok for now. 

 

hope this brings hope for anyone experiencing something similar!!!

@WillRB Maybe Skoda should reimburse you the cost of dry cleaning your underwear.  It might be an idea to invest in a smart charger if you are doing only these 5 mile journeys, you are not really putting back enough juice into the battery (running lights/rear window defrost etc)

 

If your work commute is short, then you probably should charge the battery in full on weekends, every week without fail.  If you have a garage then even better (if it fits) as you can leave it safely.

Look into getting a CTEK charger or equivalent, just make sure it has AGM charge cycle as one of it's programs.

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

 

Thanks for reporting back and informing others.

 

On 19/01/2023 at 01:52, WillRB said:

Why could it not have said this in the first place lol. oh well at least I know now it's the battery that was low. 

This is the problem many warnings will come too late, just because the car starts and the lights seem bright enough it can still be that the battery charge is too low for the computer programs and they will throw up all sorts of unexpected other warnings and issues - as you have discovered.

 

 

On 19/01/2023 at 01:52, WillRB said:

took it on a good drive and all is normal now so we should be ok for now. 

Often just driving is not enough to fully recharge the battery, that's part of the reason the battery gets low in the first place, as varooom has put a full recharge with an appropriate battery charger (and maintainer) is required.  C-Tek are good but personally I think they're expensive and a low slow charge is better better than a higher fast charge but it does require time and patience as it could take up to 24 hours+.

 

See this post I put up last night for more details.-

 

 

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
missing words

3 hours ago, varooom said:

@WillRB Maybe Skoda should reimburse you the cost of dry cleaning your underwear.  It might be an idea to invest in a smart charger if you are doing only these 5 mile journeys, you are not really putting back enough juice into the battery (running lights/rear window defrost etc)

They definitely should, I was definitely thinking worst case scenarios.

 

Normally I do do a lot longer journeys but just as coincidence these last week and a half its been extremely low and the weather did not help. 

 

3 hours ago, nta16 said:

Often just driving is not enough to fully recharge the battery, that's part of the reason the battery gets low in the first place, as varooom has put a full recharge with an appropriate battery charger (and maintainer) is required.  C-Tek are good but personally I think they're expensive and a low slow charge is better better than a higher fast charge but it does require time and patience as it could take up to 24 hours+.

 

3 hours ago, varooom said:

If your work commute is short, then you probably should charge the battery in full on weekends, every week without fail.  If you have a garage then even better (if it fits) as you can leave it safely.

Look into getting a CTEK charger or equivalent, just make sure it has AGM charge cycle as one of it's programs.

Really appreciate the idea with the charger from you both, sadly it will be a pain as I live on a main road so running a cable over the footpath if I even get a spot in-front of the house which rarely happens, are there any good battery operated battery chargers that can be used? or is this not really a thing? had a look around online and could not really find anything decent. Thanks @nta16 for the good read of the post you linked, I'm happy to have something slow as you said to help protect the battery in the long run as I can work around occasionally not using the car if I have to, to let it charge.

 

5 minutes ago, WillRB said:

Normally I do do a lot longer journeys but just as coincidence these last week and a half its been extremely low and the weather did not help. 

Fair play, so maybe when you do longer journeys the car will be charging sufficiently on its own (as it no doubt has been until recently)

 

Also have the charger issue with cable, so it's either pot luck if you get your "spot" or you need to take to a family or friend to charge if not.

 

 

If this sort of charging is going to be an issue, then perhaps you might need a jump pack for emergency use.

2 minutes ago, varooom said:

Fair play, so maybe when you do longer journeys the car will be charging sufficiently on its own (as it no doubt has been until recently)

I should think so. Back in December when we had that week of bellow 0 temps the car was flawless so once I get back to enjoying the car properly it should lift the issue.

 

4 minutes ago, varooom said:

Also have the charger issue with cable, so it's either pot luck if you get your "spot" or you need to take to a family or friend to charge if not.

Yes that's a good idea, I will have a look around for a charger and whenever I get the chance i'll throw that on, I guess every little helps. I normally always have an emergency solution so I should not be stranded (I've definitely just jinxed that)

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

 

How much the battery gets from a long drive depends on what the battery is giving out and getting back in, the alternator could also be working a lot to keep up.  Once a battery has been depleted it doesn't always come back from that completely depending on its age and use (abuse and neglect from many).  This is another reason to fully recharge when things get a bit low.  The batteries are designed for regular use and charging.

 

I don't know of any portable chargers and something like solar trickle chargers would be impracticable. 

 

The only sensible working solution I can think of is to fully recharge the battery ASAP by removing the battery from the car and fully charging it in/at home and if the battery is in a good state then just keep an eye on it after reconnecting.  Check your Owner's Manual for how to lock and unlock the car without power, as long as you have the windows and roof closed I think others have said you lose nothing that's listed in the Owner's Manual other than the time of day clock.  Personally I'd still do the windows reset/synchronise as it's so quick and easy to do.

 

Then up to you if you want to do the full recharges the twice or three times a year as prevention and longevity of battery life or do them when you have convenient parking.  Or you could get a multimeter or battery tester (sometimes combined with an alternator tester) and check as required and replace the battery as required.

 

I look after the battery on my neighbour's car as the car simply get so very little use, it's only a very small battery but I often find it more convenient to remove it from the car and fully charge it in the shed, or spare room in winter, and manually lock his car and reset the clock than having an extension lead from ours to his.  As the battery ages I'm checking it a bit more often and fully recharged it off the car the other week (just about needed it too) because it'd be easy for me to remember I'd done it at start of January.

  

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
spelling

On 19/01/2023 at 14:08, nta16 said:

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

 

How much the battery gets from a long drive depends on what the battery is giving out and getting back in, the alternator could also be working a lot to keep up.  Once a battery has been depleted it doesn't always come back from that completely depending on its age and use (abuse and neglect from many).  Another reason to fully recharge when things get a bit low.  The batteries are designed for regular use and charging.

 

I don't know of any portable chargers and something like solar trickle chargers would be impracticable. 

 

The only sensible working solution I can think of is to fully recharge the battery ASAP by removing the battery from the car and fully charging it in/at home and if the battery is in a good state then just keep an eye on it after reconnecting.  Check your Owner's Manual for how to lock and unlock the car without power, as long as you have the windows and roof closed I think others have said you lose nothing that's listed in the Owner's Manual other than the time of day clock.  Personally I'd still do the windows reset/synchronise as it's so quick and easy to do.

 

Then up to you if you want to do the full recharges the twice or three times a year as prevention and longevity of battery life or do them when you have convenient parking.  Or you could get a multimeter or battery tester (sometimes combined with an alternator tester) and check as required and replace the battery as required.

 

I look after the battery on my neighbour's car as the car simply get so very little use, it's only a very small battery but I often find it more convenient to remove it from the car and fully charge it in the shed, or spare room in winter, and manually lock his car and reset the clock than having extension lead from ours to his.  As the battery ages I'm checking it a bit more often and fully recharged it off the car the other week (just about needed it too) because it'd be easy for me to remember I'd done it at start of January.

  

Thanks for the reply, I think that's what ill need to do to keep the battery toped up.

 

Some users have suggested some brands of chargers but is there anything I need to watch out for in terms of features? or do you have any specific model suggestions, also how many amps would you say is suggested to have it slow enough to help with the longevity of the battery but not too slow that it takes a good few days.

 

Attached is a picture of the battery incase this helps, personally never heard of the brand and don't think this is what Skoda supplies with their cars? so must not be original.

 

1 minute ago, WillRB said:

Attached is a picture of the battery incase this helps, personally never heard of the brand and don't think this is what Skoda supplies with their cars? so must not be original.

 

That's an original battery supplied by Skoda.

 

Two clues are the part number is a VAG one, 6R0 915 105B and the use of a QR code label on top

3 minutes ago, varooom said:

That's an original battery supplied by Skoda.

 

Two clues are the part number is a VAG one, 6R0 915 105B and the use of a QR code label on top

Ahhh ok that's good to hear, was thinking the previous owner may have gone down the cheap road to replace potentially. 

I read in another forum, Banner batteries have the mfg date stamped on top of the negative terminal as per screenshot

In this case it was mfg week 42, yr 15

 

 

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

 

On 23/01/2023 at 14:12, WillRB said:

Attached is a picture of the battery incase this helps,

Yes it helps a lot thanks.

 

The VW battery numbering BEM QR (abc...wxyz) system is thankfully a thing of the past so don't have to worry about VW's need for statistics.

 

I would fully recharge that battery and keep it as long as possible.  Banner is a well known name for batteries but as with other items some brands and names are known better in some places than others and a name you've not heard of could be a main brand elsewhere.

 

I think your battery is equivalent to a 096 battery size - @varooom can confirm or point out my error, Tayna Batteries list of 096 EFB (required for start/stop) battery list (including Banner). -  https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/096-efb/

 

You want a battery of the correct type and physical size for fitting and at least the 680 (EN/SAE) cold cranking amps for starting and 69Ah (amperage hours) storage capacity as this matches factory fitted.

 

As for battery charger and maintainer some have been buying the £15 one from Lidl and many favour C-Tek but I think they're a bit expensive, having said that my old Accumate are now £62.

 

ETA: Follow the instructions in the Owner's Manual for recharging.

 

However without any research (other than owning a 30+ years old 4-amp traditional charger and a 20+ year old 4-stage, 1.2 amp charger and maintainer) I went for one I saw somebody else using.

 

It's rated at 4 amps which is more than enough unless you don't have time (or patience), works down to -20c, is automatic to standard and start/stop batteries, other than selecting car (12v) or car (12v) for winter setting (it doesn't say so but I take that as when the temperature is below (+)5c).

 

I got it for £23.49 off eBay, other suppliers and prices available of course. 

 

There is also a 6 amp (faster charging) version.

 

The one I have, Ring RSC 804 - 4A Smart Battery Charger & Maintainer -https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RSC804

 

Ring RSC 806 -  6A Smart Battery Charger & Maintainer - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RSC806

 

RSC804_RSC806_RSC808_Instructions.pdf

 

RSC804_Spec.pdf

 

Below is the RSC 804 connected to my wife's Fabia, with an 18-month old AGM battery, charged overnight outside when the temperature went down to -3.5c, after 16 hours it wasn't fully recharged but the car was needed and within an hour the next evening it was showing full.

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
wording

58 minutes ago, ords said:

I read in another forum, Banner batteries have the mfg date stamped on top of the negative terminal as per screenshot

My original Varta factory fitted was also stamped WK/YY, so I suspect that the majority of the VAG fitted ones will be stamped.

But also a good call as another possible indicator of factory fit.

 

 

7 minutes ago, nta16 said:

I think your battery is equivalent to a 096 battery size - varooom can confirm or point out my error

No, I would say you are spot on with the 096 battery size, only some cars with small engines will be using a smaller size/or with less electric gizmo's.

I am not sure if the OP is on the path yet of condemning the existing battery, I would also link them to the 096 AGM's with two important notes: It must be adapted to the car, and it needs the fabric cover fitted or suffer a premature death from heat.

 

EFB live roughly twice as long as basic lead acid

AGM live roughly three times as long as basic lead acid, weigh up the cost of both and decide (not a whole lot of price difference between the two)

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

 

varooom I'm fully with you about getting much more out of the existing battery (if possible and depending on circumstances) I've now highlighted in bold about where I'd put what I'd do - but I have hard (luck) standing and external mains socket at home.

 

I'm not as sure about going AGM now as I previously was, depends on engine bay heat and the insulation protection to the battery and the use of the vehicle (and if you'd bother with coding for like-for-like change).  I think I'd now see how long the existing EFB battery lasts with the use the car is given and the use, abuse and neglect the battery gets and decide from there whether to stick with EFB or go AGM.

 

Battery prices and availability can vary from time to time so that may be another factor.

 

Taking your point though here's a list of Tayna's 096 AGM for @WillRB and others. - https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/096-agm/

 

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
missing word

2 hours ago, varooom said:

I am not sure if the OP is on the path yet of condemning the existing battery,

I don't think i'm ready just yet, I will definitely have a look at all the options you and @nta16 have suggested. I didn't even know there were so many types.

Also regarding a new battery and the coding, how hard is that? could I take it to my local garage and see if they could help and what happens when you don't code the battery?

3 hours ago, nta16 said:

The one I have, Ring RSC 804 - 4A Smart Battery Charger & Maintainer -https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RSC804

 

Ring RSC 806 -  6A Smart Battery Charger & Maintainer - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RSC806

Thank you for the suggestions, I may be able to leave the car at work for a good few days if I plan an alternative where I should be able to charge it for about 3 days. I will have a look on eBay for these models.

3 hours ago, ords said:

I read in another forum, Banner batteries have the mfg date stamped on top of the negative terminal as per screenshot

In my case it was under the positive terminal cover as shown in the pic (Sep/17)

 

 

Just a huge thanks to everyone helping out, honestly incredible.

13 minutes ago, WillRB said:

Also regarding a new battery and the coding, how hard is that? could I take it to my local garage and see if they could help and what happens when you don't code the battery?

Read this thread

 

And if you don't adapt a battery correctly, this is what could happen (was set to 7Ah rating not 70Ah)

 

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

 

There is a school of thought that if you do a like for like change, i.e. in your case the replacement battery is an EFB of 69Ah then the computer will 'learn' the improvement with use of the car.  Or you could look at the 'coding' as not being needed instantly but later.  Better to get the 'coding' done (by someone who can put in correct info) at battery change so the computer knows straight away - and if changing battery type and or Ah then 'coding' will be required as the computer won't know of the change of type or Ah.

 

This VW 'coding' stuff was all new to me and introduced me more into the 'joys' of VW computer programing (which seems to allow an entry of 7Ah instead of 70Ah, lacks proper programing there, the writers must have worked for banks previously).

 

 

On 23/01/2023 at 20:26, WillRB said:

Thank you for the suggestions, I may be able to leave the car at work for a good few days if I plan an alternative where I should be able to charge it for about 3 days. I will have a look on eBay for these models.

Hopefully it shouldn't take two days but it's no problem anyway with the smart charger and maintainers as when the battery is full (or 'FUL' on the Ring 8s) they switch to maintenance mode which can be left on the car for a long time.

 

 

On 23/01/2023 at 20:26, WillRB said:

In my case it was under the positive terminal cover as shown in the pic (Sep/17)

I'd guess that is the date when that part (terminal cover) was made it would relate to the original battery but not necessarily be the same date as the battery was manufacturer and it could be transferred to a later battery replacement.  The whole car is just a collection of parts possibly made on different dates and then there can be lots of transport with parts and components during manufacture and assembly of the parts let alone the car.

 

On the batteries (it used to be at least) that on it or it's labelling there'd be some code to the date of manufacturer, the coding systems would vary but often they can be decoded from internet info.  I'd not worry about it with your battery because the age is a lot less relevant than how a battery performs and is used, abused or neglected.

 

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
missing word

5 minutes ago, nta16 said:

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

 

There is a school of thought that if you do a like for like change, i.e. in your case the replacement battery is an EFB of 69Ah then the computer will 'learn' the improvement with use of the car.  Or you could look at the 'coding' as not being needed instantly but later.  Better to get the 'coding' done (by someone who can put in correct info) at battery change so the computer knows straight away - and if changing battery type and or Ah then 'coding' will be required as the computer won't know of the change of type or Ah.

 

This VW 'coding' stuff was all new to me and introduced me more fully into the joy of VW computer programing (which seems to allow an entry of 7Ah instead of 70Ah, lack programing there, the writer must have worked for banks previously).

 

 

Hopefully it shouldn't take two days but it's no problem anyway with the smart charger and maintainers as when the battery is full (or 'FUL' on the Ring 8s) they switch to maintenance mode which can be left on the car for a long time.

 

 

I'd guess that is the date when that part (terminal cover) was made it would relate to the original battery but not necessarily be the same date as the battery was manufacturer and it could be transferred to a later battery replacement.  The whole car is just a collection of parts possibly made on different dates and then there can be lots of transport with parts and components during manufacture and assembly of the parts let alone the car.

 

On the batteries (it used to be at least) that on it or it's labelling there'd be some code to the date of manufacturer, the coding systems would vary but often they can be decoded from internet info.  I'd not worry about it with your battery because the age is a lot less relevant than how a battery performs and is used, abused or neglected.

 

My Varta battery has a manufacturing code which from the internet tells me it's 10 yrs old this month.

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

 

21 minutes ago, ords said:

My Varta battery has a manufacturing code which from the internet tells me it's 10 yrs old this month.

I think the coding might have got more obscure in more recent years but I don't know as I've only tried looking the dates up a very few times ever because the battery's history can be more important than it's age, it's like bank accounts some people can deplete down to nothing a lot quicker than others.

 

Well done on 10 years, many seem to think 5 years or won't get passed 7 years and with some people and perhaps more recently made cars 5 years will be a good achievement.

 

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

i.e. in your case the replacement battery is an EFB of 69Ah then the computer will 'learn' the improvement with use of the car.  Or you could look at the 'coding' as not being needed instantly but later.  Better to get the 'coding' done (by someone who can put in correct info) at battery change so the computer knows straight away - and if changing battery type and or Ah then 'coding' will be required as the computer won't know of the change of type or Ah.

Very interesting, I defiantly would not do it myself, luck with these things is not on my side.

 

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

Hopefully it shouldn't take two days but it's no problem anyway with the smart charger and maintainers as when the battery is full (or 'FUL' on the Ring 8s) they switch to maintenance mode which can be left on the car for a long time.

I have ordered the 6A version and should arrive tomorrow, will let you know how it goes.

 

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

I'd guess that is the date when that part (terminal cover) was made it would relate to the original battery but not necessarily be the same date as the battery was manufacturer and it could be transferred to a later battery replacement.  The whole car is just a collection of parts possibly made on different dates and then there can be lots of transport with parts and components during manufacture and assembly of the parts let alone the car.

That's also interesting, I will have a look around if I get the chance to see if this is the case on the actual battery and not just the cover.

 

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

I'd not worry about it with your battery because the age is a lot less relevant than how a battery performs and is used, abused or neglected.

very true, I think 5 years is not that old yet anyway but who know how it was used. 

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

 

On 24/01/2023 at 17:32, WillRB said:

I have ordered the 6A version and should arrive tomorrow, will let you know how it goes.

Yes please do.  Another poster ordered one but found the pictorial instructions difficult to follow, perhaps the unit was too easy or not automatic enough for what he was expecting (despite having the hyperlinks to look at). For 12v car, connect up to car (or battery), plug in to mains, press selector button once for 12v car and a second time for 12v car winter setting.  The leaflet doesn't say but I take the winter setting as to be used for charging when the temperature is below (+/plus)5c.

 

I could put something else but that might be auto-suggestion and it might not be relevant now, if you mention it I will refer to this and if you don't I'll mention it as a total generalisation.

 

 

On 24/01/2023 at 17:32, WillRB said:

I will have a look around if I get the chance to see if this is the case on the actual battery and not just the cover.

Have a look at the other terminal cover for part numbers and date and see if that varies too, you'd think they be available or fitted as pairs, but . . .

 

 

On 24/01/2023 at 17:32, WillRB said:

I think 5 years is not that old yet anyway but who know how it was used. 

I do too but I bet the Dealers say 5 years and the newer the car the more the battery has to do, jumps from 2015 to 2017 and again to 2022/3.  I think we're back to the stage where some sort of battery gauge is required on cars.

 

 

Let us know when you've fully recharged the battery how things went and are with the car.  Cheers.

 

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
spelling

7 hours ago, nta16 said:

The leaflet doesn't say but I take the winter setting as to be used for charging when the temperature is below (+/plus)5c.

I was wondering when the cutoff point is for this, good to know, i'm guessing there is no harm in activating winter mode on a hot summers day right? thinking it's just a more 'gentle' mode but does take longer

 

8 hours ago, nta16 said:

Have a look at the other terminal cover for part numbers and date and see if that varies too, you'd think they be available or fitted as pairs, but . . .

but... you never know 😂

 

8 hours ago, nta16 said:

I do too but I bet the Dealers say 5 years and the newer the car the more the battery has to do, jumps from 2015 to 2017 and again to 2022/3.  I think were back to the stage where some sort of battery gauge is required on cars.

I mean I don't see why this would be so bad, I mean just something on any of the displays would have been great, doubt it would have been much to program. come on Skoda!!! 😅

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

 

On 25/01/2023 at 02:23, WillRB said:

I was wondering when the cutoff point is for this, good to know, i'm guessing there is no harm in activating winter mode on a hot summers day right? thinking it's just a more 'gentle' mode but does take longer

As my neighbour's older Ring charger and battery tester has (+)5c for winter setting I take it as that, I suppose I should check with Ring to be sure.

 

The winter mode is to allow for the cold as the battery like many other things isn't at its best when cold so there's a small increase in the charger's voltage to help overcome the effects of the cold.

 

The battery likes when the ambient temperature is say 5c to 20c, when it's 30c the battery is (self) discharging itself at double the rate than at (twenty) 20c and at 40c (as we saw here last summer) the discharge is double the rate than at (thirty) 30c.

 

If the battery itself is already warmer you do not want or need to increase the voltage to overcome the cold.

 

No doubt the charger could be made a lot more complex with various and variable settings but more complex often means more problems, as you've found on the car already.

 

You already have 6-amps over 4-amps you don't want to be rushing anymore in my opinion.  You're better off charging the battery before it gets too low so this will take a shorter time than if it's at a lower state of charge whatever amperage of charger you use.  Not letting the battery get too low in state of charge will also extend the life of the battery.  Both of these mean there is less need for higher faster charges.

     

Edited 8 February, 20233 yr by nta16
spelling

13 hours ago, nta16 said:

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

 

As my neighbour's older Ring charger and battery tester has (+)5c for winter setting I take it as that, I suppose I should check with Ring to be sure.

 

The winter mode is to allow for the cold as the battery like many other things isn't at its best when cold so there's a small increasing in the charger's voltage to help overcome the effects of the cold.

 

The battery likes when the ambient temperature is say 5c to 20c, when it's 30c the battery is (self) discharging itself at double the rate than at (twenty) 20c and at 40c (as we saw here last summer) the discharge is than that at (thirty) 30c.

 

If the battery itself is already warmer you do not want or need to increase the voltage to overcome the cold.

 

No doubt the charger could be made a lot more complex with various and variable settings but more complex often means more problems, as you've found on the car already.

 

You already have 6-amps over 4-amps you don't want to be rushing anymore in my opinion.  You're better off charging the battery before it gets too low so this will take a shorter time than if it's at a lower state of charge whatever amperage of charger you use.  Not letting the battery get too low in state of charge will also extend the life of the battery.  Both of these mean there is less need for higher faster charges.

     

Yes hopefully work will let me use their power so that will be great if I can do it regularly.

 

I put it on winter mode as it was about 5C and was staying around there so I guess that should be ok. 

 

can't lie the charger is great for the £35 I payed for it, can't complain.

 

I have plugged the car in today at 7pm, charger was showing 1 bar out of 5 so clearly was not great, at 11pm I check the charger again at it was at 3 bars so we are making progress. Worked so great and I managed to attach it to the battery and hide controller box in the engine bay and run the cable through a gap so I could fully close the bonnet. ran an extension cable to the car and put that in a plastic bag and under the car. modern problems require modern solutions 😅. at least now I know any rain will not be an issue and I know the car is safe so no engine thieves are nicking my engine... phewww

 

Will leave it on until late tonight so should charge for a total of about 28 hours. 

 

I honestly can't wait to be able to use my heating again and listen to some music, I have literally turned everything off in the car for the last week just to use minimal power. So so cold hahahah.

 

will be back tonight to update how it went.

 

6A version on amazon: 6A Ring Automotive RSC806 Smart Battery Charger

4A version on amazon: Ring Automotive RSC804 smart car battery charger 6v 12v 4A