Dodgy OEM Battery?

[Berisford]

At my service 4 weeks ago I was advised the battery charge was low and that it needed attention, be that a long run else charging overnight, the dealer offered to do the job for £40 - but seeing as I've got a Ctek I did the job myself - however, it was curious inasmuch as the car had been on a 160mile run just two days previous.

Fast forward to this last Sunday, trip to the North Yorks coast , 260 mile round trip - 36 hours later a battery warning message comes up on the dash and the car refused to start.

Left it on charge 24 hours and it seems OK, I'm getting 12.25v at the battery, 11.5v with ignition on and 14.2v on fast tick over.

The experience has left me, shall we say nervous - my plan is to leave it standing over Easter and if the power is depleted on Tuesday to call Skoda Assist - what do you guys think, good plan?

Being Easter and knowing that recently I had to wait 3 weeks to get a dealer service appointment I'm reluctant to wait that long.

280 Estate - Exide 70amp EFB.

Edited 28 March by Berisford

[Shuggyboatsuperb]

That voltage is still on the low side at the battery ( see pic) - on its way out.   Should ideally be looking for >=12.5 at the battery half an hour to an hour after taking the charger off. 

Far better replace before too long, suggest Tayna batteries either EFB or AGM- personally I would buy Yuasa. 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/yuasa/ybx7096/
 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/yuasa/ybx9096/

 

[nta16]

Put the battery on charge again using your Ctek (I don't suppose it has a low setting but if it has put it to low) and charge until the Ctek shows fully charged (24 hours should have been enough but obviously it wasn't).  Important (if you don't or properly do so) is to read and follow the instructions in the Owner's Manual and the instructions for the charger.

 

If your Ctek has a rescue/revive setting you could try that.

 

70 Ah battery for VW is to use a 7-amp charger, personally I prefer a 4-amp or even 2-amp charger, takes longer but gives a greater chance of a better longer lasting charge and battery.  If you can't complete a full charge in one go because you run out of time and/or need to you the car have a second go to get to full asap.

 

It could be be the battery has seen too much use/abuse neglect and has gone weak ,or the charging system has a fault, or you have a drain (camera or something left live 24ours a day or fault drain on the car) or very least likely the battery was a duff one.

 

You could see if there's (an admitted) Recall for battery or charging issues, otherwise I doubt you'll get any uncharged help from the Dealership unless it's a part/component/system fault. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/recall-campaigns

 

As put already you battery readings aren't great but it depends on where and when they were taken and what with.

 

Just driving the car doesn't always resolve the issue particularly if the battery has been taken too low or too low too often and if during the driving you have high electrical consumption.

 

Prevention is better than cure, just as it's not against any law for men to read instructions (if you don't do so already) you can also when required do proa-active preventative battery charger with an appropriate battery charger maintainer.  Preventative charge with appropriate charger maintainer at winter/summer tyre changing times, perhaps just after the very hot weather in summer, and/or as required as a preventative.

 

The car battery is one of the most oversold car parts, in the UK at least, with premature, often distress, replacement when very often using an appropriate battery charger maintainer would have put off the replacement purchase for a very long time.

 

Battery issues is also the number one reason for breakdown call outs in the UK (January 2nd being  the busiest for those) the majority of times the problem could have been avoided by preventative use of an appropriate charger maintainer which would also extended the usual life of the battery and if done when required more regularly extend the battery life by years.  As the post 2021 cars age there will be more need for appropriate charger maintainer or simply more premature replacement batteries sold.

 

RAC must make a killing out of them judging by how quickly they tell their customers they need a new battery and how much they charge for them, even a mate bought a replacement battery after calling them out, battery not from them as they were so high priced, I took his previous battery away and it charged up well and held charge so I returned it to him to use as a 12v power supply in the garage for radio and tools.  He learnt his lesson then and takes more care of the batteries.

 

Having put that sometimes for some it's best to just replace the battery, bear in mind it will want 'coding', and I too recommend Tayna - I also recommend fully charging the new battery before fitting, should take long, then you know you have started with a new fully charged battery.  Also bear in mind there are two bank holidays between now and next Tuesday.

 

Let us know how you get on. 

[numskull]

Very similar build-up scenario to my knackered battery last October, using the CTEK to try and save it etc. but it finally died with a now dead cell when we were away in Ireland. Fortunately the RAC came out over the border and replaced my original 2016 OE MOLL EFB with an RAC branded Varta AGM. Thank gawd I had battery cover. 

[Hozz]

If your car is less than three years old you may be able to persuade them to replace the battery under warranty.

My local dealer did this for me just before my warranty expired on my last Superb.

[Berisford]

5 minutes ago, Hozz said:

If your car is less than three years old you may be able to persuade them to replace the battery under warranty.

My local dealer did this for me just before my warranty expired on my last Superb.

That's my plan Hozz - I'm thinking if I gat Skoda Assist involved a resolution might be swifter than booking through my dealer - we'll see.

[Berisford]

Update: Had to call out Skoda Assist today as the battery wouldn't start the car - they concluded the battery needed replacing - Skoda Assist talked me through 'what happens next' and were confident their involvement would result in a new battery being fitted tomorrow (Sat) else Monday - Well guess what - the dealer can't get a battery until Wednesday and they want the car for 48 hours - really?

 

Oh, and no loan car available!

 

I'm considering getting my own new battery  (£97.00) and I'll be up and running Tuesday at the latest.

[310golfr]

better to just charge it given that you already have a charger , its only a few days so imo its not worth  spending your hard earned £££

[nta16]

I wouldn't suggest or advise fitting your own battery if this is going to be covered by warranty as it will also need to be to their Warranty spec and 'coded' in to their warranty spec - and if it's not the battery actually at fault (very likely in my opinion and statistics) then this may hinder further investigation. 

 

As put charge the battery but make sure you follow the instructions for how to charge the battery in the Owner's Manual and the charger instructions.

 

If your CTek is a 7-amp then if you can borrow an appropriate charger of lower amps then do as a low charge might (or might not) get more in and have it last longer than 7 or above charger.  It may take the charger a (very) long time to get to full (if it ever gets to full with this battery) but the longer left charging (usually) the better and if necessary you can do it in stages.  It may be that the battery is too tired or messed up to ever get to full charge or hold the charge for too much time or car use.

 

Get to where the battery won't start a modern cars can often be too far from charging and this is your second non-start.

 

Even for modern cars 2 years is a very short battery life which suggests possible alternator/computer programming faults or excessive user(s) use/abuse/neglect or possibly dodgy battery (least probable) or a combination of any of above.

 

The battery being so low in charge on a modern car that it won't start the engine is a bit like a first heartache attack or stroke it may weaken things too much so that a second or third occasion is very unwanted, or perhaps terminal - but others have had very low batteries limp along for a long time by use of an appropriate battery charger, but they were not 2022 cars.  Newer cars I would suggest will have even more similar issues which is why I try to promote the use of appropriate chargers which older folk have forgotten about (despite having to charge these "smart" phones/devices everyday, or few hours it seems to me blissfully without them).

 

Edited 6 April by nta16
typos

[Berisford]

Update: Dealer seems determined not to concede a new battery is needed.

They've had it on charge since first thing yesterday and just called to say their diagnostic equipment is reporting the battery is OK but requires charging* - so they're going to keep it charging until tomorrow and do further tests.

No mention of why it goes flat in less than 24 hours and the regular '12 volt battery low' messages - I'm quite angry but keeping my temper and powder dry.

Tomorrow lunchtime it'll be a week since I called Skoda Assist - I declined the hire car offered because there was every indication a new battery could be fitted last Saturday / Monday at the latest.

 

*Battery requires charging has been reported after both my annual services, the most recent being 5 weeks ago.

 

Edit: When I took it in yesterday a.m. I'd had it on the Ctek overnight to be sure it'd start - it was showing 'full' when I disconnected - so there was charge in the battery before the dealer set about it.

Edited 11 April by Berisford

[Shuggyboatsuperb]

Hope it goes well, up to your tactics with the dealer now 🙈

[nta16]

6 hours ago, Berisford said:

it was showing 'full' when I disconnected - so there was charge in the battery before the dealer set about it.

It might depend on what the Ctek means or interprets as full, then it depends on how long the battery holds this charge or if something about the car is messing with or messing up the battery.

 

If the battery is too low in charge and charged too quickly it won't accept the charge or will show a full too early due to surface charge, I prefer to use my 1.8 amp charger but it does take a long time, could be up to about 60 (six, nought) hours if seriously flat, say below 5v at start but I've done from less than 3v but I'd not necessarily trust the battery for car use for long at that low and not a more modern Germany marque.

 

Something I missed before is that you put the battery as Exide 70amp EFB I thought VW went over to Banner Batteries but perhaps they changed supplier contract again.

 

 

6 hours ago, Berisford said:

their diagnostic equipment is reporting the battery is OK but requires charging

Which diagnostics equipment, Dealer scan tool or VW battery load tester (with print out?)?

 

Same for Dealership, If the battery is too low in charge and they charge it too quickly it won't accept the charge or will show a full too early due to surface charge they should know this and be using the correct appropriate equipment - but . . .

 

Edited 11 April by nta16

[Berisford]

Update: Finally, after 5 - 6 days of trying every which way they can to charge the battery (Skoda Assist deemed it faulty 10 days ago), the dealer has capitulated and fitted a replacement.

The dealer claims all the procrastinating and delay was down to official Skoda 'procedure' and refuses to accept any criticism on their part, claiming 'hands are tied'.........

 

I got the impression throughout the last week that either my dealer was being a cheapskate or Skoda really do rule with a rod of iron and impress upon dealers to do all they can to avoid spending monies on warranty claims?

 

Either way, 10 days without the motor for something as easily fixed as a new battery I don't feel is acceptable.

 

I think it boils down to keeping fingers crossed that a new Skoda* is a good one and any sort of warranty interaction with the dealer is avoided.

 

VW are as bad, 3 years ago my Golf suffered the all too often seen rotting front wings - my claim was refused because, apparently, any part of the bodywork that can be removed wasn't covered - the 12 year warranty only applies to the body shell......???

 

*We've got a Karoq on order with same dealer, allegedly being built this week, I hope I don't need the service department anytime soon. 🤞

[numskull]

The interesting part about all this is I was told, by SUK, in June 2020 that warranty decisions are the responsibility of the dealer, which I take to mean dealer warranty decisions are audited after the event by the warranty team at MK and if they deem it was fair, they’ll pay the dealer for the parts and labour. We had a similar situation in car rental, whereby we had dealer warranty status and could therefore authorise warranty decisions and then claims from the manufacturer. I can only think this is why there is a reluctance to authorise claims were they think there is the slightest possibility of it being rejected. 

[nta16]

Well done on getting it sorted.

 

I doubt most Dealers and their staff would be bothered or know how to revive the battery satisfactorily even if it was possible, which with your battery it sounds like it was too late.  I'd expect a battery to last more than two years but it does depend on use/abuse and neglect, but even though you can certainly depleted even a new battery unless there's a problem you should see longer than a couple of years.  Skoda in their Owner's Manuals have that you change the battery at 5 years (or is it less now?) which should be totally unnecessary given preventative use of an appropriate  charger maintainer.  I expect to see some batteries changed at  four years or less (depending on vehicle warranty decisions) with new cars and those from say 2021 onwards.

 

Breakdown call outs because of battery issues will continue to be the number one, and growing, cause with still the vast majority of these that could have been avoided and premature sales of expensive batteries will continue and probably vastly increase.  Don't be among the statistics, you know how to generally avoid that. - https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/what-are-the-most-common-breakdown-causes/n18506 - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/519903-flat-batteries-on-the-first-working-day-of-each-year/#comment-5814322

 

VW, BMW and Merc have been relying on the decades out of date belief that their "German build quality" is still high, as high as it was last century, and of course those buying the vehicles and wanting to retain their sales value and of course loyal marque fans, won't want this belief to diminish.

 

VW like the vast majority, if not all, of car manufacturers often spend a lot of time effort and money getting away with as much as they can and we in the the UK are a soft touch and let them so it's good when someone doesn't allow them to get away with everything, well done, many of us are so beaten down by it all we do accept it too much.

 

The front wings on our VW product hire car seem so flimsy I can imagine they'd rot very quickly once started, I was looking for dents after last night's strong winds.

 

Good luck.

 

Edited 16 April by nta16
typos

[numskull]

On 15/04/2024 at 17:06, Berisford said:

We've got a Karoq on order with same dealer, allegedly being built this week, I hope I don't need the service department anytime soon. 🤞

I wouldn’t be buying anything from them anytime soon. I’d be moving the order to another dealer - recommended on here, if there are any of course - and tell the current dealer the reason why.