Car battery status indicator

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xpd

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#306218 5-Jul-2023 09:40

Modern car batteries are not something I've ever really thought about....... but today wife asks me to take a look at ours as the car is struggling to start lately.

This battery has a reference to an "indicator" - where do I find that ?

TIA

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mjb

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#3100081 5-Jul-2023 09:44

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xpd

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#3100083 5-Jul-2023 09:46

Ah did wonder if it was that :D Thanks!

So prob good time to look at new battery,...... its been in there for a while so probably past its 3 year warranty :D https://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/p/century-century-car-battery---58mf-530-cca/100709.html

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mjb

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#3100087 5-Jul-2023 09:47

There should be a sticker with a date code on it somewhere, usually in the from of MM/YY. What does that say?

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xpd

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#3100089 5-Jul-2023 09:50

Think its on the front of the battery, and its in a battery box, so not keen on taking it out to find out for now ;) Wife will pop into our mechanics and get them to check it.

Think it was pre-covid when it was installed.

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tweake

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#3100090 5-Jul-2023 09:50

the magic eye doesn't mean much. its only one cell and usually your going to notice its flat before you look at it.

a lot of batteries don't get charged properly and that becomes more noticeable in winter. first thing is to put it on a charger. make sure you use the correct charger/mode because there is quite a few different types of batteries out now. its getting common for people to use calcium batteries in older models which will not charge a calcium battery properly.

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#3100118 5-Jul-2023 11:02

Usually: Green is good, some other colour is needs-charging, and black/no colour is dead/do not use.

Mike

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#3100154 5-Jul-2023 12:06

Car batteries typically need replacing after somewhere between 5 and 10 years. Manufacturer date along with knowledge of how often it's been deep-sunk are the main feeders (i've never used the silly magic eye thing)...

I just recently replaced my battery after about 8 years of service. Replacement being so easy, i'm not sure i'd pay a mechanic to do it unless bundling it with enough other work to make it worthwhile tbh.

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#3100218 5-Jul-2023 14:06

We had a battery that went Kaput in COVID times.

We got a cheap battery charger from Supercheap and we top the batteries up in my wife and son's cars occasionally (once a year or so in winter usually).

Been pretty good so far.

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xpd

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#3100226 5-Jul-2023 14:29

Im happy to replace the battery myself, but got no way of testing it to check that it is on its last legs or not :D

Our local mechanic prob wouldnt charge us for a install anyway..... theyre fricking great :)

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BlakJak

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#3100408 5-Jul-2023 20:21

If it's >5 years old and you suspect it, replace it... or run it til it dies.

I bought a little jump-box and managed to eke >6months longer out of my dying battery by nursing it a bit and using the jump box to help out when I did leave the lights on for longer than needed.

When my battery got sad it was fine under normal conditions and with the engine running but I could hear it working a little harder than it should've been on cold start. But it always started - unless I left a door open or a light (or the stereo) on for >10 minutes when engine not running.

Bottom line is that if your car starts, it's fine.

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frankv

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#3100506 6-Jul-2023 11:10

Handsomedan:

We had a battery that went Kaput in COVID times.

We got a cheap battery charger from Supercheap and we top the batteries up in my wife and son's cars occasionally (once a year or so in winter usually).

I take it that when you say "went kaput" you mean "went flat". If the battery itself is kaput, then you would need to use the charger often. And one day soon when you're away from home you'll find that the car won't start and you won't have your charger.

A battery charger is useful insurance if, as in the case of covid, you don't use the car for several weeks, or if you're prone to leaving the door ajar and/or the lights on. Your car alternator tops up your battery when you're driving. The only other case I can think of that a battery charger would make any difference is if you drive a lot of short trips (less than say 10 minutes), where starting the engine takes more out of the battery than the car can top up in the short trip. So your description doesn't quite make sense... a top-up once a year won't have any real effect on the state of the battery's charge a few weeks later.