[KL54]

And so it is. A battery problem.
Took the battery to a shop. Tested the cells. One of the cells had gone kaput. The hydrometer was not measuring anything in one of the cells.
Swapped the old battery for a new Amaron Flo. Got a grand for the old guy.
Total damage = 5100/-.
Installed the new guy myself. Cranked the old lady and she comes to life again with a roar! We are back in business!
Thanks guys for the responses!

[Gansan]

Today the OEM Amaron battery was checked at the MASS during service and two cells were found to be at 60% efficiency. Battery is 4.5 years old. They recommended a replacement because, in their opinion, a battery that old can suddenly give up the ghost any time.

Replaced it with an Amaron Go battery for Rs 3400.00. They told me to take the old battery as they will offer only Rs 150.00 for it. I was in no mood to carry it away and told them to keep it.

[AstonMartin]

Mates, please check out "http://www.batterybhai.com/" before changing the battery from local shops or ASCs. I recently used their service and it was excellent. They come home and fix the new battery for you and take away the old one. The prices are really competitive. This service is available only in large Indian cities.

[JMaruru]

How do we retain the health and charge of a battery, if we are out of station say for around 4 months? Is there any method, or do we have to disconnect the battery? Please advise.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

How do we retain the health and charge of a battery, if we are out of station say for around 4 months? Is there any method, or do we have to disconnect the battery? Please advise.

Best option is to disconnect the positive terminal of the battery, if you car is going to be unused for prolonged duration (one month or more).

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Gansan

They told me to take the old battery as they will offer only Rs 150.00 for it.

I don't know what is the norm in your place, but all dealers in our city offer Rs. 500/- for the old battery. I inquired from many dealers before changing my car's battery last month and everyone quoted the same buy back price.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Best option is to disconnect the positive terminal of the battery, if you car is going to be unused for prolonged duration (one month or more).

Any particular reason to disconnect the positive terminal? The MASS Mandovi SA wants me to disconnect the negative terminal, if the vehicle is not being used for more than couple of weeks.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Any particular reason to disconnect the positive terminal? The MASS Mandovi SA wants me to disconnect the negative terminal, if the vehicle is not being used for more than couple of weeks.

Disconnect the terminal which has cable running to the starter, and not the terminal which goes to the earth (body). Some car have a negative earth while others have a positive earth hence the confusion.

[bsdbsd]

Dear Friends, I have two questions for you today.

1. I have a Honda City (2013 August), which comes with a charging port. If I leave my mobile charger (2.1A Capdase) in the charger port until I start the car again, will it present any issues? The charger is lighting up once when the key is inserted and goes off and comes back on when the engine is started. Will this have any effect on the battery? Is there a possibility that the mobile charger pulls in high amount of electricity when switched on, resulting in a negative impact or a short circuit? Please note that the mobile itself is not connected to the charger, but just that the charger is left in its charging port.

2. I have a USB powered port in the audio unit, and I have connected a Leoxsys bluetooth unit to this powered port and the audio out is connected to Aux in. Same question again. If I leave this bluetooth streamer connected to the powered port, will it result in a power surge when the car is started?

Thanks in advance!

[amitk26]

Used services of http://www.carbatteryexpert.com/ recently purchased Amron 80AH Flo battery at cheaper rates then market. First contacted www.batterybhai.com but they had only Amron highway model which comes with lesser warranty.

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

1. I have a Honda City (2013 August), which comes with a charging port. If I leave my mobile charger (2.1A Capdase) i

2. I have a USB powered port in the audio unit, and I have connected a Leoxsys bluetooth unit to this powered port

No issues , Usually the USB and car charging points are connected through Acc that is when you pull out the key they switch off. Only aftermarket
ports have a possibility of current flow after removing key because installers sometimes tap cabin light or other wiring which is easiest to approach.

However for complete peace of mind use a multimeter and check if there is no potential diff ( Voltage) on these ports once you remove key,

[abhinavsureka]

my Innova's battery has died in 32 months and needs replacement. it came with only a two year warranty. warranty on diesel car batteries is lower than those for petrol cars is what i heard. the local car battery dealer only has batteries with 2 year warranty.

Which battery brand should i use to get max warranty and hassle free usage. pls recommend

[dark.knight]

Amaron is a very safe bet, it has dealers and support network on par with Exide and in general its the most reliable brand. When I changed the original battery on the car after 4.5 years it was a no brainer, not only was it slightly cheaper than Exide it was lighter as well and came with 5 year warranty (petrol). Diesel I'm not sure.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Exide it was lighter as well and came with 5 year warranty (petrol). Diesel I'm not sure.

Battery warranty is for battery model I am not sure how exide veeifies if battery was fitted in petrol or diesel car.
In case od Amron they have 3 product range FLO which has 24 + 24 months warranty, GO with 18 + 18 and highway with 18 + 6 months warranty. Same AH and size is available in 3 models.

[Chetan_Rao]

I need to buy a car battery charger.

I don't use my car for my daily commute, and I travel for work often which all adds up to my car standing idle for moderate time periods (upto 2 weeks) at a stretch and needs a top-up charge once in 6-7 months to keep the battery in good shape. I don't like availing the services of the local battery dealer, esp. after watching first-hand how his untrained battery-monkeys handle customer batteries.

I have a 45Ah Exide Matrix maintenance-free battery installed. What sort of charger should I be buying? There are several options on eBay, but I'm no expert so thought safest to ask here.

I'd prefer something that's smart enough to not overcharge (charge to a level then float charge to 100% and auto-cutoff).

[Rev_That_V8]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I need to buy a car battery charger.

I don't use my car for my daily commute, and I travel for work often which all adds up to my car standing idle for moderate time periods (upto 2 weeks) at a stretch and needs a top-up charge once in 6-7 months to keep the battery in good shape. I don't like availing the services of the local battery dealer, esp. after watching first-hand how his untrained battery-monkeys handle customer batteries.

I have a 45Ah Exide Matrix maintenance-free battery installed. What sort of charger should I be buying? There are several options on eBay, but I'm no expert so thought safest to ask here.

I'd prefer something that's smart enough to not overcharge (charge to a level then float charge to 100% and auto-cutoff).

I could understand your issue here. Instead of buying a battery charging equipment you can do simple things to keep not only the battery but also other parts of your car in good shape. choose a day (a sunday or a saturday when you are at leisure). start your car and drive it ( if driving isn't possible then idling for 10 mins each day would do).

Since you are going on travel frequently with minimal or no leisure time then look out for a Charger that has an inbuilt circuit for auto cut off ,
Battery chargers are of three types. There is the manual type, the trickle type, and the automatic switcher type.

Manual type is where there is no electronics that would auto shut if charging is completed-Not Recommended and very cheap.

Trickle charge is where the charging is done slowly and intermittently thus taking a long time and shuts after completion but is the safest of all - Recommended but expensive.

Auto type chargers charge continuously till the battery is charged completely and thus shuts off after that - Best to use and cheap.

Apart from that, see the Amp rating of the charger , given that your battery is 45 Ah it would be imperative to know a safe voltage and current spec needed for your charger ( usually lift the spec from your alternator spec. which would be helpful in this case) e.g. if your alternator spec is 14 Volts and 120 Watts (Disclaimer : These are just example values your actual car specs may differ) then its around 8.5 Amps(max) the alternator supplies to charge your battery so take these as design cues and check for a charger that closely matches these specs and try not to exceed them.(larger the current rating of the charger more quicker the battery will charge and it is unsafe for the battery life so, do keep this in mind as its better and recommended to have a lower current rating and wait an entire day just for the safety of your battery).