I was looking to buy the Bosch C7 as we have multiple vehicles & our Honda City diesel is just parked most of the time.

BHPian viXit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Was looking at the Bosch C7 which costs Rs. 6570.

We have three cars and two bikes. I'm not too worried about the two-wheelers since they have the kick start provision and no other electronics on them.

Two cars see reasonable usage, Safari 3 times a week and i10 once a week minimum.

But the Honda city diesel is idle most of the time. It was fine throughout the lockdown, almost 2 months of no starting yet it fired up on the first try.

But late last year its battery gave up and set me back by 8k for the new Exide one. The car had decently regular usage during the period of its first battery (SF Sonic). Its primary user is no more, hence the running will be quite low during its second battery's life.

Should I expect a shorter life for the new battery now and is it worth spending 6k on a charger? I have a power socket in my parking now, hence the thought.

I'm thinking about the cost-benefit analysis.

How many years can the Charger extend the life of my existing battery?

I got 5 years of use from the first battery.

Safari battery lasted around 6 years. i10 battery lasted almost 6 years too.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

You would have seen a lot of us happy Bosch C7 owners on the dedicated thread. I now have TWO of them!

Like me, you clearly have more vehicles than you need, and a ready power socket in the parking spot. Go for it. Forget the cost-benefit analysis as it will reward you with convenience, and also save you from a dead battery or two.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say about the matter:

Surely a battery charger will save you lots of pain when the car does not start. You will need one if you do only short trips.

The alternator will never manage to replenish the juice you use to start the car. Using a trickle charger overnight about once a month will keep the battery healthy and give it the maximum life.

You don't need a fancy trickle charger. Just a cheap one will do.

I have 7 of them. I have so many because I forget where I put them and they turn up after some time after buying new ones. Right now I have control over 5 of these.

If you have a socket for the charger, just get one.

The number of years your battery will last is like asking how long a piece of string is but it will save you lots of trouble.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say about the matter:

I consider the charger to be a useful tool to keep the batteries in good-to-go condition. Prolonging the battery life is a bonus - not sure it will save you much money unless you are talking about BMW category cars with AGM-type batteries which are expensive and don’t last long without regular usage. Flooded batteries in regular cars seem to cope better with the lack of regular usage.

Here's what BHPian mygodbole had to say about the matter:

Vehicle batteries die out for one simple reason: sulphation.

Details here (it is a sales site, so there is a sales pitch at the end).

I first used a charger-cum-desulphator to fix the battery on my Triumph, recommended and sold in 2009 by Triumph, after the new battery 'died' after about six weeks of non-usage.

From then on, I have been using this kind of charger/desulphator on any car that I have used, ranging from sedan/4x4/SUV in temperatures ranging from 10 Celsius to 50 Celsius. Twice a year, start of summer and start of winter, I plug it in for about 48 hours and the battery is as good as new.

Not had to change a battery due to the battery 'dying out', had to change one after an accident in 2015 caused the battery to crack.

If using a trickle charger, please monitor the battery to prevent overcharging.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The health of this particular battery was checked in the last service 3 months ago and it was all good as per SC.

BHPian Zignor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians and more specifically Tata Nexon owners (especially BS6). Off late, a few members from our car group came up with battery draining issues. They'd complain of battery being discharged even though the car was switched off or run only for a short time. As a true car detective, fellow BHPian Apratim and a few other members decided to investigate.

The problem: A dead car

A few days back, suddenly the car stalled due to low battery and would not crank. The car was in use daily and was driven a short distance. The blower was on for hardly 10 minutes without the engine running which is very normal. A local mechanic was called and the car was somehow started. The next day morning again same issue occurred and RSA was called. RSA technician could not jump start it and said maybe the issue is with the starter. The next day the car was towed to the service centre for a check-up. The discovery is a lesson for all of us.

The Investigation: Battery mein kuch to gadbad hai...

Briefly, after 2 days of diagnosis, the battery needed replacement (the life of the battery was 20 months). This is what the analysis at the service centre came up with (attached screenshot). The warranty had expired just a couple of months back. The batteries supplied with the car have 18 months warranty from the invoice date, whereas the same battery outside comes with 55 months warranty. The health of this particular battery was checked in the last service 3 months ago and it was all good as per SC.

Usually, when the battery is checked, SC doesn’t share this report with us but if your battery is within 18 months of invoicing and if the bars mentioned are less than 70%, please ask the SC to cover it under warranty.

The Culprit: Is behind bars (or should I say behind the battery bars)

After a lot of research in the market about car batteries, a few observations:

• Exide batteries are not good for Nexon (based on the number of complaints we are facing). Moreover, the battery does not fit properly in the bay and may lead to loose connections).
• In Exide batteries we need to crank a little more which may lead to wear & tear.
• Exide battery (available in the market) needs to fit in reverse order (back to front) as terminals are opposite
• Warranty period given for the above is 30+25 months of purchase from the market whereas Tata provides 18 months only.
• Tata Green gives only a 24+24 warranty
• Bosch is good but hasn't been researched with regard to servicing.
• Amaron is a worthy substitute with 55 month warranty.
• SF battery (sub-brand of Exide) with 24+24 warranty can be considered as a VFM option.
• SC charges around 7500 for the same battery which is available for cheaper in the market.
• Petrol Nexon comes with a 47Ah battery which is not manufactured by Amaron anymore (it is anyways made to order for OEMs). 50Ah can be used and no issues with the warranty.

PS: While checking the battery, make sure the ignition is off or else the battery will show normal.

Hope this helps fellow Nexon owners to take care of their car batteries. As a suggestion, do get your batteries checked.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The technicians have agreed to change the battery under warranty this time.

BHPian jono213 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey there!

So a short little intro, we have 2 cars: A 2017 VX petrol Honda City and a new-gen 2020 EX petrol Creta, the latter of which this article is about.

It all started on the 12th of Jan, when the driver took the car out to pick up a relative, got a call from him saying the car wouldn't start, puzzled, I went down to the garage and attempted to start it myself but all I got were consecutive clicking sounds from the engine. Until now the car had been absolutely blissful, even though it was the starting EX variant, noise levels inside the cabin and general comfort was top class, anyways coming back to the issue, made the decision to phone up Hyundai Roadside Assistance and got connected to one of their reps, explained to him the issue and he assured me that one of their assistant mechanic partners would be at my location in about an hour, which was fine with me.

The mechanic arrived on time an hour later and fiddled around with his battery tester and determined that the battery was out of juice, having made this assumption myself I wasn't really surprised, he then jumpstarted the car and told us to leave it on for about 30 minutes so we could drive it to a battery retail shop to get it replaced, the mechanic was very professional, troubleshot every possible cause to rule any other issue out, he even recommended to us what battery to buy and having been paid his dues, he left. (couldn't take any photos because making this post hadn't come to mind yet)

Now this is where things start to get a little sticky, dad phoned up the showroom to ask to get the battery replaced since it was still under warranty and their manager told us to get the car to the location, now since I had classes to attend, the driver took the car there. Once all formalities were done, the manager told my dad that instead of replacing the battery, they would recharge it and it would work for a little longer (a detail I hadn't known until the car was back) and my dad agreed to this compromise but I wasn't really sold on this entire compromise and it seemed a little suspicious to me.

So fast-forward to today and the car hadn't been used for the past 5 days since the driver caught covid and since my dad drives the city usually, it was left untouched in the parking (except for the usual start of the engine). I was cleaning the car and just decided to start it up for no reason whatsoever but what I got was a very weak, strangled start of the engine, a little bit alarmed, I tried it again and this time it just went blank.

No response from the engine and my subconscious was laughing at me since I did predict this would happen, I called my dad downstairs, he tried starting the engine but no response whatsoever, he then phoned up the manager again and asked him why this was happening if they had just recharged the battery and had assured him it would last for about 6-7 months.

I'm not going to make any accusations whatsoever about the dealership, neither am I going to reveal which one it is, but this issue just shows how willing reps are to cut costs, since there was still 6 months on the warranty, they would've had to replace the battery in its entirety but they convinced my dad that this was the better option, and what I told him that day came to pass and as expected the car isn't starting up again.

The manager told us that he would duly dispatch their technician again tomorrow morning and assured us that the battery would be changed under warranty this time, so fingers crossed I guess. I will update this thread tomorrow, along with a little more content and pictures but this will suffice for now.

Here's what BHPian Akshay6988 had to say on the matter:

I'm surprised to see battery failure this earlier on a base variant of Creta. My Creta stays idle for nearly 10 - 15 days at a stretch, and I've never faced any starting issue, touchwood. Perhaps is there any aftermarket accessory (dashcam) that is draining the battery when the car is parked? Make sure you are present when the showroom guys change the battery!

Here's what BHPian SS-Traveller had to say on the matter:

Ask the dealer / RSA mechanic to use a multimeter and check for unusual current discharge or short circuit that is draining the battery. Anything above 300mA in a new car would indicate some current leakage somewhere. He can then isolate the culprit circuit by pulling the fuses one by one, and checking if the current drain stops.

It would be very unusual for a 1-year-old battery to fail and need replacement.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say on the matter:

Why did you start the car occasionally when the car was parked for 5 days? It takes some kilometres to put the charge back into the battery every time you start the car. Just starting the car without driving with a weak battery is asking for it to be discharged. I leave my car for weeks sometimes without starting. Last time for 2 weeks at the airport in sub-zero temperatures.

From what I read, you need a new battery. I don't think it is a manufacturing fault but rather your driving style and lack of maintenance. A trickle charger is a must when you do only short trips. Get one and use it and your battery problems will go. A car battery is not a fit and forget component.

If a battery is allowed to drop below 50%, it starts to die and if left discharged will never wake up again. You will be able to jump-start the car but it will never keep any charge.

Every time I start my car, I drive 20 km to work and once more to get home. A month ago my car was charged to 100% and today it showed 50% and is now connected to a trickle charger.

A charger is so cheap these days and many come with a plug to attach to the starter battery and are very easy to connect.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The battery is not that easily accessible from outside the car and one needs to stand 'inside' the frunk for better ergonomics.

BHPian androdev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The battery was not holding sufficient juice even though it is regularly charged. Frunk (front hood) can't be opened if the battery is dead. Since the battery itself is inside the frunk, it is not possible to jump-start it without opening the frunk. There is some German voodoo procedure to open the frunk to gain access to the battery. Decided to replace the battery without further delay.

The previous owner has installed an Exide flooded battery. I don't think it is of the correct capacity either. I checked with Porsche about replacement battery stock (high hopes, didn't even get a reply) and then did some online research to find that the OEM part is 80Ah CCA 800A spec with 315x175x190 dimensions.

I decided to buy an AGM battery as my experience with them has been very good. I checked with the Mercedes dealer as this battery is the OEM part for E-Class, they were not very helpful and also quoted Rs 42K for the battery. I finally managed to buy a Varta AGM battery from a Delhi dealer Bieco Batteries and got it shipped to BLR for Rs 27.2K (highly recommended, I posted my experience, here).

Even though this is a fairly simple car compared to a modern BMW (which turned battery replacement into rocket science), I wanted to supply 12V power to the car while the battery was being replaced. This would ensure there won't be any warning, loss of settings etc. Used jumper cables to hook up a 12V source from another car battery (similar to jump-start). Note that jumper cable clamps should not interfere with main battery clamp removal/reinstallation.

Image showing jumper cables connected before removing the battery:

The battery is not that easily accessible from outside the car and one needs to stand 'inside' the frunk for better ergonomics. Batteries are heavy, one must be careful not to get hurt.

Battery tray (ouch to see the condition!) with holes to accommodate batteries of different lengths (current Exide is 278mm, replacement Varta is 315mm, it can accommodate up to 353mm):

New battery in place:

T Spanner (13mm socket) to remove/fix the retaining clamp bolt:

Meanwhile, I procured some OEM Octane booster additives in case there is a post-COVID world in future :-)

The most exciting way to buy milk and eggs:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I am currently charging my battery using an external charger.

BHPian veek recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So I reverse the polarity of the alternator battery and a faint smoke was released. When I set it correctly the alternator makes a slight whining sound (no other electricals in the vehicle)

Right now I just get the display and the battery multi-meter shows 11V or so (old battery, should read 12.25V).

Anyhow, I am charging the battery right now with an external charger and wondering what to do? Any help on cost, availability of spares?

I live in Bangalore. (Can I fix this? Don't have any mechanical tools - multi-meter, a few screwdrivers, spanners) Don't use the car much as well; Once in 2-3 months, but parents want it.

Here's what BHPian R2D2 had to say on the matter:

What part did the smoke come from? If you reversed the polarity (a very BIG no-no!) you may have blown an electrical component, maybe the rectifier/regulator. Just pray the ECU is okay.

Ok since you're a tech experienced person in bridge rectifiers I think the best way to check for faults is to:

• Switch on the ignition and check any warning lights come on
• Attempt to start the car - if the ECU is blown it will not start.
• If the car starts take a DMM and measure the voltage at the battery terminals. It should be about 13.5-14.4 volts when the engine is idling.

Mind you if the car needs to be repaired it will have to be taken on a flatbed or a tow truck. You may be looking at a pretty large expense.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say on the matter:

First, you should give more details about your car. I would think the diodes in the alternator are fried for sure. If the car is old, that should be the least of your problems.

With later models cars, you are looking at some serious cash to fix the car.

Don't try to fix the car yourself. You risk doing more damage.

Does your car have an ECU? What happens when you switch on the ignition? Does the battery lamp light up? Do any of the lamps light up? Does the car start?

Assuming this is an old car without electronics and an alternator, your diodes might be fried. Then you will need to fit a new diode bridge and rectifier or get a new exchange alternator.

It looks like your alternator is not charging at all. If it did you would have measured at least 13,5V at the battery. You should be shopping around for an alternator.

You might have gotten away if you just shorted the wire by mistake but it looks like you connected the cables to the battery. You are also looking at a new battery.

A fully charged battery is at 12,7V and a dead battery at 11,7V. The difference between lif and death is only 1V. At 11V, your battery has taken its last breath.

Here's what BHPian nik0502 had to say on the matter:

Hi veek,

Please start by looking for blown fuses. Something similar happened with my Gypsy a couple of years back and all it took was one fuse to get the car started. If it does not fuse then you might be looking at the alternator and other parts.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

For reference, I drive a Mahindra Bolero (BS6) model with a 70mai dashcam hardware kit.

BHPian ashwinprakas recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys, just reporting an issue I've been facing with the 70mai Dashcam Hardwire kit.

Below you can see the basic parameters:

and here's how I'd hooked it up in my Bolero:

The Red wire needs to be Permanently Powered and hence it was tapped from the Immobilizer fuse. The Yellow wire needs to be powered only on Ignition ON and hence was tapped from the Wiper fuse.

Everything worked well after installation and this was a win for me cause the Bolero being BoF and my driving being not so gentle the 12v socket would also disconnect when driving over rough patches, now with the hardwire kit in place at worst it would record an emergency video and I was fine with that.

However the issue of battery drain surfaced during the covid lockdowns when I'd had to keep the car idle for over a month and it wouldn't start when I'd get back, I partially blamed the electronics gizmos in modern cars then completely blame the hardwire kit.

Though in later instances I did take a multimeter with me and noticed that even though the car failed to crank i.e the relay would just cut off, no slow cranking like it was the case with older less electronically dependent cars. The battery had over 11v at idle and it was not surface charge as I'd used the horn and lights to confirm.

In such instances, I would just hook up my Pulsar's 9ah battery to the Bolero just to get the reading over 12v and then crank the car and it would successfully fire up.

Now I'd recently had to leave KL for a month and had taken the Alto with me, I had transferred the hardwiring kit to the Alto and left the Bolero parked for over a month, when I got back I half expected the Bolero to need assistance but it fired up without a care in the world.

So my inference from all this is that the Low Voltage Protection for 11.4V that 70mai offers is too low with respect to the cut off Mahindra has set for the Bolero's electricals which is why we only hear relay ticking and not the car cranking.

For further clarification mine is a BS6 Bolero B6(O) that comes with the mHawk D75, it has a one-touch start setup i.e it is as electrically complex as a modern can be.

As a workaround, I have ordered another hardwiring kit from 70mai and when it arrives I hope to give both Red and Yellow wires to the Wiper fuse so that both get power only when the ignition is turned ON.

This effectively disables the Parking Surveillance feature the hardwire kit is usually preferred for but I am at a loss of ideas, so please do suggest a better alternative if you can.

Here's what BHPian s4ch had to say on the matter:

I believe you could tap the red wire from the roof lamp fuse if you need an always-on connection. But I guess that is for only recording if your car is hit while stationary? So tapping both connections from something that is only powered with Ignition on may be safer and should still record fine when your car is on.

Either way, I would not recommend that you tap from a critical component like the Immobilizer, Starter Motor etc, as in the event of that fuse being blown or similar, you would really be stuck then. Best to take it from a non-critical component like the roof lamp, 12v cigarette lighter etc.

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say on the matter:

Sorry if I missed anything obvious but why was the wiring tampered with when it's just a plug and play device? If the socket is coming off, you should have looked at alternatives to keep it intact. I think the continuous power supply that it demands (if there is too much activity around your car when it is parked), could be a reason. But since the power source for the device has changed, the device could be sucking in more from the battery. Just my guess, cannot be sure of it.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

I would prefer electronic devices to take power from an additional power bank than a car's battery. Is there a way you can connect one in parallel that would switch over when the engine is off?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

My vehicle battery is acting up lately so thought of getting it changed. Workshop/dealer is recommending SF Sonic.

BHPian SideView recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

What is the consensus on the battery brand that needs to be selected?

Background behind this topic:

My vehicle battery is acting up lately so thought of getting it changed. (current one is Exide) It is 3 years old with limited vehicle usage due to current covid situation.

Workshop/dealer is recommending SF Sonic (which, I am not too sure about). When I mentioned Amaron, he says its performance is not what it used to be with “current” models.

Here are the results from the poll created, based on the votes by BHPians:

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say on the matter:

I'd recommend Amaron. Go for the one that has maximum warranty (beyond 36 months). I have been using it for all my needs (bikes, cars & inverter). It is just very good. Better than the others. In case it doesn't work well within the warranty period (which is very rare), you will get a brand new battery replaced without any questions.

Here's what BHPian SS-Traveller had to say on the matter:

I've used all 3 brands listed, and I cannot say I have found any one brand performing inferiorly with relation to the others. Though the vote here is overwhelmingly in favour of Amaron, I have had an Amazon Black fail on me 2 days after the warranty ran out, and an Amaron Go needing to be replaced in warranty. So no battery is failsafe, it's just the warranty that matters.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Am a total Amaron guy and all my cars are running Amarons, except for the AGM in the German.

Exide left a bitter taste in my mouth as I owned a few that failed exactly when the warranty expired. It's as if the battery was engineered to fail at that point.

Also a trickle charger in these pandemic times, if you are lucky enough to have a power socket close to your parking spot. My 5-Series & Jeep are now on trickle as the two lockdowns & limited outings due to Covid hit their batteries hard.

Here's what BHPian VRJ had to say on the matter:

I’m associated with one of the above brands, so I’m going to refrain myself from voting. My sincere advice is to stick with either Amaron or Exide. They’re both good brands. Apart from the quality of the battery, it’s the service that matters the most. It’s rare for a new battery to be defective, but it does happen. Sometime it can also be a fault with your bike/car. Happens a lot with bikes. Get the contact details of the distributor from the company’s website and find out where their service centre is and how long they take to replace a battery. Generally, a 2W and 4W battery should be replaced between 2-3 days (Max 4). A tubular battery might take a day or two longer. Sf Sonic is owned by Exide. It’s their budget brand. Amaron owns PowerZone and ACDelco, which are their budget brands.

Speaking from experience, don’t believe what your mechanic tells you. The battery field has cut throat competition. All it takes is 50Rs for the mechanic to change sides. The same mechanic who told you Amaron isn’t good lately will tell you Amaron is the best if he’s given the right incentive. It’s the distributor on the top who supplies to multiple dealers and these dealers sell to customers and mechanics. In most cases, a Distributor also has a retail shop with a service centre attached to it. The distributor gives stock on credit to a dealer and the dealer either sells to a mechanic on credit or cash depending on their relation. If the mechanic has a friend who owns an Exide shop and he gets credit and freebies from him, then he will tell you for sure that Exide is the best out there. If his friend owns an Amaron shop, then you know what the mechanics recommendation is. The mechanic only installs the battery on your vehicle, he’s not responsible for the service. That’s where the distributor/dealer comes in to the equation.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.