Hi

I have a 2019 Fiesta, so the battery is just over 3 years old. Im just wondering how long batteries generally last?

I was also wondering if the fiesta has any warning light for when the battery eventually needs replacing.

If not do you guys just wait until it completely dies or do you replace at a certain time, say 4 years.

Thanks

Replace it when it's no longer reliable.

They can last 7-10 years on a well run car.

4 years or less if it's abused with lots of short journeys and high electrical loads.

I replaced the battery on my last Fiesta at around 7 or 8 years.  The stop/start hadn't worked for ages, but servicing garage said battery was fine. Then the heated rear and front screens stopped working.   New battery sorted it all 

On my 2007 fiesta the original battery lasted just over 10 years.  But it didn’t have start stop. I don’t know if start stop has an effect on battery life.

27 minutes ago, isetta said:

On my 2007 fiesta the original battery lasted just over 10 years.  But it didn’t have start stop. I don’t know if start stop has an effect on battery life.

Interesting thanks everyone.

On start/stop I guess it can, I don't rarely use that though, I normally deactivate it, as for my regular journeys I don't normally sit in a lot of stationary traffic luckily.

1 hour ago, isetta said:

I don’t know if start stop has an effect on battery life.

Well I guess looking at the many reactions on this forum it has a huge effect on the life of the battery. Every time Stop/Start doesn't work, the first thing to do is throw away a perfectly good battery and fit a new one 🤣🤣

Yeah it does seem to happen. I prefer it when my stop start doesn’t stop the engine.  Would love to be able to permanently disable it. 

18 minutes ago, isetta said:

Would love to be able to permanently disable it. 

https://www.formod.eu/nostop.php    [£29 free P&P]

 

16 hours ago, mitch84 said:

Hi

I have a 2019 Fiesta, so the battery is just over 3 years old. Im just wondering how long batteries generally last?

I was also wondering if the fiesta has any warning light for when the battery eventually needs replacing.

If not do you guys just wait until it completely dies or do you replace at a certain time, say 4 years.

Thanks

"Stop/Start" batteries are a lot different to the old car batteries (that's why they cost double):

ECM (Enhanced Cyclic Mat) batteries have been specifically developed to meet the needs of standard, entry-level start-stop vehicles providing increased performance, longer battery life and the ability to cope with additional cyclic demand. ECM batteries lower CO2 emissions by up to 6% in comparison to standard lead-acid batteries and are up to 6% more fuel efficient. ECM batteries are equipped to deal with increased electrical loads from in-car technology such as air conditioning even when the engine is in the idle/off position.

ECM batteries must be replaced with either another ECM battery or an AGM battery. Conventional batteries should not be fitted.

AGM batteries

AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries are designed specifically for larger, more demanding stop-start vehicles that use additional technologies designed to reduce fuel consumption. These technologies include brake regeneration systems, gear shift indicators and energy management systems (EMS). Not only can these batteries cope with the increased demand from such fuel saving devices as these, they are also able to power a wider range of ancillary equipment, even when the engine is in the idle position. On average AGM batteries benefit from up to 8% lower CO2 emissions than a standard battery and are up to 8% more fuel efficient.

AGM batteries can be fitted to all stop-start vehicles but must be replaced ‘like for like’ where an AGM battery was originally fitted.

 

Ford use an EFB or AFB or ECM battery. They are all the same thing. So far, both of my cars have been fine on the originals at five years old and the stop start has given no problems other than needing to be charged correctly on one occasion.

The stop start system is largely misunderstood and derided but does in fact work very well for people who RTFM.

Please correct me if I’m wrong but most stop start batteries are efb ( enhanced flooded batteries) haven’t heard of ECM 

Same thing. AFB is another term for them.

Most small cars use EFB. Big ones use yet another type, AGM.

 

My car's had a standard battery, not the EFB it should be, fitted since 2017/18, (presumably after the write-off repair)...  Always started the engine fine and Stop/Start worked fine for the 3+ years I drove the car.  I only found out when I came to replace the battery after several months of not being driven.  I never did replace the battery as I couldn't start driving again, just charged it up, and it's still holding enough charge to start the engine now! 

I have been using a solar charger on the parcel shelf to keep it topped up for the last 6 months, though I'm still sceptical as to how much effect that really has.

I'm not suggesting anyone fits a standard battery purposely, but I am genuinely surprised that a 'normal' battery works so well and for so long in a stop/start vehicle!

Although the battery takes a big draw when operating the starter, it is only for a short period. Given a warm engine, computer controlled to be in the optimum configuration for starting, a smart alternator that can supply a lot of energy and the ability of lead-acid chemistry to handle huge current demand, it really isn't so surprising. We don't charge them fully any more, either as this markedly increases their life.