Hi,

I have a fiesta mk8 that I bought a year ago for my Daughter. It used to start fine but has not been driven much and now has trouble starting. When you press the start/stop button the lights and the dashboard flicker and the car clicks like it os trying to do something but there is no sound like the engine cranking. When I put a trickle charger on the battery is says that it is around 9.2V but within minutes it is up to 12.3V and the car starts. I have had Ford check the battery and they said it is ok, 53% whatever that means, and they charged me £99 for the re-charge of the battery. It was ok after that if it was driven every day but it has been left for five days and now it doesn't start and we get the flickering lights on the dashboard and a clicking when we try and start it. I noticed that if the green light on the start/stop button flashes before you press it to seat the car that it does not start but if the green light on the start/stop button is on and solid that the car starts if you press the button. I know that the battery was at 9.2V and that is probably why the car won't start but the fact that it charges within minutes and the car starts is weird. The fact that Ford checked the battery and said it was ok is also making me wonder if it is the battery or something else. My thoughts are that it might be the starter motor but if it starts after a short battery charge then I think that might not be it. It might be the start/stop system but I don't know why it is intermittent. It might be the alternator but the fact that it was starting ok as long as it is driven every day also makes me think that it is not that. It could be fuses or relays but why would it work sometimes and not others and why would it work after a quick battery charge from a trickle charger. It could be consumers draining the battery when the car is not started but again why would the car start after minutes on the trickle charger. We are turning the screen off by pressing the button twice to power it off when we go to lock the car after use. My Daughter passed her driving test on Tuesday and is eager to drive her car but the first time she went to it would not start. I could replace the battery and go from there but the fact that it charges within minutes on a trickle charger and the fact that Ford checked the battery and said it is fine makes me think that replacing the battery might be money wasted without understanding what it could be. Obviously I want her to be safe and having a reliable car is kind of important and I wondered if my description of the problem is the same as anybody has had on this forum please.

You need a new Battery and it needs to be fully charged before fitting.

If the Battery was otherwise healthy but discharged to 9.2 Volts it would take at least half a day to be fully charged with a modern Smart Charger.

Hi for the price ford have charged you for recharge you can get a new yuasa 7096 battery. fit this and your problem should be solved.Replace the original ford battery they are nothing but rubbish.i only do low mileage but had no problems since fitting the yuasa 7096.

On 11/9/2024 at 8:56 PM, Divvi said:

and they said it is ok, 53% whatever that means,

Well after battling my way through that densely packed block of text, I have analysed the data and conclude the battery is bu99ered 🤣

We don't know what charger the OP has been using but it doesn't sound like one of the recommended smart chargers (Maypole, Noco, C-tek etc). As it seems you can't run a modern car without one, it may be worth buying one first and giving it a go, before laying out for a new battery.

If it does the trick after a full overnight charge, fine, if not you still need it to charge the new battery so nothing lost.😀