Hi all

Just wanted some info on a ok level for my car battery to be reading at.

I did the dash trick to get all the live info up, found no fault codes stored, but i did notice my battery voltage level with the car not running was spot on to 12.0v it flickered up to 12.1v but no higher, i havent tested the level with the engine running, but i am wondering if its time to replace the battery with a new one.

I assume the battery is from when the car left the factory which is nearly 4 years ago now and i am thinking ahead with some preventative maintainance which wont harm anything except my bank balance.

With this anyone got any recomendations on which is the better car batteries to aim for, seen some bosch s3 or s4 and halfords sell other brands but seem very expensive.

The power should read 14.4 abd above when running and about 12.4ish when off.

A new battery would never be a bad idea, get it tested and go from there.

Just make sure you get a silver calcium battery or else the smart charge system will kill it.

Yeah seen all this info about silver calcium. Thanks

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Sorry to jump in but doesn't it have to be a specific ampage battery? Eg: 90 amps or more......

Just checked my voltage again after leaving it overnight and it's down towards 11.5. When the engine is running it's up over 14v. Is that resting voltage proof that I need to replace the battery

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Measuring a battery's voltage while it sits doing nothing is no true indicator as to it's condition. It should be load tested to confirm.

That said, I would expect a little more from it sitting overnight. Most places will load test for free in hope that you will pay them for a new battery.

Also depends on usage. I you only drive a couple of miles each journey then the battery is not being charged up enough.

Yeah normally very short journeys, the car always starts first time, I have never had any turnover problems am I just being a bit trigger happy or will I encounter problems if I leave it as is

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Eventually it will let you down as the battery becomes more discharged.

Try taking for a long drive or long charge if you have a battery charger.

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My battery was dropping almost 1 volt everyday it wasn't driven. My Ford TDCI battery lasted 7 years but recently I had to replace it.

However, my voltage usually sits around 12.0-12.1 volts when not being driven and over 14 when it is running. And that's a brand new battery.

It really comes down to whether or not the car is performing as it should.

My Mk1 (still on the original battery I think) runs at between 12.0 - 12.4V depending on whether I have been on a long (10+ miles) journey recently or not.

It jumps to 14.8 on charge with the engine running. As long as it starts and doesn't show signs of wear (slow turnover) I will not be replacing it, charging it YES but not replacing it. I use a little "intelligent" charger from Aldi to charge my batterys and have done so for several years now.

If it fails to start the car even after a charge then it is time for a new battery ;-) That's my rule of thumb. Mind you I have a fully charged 100Ah battery in the shed if it fails - I bought a new one for my Mondeo 2 months before my insurance company scrapped it! b*tards.

theres a few reasons 1 in order to use the dash test youre also using power from the car so it will show a lower value since opening the ford bonnet means using the fob first so the alarm doesnt go off you activate the ecu again using power its not like some cars where you just pop the bonnet and do the test and no electrics are on so the 12v figure is actually more like 12.4v but the fact the cars using power is draining the battery slightly hence the lower number

a load test free is the best way to go if it passes its likely fine the best way to know if the battery is low is 1 when you start the car see if the heated windscreen will come on if it does the battery is fine a low battery voltage will stop this coming on due to the high power it uses

2 if the voltage was low the dash dials will go into test mode when you start the car this means theres not enough power for the ecu to store the info

3 if the cars starting fine even in 3 degree weather then the battery clearly has enough juice short trips dont help but if you demist windows before you drive away rather than whilst driving rear window included then you give the battery a chance to recover whilst driving and having those items off

Does anyone recommend which type of battery to replace my current one, i know it has to be a silver calcium one, but is there a particular size one that i need, i have looked and it keeps coming up with a 075 model. i can get a bosch s4 for £55 off ebay and a s5 for just over £60, would these be ok for a 1.6 petrol focus. anyone got any experience using these.

Or is there a different better brand to use.

By the way i had a battery test at a local garage and the battery is on its way out.