Hi everyone, looking for some advice, went to Halfords last week for one of those free winter car checks. When they tested my Fiesta's battery it gave off a reading off around 250/255A on the multimeter. The battery is in my Fiesta is supposed to give off a 390A (see pic attached), he said it's likely that it could be the same battery that it left the factory with back in 2007, he couldn't really give me a straight answer when i asked whether i should get it replaced or will it last a little longer (not really sure how long car batteries are supposed to last). He said that doing short journeys can harm a cars battery as well, just wondering if this is true or whether it's just a myth. If you think i'm best off getting a new battery asap some recommendations would be appreciated. I've only looked for new batteries on the halfords website, if you know any other retailers that do the same quality but cheaper batteries (including fitting) please let me know. Halfords do seem quite an expensive shop to me, D/S headlamp went out last week and i rushed over to Halfords to get a replacement, luckily they had certain bulbs buy one get one free so i got the bulbs for £25 but came to £37 after paying for them to fit the bulbs (£6 each side). He also said that my oil level is slightly above the maximum level on the dipstick and that having too much can be just as bad as not having enough. Do you think this will end up being a big a problem if i don't do anything about it or should it be ok so long as i keep checking the level?. The last thing i'm desperate to sort out is getting my drivers seat tilt mechanism working again, I've watched vids on youtube of owners carrying out the repairs themselves, it looks easy but knowing the luck I've got i'll probably make it worse. Rang my local ford lookers in Sunderland and couldn't believe how much they quoted for the repair, around £32 for the handle but £75 for the fitting because it takes an hour to do. Obviously until i actually take the handle off i don't know whether it's just the handle or whether it needs a new cable too. So to get it done by them would cost around £100 if it's just the handle or £135 if it needs a cable as well. With Christmas round the corner and me being currently unemployed money is a bit low at the moment. Can anyone tell me where i might be able to get the part/parts cheaper? please + if there's anyone on here that is also living in Sunderland that could carry out the repair for me for a lower cost i'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading and replies in advance :)

Halfords is usually expensive for most things. I have not bought anything there for over 25 years.

could be original battery. my July 2007 fiesta which I sold to my brother a few months ago has the original battery. I am amazed how long it has lasted (it's a diesel as well which needs more power to start)

Personally I would not replace the battery until it fails. but it does depend on where you might be when it fails. it would not cause me much inconvenience but if you were about to do a European tour or something you might think differently.

Re seat cables. when I had a problem on a Ford Escort seat it was the cable, but I did not need to buy a new cable, I used a piece of bicycle brake cable and joined it with the little screw wiring block connectors. that's not just a matter of trying to save money, it was more down to fixing it that day with what I had handy in my garage/shed.

 

 

Thanks for the reply + advice Isetta