Car battery low

[Casterina]

Hi all,

I haven't used the car for a while and just came back from holiday so I already had a feeling the battery would be low

Started the car today and it didn't sound the same as before and the battery indicator was on the dash so I have borrowed a CTEK MXS 5 to charge it and was wondering if I could disconnect the battery and take it in to charge it without any warnings showing up when I plug it back in?

Also, should I use the normal car mode or AGM mode on the charger to charge it?

Thanks

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

Hi all,

I haven't used the car for a while and just came back from holiday so I already had a feeling the battery would be low

Started the car today and it didn't sound the same as before and the battery indicator was on the dash so I have borrowed a CTEK MXS 5 to charge it and was wondering if I could disconnect the battery and take it in to charge it without any warnings showing up when I plug it back in?

Also, should I use the normal car mode or AGM mode on the charger to charge it?

Thanks

If the car starts, just take it for a drive

 

[Casterina]

If the car starts, just take it for a drive

The car starts but just barely and it doesn't sound normal like it did before, there's some vibration in the engine bay

I had it serviced just before my holiday and all was fine but the engine light indicator also came on so I suspect there's not enough power going through the system

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

The alternator will charge it, go for a drive

 

[nd-photo.nl]

I can highly recommend a battery monitor, so you can see what is happening over a longer period of time. Other than that, take it for a nice proper drive to charge the battery and drive out moisture from the oil etc.

 

[RUM4MO]

To answer your question concerning which mode to use on the CTEK, even if you have a normal AGM battery in this car, just use the normal mode and not the AGM mode as that is for other versions of AGM batteries.

 

[Mr Pig]

How old is the car? The batteries typically last six or seven years, maybe less depending on usage, so if it's in that ballpark I'd just replace the battery. A healthy battery should start the car no problem after sitting for two weeks. My father in law's car hardly got used and it could sit in the garage for months and would still start.

I've swapped a couple of batteries and if you do it quickly enough you won't get any warning lights and the ecu will not lose any settings. Not even your radio presets. Have the battery out of the car for longer, all bets are off.

If you fit a new battery it's best to code it to the car. The ecu alters the way in manages the battery depending on its spec and age. If you fix exactly the same spec battery, apparently the ecu will eventually figure out it's dealing with a new battery and act accordingly but I'd still code the battery to the car.

 

[nd-photo.nl]

The Banner battery in my Cupra had a production date stamped on it, might also be worth looking into. Similar to a DOT code for tyres