Battery suppliers

[alex_holden]

The battery in one of my cars gave up the ghost during the recent cold weather. Charging it for a few hours would give it enough oomph to start the engine, but when I left it overnight it had completely flattened itself again by the morning. Not entirely unexpected; tired batteries usually choose cold mornings to pack in. It's a bit of a problem for me though because cash is very tight right now. I phoned up the local Unipart distributor and they wanted £42 including VAT for a replacement.

Suddenly I remembered; this battery is only a little over two years old, and I bought it from a well-known car accessories superstore (no names please, but you can probably guess who I mean) because their own-brand batteries come with a three year guarantee. At the time I was using the car for commuting to work and I was prepared to pay a few quid extra for the peace of mind offered by the guarantee. Miraculously, I was able to find the receipt after only half an hour of searching, and I happened to be travelling this week back to the town where I bought it. What a relief.

This morning I took the battery into the store and plonked it down on the counter along with the receipt, explained the symptoms, and asked politely for a replacement. The member of staff seemed unsure what to do, so she went off into the back to find the manager. Another member of staff who had overheard the exchange came over and connected the battery up to a computerised tester gadget. After a few moments he pronounced, "it's knackered." Phew, I had half-expected an argument over whether it was in fact faulty. Then the manager came out and looked at the tester printout. "Ah," she said, "it says it's been over- or under-charged. That means we can't take it back. You might want to take your car to a garage to have the alternator checked out." There wasn't really much I could say in reply to that. 'Computer says no.'

So, I know who I won't be buying any more batteries from in future. I feel a little foolish for expecting the extended guarantee to be worth more than the paper it was printed on. Who else is good/cheap right now?

[PSL184]

I used these for my modern car battery....

http://www.thebatteryguys.co.uk/

[dalebrignall]

i changed my dads car battery from that shop after2years 11 months ,could you not put the battery on the car and leave the lights on to flattern it then change it just an idea

[alex_holden]

i changed my dads car battery from that shop after2years 11 months ,could you not put the battery on the car and leave the lights on to flattern it then change it just an idea

It was flat. It had got to the stage where it was discharging itself within hours of taking it off the charger. I wonder if that could have been part of the problem. The computer tester measures less than a volt, therefore "it's been undercharged"?

[robedney]

Put it on the charger and take it back in. Here's a tip: I was once in a cell phone store with one of my kids' phones that was acting up. There was some sort of warranty issue and they weren't going to fix it for free. I very nicely explained how silly the warranty was. The clerk agreed, thanked me for being polite and said he'd take care of it. I asked him how, and he said that he was just adding a note that said "irate customer". In other words, he had that option. It was only because he appreciated my not becoming irate that he used it. So, ask for the store manager, and if you get not satisfaction -- call their district sales office or whatever. Tell them there's no way their bogus computer can tell if there was a history of over or under-charging, and that they're just trying to rip you off for being gullible enough to get the warranty. Make noises, etc. You shouldn't have to do all of this, but I'll be you get your replacement battery!

[MarkyB]

over- OR under-charged

It sounds like a computer program with only one result, invalid warranty!

[lambrettalad]

if you under charge a battery how can it be damaged?load of tosh ! the go to a different halfords and see what they say

[mike.perry]

I managed to get a battery changed under warranty at that store, not sure which battery the receipt was for though.
The price of a decent size battery there was getting towards £100 last time I needed one so I went elsewhere

[brucek]

Absolutely - almost every battery is undercharged when it leaves the shop - it has to be - it was charged when it left the factory, it hasn't been charged since, and, until you put it on the car - it stays undercharged! Time for Mr Meldrew to pay a visit I think. Demand your money back or invite them to join you in the trading standards office for failure to honour a warranty! Either that or the local press should be enough to see you walk out with your cash or with a nice new (undercharged) battery!

[bmcecosse]

As above = don't take this lying down - they agree the battery is knackered and it is within the Guarantee period - ergo, they must replace it. Assure them the alternator is charging perfectly - and if no go - off to Trading Standards you go. Their 'computer' is just nonsense........

[IslipMinor]

Totall agree - and while you are discussing the warranty, make sure everyone in the store hears that they will not honour warranties. I'd be very suprised if they allow that to go on very long!

I have to say that my experience with Halfords batteries has been excellent. I bought an 065 in 1998, after the restoration was completed, changed it after about 7/8 years as a precaution for another 065, and that one is still performing perfectly.

The battery was fully charged when the car was put in a friend's unheated garage 4-5 months ago, and last Sunday (0°C) after not using the car since, or looking at the battery, it started exactly as normal, full choke and 4-5 engine turns on the starter and that was all it took! It normally lives in a dry, fairly warm garage, but that is occupied by my son's MGB GT undergoing a major restoration! After the recent cold weather and a 6-year old battery, I was not really expecting a 'normal' start.

On the basis of my experience I would consider Halfords again, but their prices do seem to be rather high these days.

[moggyadventurer]

Hi Alex,

They should hold their heads in shame. I would not let it drop.

However, if you do look for a new battery eurocarparts are pretty good plus free delivery as discount codes on their website.

I use to buy mog batteries having used unipart and halfords previously (lack a bit of umph when cold), but these days a fiesta battery with bigger battery clamps turns her over a treat even at -10c.

[M25VAN]

I bet they would sell you another one, despite your faulty under/over charging alternator and the fact that the warranty wouldn't be honoured from the moment you took it out of the shop.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

If anyone's bothered about keeping the original look in the engine bay, Lincon batteries make repro's which look like the one the car would have had when brand new. Gives it that period look.

I would be interested to hear about anyone who has bought one of these specialist batteries. I would imagine they would be fairly expensive, though.

[washer-bottle]

Their computer is probably just measuring the battery voltage and the internal resistance via the current into a test load. If the battery is flat then you have probably lost a cell and it will have a voltage less than 11V off load. If the battery has been undercharged it will have a high internal resitance. (Thats why it gets hot when you try and recharge a very flat battery which can damage the plates and you should use a low current setting to recover a flat battery). If the battery really has been overcharged the water boils away and the plates get damaged, both reducing capacity. Their computer might have done a crude capacity test, but if it was already flat this would have been dubious. You can loose a cell due to bad manufacture and vibration. I say you have good grounds to demand a refund as they will be unable to determine that the battery was badly charged. Time to look up small claims court sample letter, that normally does the trick.

When you do get a new battery do check your fan belt, dynamo is working and the regulator box is charging correctly and make sure that you dont have a large drain current on the battery from alarms, phone chargers, lights left on etc.

Al