How to know battery going to be flat?

[Winning]

Hi all ,
How do you know that battery going to be flat ?
When the car starts , it prompt you "switch to economy mode " . Can this be 1 of the symptoms that battery is weak too ?

Cranking sound . Usually it took me 1 crank to start the engine . But yesterday the cranking sound is long before engine start , can this also telling you that battery going to be flat soon ?
Pls advise

[Mkl22]

Also age of the battery

[CYHew]

Hi all ,

How do you know that battery going to be flat ?

When the car starts , it prompt you "switch to economy mode " . Can this be 1 of the symptoms that battery is weak too ?

 

Cranking sound . Usually it took me 1 crank to start the engine . But yesterday the cranking sound is long before engine start , can this also telling you that battery going to be flat soon ?

Pls advise

Possible. The other sign is that car is not responsive to keyless remote control. Thought problem with my remote control until the car battery went totally flat in about a week.

[Winning]

I just went to start up the car , and drove for 1 hr , it doesn't have that sytpomts tat I saw last night , will cold weather affecting / trigger the problem?

[Optramagnum]

Hi all ,

How do you know that battery going to be flat ?

When the car starts , it prompt you "switch to economy mode " . Can this be 1 of the symptoms that battery is weak too ?

 

Cranking sound . Usually it took me 1 crank to start the engine . But yesterday the cranking sound is long before engine start , can this also telling you that battery going to be flat soon ?

Pls advise

Hi Bro, long cranking might not be a good indicator for low batt as there are other components involved, eg. Starter motor, fuel injector, spark plugs, etc. Indicator of low battery will be age of battery, clock or radio station preset missing, sluggish power window and dim headlights/dashboard when engine running . Of cse, Nothing beats a proper diagnosis at workshop.

[Winning]

I just went for 1 hr drive , it seems fine ,no more long cranking issues . Plus recently I just install the 24hrs cam ... I wonder does this also will affect the battery life ... Last servicing already prompt me battery on average according to the test report in oct 2015 . Battery changed in oct 2014 but I still need advise . Kia su cum Kia so type .

 

Eventually owning a car isn't cheap when comes to unexpected problems arises ....

 

So any reliable workshop for recommendation ? Car make : Peugeot

 

I always bring down to agent to service , I think they will carrot me if I bring down there ..

Edited January 3, 2016 by Winning

[Meanmachine]

To be honest, no driver will know when the battery will die off.

 

If one is experienced, no cranking does not means battery is weak or dead, I had a learning experiences of late.

 

Started well in mooring appointment, after 2 hours later, it fails to crank despite repeated attempts ( check monitor lighted up, radio has noise and car horn yelling out loud, jumper line indicated battery level working fine but still failed to crank.

 

Found out later fm experienced mechanic when I call for their assistance to tow back to w/s for diagnosis, No wait, I call for emergency tow truck for a new battery change, told him on my predicament and he can " agar agar " figure out what can happen.

 

Tow truck driver came, inspected the old battery and asked me to shift gear from ' Park position to neutral to manual shift then to park again, he used a small tool to knock on the engine , I cranked my key, it started connecting point plug and my car came to roar.

 

End result: Engine starter wiring becomes loose, either one use a black tape to tighten back and ensure no repeated happening. Today battery shelf life is approx 1.5 to 2 years estimate.

 

 

[Heartbreakid]

Battery life on the average is around 2 to 2.5 years. Tell tale signs are:

 

 

1) Unlocking the car - Central locking might only work on some doors, e.g. front only. Signal lights that indicate lock or unlock fails to flash.

 

2) Weak cranking sound - The sound is not strong, just sounds lethargic.

 

 

These are the encounters I have come across. The weak cranking is the first tell tale sign that the battery is on the verge of wearing out (please also factor in the age of the battery when this happens). By the time, the signal indicators fail to flash or lightings are weak, or the central locking work only partially, the battery needs to be replaced already.

[t0y0ta]

I just went for 1 hr drive , it seems fine ,no more long cranking issues . Plus recently I just install the 24hrs cam ... I wonder does this also will affect the battery life ... Last servicing already prompt me battery on average according to the test report in oct 2015 . Battery changed in oct 2014 but I still need advise . Kia su cum Kia so type .

 

Eventually owning a car isn't cheap when comes to unexpected problems arises ....

 

So any reliable workshop for recommendation ? Car make : Peugeot

 

I always bring down to agent to service , I think they will carrot me if I bring down there ..

 

Peugeot car I don't think you have much choice besides the agent.

 

Honestly if you had wanted to have a lot of flexibility in servicing options - the french makes should be lowest in consideration.

 

So just sit back and enjoy the AD servicing....

[Fcw75]

The 24hrs cam definitely play a part.

[Winning]

AD will be sharpening the knife , and smiling to slaughter this sheep .... Looking to change car also , but the price still quite unreasonable high ....

[Optramagnum]

When it comes to battery check, any Tom, Dick and Harry workshop will do the job, brand of car is immaterial. If really kia si, go to more famous brands like Autobacs or Stamford tires loh. Still better than kena carrot by AD.

[Tenghock]

Would like to share my older post:

"Dry" batteries are mostly valve regulated lead acid batteries (VRLA battery). If a car is parked mostly at open car park, daily mileage is long, eg >80km daily, coupled with higher alternator voltage, >14.2V, VRLA will not last long . Because it would dry up prematurely due to overcharging. In this case , flooded lead acid battery is better as you could top up with battery water or deionized water (DI water). But even flooded lead acid battery is used, under the same condition, the battery will last only 2 years. For VRLA 1 year 6 months or less.

If all these conditions are not present at all, it is not uncommon to see a flooded battery lasts for 4 years. Take note after 2 years, frequent top up is needed.

There are simple steps to verify roughly the battery would last for another 3 months if you have a simple voltmeter:

1. Engine off, it should be 12.4 to 12.8V. If less than 12.2V, replace battery sooner. If it's only 10V, most likely battery will refuse to start engine as 1 cell is dead (there are 6 cells in a battery).

2. Start engine, just idling, no air con and lighting etc, it should be 13.6 to 14.4V..... Your alternator is charging normally.

3. Engine off, turn on normal beam head light, let the battery discharge for 3 mins while measuring.

A new battery would likely discharge to 12.1V and start to rebound to 12.2V and hold there for very long. A weak battery would discharge to 11.8V and never rebound but hold for a while then continue to drop. Change it sooner. An in between battery would rebound at 12.0V and hold there for quite long. The key word is rebound.

4. Off head light, put back the positive cap and keep your voltmeter.

[dcb]

For me, its when the radio pauses for a moment when the ride is cranking. That will tell me the battery is gonna KO soon.

[Furrynadz]

I just went for 1 hr drive , it seems fine ,no more long cranking issues . Plus recently I just install the 24hrs cam ... I wonder does this also will affect the battery life ... Last servicing already prompt me battery on average according to the test report in oct 2015 . Battery changed in oct 2014 but I still need advise . Kia su cum Kia so type .

 

Eventually owning a car isn't cheap when comes to unexpected problems arises ....

 

So any reliable workshop for recommendation ? Car make : Peugeot

 

I always bring down to agent to service , I think they will carrot me if I bring down there ..

 

http://www.sgcarmart.com/directory/merchant.php?MID=11240

 

 

best to change batt yearly

[Kklee]

Start car. 

On A/C. .

On headlights.

On HU.

On cabin lights.

On Left or right indicator light.

 

If the cabin light synchronise with the left/right indicator lights, battery is quite likely to be weak.

[Kippei]

By right mf batteries can last 4 5 years provided with the right maintenance regime. Desuphation is needed once a while to knock off the lead sulphate and you need to *boil* your car battery water to mix the acid once a while. Usually as battery sits too long, the acid and water tend to separate. Usually this 2 are the main factors of failing batteries. The rest is the build quality of the lead matrix.

[inlinesix]

Heat will make battery die earlier than it should be.  That's why BMW battery is stored in the boot.