New car battery

[JeffL]

My GS300 3.0L Petrol 2007 was serviced today by my local garage and they said the Battery is reading 400 volts instead of 550 volts. In you opinion(s) does this mean I should replace it?

Just been looking at the Yuasa HSB030 from Halfords at £110 + £18 fitting (I don't want to fit it myself) I can probably get a £10 voucher to use against the purchase by joining for free their motoring club. The same item sold elsewhere appears to be the Yuasa YBX5069. I presume Halfords have their own model number put on it for them by Yuasa. 

Comments welcome. Thanks.

[NemesisUK]

13 minutes ago, JeffL said:

they said the battery is reading 400 volts instead of 550 volts.

From a 12 volt Battery?

Have you experienced any starting problems? Any electrical issues?

[ColinBarber]

I assume you mean Amps not volts? Unless you are noticing the engine turning over slower than in the past when starting I wouldn't change it, especially now as we are getting warmer weather with less strain on the starting system. Then consider changing in the Autumn if you are concerned about it letting you down. How old is the current Battery?

[JeffL]

30 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

From a 12 volt battery?

Have you experienced any starting problems? Any electrical issues?

OK must be amps, silly me! Absolutely no problems at all with starting and no electrical issues that I've noticed. I do charge it twice a year with my CTEK MXS 5.0.

[NemesisUK]

As Colin says hang on to it for now. Perhaps plan to change it come the colder months, depending on it's age?

[Spock66]

58 minutes ago, JeffL said:

Just been looking at the Yuasa HSB030 from Halfords at £110 + £18 fitting (I don't want to fit it myself) I can probably get a £10 voucher to use against the purchase by joining for free their motoring club. The same item sold elsewhere appears to be the Yuasa YBX5069. I presume Halfords have their own model number put on it for them by Yuasa. 

I'd suggest avoiding Halfords, fitting a car Battery is usually no harder than putting new batteries in your torch.

[JeffL]

23 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

I assume you mean Amps not volts? Unless you are noticing the engine turning over slower than in the past when starting I wouldn't change it, especially now as we are getting warmer weather with less strain on the starting system. Then consider changing in the Autumn if you are concerned about it letting you down. How old is the current battery?

See my reply to NemesisUK above. Re Battery age I think I replaced it about 5 years ago. Annual mileage for the last 5 years has been 3950, 4025, 4389, 4792, 7562 (7562 being the last 12 months) Lots of journeys of about 4 miles with occasional 200 mile trips. But the last year of 7562 miles has been lots of long distance trips.

[LenT]

47 minutes ago, JeffL said:

OK must be amps, silly me! Absolutely no problems at all with starting and no electrical issues that I've noticed. I do charge it twice a year with my CTEK MXS 5.0.

if your average journey is only four miles, then you’re not even replacing the current used to start the engine in the first place!

The CTEK you have cannot overcharge your Battery, so you would be better off to leave it connected overnight, say, if possible, on a monthly basis.  It will also help to keep the Battery in a better condition.

Your CTEK  should have come with a plug-in connector system in which leads are permanently fixed to the Battery posts and end in a socket, which then connects to the charger.  You can get these ‘traffic light’ versions which enable you to check the charge level at a glance.

This is one of the two sizes they come in.

https://www.ctek.com/business-uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/indicator-eyelet-m8

 

[IanA2]

On 2/18/2022 at 5:48 PM, JeffL said:

Which company do you use for Breakdown Cover? Just trying to find reliable cover at a fair price for my daughter and family. They have one car, not a Lexus, which is less than 12 months old. I've always had AA or RAC cover as I'm not keen on the third party involvement when using something like Green Flag but am interested in your views and experiences. (I have RAC cover as I can use Tesco Vouchers which are increased in value x3 through the Tesco Deals programme. Tesco points earned on purchases using my Tesco credit card which are exchanged for vouchers). Thanks.

 

10 hours ago, LenT said:

if your average journey is only four miles, then you’re not even replacing the current used to start the engine in the first place!

The CTEK you have cannot overcharge your battery, so you would be better off to leave it connected overnight, say, if possible, on a monthly basis.  It will also help to keep the battery in a better condition.

Your CTEK  should have come with a plug-in connector system in which leads are permanently fixed to the battery posts and end in a socket, which then connects to the charger.  You can get these ‘traffic light’ versions which enable you to check the charge level at a glance.

This is one of the two sizes they come in.

https://www.ctek.com/business-uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/indicator-eyelet-m8

 

Also consider an AA Car Solar Panel Powered 12v Battery Trickle Charger. Been using them for years now. Advantage is you don't have to have a mains trickle charger permanently plugged in with trailing wires.