Is this the end?

[DealorNoDeal]

I have an old car which I don't use very often, and I've got a Ctek MXS 5 which I keep connected, and that does a great job of keeping the battery on form. I even used it with an old battery which wouldn't take a charge from a normal charger, I set the Ctek to "Recondition" and it breathed new life into it

I cobbled together a trickle charger using an old 15v laptop charger. Putting a 20ohm resistor between the charger and the battery gives a constant 100ma, which is enough to offset the parasitic load. Yes, I know,

[DealorNoDeal]

I suggest buying one of these from eBay "12V/24V LED Digital Auto Car Truck Cigarette Lighter Volt Voltage Gauge Meter"
(about £3) It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and displays the voltage. The battery should not drop below 12volts and when the engine is running, it should be about 14volts. If not, it could be a bad earth wire or a faulty alternator.

WHS

Get yourself a meter. It's really simple to check the battery.

Once you've got the car started, take it for a short run. When you get back, turn off the engine and immediately check the voltage. If it's over 13v, the alternator and electrics are probably fine.

I've had so many problems with batteries over the years, because I don't use the car much, I've become a bit of a battery

[GhostofTarbera]

How does that work if the car doesn't even turn on?

Try sucking on the exhaust pipe to turn it on


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[DealorNoDeal]

Yes, that's the plan. Need a jump start first.

Another thing I've found...

If you can get your hands on a car battery charger, charge the battery for about 2-3 hours and it'll probably provide enough juice to start the car. Some battery chargers have a "fast charge" mode which can reduce this time down to an hour or so.

[ladymuck]

Never had an issue with the battery until now, it's always started without fail despite the low use, so I'm wondering if this is a sign of the car's decline.

[DealorNoDeal]

Never had an issue with the battery until now, it's always started without fail despite the low use, so I'm wondering if this is a sign of the car's decline.

I doubt it.

Do you know how old the original battery was? Once they're over 6 years old, they do start to decline. The decline is even more rapid if they're not kept fully charged all the time.

My guess is there is something suss with the Kwikfit replacement. Either it's a bad battery, or it wasn't fully charged when it was fitted in the car.

If you do take it back to Kwikfit, watch out that they don't fob you off with BS (like blaming the alternator or the car's electrics).

Some garages have a battery condition tester. You could get the battery tested if you want an independent opinion.

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If it was me, I'd get the battery on a charger and charge it for about 12 hours. Then see if it holds it's charge over the next week or two.

[WTFH]

If you can run a power cable to the car from your house, then get a CTEK MXS 5 conditioner.
If you park the car outside, get an AA solar 12v charger.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AA-50601146...1906553&sr=8-3

... but also get your alternator checked along with the belt.

[Scruff]

For the price of 2 x G&T's you can always get this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOTOPOWER-M...rd_i=303656031

I have one and its pretty damn useful for my collection of electric start vehicles, as a diagnosis tool.

[JohntheBike]

I cobbled together a trickle charger using an old 15v laptop charger. Putting a 20ohm resistor between the charger and the battery gives a constant 100ma, which is enough to offset the parasitic load. Yes, I know,

I would always recommend that the battery be disconnected before any attempt to charge it. Not doing so risks blowing the diode in the alternator. However, some modern chargers, especially those designed to charge gel batteries may not cause this issue.

[Paddy]

I would always recommend that the battery be disconnected before any attempt to charge it. Not doing so risks blowing the diode in the alternator. However, some modern chargers, especially those designed to charge gel batteries may not cause this issue.

In fact, as batteries are relatively cheap, I always have two car batteries, one always charged, ready and waiting. It takes less than a minute to swap and is especially useful when driving in winter and snow conditions away from home.