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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
  
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| Batteries - Sucking the life out of mine |
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I believe this is a common problem when running anything more than Radio 1 and dipped headlights.
After a few occasions of running the remote FBH in the mornings, my battery is now so low that it shuts down the FBH before it's had it's full 30 min run.
I went out and bought a fancy charger from local autoparts store - voltage down about 12.8 so will hopefully have a better battery come morning.
But anyone upgraded their standard OEM battery for something beefier? I asked the boy in the parts store today and he said something about AGM batteries being much better. What is the OEM fitted to the D4 and is it worth chucking big bucks at a unit that will take the pounding of a Scottish winter and regular early morning blasts of my FBH whilst I'm still tucked up in bed? If in doot, flat oot!!
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 24th Nov 2012 10:21 pm |
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drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
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Hi Landylad and usually, the problem is not the size of the battery but the amount of driving you do every time you start your motor.
How often do you drive your D4 and when you do drive, how long is your average drive? 2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
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| 24th Nov 2012 10:42 pm |
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Russell
Member Since: 23 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
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CTEK charger via tow socket or a fitting straight onto battery MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
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| 24th Nov 2012 10:45 pm |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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Drivesafe - on average - about 30 mins of journey time. I've only had it a couple of weeks, and it could well have been sitting on forecourt of dealer and not done much miles in a 2/3 week period. That said, I drove it 450 miles back to Aberdeenshire 
Most occasions I have been driving either morning or evening, in hours of darkness, with a few odds and sods drawing power (ie, heated seats). Used it a few occasions after I bought it, and most mornings ran FBH for 30 mins, then 20 min drive to work.
Russell - can you expand? I hook this thing up to tow bar electrics? Is this an additional battery? Confused.com  If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 24th Nov 2012 10:58 pm |
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Russell
Member Since: 23 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
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No CTEK is a battery charger, there are many out there but these seem to have a good reputation MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
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| 24th Nov 2012 11:05 pm |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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Just bought a charger for £65 today - was more so looking for ideas on beefed up battery. If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 24th Nov 2012 11:37 pm |
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drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
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Hi again Landylad and you are your low battery problem.
You are not driving long enough to allow the alternator time to replace the amount of battery energy you are using.
Either set your battery charger up and use it when ever it is convenient, or if your D4 is parked outside, you could try fitting a small solar panel. 2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
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| 25th Nov 2012 12:33 am |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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drivesafe wrote:Hi again Landylad and you are your low battery problem.
You are not driving long enough to allow the alternator time to replace the amount of battery energy you are using.
Either set your battery charger up and use it when ever it is convenient, or if your D4 is parked outside, you could try fitting a small solar panel.
Solar panel.....  North East of Scotland... we don't get any sun!! 
But anyways, going back to my initial question, is the standard battery that comes out of the factory the best money can buy or is the AGM alternative a vast improvement? If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 25th Nov 2012 12:48 am |
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drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
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Hi Landylad, and again, your battery is not the problem and I would NOT suggest a different battery or even adding another battery to try to solve your problem.
You are just not driving long enough and your situation is commonplace these days.
In your case, there is only one remedy, regularly top off your battery with a battery charger.
BTW if you do not keep your battery in a better charged state, it will have a very short life span. 2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
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| 25th Nov 2012 12:59 am |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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Same driving style as with my old XC90 - no probs there. I guess the Disco is just a leccy thirsty brute of a car! If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 25th Nov 2012 1:06 am |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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Cheers for that info guys. The beast is in to the local stealer end of the week for electrics for tow bar, so will inquire about this then.
Another question regarding charging up my battery last night....
I connected the charger - started off about 12.7v, gently climbing to 13v before I went to bed. Came down in the morning and it was still sitting at 12.9v. Changed the amps down from 4 back to 8 and within 5 mins it said fully charged. Unplugged mains power and then did voltage check from unit and it said 10v!! No idea what is going on.
Not sure what the instructions was on about but it said connect positive, but connect negative to an earth, not connected to the battery. Could I have been connecting this thing up wrong? I thought chargers were quite simple - clip on to +ve and -ve terminals and switch the damn thing on.
What sort of peak voltage should I be expecting when fully charged? If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 25th Nov 2012 8:18 pm |
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DN
D3 Decade
Member Since: 23 Jun 2006
Location: W.London.
Posts: 2344
  
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If I am reading this correctly, you say are only getting 10v out of a recently charged battery, 1 cell must be knackered surely, (should be more like 12.6 to 12.8v.This would account for the problems you are having. 
Last edited by DN on 25th Nov 2012 9:05 pm. Edited 1 time in total
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| 25th Nov 2012 8:32 pm |
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Landylad
Member Since: 23 Dec 2008
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 366
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Must have been a bum reading.... I connected now and it said 12.7 although I did drive about 80 miles today.
Hooked up the charger again, this time I put the -ve to a ground. Went from 12.7 up tio 14.2 quite quickly.... I'll leave that charging a couple of hours and see what it says. If in doot, flat oot!!
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| 25th Nov 2012 9:01 pm |
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drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
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Hi Landylad and as DN posted, if your battery terminal voltage is 10v, then you have most likely dropped a cell in the battery, but none of your voltage readings make sense.
Have tried starting your motor?
As for connecting the neg away from the battery, this is for safety reasons and it applies to every vehicle and also how you should connect jumper leads.
Positive first, to the positive terminal on the battery and negative last, to a good earth somewhere away from the battery.
When removing the leads, including the lead on a battery if you are going to remove the battery from the vehicle, always disconnect the negative first. 2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
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| 25th Nov 2012 9:03 pm |
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