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[Martin (Admin)]

Only a Vauxhall diesel Insignia, Colin ...


So, all done and dusted now..... here's the Short version ....honestly!


Tried to start car yesterday morning, bitter cold & dark here in UK!
Turned key, Lights go out, dashboard dies, Radio does a factory reset!
Hmmmm.....
Wait a few minutes, let the glow plugs warm up, 2nd crank, complains but starts OK.
Thinks: "OK, that is my last warning!"


1. Went to Halfords, Huntingdon to get a battery check, (Reply #11).
2. Halfords, Huntingdon either didn't want to do the job or didn't know how to do the job.
3. The person that did the check had obviously had just an hours online training and given a meter and told, 'you're a battery fitter now!'
4. She didn't really seem to know what the meter reading meant ( but a big amber symbol gave me a big clue! )
5. Went back in the shop, 'sorry sir, we don't change AGM batteries.'
    I looked at and was about to agree but then thought, "whats the point ....."
  I did say' OK, so what do I do from here?
    'Don't know sir, you'll have to take it somewhere else ...'

6. Got online to Halford 'Chat line'.... they know nothing about customer service ... nor cars!
7. Ring Halfords Head office, ( call centre in India?! ), they answer but I just hear people shouting questions at each other in an office,
    but no one actually speaks to me....
8. Ring Halfords, Peterborough, direct;
    'Reg please?
     xxxxxxx,
    'Yes got that battery in stock, but let me double check...... yes, in stock, and I've brought it to the counter here with me now,
    you can come get fitted straight away.'
    Really??!!
    'Yes, £260 but we can knock something off that for you!'
    I'll be there in half hour!


9. Rock up to Halfords, Peterborough...
    ' You must be the guy that rung up about the battery!'
    ???  Yes!
   ' No problem. Here's the battery, the fitter knows your waiting and he'll fit the battery asap.
  ..... Thanks!
  ' Lets see battery, £235 - Fitting £27 .... but if you join our motoring club (£5 per month) I can knock £30 +another 10% for (???) & -£10 for something else. OK?'
    Yes. Here's my card! ( They realise I've not used my card & Pin, in a shop,  for so long can't remember my PIN!
     I remember it eventually and pay in full.


... Wait... there's More!

10. Outside Halfords, fitting bay ( car park ), freezing cold, but young fitter chap is jolly & quite chatty.
      Chat, chat, spanners, chat, chat, battery out, chat, chat,  new battery in....... silence!
      ' Sorry mate, this is the wrong battery for your car!'
     .... Silence.
     ' But I'm sure we do have the right battery in stock.... let me go check.'
    Five minutes later, he comes back with a different battery and says,
    ' OK, we need to go back inside, this battery is £22 cheaper!'

11. He fits it quite confidently, Car starts strongly, I drive home.
12. So well see what happens tomorrow morning ... see if I've been ripped off or saved by local intelligence customer service!!   

[Colin Bishop]

Keep us updated Martin.

I have  local fiitter I would probably try first but I don't have a Humvee....

Colin

[Shipmate60]

Did you lose your radio code and other stored settings?


Bob

[mrlownotes]

Martin, that's an AGM battery.

'What's an AGM battery?' I hear you say.

I said that ! So looked it up :-

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/blog/what-is-an-agm-battery-and-whats-the-big-deal#

An AGM battery apparently needs an AGM compatible charger.

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/blog/how-to-charge-an-agm-battery

The instructions here tell about connecting a backup power supply to the OBD port.

Oh, how complicated everything is becoming.
I miss my first car - 1966 850cc Mini. Everything was so simple to maintain.

[TheLongBuild]

Never had a problem, But hill starts are tricky..

[Martin (Admin)]

Did you lose your radio code and other stored settings?

Bob

 
Surprisingly not!

 

[Martin (Admin)]

Martin, that's an AGM battery.

Thanks mrlownotes.... so now I know!   

[Martin (Admin)]

   Car started very vigorously this morning!   
 

[Bunkerbarge]

By coincidence had a battery changed this morning.  The guy first connected a charger across the terminals before disconnecting to ensure the car remained live and it didn't loose any memory.  He also advised to open a window before disconnecting, just in case!  I think he'd done it before.


He apologised for the cost but said that he didn't believe in buying cheap batteries and only used known and proven brands.  It was a large battery and it cost me £150.00.  I think it pays to go to a good local garage, run by the owner who knows his stuff, rather than trust to a big chain where you could end up with anyone doing the job.

[derekwarner]

30 something years ago, my Holden Commodore [Company car] just failed on a warm Spring mid-morning without any warning.....


Telephoned the NRMA [Motorists Roadside assistance] ....the Tech turned up 10 minutes later & pronounced the battery dead, and would I like an NRMA battery truck to attend & replace the deaden


I told the NRMA Guy, that I had used Keys Batteries in my home city of Wollongong for the past 30 years....& would prefer to see them....
The NRMA guy said he used Keys Batteries in his family cars, he placed a 12-volt battery in the passenger footwell of my Commodore & a set of jumper leads to my vehicle battery & followed me up to Keys......[only 10 minutes away]


My current vehicle has a Keys supplied battery...have never used any alternate [the Father Mr Keys passed away many years ago, however his son is still doing what his Dad started


Keys I understand still import YUSA batteries from Korea directly


I understand the NRMA sell & install NRMA branded batteries, [Chinese origin] listed as the same & Amp-hour rating, however quite a bit smaller    than the YUSA equivalent


Derek

[dodgy geezer]

General Lessons to take away from these episodes:


1 - ALL technology requires a back-up plan. This is often easiest to achieve simply by duplicating the service in question.


2 - Older technology exhibits graceful degradation - it fails more slowly, allowing time to recognise the problem. But humans tend to ignore slowly developing obvious warnings...


3 - Technology can often be maintained by non-standard methods (lash-ups) if the operating principles are understood. But modern regulation forbids such activity in the professional field.


4 Modern education and training leaves people unable to interact with,  and make appropriate decisions about, modern technology.

[mrzippy]

Hi Martin, only just spotted this - my CMax diesel battery expired around this time last year on the drive way at home, completely dead.
We contacted the RAC, who we've been with a while, and unbeknown to us one of their free upgrades for long term customers,
was FREE car battery replacement !
A competant RAC mechanic duly arrived with half a dozen different batteries aboard his van and offered me a choice??
we naturally went for the most expensive - £240 rings a bell - he fitted it, job done in a matter of hours, well impressed !

I've checked our "roadside rescue, recovery, at home, onward travel policy" and we're also covered for key replacement? and battery replacement -
at the last renewal we beat them down, as one does, to £126 and they extended cover to 15 months into the price.
Paul.

[Circlip]

How much longer are we going to be able to change the batteries in our toy boats before we have to call in a "Specialist?" Just had an acclimatisation drive in me mates A3. (Have to  bring it back from airport after dropping him off), oh dear, the amount of electronakery and lack of driver input necessary beggars belief. Not surprised you need a first with honours to effect a two spanner challenge.


  Regards  Ian.

 Oh how I luv my basic white Dach.

[grendel]

had to have the electronics reset on my volvo to try and code a new part in, for this to clear all of the memories and everything it had to be disconnected for more than 3 hours before the car would reset.
I always change my own batteries, I use a lithium jump pack connected across the terminals to keep everything live during the process.

[Subculture]

If it's a stop-start diesel they need a big battery, they really get a wringing out.

[Circlip]

Diesels always need a battery with spheroids. Bit of a sinker if the manufacturers of "Economical" engines have to resort to the stop/start antics of the petrol brigade to artificially increase mileage range. And for the tree huggers "I only bought it to help save the planet" Get real.

    Regards  Ian.

[Martin (Admin)]

Hey, guess what ? 
 
 .... My Stop/Start started working again yesterday!  It hasn't worked  for  years!   

[Circlip]

Yep but there's a button somewhere that gives YOU total control. Looong time ago, when stuck in a jam on Motorway, my pre electronic sensor (Right hand) managed to stop wasting petrol till we set off again. A.I??? Naah COMMON SENSE(R)


 Regards  Ian.

[Colin Bishop]

Stop starting stopping is a sign that the car recognises that your battery is weakening.

My car has a button which will stop it stop starting as you don't always want it on especially in stop start traffic but it defaults to stop starting ever time you turn off the ignition.

Interestingly, if I set the ventilation to screen only then the stop starting stops...

A weak battery often stops the car starting even if the lights and other auxiliaries are working as the car decides there isn't enough power to crank the engine. In which case you need jump starting to get starting going again but you probsbly won't get stop starting.

I'll stop now. 

Colin

[Martin (Admin)]

Yep but there's a button somewhere that gives YOU total control. Looong time ago, when stuck in a jam on Motorway, my pre electronic sensor (Right hand) managed to stop wasting petrol till we set off again. A.I??? Naah COMMON SENSE(R)

 Regards  Ian.

.... yes, but had stopped working too! 
  Didn't get that fix because diagnosis is only by specialist or main dealer.  ££££

[SteamboatPhil]

To be honest when I lived in England  (yea I only go back for the Mayhem weekend these days )I really thought that Halfords were the best, as Geoff has said you don't lose you LX settings

[mrzippy]

I had Ford turn the stop start system permanently off with the aid of a lap top -
when the battery was changed the cars electrics presumably reverted back to default? and it switched itself back on.
Paul.

[Martin (Admin)]

Just had a neighbour pop round and knock the door ....

"Can I take a picture of your battery?   I have the same car and can't find the right battery!"  
 
 

[old man]

I just had one replaced, a stop start battery.
Halfords did it on the driveway including the necessary charge adjustment, 5 yr warranty.
What's not to like?

[tigertiger]

I remember years ago my dad would swap out the battery for a heavy duty battery to ensure we always had winter starts.  This was in the days before stop stars.
Last year when I went to replace my battery I was surprised to see that there was only room in the bay for the same small sized battery as the original, which was much smaller than I was used to. Having said that, modern cars do not seem to need as much cranking over to start.