Flat battery /RAC /Halfords

[Rewulf]

23 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

she went to an independent garage yesterday, and they checked her battery and informed her that there was a fault on it and that it needed replacing.

I would trust this opinion personally, however....

 

23 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

It's a 2019 MG3 and does not have stop/start.

I find it a little odd that a 6 year old car would need 2 batteries in its lifetime !
The first one failed after 3 years, and manufacturers 'usually' fit a high quality battery that lasts far past its warranty period.
The second battery, fitted by halfords, and usually good quality too, again, apparently fails after 3 years ?

Also, £170 for a non S/S battery is daylight robbery !

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Go to somewhere that will print out a battery report.

[steve_b_wales]

2 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

I would trust this opinion personally, however....

 

I find it a little odd that a 6 year old car would need 2 batteries in its lifetime !
The first one failed after 3 years, and manufacturers 'usually' fit a high quality battery that lasts far past its warranty period.
The second battery, fitted by halfords, and usually good quality too, again, apparently fails after 3 years ?

Also, £170 for a non S/S battery is daylight robbery !

I agree that her car should not have required two batteries in the six years (actually six years this September) during this time. I can't remember why the original one needed replacing, and regarding the one fitted by Halfords, I can only assume that, like many things these days, the quality of the battery is nothing like they used to be. I can get a battery delivered for approx' £90 which, if push comes to shove, I'll get it and fit it myself. 

[Rewulf]

1 minute ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Go to somewhere that will print out a battery report.

Good plan 

[steve_b_wales]

Just now, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Go to somewhere that will print out a battery report.

Two of the Halfords stores stated that they 'don't print out reports'. We have a printed report from RAC and my wife took a photo of the battery tester that was used in the garage yesterday. I think she is going to try two more (one is Kwik Fit!!!!) before deciding what to do.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

[steve_b_wales]

This is the photo of the testing machine that was used yesterday by a local independent garage.

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Without a print out you have nothing to support your claim.

[steve_b_wales]

13 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Without a print out you have nothing to support your claim.

This, I believe is why Halfords don't or won't print out a report!

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Take a picture of mine then.   

[sportsbob]

Steve, allowing a lead acid battery to go into deep discharge will add to the problems caused by the lack of regular use,  this is clearly documented and that is why it is not covered by warranty. The technical merits have been discussed in this thread already so I wont repeat them. The facts in simple terms are, due to misuse the battery is not covered by warranty and you need to buy a replacement. 

15 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Take a picture of mine then.   

And if his battery is MF which is common on newer cars and not Flooded like the one you had tested the Fraud will be very evident.

[steve_b_wales]

46 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Take a picture of mine then.   

Is yours from Halfords?

[TIGHTCHOKE]

30 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

Is yours from Halfords?

No, from an independent Motor Factor that happily tests and reports on poor old batteries.

[steve_b_wales]

5 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

No, from an independent Motor Factor that happily tests and reports on poor old batteries.

Halfords saw the RAC report, but stated that it was not correct!!!!

[Rewulf]

1 hour ago, sportsbob said:

allowing a lead acid battery to go into deep discharge will add to the problems caused by the lack of regular use,  this is clearly documented and that is why it is not covered by warranty.

The problem with this assumption is that Halfords have stated 'There is nothing wrong with the battery' !

 

Just now, steve_b_wales said:

Halfords saw the RAC report, but stated that it was not correct!!!!

So has the battery gone into deep discharge and sulphated (highly unlikely IMHO) so is kaput like several independents confirmed, OR, is it absolutely fine like Halfords (who are liable to honour the warranty) have said.
It cant be both !

[Gordon R]

I would be emailing Halfords CEO pointing out that his own Head office had instructed the manager to get back to your wife, but he / she had failed to do so. I would then ask what they intend to do about it. CEOs don't read the emails, but normally get one of their staff to sort it.

I rarely waste time at a local level when dealing with a national company. I have complained a fair number of times, with my highest payouts being £2000 and a £1000. This year I have recovered £40 from the Food Warehouse and been compensated £550 for shoddy service from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Last year I had about a dozen payouts. I should add that I do many complimentary emails to CEOs when I have had good service.

andrew.read@halfords.co.uk

[steve_b_wales]

14 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

The problem with this assumption is that Halfords have stated 'There is nothing wrong with the battery' !

 

So has the battery gone into deep discharge and sulphated (highly unlikely IMHO) so is kaput like several independents confirmed, OR, is it absolutely fine like Halfords (who are liable to honour the warranty) have said.
It cant be both !

Exactly. We are not sure what's the condition of it to be honest. I would trust the RAC and the independent garage (who didn't stand to make a sale) reports rather than Halfords. My wife is going to ask a friend who also runs his own garage (repairs etc) to see if he would be kind enough to write a report on the battery condition.

16 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

I would be emailing Halfords CEO pointing out that his own Head office had instructed the manager to get back to your wife, but he / she had failed to do so. I would then ask what they intend to do about it. CEOs don't read the emails, but normally get one of their staff to sort it.

I rarely waste time at a local level when dealing with a national company. I have complained a fair number of times, with my highest payouts being £2000 and a £1000. This year I have recovered £40 from the Food Warehouse and been compensated £550 for shoddy service from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Last year I had about a dozen payouts. I should add that I do many complimentary emails to CEOs when I have had good service.

andrew.read@halfords.co.uk

Thank You. This will be her final step should she get no joy.

[sportsbob]

58 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

The problem with this assumption is that Halfords have stated 'There is nothing wrong with the battery' !

 

So has the battery gone into deep discharge and sulphated (highly unlikely IMHO) so is kaput like several independents confirmed, OR, is it absolutely fine like Halfords (who are liable to honour the warranty) have said.
It cant be both !

It doesn`t really matter does it, if the battery is good then why should it be replaced, if the battery is bad why should it be replaced if it is due to Sulfation. In my experience ( I used to work for the main agent for and Automotive and Traction Battery manufacturer dealing with this very issue) it is relatively easy to determine why a battery has failed so if any independent says it needs replacing due to Sulfation the door is closed. The supplier also has the right to have an independent test done before settling any claim and given the usage indicated by the OP there is a high probability Sulfation will be the cause of the failure so again the door is closed.

If the suppliers independent tester says the failure is not due to Sulfation and the paste in the grids has become detached and has built up in the sump causing a shorted cell then the battery will be replaced.

A simple load test would not be sufficient to determine the cause of the failure as it would only determine the general health, you need to visually inspect the internals to see if they are Sulfated, if the battery has a translucent case you will see the Sulfation manifesting as a whiteish colouring to one or more cells, if there is no whiteish colouring then the failure would usually be a genuine warranty claim.

[Rewulf]

28 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

It doesn`t really matter does it, if the battery is good then why should it be replaced

If the battery is good then the car would start (unless there is bad earthing or tight starter.)
The fact it starts with a jump or charge negates this, ergo the battery is not good, so why would Halfords say it is ?

30 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

if the battery is bad why should it be replaced if it is due to Sulfation.

We dont know it has sulfation, and Halfords wont test it because they say there is nothing wrong with it.

31 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

it is relatively easy to determine why a battery has failed

I would dispute that, car batteries are often sealed these days, and no one is going to break it open to find out whats going on inside.

33 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

given the usage indicated by the OP there is a high probability Sulfation will be the cause of the failure

I dispute this too, sulfation occurs when the battery has been left flat for a long period, if 99 times out of a hundred the car starts, its not flat.
Cold weather likely finished it off enough so it wouldnt start on this occasion.

 

37 minutes ago, sportsbob said:

if the battery has a translucent case you will see the Sulfation manifesting as a whiteish colouring to one or more cells

I cant remember the last time I saw a car battery where you could see the levels ect through the side, even then, I doubt you could see sulphate at the bottom.
I see lots of car batteries on a weekly basis, they are 99% black .

[enfieldspares]

On 12/02/2025 at 18:50, Rewulf said:

And in that respect you can only go on what youre told, but I would get another opinion, as in my opinion, neither Halfords or the RAC are very good at diagnosing issues.
I could, in my 40+ years in the motor trade give you dozens of examples of utterly stupid diagnoses done by such people.

Alas in Leicester A B Butt have now long gone. But there were once auto electrical firms that did little else other than diagnose and fix vehicle electrical faults.

[Red carp]

Hi Steve your best bet after you sort out a new battery is to get a trickle charger your problem is the car does not get used on long runs exactly the same as my car, in winter the lights/heater on all the time & it absolutely kills the battery. I have a CTEK trickle charger fantastic bit of kit.

Edited Sunday at 09:39 by Red carp

[steve_b_wales]

7 hours ago, Red carp said:

Hi Steve your best bet after you sort out a new battery is to get a trickle charger your problem is the car does not get used on long runs exactly the same as my car, in winter the lights/heater on all the time & it absolutely kills the battery. I have a CTEK trickle charger fantastic bit of kit.

Thanks. I did look into getting a trickle charger for her car, once we get this issue sorted. Which model CTEK have you got?

Edited Sunday at 17:19 by steve_b_wales

[JohnfromUK]

21 minutes ago, steve_b_wales said:

Thanks. I did look into getting a trickle charger for her car, once we get this issue sorted. Which model CTEK have you got?

I have three CTEKs, used for cars, mower etc.   They are certainly very good - but be aware that they do suffer 'button problems'.  Google "ctek mode button failure" to see how to fix.  My first one I sent back (with button problems) and have minor problems (sometimes have to push button several times) still.  Apart from that they are excellent and I can live with the button issue.  I think all are older models, no longer catalogued, but I have I think a 5A, a 7A and a 10A version.

[steve_b_wales]

27 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

I have three CTEKs, used for cars, mower etc.   They are certainly very good - but be aware that they do suffer 'button problems'.  Google "ctek mode button failure" to see how to fix.  My first one I sent back (with button problems) and have minor problems (sometimes have to push button several times) still.  Apart from that they are excellent and I can live with the button issue.  I think all are older models, no longer catalogued, but I have I think a 5A, a 7A and a 10A version.

Thanks John. 

[rbrowning2]

On 14/02/2025 at 13:28, steve_b_wales said:

This is the photo of the testing machine that was used yesterday by a local independent garage.

 

These battery testers are ok but not the best, they simply put a load on the battery similar to an electric fire element and then reads the voltage, so if not fully charged at the time of the test can give misleading results.

Modern battery testers somehow send a pulse through the battery and can determine the amp hour capacity of the battery and voltage.

As said car batteries do not like to be deep cycled for that you need a leisure type battery.  
 

Feel your frustration, give it a good charge with a battery charger and if it then goes flat within a week  probably just simpler to replace it.