Advice on new battery - Yaris 1.4 T3 D-4D 2003 (Japanese)

[chocolakay]

Dear All,

I have a used Yaris 1.4 T3 D-4D 2003 (Japanese)  that has only been used for short journeys and the Battery is now completely dead.

I am trying to order a new Battery but haven't got a clue what Battery to order as it seems that this no fixed science.  

The measurements of the existing battery are 200x170x230 and the +ve terminal is on the left.

Toyota sell batteries for £78 (parts only) but I am looking to sell the car in the next year or sooner so don't really want to invest that much. Plus the cars been giving me problems from day one so can't afford to throw any more money on it than I need to!

Also would need to either have the battery delivered to my home address or pick up locally (I'm based in London).

Your help and guidance would be very much appreciated. :)

K

[Madasafish]

Our Yaris is 2003 Japanese built.

Just go to European Car Parts website and enter you reg number.  http://www.eurocarparts.com/

 

They have a sale on 25% off.

 

see http://www.eurocarparts.com/car-battery

[Cyker]

Ack, what have you done to the poor thing? They're practically indestructible normally!!

The Battery isn't particularly special; You could pick one at at Halfords or any other motor factors. Only thing to really check is that it's suitable for a diesel engine starter.
 

[jonquirk]

In the interests of peace of mind I have a rule regarding flat batteries: unless there is an obvious driver error such as leaving the interior light on my then I will jump start my car once only. I get the Battery replaced straight away. My old Xantia used to need a new Battery every three years (I think it was on the small side due to space issues in the engine bay).

Yours has died as a result of too many short journeys not allowing the alternator to charge the Battery fully. You might get away with charging it up and going for a longer drive on a regular basis. I also worry about the effect of all the short journeys on things like the EGR valve. Definitely calls for a long run regularly.

As your is a Japanese built Diesel you will find the battery costs more: when mine went down I called in at my local tyre & battery place (after a friend had jump started my car). The first battery they brought out had the battery terminals the wrong way round. When I pointed that out the fitter said "Oh, it's a Japanese one, that'll cost more." The price went up from £48 to £70! I guess the French built cars use a popular type that is widely used so more keenly priced. It may also be slightly smaller as the French were originally only building petrol engined cars.

I've just had a look round online. The battery I got, a Varta D48, is about £56 + carriage. It is a 60Ah battery, CCA is 540A, dimensions 232 x 173 x 225.

[chocolakay]

On 24/06/2016 at 2:03 PM, Madasafish said:

Our Yaris is 2003 Japanese built.

Just go to European Car Parts website and enter you reg number.  http://www.eurocarparts.com/

 

They have a sale on 25% off.

 

see http://www.eurocarparts.com/car-battery

Thanks Madasafish, I wish it was that simple!

It seems a a bit more complicated than that. The site warns that terminal type/orientation, dimensions and how Battery is secured to car all need to be considered.

[chocolakay]

On 24/06/2016 at 4:55 PM, Cyker said:

Ack, what have you done to the poor thing? They're practically indestructible normally!!

The battery isn't particularly special; You could pick one at at Halfords or any other motor factors. Only thing to really check is that it's suitable for a diesel engine starter.
 

Cyker I think I initially made the mistake of buying a very tortured Yaris in the first place. I'd been looking for a well-looked after diesel Yaris for over a year so but had little luck so ended up with one that's in pretty poor condition. The Battery actually failed on the drive back home, I should have taken that as a warning sign! And I don't think the exisitng Battery is the original...

The car also sat around for long periods during the winter and after having a few jump starts no regular long trips has now completely died on me!

I am planning to sell and hopefully replace with a another yaris (if I have better luck finding one in mint conditon) within the next 6 months. They are lovely cars! I think I was just unlucky!

Oh and Halfords only seem to sell batteries for the French build....

[chocolakay]

20 hours ago, jonquirk said:

In the interests of peace of mind I have a rule regarding flat batteries: unless there is an obvious driver error such as leaving the interior light on my then I will jump start my car once only. I get the battery replaced straight away. My old Xantia used to need a new battery every three years (I think it was on the small side due to space issues in the engine bay).

Yours has died as a result of too many short journeys not allowing the alternator to charge the battery fully. You might get away with charging it up and going for a longer drive on a regular basis. I also worry about the effect of all the short journeys on things like the EGR valve. Definitely calls for a long run regularly.

As your is a Japanese built Diesel you will find the battery costs more: when mine went down I called in at my local tyre & battery place (after a friend had jump started my car). The first battery they brought out had the battery terminals the wrong way round. When I pointed that out the fitter said "Oh, it's a Japanese one, that'll cost more." The price went up from £48 to £70! I guess the French built cars use a popular type that is widely used so more keenly priced. It may also be slightly smaller as the French were originally only building petrol engined cars.

I've just had a look round online. The battery I got, a Varta D48, is about £56 + carriage. It is a 60Ah battery, CCA is 540A, dimensions 232 x 173 x 225.

Thanks for your advice - I guess I hadn;t thought about the implications of short journeys or long periods without use on a diesel car. My last petrol car (which was my first car) seemed to cope without giving me any trouble, but it was in pristine condition which I cannot say about my curreny Yaris!

Would be great if you could advise on what you would consider as a regular long run? I would only use my car on weekends, perhaps for a 9 mile journey there and back doing 45 mph max. And that wouldn't be every weekend either!

I did get a quote from Toyota and a 65Ah Battery is £78 which is pretty steep especially as I don't plan on keeping my car for long unfortunately. But I do wonder what the warranty would be? Also they don't deliver so would need to go and pick up.

I've looked at the Varta which is a high spec but again pretty pricey.

Another significantly cheaper option I found is http://unipartautostore.com/unipart-45ah-400a-samson-power-battery.html with a lower spec at 45Ah and 400A at £40.65 inc. delivery. What exactly will I be compromising by going for this cheaper Battery?

[jonquirk]

With the cheaper Battery you run the risk that won't start on a cold day. The higher figure (CCA) stands for cold cranking amps. 400A is quite a drop from 540A. The smaller Battery will also have less reserve capacity so two starts close together might leave insufficient charge to go again especially if your journey needs you to use wipers, lights and heater fan a lot. 

It's a bit difficult to say how far/long to drive to fully recharge the Battery because it depends on how you drive: a sedate run will take longer than ragging it and using some more revs.

[jonquirk]

3 hours ago, chocolakay said:

I would only use my car on weekends, perhaps for a 9 mile journey there and back doing 45 mph max. And that wouldn't be every weekend either!

 

I am tempted to ask why you actually bother to own a car with mileage like that. Surely taking a taxi would be more cost effective?

[YarisHybrid2016]

As far as I'm aware, whether the engine is idling or running at 3000 RPM does not affect the charge current to the Battery. It is desirable however to drive the vehicle rather than letting it idle for long periods.

I suggest looking for a 3-stage Battery charger, and putting it on the car during the week. Look for "conditioning charger". It can help recover older batteries, and helps keep new batteries in good condition.