12v Battery problem

[O.W.L.]

The only thing that worries me is will the dash cam interfere with other stuff. When I bought a Ford Fiesta I had the Halfords dash cam I had fitted to my previous car installed in it, again, by Halfords.

The first time I used the cars satnav, it was all over the place and clearly not functioning properly.

I returned the car thinking it would be a warranty issue and after a lengthy investigation it turned out that the dash cam was throwing up interference. I had to pay over £300 labour charges, as there was nothing wrong with the car. I managed to get £150 back from Halfords as a goodwill gesture, but that experience has really put me off installing another one.

[Roy124]

Corolla flat Battery after 10 days.  It is 52 AHr Battery and showed a 1  volt drop after 5 days but 3.87 v today. 

Plugged in my Li jump starter.  Immediately the dash display illuminated.  At some point in the next 5 minutes the Ready light was available and the car started. 

I have now got the car on trickle charge. 

The jump starter had a display showing between 75 and 100% charge.  Last charged in June 21.  After starting the display showed between 25 and 50% charge. 

[Hibird]

A few observations from my own experiences with that 12v AGM Battery.

Until recentley I had a MK4 Yaris and always felt the 12v Battery was low and would have caused me real issues if the car was not used daily. I mitigated that problem with the "ready mode thing" and a solar charge set up with great success.

That vehicle has since been replaced with a CHR GR Sport 2.0 (lovely vehicle) Battery voltage issues have vanished, typical battery voltage after an overnight park are now 12.8 volts as opposed to 12.4 volts on the Yaris. Also I note that when the car is in use battery voltage is always around 14.3 volts.

Now on the Yaris typical battery volts with the system running were 14.1 volts so a significant difference when looking at AGM charge voltages.

I will keep an eye on things to try to determine if the lower charge voltage on the Yaris was the issue or did that Yaris have a degraded battery from new ! I think maybe...

 

[Steve_w]

Interesting about the CHR, my local garage has told me that there are known issues with the 12v Battery.  My wife’s went flat last October after not using it in going on a two week holiday although it’s been ok since.  I’m my opinion it’s the heated seats / steering wheel and short journeys that are partly the issue

[Cyker]

2 hours ago, Hibird said:

I will keep an eye on things to try to determine if the lower charge voltage on the Yaris was the issue or did that Yaris have a degraded battery from new ! I think maybe...

Yeah there has been some speculation that the batteries are going flat while waiting and during transit from the factory, and because they're smaller that's causing them to degrade faster. If that's the case a replacement should sort the problem out, but the hybrids do seem to need to be used more regularly than normal cars to keep the 12v healthy.

 

[Big_D]

I try and run my car at least twice a week. Partly to keep the Battery charged, but mainly because I enjoy driving it.

[Wayne lomax]

So is there a fix for the Battery going flat🔧🔨⚒

 

[Cyker]

It depends, but it basically boils down to replace the Battery (If it's dying) and use the car more  

[Roy124]

But there is the in between.  If you can get access to power a CTEK charger is highly recommended.  Kia recommend using a charger once a fortnight irrespective of usage. 

That said, my larger Battery, 42ahr vice 35 (I think) still dropped to 3.8v in 10 days. 

This brings you to the second recommendation, get a small lithion ion jump pack.  These are about a third the cost of the CTEK charger and I can confirm they work. 

Mine holds a 75% plus charge for months and still had about 50% after a jumper. 

[Steve_w]

Roy, any recommendations on a small lithium jump pack?
 

 Cheers, Steve

[Roy124]

Steve, not really, look at eBay or Amazon  I was amazed with what I got.  A semi-rigid zipped container held a Battery pack the size of a 6 inch mobile, a USB lead spider with mini, micro, C, and Apple that was used for charging the pack or supplying power to other devices.  It had an LED light and a separate 12v socket.  The jumper leads were a heavier gauge with substantial clamps. 

I there is one on Amazon about £33.

 

[Chrisg99]

15 hours ago, Steve_w said:

Roy, any recommendations on a small lithium jump pack?
 

 Cheers, Steve

I have a Streetwize Power Bank with Jump Starter for up to 4L petrol, 2.5L diesel which I got from Euro Car Parts as brother works there (Tends to be beneficial on discounts!). They do not stock it any longer but their sister company Carpartsforless .co.uk still have them @ £83.62

Product Code: 548776921

I bought the larger capacity one smaller are available and slightly cheaper. One of the best purchases I have made.

[sfmpm2a]

HI I bought the Hilka 400A Jump-Starter, Power Bank & Emergency Torch from Robert Dyas. Was the cheapest price I could find and it is dispatched direct from the manufacturer. Hilka 400A Jump-Starter, Power Bank & Emergency Torch | Robert Dyas @£63.99

 

[JillG]

We have bought via Toyota a solar panel charger that cost £60 for leaving the car when we are on holiday. Service lady from our local dealer recommended as she uses one as well.

[Yatoto]

Hi.

I own a 2019 Corolla 1.8 Hybrid. My 12volt Battery voltage used to drop from 12.6 volts to 12.1 volts in a couple of days.

I've discovered that this only occurs if the parking brake is set to come on automatically when the gear selector is in Park.

I now apply the parking brake independently and the problem no longer occurs.

This may be of some help.

[Pip Taylor]

Seems this is a common fault as winter approaches, or CHR not driven regularly etc.

I've had to call out the AA twice, as flat Battery usually means EPB locks-on. AA say immediately "it's probably your Battery is flat". Connect their booster and "Bob's your Uncle".

My solution was to buy a cheap power brick, keep it in the boot and use it as and when required.

Problem sorted.

Toyota answer is stock reply "You are not driving it enough to keep the Battery charged up". Will they replace the battery under warranty? "No, nothing wrong with it".

Annoying? Yes it is, but that's the only fault I've experienced in 5 years ownership of what is a GREAT car.

[Steve_w]

just had my 2 year CHR Battery replaced under warranty. Totally flat after 2 weeks away and not for the first time. Had not been using any of the accessories using excessive power, eg heated seats.  Unfortunately my wife does short journeys and not much in the way of annual mileage but it still shouldn’t be a problem.  We shall now see what happens as winter approaches 

[Hibird]

Totally Flat after 2 weeks regardless of the reason means the Battery suffered further damage so great you got a warranty replacement. Short journeys and infrequent use are part of the problem. The issue can be mitigated with either greater vehicle use over longer periods, Solar charger when weather permits or perhaps 40 mins or so in Ready Mode once a week. However not all vehicles suffer this problem mine included which has been left for 2 weeks twice this year without issue. I think in at least some cases the issue is a patent defect gifted to us by Toyota.

I was at a Toyota dealer some time ago first thing in the morning the Sales Staff were all busy with jump starting equipment getting the S/H sales fleet started to enable more room on the limited forcourt space for customer service vehicles.

So does this mean that all S/H sales vehicles were traded in with bad batteries or that the vehicles just sit there with no Battery management policy and slowly die ? the answer I'am sure is not straight forward but something was clearly wrong or was it the norm ?

New vehicles will be different but if our batteries have 'EVER' been allowed to run flat they have been damaged and become a problem before we even get our shiny new cars.

Of course doors left open, lights left on etc have and always will and issue and will not change.

It is worth considering that while a Jump start device is great to get us up and running (I have one unused) that damage to the Battery has already occured so any action that can prevent a flat battery is a worthwhile investment.

 

 

[Yunus6]

I have exactly the same issue on my C-HR 2020 after leaving my car for a four days after the cold snowy weathers. Prior to that,  It hadn't been driven far and has only done under 16k.  The car was left on my drive for 2 weeks following my foot surgery in February, Was driven once in March. I was just about to show my guests the display and get them to look around the car, to my astonishment, it wouldn't start up. The instrument panel was just flicking through all of the not ready and warning  messages !

I was utterly annoyed, more so as I do not have a recovery home start. I'm will have to source that as an extra add-on.  I was wondering if the same ridiculous issue would have happened if I'd returned from a 2 week vacation. 

Spoke to Toyota service team for some advice on how to either trickle charge the Battery, as I have a 12v charger, they could not advice me on the process, but asked me to bring the car down and they would book it in for a Battery check. (even mentioned that the 12v Battery is not under warranty (though the car is a 70plate and has only done under 16k. (silly question, how do I get the car to them if it won't start....)

Anyhow, I will most likely have to contact a recovery team to get some advice on how to trickle charge the battery from a battery charger, (I wasn't sure whether to remove the negative terminal and charge it with the positive and negative (battery is in the boot on this model).  Toyota did not help with this as they don't charge batteries.  Has anyone any experience of charging the battery in the boot ?

(Also learned from Toyota, that there is a positive terminal point in the fuse box for a jump start, which is not obvious, would have expected it to be marked, can only see the bolt)

[Steve_w]

I charge mine in situ with a 12v charger. Toyota’s answer is to leave it standing for 1 hour with the power switched on.  The hybrid will then charge the 12v Battery. Once the engine is warm it will switch off but the hybrid will continue with the charging

[Yunus6]

Where are you connecting the charger to,

i.e. are you connecting the charger directly to the Battery terminals with the Battery still connected?

[philip42h]

2 hours ago, Yunus6 said:

Where are you connecting the charger to,

i.e. are you connecting the charger directly to the battery terminals with the battery still connected?

If you have a smart charger you can safely trickle charge the Battery while it is connected. You can connect either directly to the Battery terminals or via the 'jump start' point in the fuse box under the bonnet - either way is perfectly fine. Using the jump start point is probably easier for cars with the 12v auxiliary Battery stowed in the boot.

Obviously you need to take care to connect correctly ... 😉

[Roy124]

First, what sort of charger do you have?  You really need a smart charger though an ordinary one on a low charge might work. 

The fuse box referred to is probably on the right, nearside when looking from the front. 

With the cover removed you might see a dull red cover, lift this up and you will expose a blade to which the positive charger terminal will connect. 

The charger negative should be fastened to a non painted nut in the engine bay.  Your handbook should detail all this. 

Now the bad news. 

On 3/13/2023 at 10:23 AM, Yunus6 said:

 after leaving my car for a four days after the cold snowy weathers. Prior to that,  It hadn't been driven far and has only done under 16k.  The car was left on my drive for 2 weeks following my foot surgery in February, Was driven once in March

Not driving far could have resulted in the Battery frequently having less than the optimum charge.  The 4 days cold weather could degrade it more.  The two weeks without driving in February will have depleted the Battery. The one trip in March obviously did for it.  16k miles in 3 years is not ideal for a small hybrid 12v Battery.  A warranty exchange on 12 months is possible but 3 years unlikely. 

If you were never told about the need to put the car in Ready mode (Advice published in Apr 2020) you might be able to get a goodwill contribution. 

[Big_D]

I got one of these. I haven't had the need to use it yet, as I have been driving fairly regularly. But have checked with my local Toyota Dealer (who also sell them) and they have confirmed it is perfectly safe to use.

[TonyHSD]

These solar chargers are great however they only can maintain charge on  a healthy Battery. They can not recharge already drained Battery, weak Battery or they do not work on cloudy days. They are perfect for brand new car and if not used frequently, and of course parking on open space with good amount of sunlight.