Technical battery question - what type of battery did my Avensis come with?

[TheGreatBeige]

I have a 2016 Avensis Touring Sports (estate) 2.0 litre diesel, manual transmission, business edition.

I've noticed the Battery (which is the original) hasn't been fully charging recently, I suspect due to the fact I have done fewer miles since lockdown, as well as the fact it is probably close to the end of its life. I tested the Battery and the alternator with a voltmeter and the Battery voltage is a little low (11.9V) but the alternator appears to be fine.

I was considering buying a battery charger anyway and these come with reconditioning programmes which can restore some battery life to worn batteries. Although my battery is quite old, the voltage is still pretty good and I would like to give it a try. However the battery doesn't say anywhere on it what type of battery it is in terms of the technology, all it has is the name of the brand - "Exide", and no model number. As the car has a stop-start functionality where the engine turns itself off at traffic lights etc., I assume the battery is either an EFB (Enhanced Flooding Battery) or possibly an AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery. This is important because the battery technology will determine the extent to which reconditioning is actually possible. It also affects what it will cost to replace the battery if that is required as AGMs are usually more expensive. I could possible work out what type of battery it is by removing the battery myself and shaking it to see if the insides slosh about - but I don't really want to remove the battery myself if I can possible avoid it. I can't find the recommended battery specifications anywhere in the user manual or online.

So I would really appreciate it if anyone knows:

1. What type of battery did the car come with? (i.e. EFB, AGM, other)

2. If the battery is EFB, would it be worthwhile to upgrade it to AGM?

[Catlover]

Hi Chris, and welcome to the Toyota Owners Club. Members oh here are a friendly lot, and willing to share info. So your car is less then 5 years old, it’s worth getting a modern computerised charger as a recon may well put extra years on your current Battery. I purchased a CTEK 5.0 which is suitable for 12v batteries, cars and motorcycles, AGM and Wet batteries. It’s an easy to use system, basically one button to choose Motorcycle or car, AGM or Wet Battery etc. We have two Toyota hybrids, one with an AGM (because it’s in the boot) and my Prius is a wet Battery (under the bonnet). Simple instructions. To go through the full charging system could take hours, depending on the condition. But that’s ok, if you need to disconnect for any reason before the job is done then when you reconnect it goes to where it was interrupted. The CTEK 5 cost £66 inc del and VAT from Tayna, Abergele, North Wales. Other suppliers but Tayna get good reviews and I have bought a battery from them in the past.

 Ring a diesel car, a replacement battery is going to be “heavy duty” and more expensive then a petrol engine battery. The AGM battery I bought from Tayna cost £125, and for hybrids it is only a 35ah. I would guess a battery for your diesel would be at least double that ah, so good knows how much. You right an EFB would be cheaper then an AGM but by how much I know idea. 
 

Certainly think trying a modern charger, do a recon every year  ((CTEK recommendation), could save you money. And after buying the AGM battery from Tayna I then found out my Toyota did it for same price, and their tyre prices are good as well, so always worth asking your dealer.

[flash22]

its a standard Battery (096) as long as you do not have stop-start, open the bonnet and have a look what you currently have

[TheGreatBeige]

58 minutes ago, flash22 said:

its a standard battery (096) as long as you do not have stop-start, open the bonnet and have a look what you currently have

As I said in my post:

1. It is a stop-start.
2. The Battery doesn't say what type it is.

[TheGreatBeige]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

Hi Chris, and welcome to the Toyota Owners Club. Members oh here are a friendly lot, and willing to share info. So your car is less then 5 years old, it’s worth getting a modern computerised charger as a recon may well put extra years on your current battery. I purchased a CTEK 5.0 which is suitable for 12v batteries, cars and motorcycles, AGM and Wet batteries. It’s an easy to use system, basically one button to choose Motorcycle or car, AGM or Wet battery etc. We have two Toyota hybrids, one with an AGM (because it’s in the boot) and my Prius is a wet battery (under the bonnet). Simple instructions. To go through the full charging system could take hours, depending on the condition. But that’s ok, if you need to disconnect for any reason before the job is done then when you reconnect it goes to where it was interrupted. The CTEK 5 cost £66 inc del and VAT from Tayna, Abergele, North Wales. Other suppliers but Tayna get good reviews and I have bought a battery from them in the past.

 Ring a diesel car, a replacement battery is going to be “heavy duty” and more expensive then a petrol engine battery. The AGM battery I bought from Tayna cost £125, and for hybrids it is only a 35ah. I would guess a battery for your diesel would be at least double that ah, so good knows how much. You right an EFB would be cheaper then an AGM but by how much I know idea. 
 

Certainly think trying a modern charger, do a recon every year  ((CTEK recommendation), could save you money. And after buying the AGM battery from Tayna I then found out my Toyota did it for same price, and their tyre prices are good as well, so always worth asking your dealer.

Yes it was precisely that CTEK charger that I was thinking of buying, they seem to be the best you can get in Europe at present. However the CTEK device won't really help an AGM Battery because although it might help a bit with desulphation, it won't help at all with stratification as AGM batteries don't stratify. So if I have an AGM Battery, there is much less scope for improvement, and therefore much less reason to risk £70 on buying a new charger. Plus, even if I did have the charger, I wouldn't know whether to use the Wet programme or the AGM programme.

What I really need to know is what the hell is there at present. It seems ludicrous to me that the manufacturer's preferred Battery type isn't listed anywhere. The information must exist, but I simply can't find it.

[Catlover]

A Battery specialist may be able to help - knowing the year, model, etc of your car. Sometimes an online site may tell without a phone call or e message.

As for not knowing what type your Battery is, I dont think you can do damage to your Battery on a CTEK 5. Go on YouTube and see the reviews of the CTEK 5, loads of them, some are just "open the box and this is what you get", but some go into detail of the stages the CTEK goes through. 

[flash22]

OEM is Yuasa iirc, i speed read the post, multitasking

From Yuasa

https://www.yuasa.co.uk/ybx9096.html

So its 096 70-75ah AGM

 

[Mooly]

If the original is AGM then when it is removed and moved around sharply you will not hear any sloshing around of electrolyte unlike an EFB.

[TheGreatBeige]

1 hour ago, flash22 said:

OEM is Yuasa iirc, i speed read the post, multitasking

From Yuasa

https://www.yuasa.co.uk/ybx9096.html

So its 096 70-75ah AGM

 

That's exactly what I need - thanks very much.

[flash22]

Just looking in the epc, if it's the 1ADFTV there only 2 Battery options

I suggest you take the Battery out of the box and look at the markings

 

Edit. Just to get to the bottom of this if it has an EFB you can upgrade to an AGM, if its AGM replace with an AGM

 

AGM are better in a deep cycle and will out last the EFB, AGM has a better current characteristics too

 

[Holbay]

Go onto kwikfit website for batteries and enter your registration number it will then tell you which type and rating of Battery your car has.

[TheGreatBeige]

5 hours ago, Holbay said:

Go onto kwikfit website for batteries and enter your registration number it will then tell you which type and rating of Battery your car has.

It doesn't actually - if you do that with my vehicle the website makes two recommendations which if you read down the page explicitly state "not suitable for stop-start vehicles". I tried the same thing with other mechanic chains and got the same thing. I actually phoned an official Toyota dealership and service centre and they couldn't tell me what Battery type goes in the car either, which I found utterly astounding.

[flash22]

Can you PM me your vin and i will dig a bit deeper into this