2011 Auris 1.6 petrol refused to start - battery problems!?!

[kaboo]

Hi everyone, 

My 2011 Auris (1.6 petrol) refused to start up yesterday. This is our second car and mainly used by my wife. But since she has been working rom home since the last 3 years it doesn't get used as much. Mostly to pick kids from school 2x times a week (school is 1 km away). Once in a while, like may be once in 4-6 weeks, we take it for a longer drive of like 5-10 kms. 

This weekend we drove in it like for 15-16 kms. Come Monday evening, when missus tried to start, it refused. She only saw engine oil pressure light come on. 3 hours later when I was back home, I tried to start the car and here are the symptoms!!.

1. central locking was not working and I could not unlock using the key remote. I had to manually unlock the car.

2. inserted the key into the steering lock turned to acc position nothing happened.

3. Turned to ON position and several lights came on, on the panel, Battery, oil pressure, ABS, air bag, etc.

4. Turned to start - nothing happened. No ignition.

We bought this car in 2018 and have not replaced the Battery ourselves. So it is atleast 5 years old, may be older.

Does this suggest that the Battery is dead? Or just drained? Should I try recharging it? Or take it to the garage for checking up? Am quite ok with DIY, is this something I could attempt to do? We dont have at home recovery (always had it - somehow got excluded this time when we renewed insurance). So at the very least I will need to take it to a local garage. Could I jump start it with our second car which is a 2018 Auris Hybrid. 

Considering how everything is at the moment, am just trying to save as much money as possible.

Sorry these are lots of questions! 

Thank you in advance.

[xrhstosgr]

Hello After 5 years of using the Battery it is reasonable that it needs to be changed, as all the symptoms you mention there end However, try charging it and measuring it

[kaboo]

18 minutes ago, xrhstosgr said:

Hello After 5 years of using the battery it is reasonable that it needs to be changed, as all the symptoms you mention there end However, try charging it and measuring it

Thank u. Is changing Battery DIY friendly? Generally speaking how much does it cost at a garage? 

[Eddiefh]

Yep , should be 4 nuts to undo 2 clamp and 2 terminal, go to your local car parts shop will be cheaper than say getting Halfords to put on for you . 
I did mine early December it was roughly a 10 minute job 

[kaboo]

Thank u again. Am a novice when it comes to cars - is it possible to damage a brand new installed Battery if something else could b wrong? 

[xrhstosgr]

Bosch 52AH 470A Battery costs 63.00 euros It should be noted that the price I mention concerns a purchase in Greece. You could choose 75ah or more At the dealership the cost goes up 20-30% more

[xrhstosgr]

1 minute ago, kaboo said:

Σας ευχαριστώ και πάλι. Είμαι αρχάριος όταν πρόκειται για αυτοκίνητα - είναι δυνατόν να προκαλέσετε ζημιά σε μια ολοκαίνουργια εγκατεστημένη μπαταρία εάν κάτι άλλο μπορεί να είναι λάθος; 

No . there are many safeguards for this to happen. But if you have this suspicion you should look for worn cables and leaks. A diagnostic will help you with this

[Derek.w]

Best bet is take a voltage reading at Battery then its either low or a failed cell.

No meter then,

Have a frend jump start it is another option Dont use your second car for this its Battery is to small in amps to work your starter motor and flat Battery.

Once started dont switch off just take it to a local garage tobe checked over.

 

[TonyHSD]

Do not use your hybrid to jump start any other vehicle! 
Yoi can jump start a hybrid but not the other way around. If you try it may get yourself into a trouble. Just buy a new Battery for your Auris 1.6 and a smart charger and once a month charge the Battery to maintain healthy condition.  
 

[furtula]

I don't know why people are questioning if the Battery is actually dead.

Car sits all the  time, goes for a 1km run, which when you turn the lights, heating, radio, is not enough to recharge the Battery. Starting also takes a drain.

The longer drive is also not enough to replenish the Battery. If it was 2x longer, it would be ok.

Go to Tesco, get a new battery. Considering your usage, even if you recharge the old one, this issue will happen more often.

Open bonnet.

On the old battery, remove the red wire first, then remove black. Take old battery out. 

Connect red wire, connect black wire.

There you go, battery changed.

Start the car. Let it idle for 10 minutes to re-learn idle position. Then go for 10-20 minute drive.

That's it.

 

 

[kaboo]

Thank u all so much. I had a suspicion that hybrids cannot be used for jump starting but was not sure. Cheers for the warning.

I am in the UK, and the nearest place to get a Battery is Halfords. Putting reg number in on their website, it recommends: Yuasa HSB013 Silver 12V Car Battery (5 Year Guarantee). I have never heard of this brand before - would that be a decent Battery?

[Rhymes with Paris]

Yuasa is one of the best,if not the best Battery brands available today.

[furtula]

Since your car is 1.6, petrol, that Battery should be more than enough for it, as it's 640 cold cranking amps.

And you have 5 year warranty anyway.

 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, furtula said:

On the old battery, remove the red wire first, then remove black.

NO! Earth/negative, black first, then red (positive).

Wear safety glasses/goggles and possibly gloves too.

[TonyHSD]

And when you connect the new Battery first goes red positive terminal then negative black terminal. Simple voltmeter to check for bleeding after switch off the car it’s also a good idea. 

[AisinW]

14 hours ago, kaboo said:

Thank u all so much. I had a suspicion that hybrids cannot be used for jump starting but was not sure. Cheers for the warning.

I am in the UK, and the nearest place to get a battery is Halfords. Putting reg number in on their website, it recommends: Yuasa HSB013 Silver 12V Car Battery (5 Year Guarantee). I have never heard of this brand before - would that be a decent battery?

It can jump start a 1.6L gasoline car. But it is not recommended because the DC to DC converter power delivery rating is much smaller (100 Amps) than typical CCA for non hybrid cars. Hybrid car only need 60 Amps but regular car may need 100 Amps or more. 

It still works on your car because the 1.6L is small enough and the 12V Battery in your hybrid also helps at the same time when you surge the current. 

It will work but can seriously harm your DC/DC converter that cost £4000 or more to fix.  Get a good starter pack for about £60 in Lidl/Aldi. They are tested and safe, no fire hazard like many chinese unknown brands. I had a Tacklife brand and it works well hold the charge for years without recharging it. I kept it at 60% charge to protect the Lithium Battery, not 100% charged. 

[kaboo]

hank you everyone. We used Halffords service to install Battery at home. I could not have done it before Saturday and missus needed the car in the weekdays. It cost £20, so not too bad.

It really was the Battery and it seems that the old Battery was the original one from Toyota, like 12 years old, surprising!

 

[TonyHSD]

1 minute ago, kaboo said:

hank you everyone. We used Halffords service to install battery at home. I could not have done it before Saturday and missus needed the car in the weekdays. It cost £20, so not too bad.

It really was the battery and it seems that the old battery was the original one from Toyota, like 12 years old, surprising!

 

Good to hear all been sorted. Did you notice what make was the original Battery? I am not surprised at all it lasted that long , my car still on its original batteries 👌👍

[Guest]

They possibly source batteries from different manufacturers but a common one for Toyota seems to be Varta.

Although having recently replaced a Varta Battery by Bosch they came from the same factory in Spain. Identical except for the label.

[kaboo]

It was a Varta with a Toyota label on it. The last three years, basically since Covid, this car is not used much and still the Battery was sort of ok. 

The mechanic suggested taking it for a long drive (30-45 mins) every 10-15 days or so. But we use our other car (auris hybrid) for long drives and anywhere the whole family goes. The Battery has cost £95, so am not sure if its worth trying to take the old car for long drives. The extra cost of petrol this car consumes over the hybrid would probably add up to more than £95 over the next 5-6 years. 

With demanding jobs and two little kids, it will not be practical to top up the Battery with a charger 3-4 times a month. There is 5 years warranty with the new battery, so hopefully even with neglect at the moment we should be ok. Unless missus stops WFH and then this will be sorted anyway.

[TonyHSD]

Thanks.
No need to top up so often, perhaps once a month or every two months for cars that does not get much use. Other than that no need to worry about it. 👍

[Gerg]

[Edit, - looks like TonyHSD has beaten me to this!]

As a compromise with regards to charging your new Battery so regularly, you could buy a digital voltmeter and just check the voltage in situ from time to time, perhaps every 2-3 weeks?

When the voltage drops to say, 12.2 or 12.3 volts, then you could then choose to charge it.  It is unlikely that this will mean charging more often than every 5 or 6 weeks, but you'd soon find out the best pattern from your measurements.

When it is in stock, the Lidl DVM is quite good (I bought one for a friend recently), but there is plenty of choice for around £10.  And it's useful for checking, amongst the hundreds of things, keyfob batteries.

Or this, or similar... 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCELI-12V-24V-Voltmeter-Cigarette-Motorcycle-Black/dp/B09YTVZTPW/?_encoding=UTF8&pf_rd_p=e4866704-28ee-4064-87ed-045c2f7ae3d9&pd_rd_wg=4gRtn&pf_rd_r=76VX6PAP221EQ9FC85D8&content-id=amzn1.sym.e4866704-28ee-4064-87ed-045c2f7ae3d9&pd_rd_w=oKdbm&pd_rd_r=b40c53b1-e0e4-4e2b-98d0-c863bf2bec91&ref_=pd_gwm_ci_mcx_mr_hp_m

And check the Battery voltage with the ignition on but the engine stopped. 

Much, much less chance finding your car failing to start and leaving you stuck...