C70 battery dead

[mark2410]

although it was replaced last november, the battery is dead, totally dead, RAC started it yesterday and their test thing said its bad and today i cant even unlock the car. It is a Volvo branded battery too but seems that it doesnt matter and forgetting to use the cary for a couple months and it dies.

I was thinking about those solar trickle chargers, do tehy work in a C70, ones that can be plugged into the 12v sockets?

[Simmy]

check the light switch position you wont be the first person to end up with a flat battery its easy to get caught out with this . ask me how i know

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by mark2410

although it was replaced last november, the battery is dead, totally dead, RAC started it yesterday and their test thing said its bad and today i cant even unlock the car. It is a Volvo branded battery too but seems that it doesnt matter and forgetting to use the cary for a couple months and it dies.

I was thinking about those solar trickle chargers, do tehy work in a C70, ones that can be plugged into the 12v sockets?

solar charger in scotland ???
youd be better off with a mains powered battery charger/conditioner "CTEK" brand

you Have had the alternator checked to see If its working properly havent you?

as well as the "lovely" lights switch

[Wgl2020]

Modern cars tend to always draw a small amount of current from the battery due to ECU's, alarms etc....

If you aren't using the car for an extended period maybe consider removing the negative battery lead. Alternatively a battery conditioner (basically a trickle charger) would do the job as suggested above.

I tried a solar trickle charger and wasn't impressed, not enough power to make a difference.

[mark2410]

Originally Posted by andy_d

solar charger in scotland ???
youd be better off with a mains powered battery charger/conditioner "CTEK" brand

you Have had the alternator checked to see If its working properly havent you?

as well as the "lovely" lights switch

mains powered means taknig the battery out, whickh id very much rather not. alternator is fine as in the light switch. its just that it wsa sat for a few months, tho im pretty appailed that its killed the battery, not just drained but now it would seem to be totally dead and needs binned.

how long is the warranty on genuine volvo branded batterys?

[Familyman 90]

Lead acid batteries need to be charged, cycled and used. Let the voltage drop low enough and the plates sulfate and the batteries die. Its a fact of life. Several months lack of use can do it, particularly in cold weather, more so if its left in the car with a small parasitic drain to wring the last dregs of remaining charge from the cells.

Something as benign as the boot light staying on will also do this in short order, so it might be a bit premature to blame the battery at the stage. You need to get the car running again and then double check for any unusual current drain.

2 months really is borderline...you might get away with it for that long, but most definitely not time and time again.

A really good smart charger might be able to revive it, depending on how deeply its discharged and the extent of sulfation.

The warranty on Volvo batteries depends largely on whether dealer fitted it or someone else. It would certainly be more clear cut if the dealer fitted it, avoid any potential blame game of musical chairs. Just as an aside, the dealer replaced mine just before Chtistmas and it was only £3 more expensive than buying a Varta and doing it myself.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by mark2410

although it was replaced last november, the battery is dead, totally dead, RAC started it yesterday and their test thing said its bad and today i cant even unlock the car. It is a Volvo branded battery too but seems that it doesnt matter and forgetting to use the cary for a couple months and it dies.

I was thinking about those solar trickle chargers, do tehy work in a C70, ones that can be plugged into the 12v sockets?

Volvo issued a recommendation that in these times of low usage charge the battery every 2 weeks , and to recover one , leave a cheap unregulated charger on for at least 48 hours , i have found that works in most cases . you have a 3 year warranty surely?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Wgl2020

Modern cars tend to always draw a small amount of current from the battery due to ECU's, alarms etc....

If you aren't using the car for an extended period maybe consider removing the negative battery lead. Alternatively a battery conditioner (basically a trickle charger) would do the job as suggested above.

I tried a solar trickle charger and wasn't impressed, not enough power to make a difference.

no volvos should draw more than 50ma when parked up .

[mark2410]

Originally Posted by Clan

Volvo issued a recommendation that in these times of low usage charge the battery every 2 weeks , and to recover one , leave a cheap unregulated charger on for at least 48 hours , i have found that works in most cases . you have a 3 year warranty surely?

yeah throuble is that its a cabriolet so once weather gets poo it tends to be forgotten about. garage wants to test it but i was thinking solar charger thing to keep it allive when im not using.

called volvo and they said at first 1 year, but then i protested thats terrible they went off and came back saying sorry its 3 with a volvo branded battery. still im appauled it has deid so fast.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by mark2410

yeah throuble is that its a cabriolet so once weather gets poo it tends to be forgotten about. garage wants to test it but i was thinking solar charger thing to keep it allive when im not using.

called volvo and they said at first 1 year, but then i protested thats terrible they went off and came back saying sorry its 3 with a volvo branded battery. still im appauled it has deid so fast.

That is because you didn't maintain it ... ie charge it ...
I dont know what's going on with modern batteries but they do loose their power when left for several weeks let alone months .