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Battery Charger?

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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 18:34   #1
PorcupineTree
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Default Battery Charger?

I bought myself a '63 V40 D3 manual a couple of weeks ago. When I first got it, there was a message on the dash to say that the battery was low. A long drive home (Kent back to Oxfordshire) seemed to do the trick as the message had gone but looking in the "my car" section of the infotainment systems, it says the auto start/stop is disabled due to low battery charge.

Therefore, I was thinking I would get myself a trickle charger to top it up and then when I next use it, it should be a bit happier and run more efficiently (not having to burn extra fuel to run the alternator on full).

Is this a good idea or should I just give it a few more long drives? Also, is it likely it's just the battery that's dying and a better option would be to just replace it?

And lastly, if I should go ahead with the charger idea, are there any recommendations? Looking into it a lot of them aren't suitable for cars with start/stop and further complicating things there appear to be two batteries - do both need charging?

Any advice you can throw my way would be most appreciated.
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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 18:44   #2
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I replaced my battery last week. Like you, for the last couple of years I've been living with 'low battery' messages and the unavailability of the stop/start system due to 'electrical system' issues that can be fixed by leaving the car on an overnight charge. I figured that entering winter with a near-seven year old battery was pushing it, hence jumping in and buying the new battery.

Since replacing it, the stop/start has become permanently available, once warmed up.

If your car is still on the original battery then I'd recommend replacing it in the next month or so. I got mine from a Volvo dealer for £99 + delivery... https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...1&postcount=12
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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 19:52   #3
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Originally Posted by Zebster View Post
I replaced my battery last week. Like you, for the last couple of years I've been living with 'low battery' messages and the unavailability of the stop/start system due to 'electrical system' issues that can be fixed by leaving the car on an overnight charge. I figured that entering winter with a near-seven year old battery was pushing it, hence jumping in and buying the new battery.

Since replacing it, the stop/start has become permanently available, once warmed up.

If your car is still on the original battery then I'd recommend replacing it in the next month or so. I got mine from a Volvo dealer for £99 + delivery... https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...1&postcount=12
Thanks for the tip. That sounds like the solution. Just quick q, how can you tell which battery needs replacing? The main battery seems easy enough to get to but if the issue is with the support battery, that could be more of a pain.
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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 20:19   #4
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A few points to think about

1: It is always a good idea to own a charger, whatever the vehicle or motorbike, and it should be a 'Smart charger' rather than an old-school simple charger. An even better idea to have one before winter. Most people here suggest CTEK MXS 5 (guaranteed 5 years) or Noco Genius 5 - neither are cheap but worth every penny. As they cost about half the cost of a new battery at the very least they might save you some money by not needing a new battery just yet, and you should have a charger anyway. There are budget generic (and sometimes lookalike) copies on the internet, and they come up at Lidl occasionally, and many people have found them satisfactory. Bottom line: make sure you get a smart charger rather than one that delivers constant voltage/current and could fry a battery if not turned off in time

2: Most people report getting a decade or more from the original Volvo battery as they may be a higher spec as OEM than an after-market battery of the same make. One of mine was fine at 8 years when I sold that Volvo, and another at 14 years. Personally I would not be a rush to buy a new one..I'd give a proper charge to the existing one 2-3 times over 6 weeks or so

3: Yes, check the Volvo dealer price first and compare it with the battery supplier Tayna who are always well regarded on this forum for pricing, and quick service, usually next day

4: the smaller support battery can be tricky to reach, especially on a V40, but the universal opinion on this forum is that they never need replacing.... They are charged by the alternator and the electrical system. The handbook makes no mention on charging the support battery, and that's why

Good luck

Last edited by scbamber; Sep 30th, 2021 at 20:24.
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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 21:03   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PorcupineTree View Post
Thanks for the tip. That sounds like the solution. Just quick q, how can you tell which battery needs replacing? The main battery seems easy enough to get to but if the issue is with the support battery, that could be more of a pain.
I replaced the main battery. The common view here on the forum is that the smaller support battery rarely fails (although obviously it can't last forever!). It provides power to the infotainment and display systems during periods where the stop/start system has switched off the engine, so if there is a problem during these short periods then perhaps it would be worth replacing the support battery (or maybe there's a dedicated warning message when it has insufficient charge?).

I am confident that your description suggests the main battery has become weak, exactly the same as mine had.
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Old Sep 30th, 2021, 21:30   #6
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Volvo original batteries often do 10+ years, so I wouldn't change it unless you are having repeated problems.

A good trickle charge for say 24 hours is absolutely a good idea. To fully saturate a battery occasionally there is no benefit to getting a fancy charger - this will do it perfectly well :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptronix-B...ttery&sr=8-249
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Old Oct 1st, 2021, 10:12   #7
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Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have to say having not been hear long I really appreciate the quick and informative replies.

I have a CTEK MXS 5 on the way and I'll see how the car is after a good recharge with that.

The car is nearly 8 years old so will probably need a new battery in the coming years in any case but a charger is good to have in any case.

I'm also conscious of not over exerting the AUX belt as it is coming up to the 10 year/108k deadline for replacement and I'd rather not test how good Volvo's roadside assistance is.
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Old Oct 1st, 2021, 11:31   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PorcupineTree View Post
Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have to say having not been hear long I really appreciate the quick and informative replies.

I have a CTEK MXS 5 on the way and I'll see how the car is after a good recharge with that.

The car is nearly 8 years old so will probably need a new battery in the coming years in any case but a charger is good to have in any case.

I'm also conscious of not over exerting the AUX belt as it is coming up to the 10 year/108k deadline for replacement and I'd rather not test how good Volvo's roadside assistance is.
A long drive isn't the best way to charge the battery on modern cars ..
You need to thoroughly charge your existing battery first before condemning it , that means using and old charger WHICH DOES NOT CUT OFF ... to maintain about 14.8v for at least 24 hours . That should desulphate it and give it a new lease of life ,
(From a volvo service bulletin 5 years ago .)

Assuming you have the 5 cylinder diesel did you have your AUX belt changed at 54000 miles ? ( not time related but MILES )
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Old Oct 1st, 2021, 12:17   #9
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Originally Posted by Zebster View Post
I replaced my battery last week. Like you, for the last couple of years I've been living with 'low battery' messages and the unavailability of the stop/start system due to 'electrical system' issues that can be fixed by leaving the car on an overnight charge.https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...1&postcount=12
I just did the same on my 2015 D4.

I considered just doing the battery reset without changing the battery, but since it always turned off start stop not long after a charge (even if that charge was 5+ days at a fixed voltage from a 60A supply during lockdown), I figured the BMS was correctly able to identify the battery weakening after a charge.

So far the new (large/main/cranking) battery has stop-start going within about 200m of a cold start, and its been working all week without any external charging.

I expect the original battery would have soldiered on for years without stop start, but it's nice to have full functionality and no scary "low battery" warnings.
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Old Oct 1st, 2021, 12:42   #10
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Originally Posted by rxtian View Post
I just did the same on my 2015 D4.

I considered just doing the battery reset without changing the battery, but since it always turned off start stop not long after a charge (even if that charge was 5+ days at a fixed voltage from a 60A supply during lockdown), I figured the BMS was correctly able to identify the battery weakening after a charge.

So far the new (large/main/cranking) battery has stop-start going within about 200m of a cold start, and its been working all week without any external charging.

I expect the original battery would have soldiered on for years without stop start, but it's nice to have full functionality and no scary "low battery" warnings.
I tried resetting the battery monitoring system about a year ago, so I know it wasn't simply that.

I'd also tried to 'revive' my battery as above on an old trickle charger, plus using the 'recover' mode on my smart charger to no obvious benefit. My Hyundai smart charger gives an approximate charge % whilst charging and - worryingly - would usually show that there was only 10-20% of charge remaining in my old battery whenever I began charging (something I was in the habit of doing at least once a month)... while such a low charge is fine for starting in normal conditions, I was becoming concerned that sub-zero temperatures would be a double whammy for the aging battery in that the residual charge would fall even lower at a time when greater cranking current and duration was demanded, plus of course following a potentially lengthy glow plug load.

I agree with you that my original battery may well have kept going through the winter and beyond but I saw no advantage in waiting even longer to replace it. I'm only going to replace it once and so why not sooner rather than later!

It seems to me that Volvo have designed the battery monitoring system to expect the performance of a near-new battery. I never get similar warning messages and inhibited stop/start performance with my diesel Sportage, so I guess that must be more tolerant of the aging battery? It is 2 years younger than my Volvo but by this age the Volvo was already being a nuisance in this regard. It is a relief to have replaced the battery and gone back to having both cars acting normally and not needng to regularly having to nurse either with a smart charger...
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