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Battery

The other good thing about twin batts, is that whilst being careful to avoid shorting out (i use a thick glove on the loose pos lead) you can keep the vehicle live continually whilst swapping one battery out at a time, saves having to reset leccy windows etc.
 
Wildplaces, there is no radio code. I thought the same when I first got mine, and have disconnected both batteries several times since, with no problems, 2006 lc3. Electric windows a simple reset.
 
You're quite right there Tractionman, we do learn something new every day, this forum is one of only a few like it in that so many of us are hands on people (to varying degrees), i bet most of us started with cheap old bangers as first cars and learned quickly, having no money to pay others to do it, how to maintain our vehicles economically even if it appears to some other we are overservicing, bet most of us spent hours trawling through scrap yards for serviceable parts, i'm just a kerbside cowboy after some 50 years working on motors, and yep still know embarrassingly little.

In general car forums half of the posters can't or won't even wash their own vehicles, wouldn't give keeping the undersides salt free a second thought nor have any inkling about preventing rust, sales bod and handbook says the engine oil is good for 20k miles the gearbox is sealed for life and at service time the brakes only need an squirt of brake cleaner via the dealer tech to keep them tip top, so that's what they take as gospel.

I'm staggered at how many youngters over the last couple of decades start off driving in new or almost new cars, they never learned the hard way about tlc and keeping old stuff tickling along, i think that grounding usually forced by being potless is priceless.

We're lucky in places like this to have all this freely shared info as we try and keep our motors going as long as possible economically, dunno about you lot there's literally no new vehicles sold in Britain today i'd give you a thankyou for, if i can keep our 120 and Forester going for as long as possible that'll suit me fine...always given Rishi doesn't suddenly decide to treble the VED or fuel taxes to claw back some of the hundreds of £billions he and his mates have pissed up the wall over the last 12 months.
 
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When looking for batteries I learnt that is always worth checking with MrT for prices. May surprise you....

Indeed, the ones on mine were fitted maybe a year before i bought it, receipt in the file shows they were about the same price as Yuasa 5 year warranted via Tayna, but MrT charged near on £50 for fitting, so a definate counter sale for most of us.
I've read that the specs on replacements are not up OE, neither CCA or AH, but can't remember now where i read the details, from what i read it seems if you could get OE they would be roughly twice the price of standard replacements.

I've just popped the bonnet to check the specs on the current Mr T replacement set, sods law dictates the specs were stickered on the tops and both stickers have vanished, labels on both sides just general blah.
Receipt dated Jan 2015, one @ £74 one @ £75.67 fitting @ £42, all + Vat = £230 all in.

That 6 years has flown by, batts show no sign of weakening so far...so that's them buggered.
 
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My first set of OE batteries lasted 10 years. The replacement from MrT are now 5+ years in and seem to be holding ok.

Replacement ( yuasa ) are 650cca each. I believe the original were 700cca.

£160 for the pair, 10 min to replace them in the parking lot myself. And the parts counter was happy to take my old set back for disposal.

This was a few years ago, but I couldn't at the time find anything at the same quality/price range. Battery megastore came close with some wierd unheard of (to me..) brand. MrTs yuasa definitely worked out for me.

Your milage may vary :)
 
Interesting test just now, Toyota hasn't been started for 2 weeks we've been using the Subaru, standing outside not a sheltered spot, it started easily but was slower turning over than is usual, had it not fired first time not sure it would have turned over for long.
2 mins after starting its showing 14.2volts and still is 15mins later on fast idle.
OK lads whats the consensus, are those batteries on the way out or does it all sound about normal.
Its having a run tomorrow anyway.
 
After 2 weeks my batteries probably wouldn't have much more than 50-60% so that might be why it was sluggish?

14.2 sounds a bit low right after starting - do you have a voltmeter in the car (like a cig lighter thingy) so you can monitor it when you drive next time?

I normally see 14.7 - 14.8 right after startup, but then it drops fairly rapidly as the battery gets charged up.

Only real way to see if the batteries are on their way out is to get a tester on them I think! Well worth an investment if you haven't got one! :)
 
Was hoping it was just the time since previously run, don't think its gone as long as two weeks standing before.

I think the voltage was higher inititally after starting, didn't get the digital speedo (Mrs got away with a speeding course, so both cars now have digital GPS speedos on the dash, they double as voltmeters) mode switched over to show volts for a minute or two sure i saw 14.4 then 14.3 before it settled on 14.2.

No i don't have a tester, good suggestion though, just had a butchers and there's dozens of the things, any recommendations what and which to go for?
 
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14.4 sounds OK tbh. Probably be fine after a bit of a run!

Tester... I've got a Foxwell BT705 - great bit of kit but around 100 quid. Theres loads of cheaper ones around, see what everyone else recommends...

I like the sound of those GPS speedo / voltmeters! Got a link? :)
 
Thanks for that suggestion, don't mind spending on a proper bit of kit, i'll see what others suggest and see what to buy, my typical leaving the house time is 3.30 am when on shift and definately don't want any bloody clicking sounds meaning i have to ponce about with the jump pack waking wifey and the dogs.

Here's the link for those digi speedos, did consider a proper heads up jobbie but that means sticking some semi reflective strip to the screen, warning make sure you get one like in the link, simple cig lighter power feed, i bought another which i thought identical some £10 cheaper, which connected to the OBD, that didn't work on the Toyo and wouldn't connect to the Subaru due to how its set into the dash, luckily got a refund on that one.
Had considered a better dash speedo, maybe a satnav that could display a large current speed display only but blowed if i could find one, considered a Road Angel type thingy with pre programmed and programmable known camera sites, but one of the major companies is no more and it appears there's annual fees on some others.
Got caught out once before with Drive Smart, a good little unit with free updates for life, clever in that it could work out your time in average speed sections so ahead of most rivals at the time, after about 12 months when they vanished, dunno wot happened to them, thought i saw new Drive Smart products when i looked a few weeks ago but it aint happening again, maybe its me thats a jinx, few years ago needed a new washing machine, hate buying things that don't last, choice between a Miele and ISE (British design but made in Sweden), both 10 year warranties, plumped for the ISE who went into liquidation about 18 months later, having said that the washer is built like a brick outhouse and its going strong at probably 6 or 7 years old now, now i've said that should put the mockers on it.
Just had a look on DriveSmart's website, looks all ahead full with really high tech stuff, maybe not the same company i bought the unit from previously, mind you this was probably 15 or more years ago.
 
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