Vent: Auto Store - Car Battery

AWD Chaser · 13-09-2011, 10:59 AM

Just a vent.

The other day, I went to a large chain Auto store (of which, I personally know half the guys that work there and I buy all my auto stuff from).

My battery in the HSV was dead as (only 7V and bulging).

Paid $150 and went off with a Supercharge Gold 600CCA (They recommended).

Get home and drop her in... no crank, no lights on dash...

Throw it in my Kia and it kicks over, so I let it idle for about 20 mins to give it a bit of charge.

Throw it back in the HSV and she kicks over fine...

All is well for a few days then yesterday at work, the car wouldnt unlock - no power! No dash lights.. nothing... So I got a jump, and left work... Had to keep the revs up cause anything below 1000rpm and she would struggle to idle...
Volt meter said 14V all the way home...

Got home, and turned car off... Turned the key to ON so the Volt meter gauge was on and it only had 9V on it... then dropped like a Territory's fuel gauge to about 5ish.... then no lights and no central locking... Nothing.

So I went back down to the auto store this morn, and they put it on some volt meter thingy and said it was fine and the little round circle on the battery was green so it must be fine...

I explained all of the above and they just shrugged their shoulders. They then said they didnt have another one to swap it with... So I asked for a refund and they said no. So I offered to pay extra and get a better brand, etc, and they said no.

"You will just have to wait till the rep comes down at lunch to test it" - mind you, I'm in full uniform and was meant to start work at 7:30 which they were aware of!

Im still waiting for a call to prob tell me my dead battery is fine.

So much for customer is king!

302 XC · 13-09-2011, 11:21 AM

So youve assertained that it is the battery ???
Youll look funny if its the cars fault

Every new battery i get and they recommend you do this also is charge it before using

AWD Chaser · 13-09-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 302 XC

So youve assertained that it is the battery ???
Youll look funny if its the cars fault

Every new battery i get and they recommend you do this also is charge it before using

If my volt meter was at 9 then died, and the car didnt have enough power to even lock the doors, and then they test it this morn and say its perfectly fine...?

But yeah, I certainly dont want to look like a dill...

Supercharged · 13-09-2011, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 302 XC

So youve assertained that it is the battery ???
Youll look funny if its the cars fault

Every new battery i get and they recommend you do this also is charge it before using

Sounds like a fault in the car running the battery down.

TheSneakiness · 13-09-2011, 11:31 AM

If it ran in your Kia and then died in the Clubbie there's an electrical fault with the Clubbie running the battery down.

Off to the auto lecky it goes.

Yellow_Festiva · 13-09-2011, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

If it ran in your Kia and then died in the Clubbie there's an electrical fault with the Clubbie running the battery down.

Off to the auto lecky it goes.

That's right, a battery that turns over a car enough to start sure does have enough juice in it to get the lights on the dash of a car brightly lit that's for sure.

cobramania · 13-09-2011, 01:56 PM

Sounds to me like you've got a pretty substantial short circuit in the HSV, & the voltage drop is from the load (current drain) on the battery. When you take the battery out of the car/disconnect wherever the short is, the load comes off & the voltage comes back up (as the battery isn't faulty or flat), leave it connected to the short long enough, it will go flat & the voltage won't come backup when it's disconnected. Also the alternator output doesn't vary depending on the revs, unless it's faulty or has a large load on it. From what you've explained needing to keep the revs about 1000, indicates a huge electrical load on the alternator & it can't keep the volts up, but would also be putting a mechanical load onto the motor trying to slow it down, the huge magnetism from the load in the alternator would be making it act like an electrical brake.

ltd · 13-09-2011, 02:18 PM

I'd be getting the car looked at ASAP, for the battery to be draining that quickly you have a severe short somewhere, that many amps you're looking at the kind of short that will generate a lot of heat and could potentially even start a fire. Disconnect the battery and have the car checked. Try and get holden to test the massive voltage drop.
I had a similar thing in a BA LTD and it turned out it was the amplifier. Big sumbitch eventually burned itself out, but not before a lot of smoke.
Goodluck, and let us know how you get on.

AWD Chaser · 13-09-2011, 02:47 PM

Turns out battery had an intermittant dead cell??? Dunno, but yeah new battery - and still no start... that problem turned out to be a rusty positive terminal...

So new brass terminals and a new battery and shes good as... well... it runs now...

mik · 13-09-2011, 05:43 PM

delete

2011G6E · 13-09-2011, 05:49 PM

Yep, don't jump to the conclusion that its the goddamn idiots who sold you the dud battery! Been there, done that.
Had the same thing with a VK Calais we used to own. Battery was about three years old and died...three years is quite resonable for a car battery. Bought a new quality Century one, and it lasted a grand total of a day and died. Took it back, complaining bitterly, and got a replacement and an apology.
Two days later, the new one was also dead. This got me thinking, and I pulled the alternator and got it tested. Some winding problem, needed a new one. Got an exchange one and fitted it, no more battery problems...and I avoided that battery shop for quite a while in embarassment...

svo supporter · 13-09-2011, 08:07 PM

Problem is, these auto shops sell batteries on consignment. They don't actually own them. So they have to get the rep to test them and give the OK for a replacement. Otherwise the auto shop is out of pocket if it turns out there's nothing wrong with the battery.

So next time you're having issues, like this, don't jump down the shops throat, even on a forum. They can only do so much.

Oh and I tend to agre with the majority here. You've got an electrical problem, not a battery problem.

FgNewbie · 14-09-2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Problem is, these auto shops sell batteries on consignment. ...

Not our problem. Consumers must receive clear title to goods, ie the seller must be entitled to sell the goods free of any undisclosed encumbrance. Consumers are also entitled to a remedy from the seller for faulty products etc. Unless the product is unarguably a dud, a reasonable person would accept it be inspected by a 3rd party. Evidently the OP did while enjoying a healthy vent.

For a formal explanation, I think it's now covered under "Australian Consumer Law".

Quote:

So next time you're having issues, like this, don't jump down the shops throat, even on a forum. They can only do so much.

Only as much as they are willing to do.

Quote:

... Oh and I tend to agre with the majority here. You've got an electrical problem, not a battery problem.

Possibly you missed post #9

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWD Chaser

Turns out battery had an intermittant dead cell??? Dunno, but yeah new battery - and still no start... that problem turned out to be a rusty positive terminal...

So new brass terminals and a new battery and shes good as... well... it runs now...

b2tf · 14-09-2011, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Problem is, these auto shops sell batteries on consignment. They don't actually own them. So they have to get the rep to test them and give the OK for a replacement. Otherwise the auto shop is out of pocket if it turns out there's nothing wrong with the battery.

So next time you're having issues, like this, don't jump down the shops throat, even on a forum. They can only do so much.

Oh and I tend to agre with the majority here. You've got an electrical problem, not a battery problem.

This is really going to hurt me to say - but I agree with you. I work in auto retail of a weekend and this is quite common, and as per the above if a battery plays up there is nothing we can do about it until it is tested. Otherwise we end up with a battery we cant do anything with because the company that supplies them doesn't agree it has a problem.

If we have one in stock I will generally do a changeover to help the customer out but sometimes, especially if it is a higher priced item like a 4WD battery, there is very little we can do.

XA GS Ute · 14-09-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote: My battery in the HSV was dead as (only 7V and bulging).
Bulging - I'm no autosparky but isn't that usually caused by a faulty regulator.

svo supporter · 14-09-2011, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FgNewbie

Not our problem. Consumers must receive clear title to goods, ie the seller must be entitled to sell the goods free of any undisclosed encumbrance. Consumers are also entitled to a remedy from the seller for faulty products etc. Unless the product is unarguably a dud, a reasonable person would accept it be inspected by a 3rd party. Evidently the OP did while enjoying a healthy vent.

Making claims on faulty batteries, even though they're on consignment, is similar to making a claim on a faulty tyre. You need the representative on the company to physcially come out and inspect the product before issuing a new one.

A similar process occurs with electrical goods. You buy an electrical appliance, it has a hissy fit and you return it back to the place of pruchase. They then send it onto a tech, who then tests it to assertain what the issue is and whether it's worth repairing or replacing.

So, yes you are buying the battery, free from incumberance, but making a claim isn't as simple as walking in and asking for a newie.

I could go right through how the consignment process works, with batteries, but that'd be boring the living beejesus out of everyone. So we won't go there. (Unless you wish to use the lovely interweb and try and find how the system works, but I don't hold out any hope for you)

It sucks, but that's how it works

FgNewbie · 15-09-2011, 02:48 PM

svo you describe a process between a seller and their supplier of batteries, tyres, electrical appliances.

As a buyer, I've had electrical appliances replaced on the spot. Last year I had a car battery replaced on the spot, maybe I was lucky and bought from b2tf. I don't recall having a faulty tyre.

Kudos to the sellers that care more about their customers than the process.

fmc351 · 15-09-2011, 03:17 PM

Theres the way things work, and then theres the law, not necessarily the same thing. But I know which one is trumps if push comes to shove, just most people dont shove. So, just because things are done a certain way, does not mean that the shop owner is right, or acting legally even if it is also industry wide practice.

Clear title will pass as the auto shop is an agent, it will be governed by agency law. Im guessing there is nothing illegal in the process of letting the rep inspect the item before any decision is made about its fitness for purpose. However, there probably would be some limitations based on timeliness with reference to the type of product. ie: something you depend on daily would be shorter time for inspection, than something that isnt very essential such as a pvr or coffee machine. You wont find legislation that states periods of time that are acceptable, it would require trolling through caselaw to find similar matters, or same circumstances if a case has been done before to find what is considered reasonable. I doubt too many people would bother, so same situation is highly unlikely.

NudgE^SIKBRO · 15-09-2011, 10:32 PM

I bought a new Century for my EB years back, lasted a day, took it back, swapped it over and the replacemnt lasted till i sold the car... Sometimes it is the battery...

Put another Century in the XE when I bought it... 4 years on its still kicking along... it dies every so often like if im working on it with the door open for ages etc (XE Ghia's have enough interior lights to light the MCG). But the car sits for weeks, sometimes months on end and it still starts... The problem is, If i drive, shut the car down and try starting again after 20mins or so, cranks sooooooo slowly then fires up. Put the battery in the BA, did the same thing... Always gets going in the end though! really dont know what its problem is.