Wrong battery was put in my car

SlugIt2Me

Not sure if I am posting this in the correct place but anyway..

So about 2 years ago I went to Halfords because my battery was on the way out. I wasn't sure about doing it so I asked them to fit it for me. I drive a 02 ford focus so figured it wasn't going to be too much of an issue, and they put it in for me with a 3 year guarantee.

Over the past year and a bit I have had a bit of trouble with the electrics and the battery light coming on and off but because she's an old ford I just assumed this was fairly standard fair. So today I was dropping my friend at a garage and the battery light came on and wouldn't go back off. Tried to turn her over and no dice, just clicking. Grand place to break down anyway so I left her at the garage. Got a phone call then to say that the wrong battery had been put in previously, meaning Halfords made a mistake when fitting it.

Does anyone know can I go back to Halfords with this, how much hassle it is, and how to go about it? Also can having the wrong battery like that cause problems?

I'm very unimpressed anyway..

Atlantic Dawn

In what way was it the wrong battery?

biko

Yes, go back to Halfords, they have a warranty.

colm_mcm

Do you still have the receipt though?

What's the code on the battery and what type of focus is it

my3cents

The only way really it could be the wrong battery is if one of a lower capacity was put in than the manufacturer recommend.

SlugIt2Me

I keep receipts of everything I have done to my car so that I can remember when I got what done. I will have to wait until I get the car back to get at it though. Mechanic said it was too small.. I will question him a bit more when I go to pick up my car.

seamus

my3cents wrote: »

The only way really it could be the wrong battery is if one of a lower capacity was put in than the manufacturer recommend.

Even then it's not the "wrong" battery, it's just a lower capacity, so it'll begin having difficulty if you do a lot of shorter trips where the battery doesn't have time to recharge.

biko

The battery maybe doesn't have a high enough rating.
But for 02 Focus a regular car battery should be fine, and I'm sure Halfords have installed thousands for Fords.

colm_mcm

I'd imagine the difficulty with a place like halfords being a store where you take stuff off the shelves rather than asking for it - is proving that they actively sold you that particular size rather than you bringing it to the counter and asking them to fit it.

coylemj

SlugIt2Me wrote: »

Mechanic said it was too small.. I will question him a bit more when I go to pick up my car.

When you're buying a battery it should be a model that has a capacity (measured in amp hours) capable of handling your car which means it should have sufficient capacity to start the car several times without getting a good charge in between. The bigger the engine, the more capacity your battery needs to have. However you got two years out of the battery and you say that the battery light was flashing, that suggests that there is a problem getting a charge to the battery rather than a problem with the battery itself.

If the battery was too small in the first place, it probably would have crapped out after the first cold winter rather than last two years.

Did you give the guy in Halfords the exact make, model and engine size when you bought the battery?

SlugIt2Me

Yeah, I will have to have a look and see what it says on the receipt. Either way it is guaranteed for 3 years and it hasn't lasted that.

SlugIt2Me

coylemj wrote: »

Did you give the guy in Halfords the exact make, model and engine size when you bought the battery?

No, I didn't have a clue so I went up to the desk, told him the make and year and that I needed the battery replaced. He looked it up and replaced it for me and I didn't think anything more of it.

my3cents

Also possible the battery is worn out? If the capacity was too small to start with then it will have had more wear on it (deeper discharge) than a higher capacity battery.

SlugIt2Me

coylemj wrote: »

If the battery was too small in the first place, it probably would have crapped out after the first cold winter rather than last two years.

That's what I thought! This whole thing seems very strange.

Voodoomelon

I always wondered how a battery warranty works. You can knacker a battery in 6 months if you treat it poorly with short journeys and leave it in a discharged state for a prolonged period, which a lot of people do.

SlugIt2Me

Yeah, to be fair though I was taking my car on long journeys from Cork to Galway twice a week with short trips every day in between. I recently haven't been doing as much driving but I am still using my car every day.

Voodoomelon

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I always wondered how a battery warranty works. .........

If it fails a load test when under warranty is should be replaced.

SlugIt2Me

Augeo wrote: »

If it fails a load test when under warranty is should be replaced.

I presume though that you would have to bring in the old battery and let them test it?

ohnonotgmail

are you sure the problem is the battery and not the alternator?

coylemj

SlugIt2Me wrote: »

No, I didn't have a clue so I went up to the desk, told him the make and year and that I needed the battery replaced. He looked it up and replaced it for me and I didn't think anything more of it.

But presumably he was able to tell the engine size from looking at it - he wasn't blindfolded when he put the battery in your car!

They might have a case if you drove up, bought a battery according to specs. dictated by you and took it away in the boot of a friend's car but if the Halford's guy fitted it then it's reasonable to assume that he was in a position to verify that it was the right capacity for your engine.

So if it's the wrong battery, it's their fault.

SlugIt2Me

SlugIt2Me wrote: »

I presume though that you would have to bring in the old battery and let them test it?

Yes.
In your case it seems that the garage will replace the battery and charge you. Halfords giving you a replacement under warranty isn't much good to you.

ohnonotgmail

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

are you sure the problem is the battery and not the alternator?

Sounds like the battery is (was?) fine but your alternator has finally failed after warning you about the developing problem with intermittent "battery" light (i.e. the light that warns you that the battery is not charging properly).

Incidentally, your Focus has a fairly modern smart charging system installed that can vary the the output based on battery condition, voltage and outside temperature. It can for example increase the idle speed if the battery voltage is low etc. etc. Very high tech for 1998 (when the model was introduced) but all cars have similar now.

Tigger

samih wrote: »

Sounds like the battery is (was?) fine but your alternator has finally failed after warning you about the developing problem with intermittent "battery" light (i.e. the light that warns you that the battery is not charging properly).

Incidentally, your Focus has a fairly modern smart charging system installed that can vary the the output based on battery condition, voltage and outside temperature. It can for example increase the idle speed if the battery voltage is low etc. etc. Very high tech for 1998 (when the model was introduced) but all cars have similar now.

ford smart charging alternators die if you dont use a silver calcium battery

The first thing to check is if the battery is the correct type. Smart charge systems are designed to be used only
with a silver calcium battery not the lead acid type due to the voltages used which may damage a lead acid battery
and give incorrect readings.

see here http://www.valeoservice.com/data/master/webfile/2945759434DDE6E8714173.pdf

billyhead

SlugIt2Me wrote: »

Yeah, to be fair though I was taking my car on long journeys from Cork to Galway twice a week with short trips every day in between. I recently haven't been doing as much driving but I am still using my car every day.

Can a car battery go faulty if a car is not used much. I only use my car twice a week at the moment. One return trip to work of 25km and a spin on Sunday to the parents of 50km return.

biko

No, a car battery should be able to handle any kind of driving from your gran going to the shops on weekends to the long everyday commute.

Only if left a very long time, or it's old, should it get a bit slow to start or drain.

Pkiernan

They'll give you a new one if you have a receipt.

I had a battery from them with a 3 year warranty. A 7 month assignment abroad changed to 2 years with all the while my car parked up.
Battery was flat on my return.
I dug out the receipt and they replaced it no questions asked.
Unlike most posters here I have been happy with all my Halfords transactions.

Voodoomelon

biko wrote: »

No, a car battery should be able to handle any kind of driving from your gran going to the shops on weekends to the long everyday commute.

Only if left a very long time, or it's old, should it get a bit slow to start or drain.

That's not true at all. Batteries rarely go bad due to defects in the product, surveys of battery manufacturers and dealers reveal that it's short journeys that are killing them. If you leave only drive your car 7 or 8 miles twice a week with several days in between, with your lights running and the heater on, you'll be lucky to get two years out of it.

If the battery is being left in a low state of charge (20-30%) for prolonged periods, the plates begin to sulphate and the cold cranking ability of the battery is massively diminished.

I did a lot of reading on this years ago and the problem is even worse with luxury cars who have a high load demand with lots of options. My old E38 had to be driven over 10 miles, just to replenish the energy lost from starting, never mind actually charging the battery.

So yes, modern cars should be able to handle every kind of journey, but only if there is lots of them and of a suitable length. Everyone should invest in a battery charger IMO, you'll treble the life of your battery if you do short journeys.

debabyjesus

Bought a D3 A8 last year. Battery was shagged when I got it. Fairly complicated battery system in that A8 involving ecu's and quiescent stages which turn systems off as the battery dies, but anyway I went through the receipts and found a halfords receipt for the yuasa battery which was fitted by them 9 months previous. Brought it into them and they tested it and agreed it was knackered. The A8 needs to be told with vcds that it has a new battery and adjusts it's charging to suit the new battery. Obviously halfords didn't do this.

The guy just agreed and told me to grab a new one. Gave me a new receipt with a new 5 year warranty and I walked out with a €150 battery.

Halfords are great to be fair.

SlugIt2Me

I chatted to the mechanic. He didn't have great English but he said that they had put in a battery to suit a 1ltr engine instead of the 1.4ltr that I have. They replaced the battery and it all seems to be working fine now thank god!

So I found my old receipt, and the specs are as follows:

Startup Power: 360 Amps
AH Value: 41
Reserve Capacity: 60
Bench charge: 4.1 Amps
Average Weight (kg): 11.80
Dimensions (LxDxH): 207x175x175mm
Guarantee: 3 Years

I do find it kind of hard to believe what he said because it lasted me for so long. Are these specs really completely wrong??

Kenny Logins

SlugIt2Me wrote: »

I chatted to the mechanic. He didn't have great English but he said that they had put in a battery to suit a 1ltr engine instead of the 1.4ltr that I have. They replaced the battery and it all seems to be working fine now thank god!

So I found my old receipt, and the specs are as follows:

Startup Power: 360 Amps
AH Value: 41
Reserve Capacity: 60
Bench charge: 4.1 Amps
Average Weight (kg): 11.80
Dimensions (LxDxH): 207x175x175mm
Guarantee: 3 Years

I do find it kind of hard to believe what he said because it lasted me for so long. Are these specs really completely wrong??

I would have said that would be OK. I've used similar in a 1.6 Focus with no drama (not that the engine size matters much).

biko

That's the HB063 battery, very common.