21-03-2020, 06:31 PM
Yes, I didn't know about silver calcium batteries until the garage started warning me that mine needed replacing.
My response to that was to chuck a set of jump leads in the boot. It never failed to start, even after a couple of months of no use - these cars have a very low current drain when off, unlike modern cars with much more electronics. I eventually relented after several years, when I'd had a service/MOT that was much cheaper than usual, but I reckon I could have got a few more years out of the original...
What bothered me was the fact they couldn't explain what their battery tester was actually looking for. Fair enough - these guys aren't electrical engineers - but I would have liked some sort of clue about what the tester was measuring. I suspect it was just terminal voltage, but perhaps with a pulsed load?
After they first warned us about my wife's battery, I took to charging it overnight before taking the car for its service. They didn't report anything untoward for a few years after that!
I guess it helps that both cars are petrol, so fairly easy to start compared with some...
Prior to the Fords, we were getting 3-4 years out of a battery, and back in those days when we were doing much higher mileages, which should have been better for the batteries. It's fair to say that silver calcium batteries are impressive!
My response to that was to chuck a set of jump leads in the boot. It never failed to start, even after a couple of months of no use - these cars have a very low current drain when off, unlike modern cars with much more electronics. I eventually relented after several years, when I'd had a service/MOT that was much cheaper than usual, but I reckon I could have got a few more years out of the original...
What bothered me was the fact they couldn't explain what their battery tester was actually looking for. Fair enough - these guys aren't electrical engineers - but I would have liked some sort of clue about what the tester was measuring. I suspect it was just terminal voltage, but perhaps with a pulsed load?
After they first warned us about my wife's battery, I took to charging it overnight before taking the car for its service. They didn't report anything untoward for a few years after that!
I guess it helps that both cars are petrol, so fairly easy to start compared with some...
Prior to the Fords, we were getting 3-4 years out of a battery, and back in those days when we were doing much higher mileages, which should have been better for the batteries. It's fair to say that silver calcium batteries are impressive!
