Car struggling to start in the morning and after work?

[nuyorican]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 21 April 2025 at 19:20

[Cylon2007]

Battery may be showing 12.5volts when car is off but what does it drop to when you try starting the car?

You need to do a proper battery test, not just a voltage reading, before you can say the battery is good, also once car is running check voltage is 14.4volts (ish) to confirm charging is OK.

I'll bet it is the battery.

[eth2190]

It could be the fuel system is losing prime due to a faulty check valve.

You can confirm this by seeing if it starts more easily when you cycle the key a few times before cranking.

[sherman]

Could be your alternator not charging the battery too.

I would start with a new battery first though.

Batteries only last 5 years or so. If you are using it only for short journeys that will decrease its life span.

[Huzzah]

nuyorican said:

sherman said:

Could be your alternator not charging the battery too.

I would start with a new battery first though.

Batteries only last 5 years or so. If you are using it only for short journeys that will decrease its life span.

Battery is three years old, but yes, lots of short journeys around a city.

Check the battery warranty, some are 3yr many are 4/5 yrs

[Pica-Pica]

My BMW 335d is 8 years old, on its original AGM stop/start battery. Our Fabia’s 1.2 TSi battery lasted 8 years, although guaranteed for 5 years. I would not expect a battery to only last 3 years, even on short trip duties.

[TwinKam]

Probably not allowed to name names on here, but there are plenty of poor quality batteries out there, the price gives them away, and they are bought purely on price. If it's one of those, I can well believe it's failing after just three years. They're really only fit for putting on a car that you're selling immediately!
OE batteries are in a different class, and I've seen them last up to 13 years.

[paul_c123]

sherman said:

Could be your alternator not charging the battery too.

I would start with a new battery first though.

Batteries only last 5 years or so. If you are using it only for short journeys that will decrease its life span.

I'd test the battery, rather than loading up the parts cannon.

[eth2190]

I not clear from the OP if the car is struggling to crank, or cranking fine but struggling to start.

[paul_c123]

It could be:

earth strap - diagnose by measuring voltage drop between battery -ve and engine block during cranking
another wire or connection - diagnose by obtaining wiring diagram and testing various points
failing starter motor - diagnose by eliminating wiring (and worn engine)
worn engine - bar engine over hot and cold
bad alternator - test using Topdon AB101 or similar
bad battery - test using Topdon AB101 or similar

Edited by paul_c123 on Thursday 17th April 20:18

[kestral]

nuyorican said:

Old petrol Golf. The last two days it's been a struggle to get it started after it's sat a while (morning and after work). Fires up fine if you turn it off and on again once it's warmed up. Battery is three years old and my tester is showing 12.5v.

Any ideas?

Do a proper load test on the battery. See this video. 9.6v is the limit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsJUuLu1cw0

[trickywoo]

Some good advice already.

I had a battery that was showing 12.6v even after sitting uncharged for days. It was however, goosed. Couldn’t deliver any current under load.

It also happened to be a 2 year old Yuasa that was on a quality trickle charger. Sometimes you just get unlucky.

I’ve also got a 7+ year old exide that did a long stint of short runs multiple starts, general abuse, and it’s still good.