Flat Battery

[mollymai]

I'm not using my Exige all the time perhaps twice every two weeks at the moment and I hadn't experienced any problems. My car was transported to and from the dealership last week for manufacturer warranty work. It was delivered back on Friday and when I went to use it on Sunday the battery was dead.

Is this something that may have happened at the dealership or do I need to get some form of a trickle charger or a portable battery booster to start the engine on the occassion it dies on me? What is the recommended method and how affective is it? I don't want to take the battery out and keep it on charge as it is such a job having to put it back every time I want to use the car. I don't have access to a socket either so do the solar trickle chargers actually work particularly at this time of year?

Any advice much appreciated.

[LD1Racing]

I work overseas, so mine is laid up for up to five months at a time - I remove the battery. If that is no good (it is only a 2 minute job to remove/replace) you could fit a battery isolator switch to prevent the alarm/imobiliser from draining it.

[21TonyK]

I've just given up trying to even open mine tonight. I presume a well and truly dead battery. I shall be investing in one of these, mounting the panel inside the rear window and leaving it plugged into the ciggy lighter at all times from now on!

Conditioner

[hueandcry71]

21TonyK said:

I've just given up trying to even open mine tonight. I presume a well and truly dead battery. I shall be investing in one of these, mounting the panel inside the rear window and leaving it plugged into the ciggy lighter at all times from now on!

Conditioner

may be a dumb ass question but surely that wouldnt work on a car that is left standing in a garage??. I have had a problem with mine recently and soemone suggested one of those.My car is always garaged when not in use

[21TonyK]

Mine too, but AFAIK solar only needs "light" not direct sunlight. So if your garage has a window prob. solved. If not... prob.

[hueandcry71]

[quote=21TonyK]Mine too, but AFAIK solar only needs "light" not direct sunlight. So if your garage has a window prob. solved. If not... prob.[/quote

thats a prob then............

[21TonyK]

hueandcry71 said:

21TonyK said:

Mine too, but AFAIK solar only needs "light" not direct sunlight. So if your garage has a window prob. solved. If not... prob.[/quote

thats a prob then............

You're a bit fecked then. Maybe a trickle charger with some long leads?

[NeilC]

If you have a garage you probably have a plug socket so you can use an Optimate or Accumate charger. I'd think you could connect the crocodile clips without removing the battery.
Alternatively i suppose you could use the two posts under the front access panel shown in the manual incase of battery failure to allow you to open the doors (damned central locking). I wouldn't jump start from here though.
My mate uses one of those battery booster things on his when it wont start with no ill effects.
I've got one of them solar jobbies but i'm unconvinced it does anything but power the 'i'm working' led!

[tricky 100]

The battery should be able to hold its charge without any help for a couple of weeks no problem , i expect you need a new battery .The cold weather always kills weak batterys , best to just replace it before it really lets you down .

[Skyman]

tricky 100 said:

The battery should be able to hold its charge without any help for a couple of weeks no problem , i expect you need a new battery .The cold weather always kills weak batterys , best to just replace it before it really lets you down .

My previous car, an Exige S struggled as soon as winter arrived last year (it was five months new),and that was in a garage. So not sure age of battery is the only factor. My current baby has an Accumate fitted 100% of the time when she is not in use...works perfectly.

[Marvindodgers]

You want to get yourself one of these.
http://www.hamiltonclassic.co.uk/ProductInformatio...
Fantastically well made, waterproof and just leave it connected, either by the croc clips or the supplied harness that leaves a discrete socket in the battery bay to plug into when parked up, either in the garage or driveway.
Brought my battery back to life and it's always connected now whenever I leave it parked. Does cars, bikes and boats - anything! Highly recommended.

[ALE 111s]

Would I be right that the solar trickle charger plugged into the cigar lighter won't work unless the ignition is switched on ?

[hueandcry71]

Skyman said:

tricky 100 said:

The battery should be able to hold its charge without any help for a couple of weeks no problem , i expect you need a new battery .The cold weather always kills weak batterys , best to just replace it before it really lets you down .

My previous car, an Exige S struggled as soon as winter arrived last year (it was five months new),and that was in a garage. So not sure age of battery is the only factor. My current baby has an Accumate fitted 100% of the time when she is not in use...works perfectly.

My 111R is two months old, is garaged and the battery went flat after a week without use. I suppose you get good batteries and bad ones.......

[nsm3]

If you connect the Optimate (or similar) leads to the battery, how do you get the power cable into the boot with the lid shut and the car locked?

[mollymai]

ALE 111s said:

Would I be right that the solar trickle charger plugged into the cigar lighter won't work unless the ignition is switched on ?

Apologies if I have read this wrong but it's powered by solar not the car, the lighter is to put the 'energy' into the car's battery.

[andybuk99]

mollymai said:

ALE 111s said:

Would I be right that the solar trickle charger plugged into the cigar lighter won't work unless the ignition is switched on ?

Apologies if I have read this wrong but it's powered by solar not the car, the lighter is to put the 'energy' into the car's battery.

I think he means that the lighter socket isn't active when the ignition is off.
I have a S1 and I bought a solar charger, but in all honesty I couldn't see any difference. In fact I wasn't 100% sure that it wasnt worse.

[jondude]

nsm3 said:

If you connect the Optimate (or similar) leads to the battery, how do you get the power cable into the boot with the lid shut and the car locked?

Obviously your car has a different set up to0 the S1, but you should be able to do the same.

The Optimate comes with eyelets which you fit permanently to the battery - the leads then run into a junction box and it is to this box you attach the lead to the main unit. What you can do on the S1 is run the junction box to the front grille, then attach the unit from the outside.

So maybe you can run the connector lead down the side of the car, connect the unit down by the wheels???

To be honest, I still just open the bonnet and let it rest on the latch, pretty much the same as leaving the boot on the latch, too.

Or as said above, with a bit of fiddling I'm sure you can find a route which enables you to keep the boot closed.

[jondude]

nsm3 said:

If you connect the Optimate (or similar) leads to the battery, how do you get the power cable into the boot with the lid shut and the car locked?

Obviously your car has a different set up to0 the S1, but you should be able to do the same.

The Optimate comes with eyelets which you fit permanently to the battery - the leads then run into a junction box and it is to this box you attach the lead to the main unit. What you can do on the S1 is run the junction box to the front grille, then attach the unit from the outside.

So maybe you can run the connector lead down the side of the car, connect the unit down by the wheels???

To be honest, I still just open the bonnet and let it rest on the latch, pretty much the same as leaving the boot on the latch, too.

Or as said above, with a bit of fiddling I'm sure you can find a route which enables you to keep the boot closed.

[ALE 111s]

andybuk99 said:

mollymai said:

ALE 111s said:

Would I be right that the solar trickle charger plugged into the cigar lighter won't work unless the ignition is switched on ?

Apologies if I have read this wrong but it's powered by solar not the car, the lighter is to put the 'energy' into the car's battery.

I think he means that the lighter socket isn't active when the ignition is off.
I have a S1 and I bought a solar charger, but in all honesty I couldn't see any difference. In fact I wasn't 100% sure that it wasnt worse.

You've got me confused now but yes is the socket active without the ignition on ?

[mollymai]

ALE 111s said:

andybuk99 said:

mollymai said:

ALE 111s said:

Would I be right that the solar trickle charger plugged into the cigar lighter won't work unless the ignition is switched on ?

Apologies if I have read this wrong but it's powered by solar not the car, the lighter is to put the 'energy' into the car's battery.

I think he means that the lighter socket isn't active when the ignition is off.
I have a S1 and I bought a solar charger, but in all honesty I couldn't see any difference. In fact I wasn't 100% sure that it wasnt worse.

You've got me confused now but yes is the socket active without the ignition on ?

Well I am confused also but I have bought one now for £10 so I'll let you know how it goes although now the car is back in my care the engine is firing fine again as before. I am hoping that when they drove the car on and off the truck it was such a short blip that it drained the battery. When it was tested it wasn't that much below the level required it just wouldn't fire.