Yet another car battery for my Honda Civic Rs

[kwak250]

ok so bought a honda civic rs turbo

1st Battery    13 months dead at a service station on the way to the bangkok at 5am

2nd battery   15 months dead luckily at home( again Dealer battery)

3rd battery   told by a mechanic to go to bquik they are cheaper(turned out rather than 2200 baht cost 2999)Yuasa battery

 

Now this battery was on its 16th month and just when i thought it was excellent it was showing signs  to start like an old Ford Cortina in winter

This Yuasa battery has the indicator on it still showing Green which means perfect but just checked and although the indicator is green the car now wont start

 

The yuasa at least gave me a warning and started unlike the Honda batterys but still now the car is 4 years old next month and on its 4th battery today its pretty poor.

Anyone know a battery that would last maybe 2 years i was going to try a Gs battery today

 

[johng]

Get the alternator checked, it should show more than 13.8 volts with the engine running but not as high as

16 volts or it will cook the battery.

also keep an eye on water level in the battery  unless its a "maintenance free" one.

 

[Moonlover]

What's your journey profile? Long runs, short commutes, trips to the local shops. All this can make a difference to your battery life.

[kwak250]

I will check on my new battery today but i checked the volts before it was fine mind you it should be as from new it has done this the Honda dealership said all models with all the electronic devices will do this.

i drive about 50-60k a day and lots of trips maybe 4-500 k in one day

My old Toyota Vigo lasted 6-7 years on one battery but then it only had a Cd player ,

[transam]

Put a tester across the battery when it's running, get someone to sit in the car and raise the RPM, charge up to 14.5v is OK, after that it will stuff the battery over time. 

Heat also takes it's toll....

[kwak250]

Thanks transam i do think heat is the killer probably got to get a GS battery in the next hour as its totally dead now.

[transam]

Does your battery have a plastic heat shield around it....Suzuki put one round our weee cars battery, which I thought was a good idea...

[NanLaew]

19 minutes ago, transam said:

Does your battery have a plastic heat shield around it....Suzuki put one round our weee cars battery, which I thought was a good idea...

Good point well made. A lot of shops will discard this heat shield as some of them can be a bit finicky to hold open in the right place while dropping a replacement battery in. This also happens when a slightly different sized battery than the OEM one is used making the heat shield more of a pain in the butt to install correctly. 

 

Ranger's have battery heat shields and at my last (emergency) battery swap, the visiting 24/7 battery replacement guy left it out for exactly this reason; the Amron battery was shorter but wider and a bit higher than the Boliden and was a heavier battery so needed more than two hands. Rather than show a local artisan the infinitely superior knowledge of the know-it-all farang or be seen getting my hands dirty, I let him do his bit of installing it, testing it, stamping the warranty card and writing the install date on the battery top. After he left, I unbolted the terminals and put the heat shield back on properly, a two minute job.

Edited October 10, 2020 by NanLaew

[JAS21]

My wife had a Civic RS. Her battery didn’t last much over two years.

 

Heat is a killer ... we did open the bonnet after stopping whenever we could.

 

We also have a CTEK and used it frequently on her battery.

[kwak250]

7 minutes ago, JAS21 said:

My wife had a Civic RS. Her battery didn’t last much over two years.

 

Heat is a killer ... we did open the bonnet after stopping whenever we could.

 

We also have a CTEK and used it frequently on her battery.

2 years would be amazing mind you I never open the bonnet . Thing is I never did with the vigo and that must have lasted 6-7 times longer .

Good thing they are cheap to replace.

[JAS21]

1 minute ago, kwak250 said:

2 years would be amazing mind you I never open the bonnet . Thing is I never did with the vigo and that must have lasted 6-7 times longer .

Good thing they are cheap to replace.

We sold the car when it was two years old... the battery was just starting to be a little iffee, even after charging...The buyer phoned my wife a few weeks later to ask something and mentioned that he had changed the battery.

[eisfeld]

Is it the current gen with turbo? I remember in the beginning there were a few reports of overheating. I guess these engines do get quite hot which the battery wont like much.

 

That being said I am now also probably soon in need of the third battery for my Honda Africa Twin in under 4 years. Had 2 original Yuasa. I really hate how fast batteries die in Thailand. I wonder if there's a battery that holds up better under these conditions.

[teacherclaire]

1 hour ago, kwak250 said:

Thanks transam i do think heat is the killer probably got to get a GS battery in the next hour as its totally dead now.

Go for a GS, got mine a few years now. My stereo system uses a lot of juice. 

 

   As already mentioned, check with a voltmeter, the regulator should stop at 13.8 volts. 14 Volts is still okay. 

[kwak250]

The battery indicator shows as Green which is ok

(Red to replace-White to charge)

The CTEK is probably a very good suggestion. 

Just going to see if the local shop says to charge it .

Just checked and its 10.7 volts

Might just be easier changing it and getting a CTEK .just seen they are £67 on ebay uk.

Probably much more here?

 

[kwak250]

23 minutes ago, teacherclaire said:

Go for a GS, got mine a few years now. My stereo system uses a lot of juice. 

 

   As already mentioned, check with a voltmeter, the regulator should stop at 13.8 volts. 14 Volts is still okay. 

Thanks is yours in a Civic also?

Gs battery will be my choice today I think.

[KeeTua]

26 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Just checked and its 10.7 volts

10.7 volts the battery is shot. If it were me after installing a new battery I'd check the battery with a volt meter in the mornings before it is first driven to see if it is discharging much overnight. Check in the evenings too after the car has sat awhile to get a feel for the battery's charge. Frequent over discharging will damage the battery. At 12volts the battery state of charge is only 25%.

 

State of Charge    Sealed or Flooded Lead Acid battery voltage
100%    12.70+
75%    12.4
50%    12.2
25%    12
0%    11.8

[stubuzz]

43 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

The battery indicator shows as Green which is ok

(Red to replace-White to charge)

The CTEK is probably a very good suggestion. 

Just going to see if the local shop says to charge it .

Just checked and its 10.7 volts

Might just be easier changing it and getting a CTEK .just seen they are £67 on ebay uk.

Probably much more here?

 

10.7v would indicate that 1 or more cells has given up. Voltmeters only show the surface charge. You should check each cell with a hydrometer.

Edited October 10, 2020 by stubuzz

[JAS21]

Google 'CTEK Thailand' to see what models are available, suitability, and their price.  I have the 5.0 it does AGM and 'normal' batteries.

 

The 5.0 seems to be priced at 4000thb. Many of the so called Supercars have the CTEK on board and all that is needed is to plug in a power lead. You could leave the leads attached to the battery (securely) and on arriving home lift the bonnet and attach the charger.

 

Mercedes sell the same charger, but it has their name on it, same with Ferrari ... price is a 'little bit' more though.

[Nanaplaza666]

On 10/10/2020 at 11:18 AM, eisfeld said:

Is it the current gen with turbo? I remember in the beginning there were a few reports of overheating. I guess these engines do get quite hot which the battery wont like much.

 

That being said I am now also probably soon in need of the third battery for my Honda Africa Twin in under 4 years. Had 2 original Yuasa. I really hate how fast batteries die in Thailand. I wonder if there's a battery that holds up better under these conditions.

You'r talking about a motorbike battery ,this is about a car battery . Or did you just want people to know you have a Africa Twin . 

[salsajapan]

On the benz it lasts 4 years but it costs 15000, so maybe 2 years for 2000 is good already ?

 

[transam]

33 minutes ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

You'r talking about a motorbike battery ,this is about a car battery . Or did you just want people to know you have a Africa Twin . 

My car has a Yuasa battery.........????

[JAS21]

3 minutes ago, salsajapan said:

On the benz it lasts 4 years but it costs 15000, so maybe 2 years for 2000 is good already ?

 

So you didn’t buy a year four and year five extra manufactures warranty then. I have up to year8 now. 

[salsajapan]

8 minutes ago, JAS21 said:

So you didn’t buy a year four and year five extra manufactures warranty then. I have up to year8 now. 

 

how much does it cost ?

 

[JAS21]

4 minutes ago, salsajapan said:

 

how much does it cost ?

 

We are a bit off topic now, but if you haven’t bought it by the end of year three you can’t buy. Price depends on the model. 

[Justgrazing]

Turbo you say .. Turbo charged motors are not unknown to cook the alternator and harden the wiring over time if it is mounted on the same side of the lump as the exhaust manifold and turbo assem .. especially if you cane it a bit .. as suggested already check the charge rate with the engine running .. if that checks out you could also inv's if there's a unknown of discharge of the car's electrical system especially if it has been messed with and scotchlocks have been used ( incorrectly fitted alarms used to be a source of mysterious battery draining ) as something is not right for it to do batt's with that regularity .. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Justgrazing
Sp

[Almer]

I have a 2014 Navara on its third battery and that is dying, alternator is pushing out 13.9 under load.

I am taking it in tomorrow to have a battery which is the biggest that will fit in the space with a new tray and see if that gives better service, I've scratched my head as to why they don't last in los, yes i have air on all the time but of course never a heater or rear screen heat, yes it hot here but never -10c so why is a good age for a battery 18 months?

[teacherclaire]

On 10/10/2020 at 11:47 AM, kwak250 said:

Thanks is yours in a Civic also?

Gs battery will be my choice today I think.

Nope, my battery has to cope with a highly compressed 2,840 cc Diesel engine.

  GS are fine, believe me. Mine must be in the Mitsu now for five years, or so. 

Still got full power. 

[teacherclaire]

19 minutes ago, Almer said:

I have a 2014 Navara on its third battery and that is dying, alternator is pushing out 13.9 under load.

I am taking it in tomorrow to have a battery which is the biggest that will fit in the space with a new tray and see if that gives better service, I've scratched my head as to why they don't last in los, yes i have air on all the time but of course never a heater or rear screen heat, yes it hot here but never -10c so why is a good age for a battery 18 months?

Never buy a battery at a car dealership. They might have Nissan, Mitsubishi, etc batteries, but that's only a sticker.

 

   They do not make batteries. Go for a GS and you'll be fine. 

 

https://www.gsbattery.co.th/en

[teacherclaire]

1 hour ago, transam said:

My car has a Yuasa battery.........????

Yuasa makes great batteries. Got one in my bike.

 

 

      https://batterychargersexpert.com/yuasa-battery-chart/ 

Edited October 11, 2020 by teacherclaire

[gmmarvin]

Replaced a battery in my 2013 Chevy Cruze LTZ.  Third replacement since new.  Chevrolet came to the house for all replacements.  Warranty on A.C. Delco (General Motors) battery 6 months or 10,000 kms.   Get at least two years out of one battery.  Driven mostly local and in town driving.