Toyota Batteries 3 Months Warranty?

[dressedingreen]

I have a Toyota Sportrider. Had some problems with shorting on the headlights when it rains. Main dealer can't find the fault, but said my battery needed replacing. I had it replaced just 8 months ago. Assumed it would be 1 year guarantee. I was told, only 1 year if the car is new. If it's a replacement battery, guarantee is just 3 months. Anyone alse had any experience of this?

Thanx

DIG

[hansnl]

Good main dealer you have.

He doesn't solve the problem, he does not have the foggiest idea what the reason might be, but well, yes, you need a new battery.

Don't believe him, let some electrical car dude check the wiring to the headlamps, including the earth connections.

And don't let yourself pushed into replacing an 8-month or 3-month old battery.

[hansnl]

Good main dealer you have.

He doesn't solve the problem, he does not have the foggiest idea what the reason might be, but well, yes, you need a new battery.

Don't believe him, let some electrical car dude check the wiring to the headlamps, including the earth connections.

And don't let yourself pushed into replacing an 8-month or 3-month old battery.

[dressedingreen]

I think the relay probably does have water dripping onto it. It only happens when it rains. They tried to tell me it was ants seeking shelter while it rained, too . They were not suggesting the battery was causing the shorting. Just that they checked the battery while they were checking the fault, and it was showing real signs of failing in the not too distant future. I'm not a mechanic. So I don't know where the relay is, precisely. Maybe I should ask one of the ants

Thanx for the replies

DIG

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

I, too, am suffering from batteries that barely outlast their warranty times. I used four batteries in as many years with my old Volvo and am on the sixth battery in just over three years with the motorbike.

The problem is import restrictions - it is de facto illegal to import batteries into Thailand. Excluded are batteries installed in equipment, and cars fall under that. So in a new car, you usually get a rather good quality battery, mostly a Japanese one.

After that's dead you only get locally made ones which are crap across the range.

And don't let the brand names fool you - Yuasa, Panasonic and whatnot, they are all made here!

Best regards......

Thanh

[Spoonman]

Mate here purchased a secondhand Hilux bout 2 months ago, the battery died in my driveway, we took it out and went down to the local battery store, he purchased a replacement (2500b) and it has a 12 month warranty.

[katabeachbum]

Mate here purchased a secondhand Hilux bout 2 months ago, the battery died in my driveway, we took it out and went down to the local battery store, he purchased a replacement (2500b) and it has a 12 month warranty.

Boliden, swedish brand name, great quality even made in LOS, 3.000 baht for Vigo, 2000 baht for yaris. Forget if its 18 or 24 months warranty, but it lasts much longer. Maintance free.

[stingray]

Mate here purchased a secondhand Hilux bout 2 months ago, the battery died in my driveway, we took it out and went down to the local battery store, he purchased a replacement (2500b) and it has a 12 month warranty.

Boliden, swedish brand name, great quality even made in LOS, 3.000 baht for Vigo, 2000 baht for yaris. Forget if its 18 or 24 months warranty, but it lasts much longer. Maintance free.

With all the expirience in the used car business, i can say: "PUMA", Drybatteries, is the only way to go. 4 years lifetime (expirience), without troubles. but cost about 5'000 Baht. All other local batteries are dead within a year, sometime just in three months. BTW, Toyota not make their own brand, it's just a renamed local brand.

[Gary A]

I hear all about these short life battery problems. My Nissan 3.0 liter diesel pickup is a 2004 and still has the original battery. I realize that it could die any day but am determined to use it until it does die. At that point, I will go to Nissan and try to buy exactly the same battery.

My Ford Focus is now more than 3 years old and still has the original battery. Am I just lucky?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

See my post... the original battery that comes with the car is usually a Japanese one and they DO last long. Problems start as as soon as the original battery needs replacement - even at the dealership you will not be able to get the same battery but you will get one "Made In Thailand".

3-4 years for a battery is supposed to be nothing - i sold car batteries in Germany (retail) and our usual ones (normal price range) came with a five-year warranty - within five years you'd get it replaced for free if your car refused to start. The more expensive ones came with five years as well, including free tow or replacement at your location where ever that was. And even the cheapest ones we had had two years warranty but rarely broke before five years either.

Here in Thailand car batteries usually come with 6 or 12 months warranty, some 15 (i had one such, a 3BK) or 18 months. And, in my personal case, the longest period a car battery "lived" was two months beyond the warranty.

Motorbike batteries even worse - they come with 3 or 6 months warranty and usually die in the week (!) the warranty finishes. Again, in Germany those usually carry 2 years warranty..... but it is illegal to import them here, otherwise that is what i would do.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[elkangorito]

I think you'll find that the car batteries in Germany are the same as the car batteries here in Thailand. The only difference is the ambient temperatures of the 2 different countries.

Quite simply, the life of any battery is reduced when used in temperatures higher than 25 degrees Celsius. The specifications of most batteries are based on 25 degrees Celsius.

The poster that spoke about a PUMA battery is talking about an AGM battery (Absorbed Glass Matt). These batteries will perform about 3 to 4 times longer (at 40 degrees Celsius) than a standard lead-acid battery, in Thailand. Again, the specifications of this particular type of battery are based upon an ambient temp of 25 degrees Celsius.

If you buy a standard lead-acid battery in Thailand, make sure it's not "maintenance free".

[junkofdavid2]

If you buy a standard lead-acid battery in Thailand, make sure it's not "maintenance free".

What's wrong if it's maintenance-free?

[fredob43]

Had a Vigo before sold it to my mate, over 4 year's old now and still the same battery, but it did need topping up every month or six week's.

[Kwasaki]

The battery on the 2005 Vigo I have still going strong.

I would say I don't bother with Toyotas anymore, been very happy with Cockpit.

[bkksw]

There's more to buying a battery than some think..

I was surprised when my 3 year old Fortuner battery went dead at exactly the 3 year point exactly 3 days after the Toyota service recommended changing it because it was no longer in warranty.. funny that. They claimed the warranty lasted the entire 3 year "bumper to bumper" warranty which of course excludes tires, brakes, and usually bulbs.. but they said the battery was covered.

Anyway.. they recommended an exact "Toyota" replacement which was nothing more than a Thai branded battery like what came with the car. The original battery wasn't made in Japan. I think they wanted something like 6800 baht which frankly seemed ridiculous.

So.. I started shopping around. Quickstop, battery stores, etc, etc.. and universally I noticed 2 things.

1. Without exception, they all tried to sell me an underpowered battery telling me "this is what Thai people do.."

2. No one bothered to check the charging system as part of the battery replacement.

An underpowered battery in the heat of Thailand, especially on a diesel, is not a good idea. If anything, buy more power than you need. Not checking the charging system is just plain foolish.. sure, the battery may be dead but is it dead because it's an old battery gone bad, or because the alternator or regulator isn't performing. A loose fan belt? Dirty terminals? Many reasons a battery might not charge correctly hastening it's demise.

Finally.. I found a Swiss company, Bolinger I think.. they actually had a battery rated above the original and they warrantied it for three years. Maintenance free. They also cleaned the terminals, checked the charging system, and even cleaned and replaced the battery blanket (as necessary for hot climate as it is for cold).. It came with a written warranty.

Here's the thing. Quickstop was the one where I ended up buying the Bolinger. They didn't have it on display probably because most Thai's would rather pay 3200 baht for an underpowered battery, than 5200 baht for a properly sized battery. This is the Thai mindset for just about anything that needs to be fixed. You need to ask them for the right sized battery and then off the guy goes on the motorsai to some warehouse to get it..

[Kwasaki]

G. S. plus 1 batteries are just fine.