madhav Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 My friend recently purchased a new Ford Focus from the Koh Samui dealer. The car started having issues with the battery recently after she brought it in for a scheduled service. Would lose it's charge and not start. Happened again and again and she was caught out on the side of the road etc. She complained to the dealer and their response was, "The car needs to be started every day, otherwise it is normal." This is a new car with less than 15k on the odometer and it should not be having issues like this. Question is, who to contact or what procedure should she take? Any advice would be most welcome as the car in it's current state is useless. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeW Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 For now call Ford: 02-686-5899 Explain the situation and ask for advice from them. Or visit another Ford Dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomthai Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Cars with a knackered battery might need starting every day. Every other car ought to be good for a week or two quite often much longer without having to be started. Left our pickup parked outside the house for 6 week while we were in the UK, came back started no problem. Speak to a manager at the dealership, if thats not helpful go over their head to HQ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavisH Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 I just the "it's normal" excuse. Did ford test the battery? 15K kms isn't really a recent purchase, unless the owner is clocking up many kms per day. Batteries typically only last a couple of years. How old is the battery? Old batteries don't maintain their charge for long periods. It's only 'normal' to have to drive the car daily if the battery is bad. Sound like typical dealer bs to me. The battery isn't covered under warranty anyway, as it is a consumable part, like brake pads (unless you also get those parts free as part of your service package). Failing satisfaction from ford, take it to a battery shop and get it checked and replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) This problem has been going on for some time. Like I said it happened after the first scheduled service when the car was a lot newer. Regardless the car is under warranty. Yes they don't want to take responsibility. Replacing the battery didn't solve the issue. As far as I understand, there is an electrical issue and the car is drawing too much charge from the battery leading to it being drained. The dealer said the fault is the battery and they won't replace free of charge. So the customer paid for a new battery yet the problem continues. So the evidence suggests there is indeed a problem. I am thinking to advise her to contact the HQ also, because this type of service is bullcrap Edited March 10, 2016 by madhav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomthai Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Get yourself a cheapo volt meter. Measure the battery voltage before you start the car. It should be between 12 and 12.8 volts. After the engine is started, the voltage ought to go up to over 13 volts ideally about 13.8 to 14 volts with the engine running after a few minutes. If this doesn't happen do the same thing again at the dealer and tell em its not charging. If it does appear to be charging (voltage goes up after engine is running) either the battery is stuffed or there is current drain that shouldn't be happening when the engines off. One thing to note, many fords have the accessory / cigarette lighter sockets permanently powered. Make sure nothing is left plugged in for extended periods when the car is not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) Get yourself a cheapo volt meter. Measure the battery voltage before you start the car. It should be between 12 and 12.8 volts. After the engine is started, the voltage ought to go up to over 13 volts ideally about 13.8 to 14 volts with the engine running after a few minutes. If this doesn't happen do the same thing again at the dealer and tell em its not charging. If it does appear to be charging (voltage goes up after engine is running) either the battery is stuffed or there is current drain that shouldn't be happening when the engines off. One thing to note, many fords have the accessory / cigarette lighter sockets permanently powered. Make sure nothing is left plugged in for extended periods when the car is not in use. I can do this easy enough, but this is something the dealer should already know and have done. Also I heard it is possible to measure how much the battery is being drained after the engine is switched off. The power to the cigarette lighter is something I had to remind her. There is a dash cam plugged in and she will have to hard wire it because it does indeed keep on providing power. However this issue started well before she got this dash cam. Anyhow some good suggestions so far thanks a lot. Edited March 10, 2016 by madhav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeniau96 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 It's not the dash cam, they draw minuscule power even when operating. I have been driving my Ford here for 13 years, wife has a Suzuki. Replaced batteries as needed, would say about 3 years average life (almost all of it under cover, heat can kill batteries). Do check the charging voltage as the engine is running, could be the voltage regulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYKTHEMIN Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Typical Ford attitude here, avoid their products like the plague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve187 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 another bad ford service thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMHO Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 15,000KM on Koh Samui? I'm guessing that means it's not a "recent purchase" unless it's used as a Taxi... Either that, or "recent" means, in the past 2 or 3 years, in which case, the battery would be kaput, Ford or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted March 12, 2016 Author Share Posted March 12, 2016 Read the thread properly. Car is still under warranty, battery was very recently replaced (a few months ago) as per recommendation of dealer, issue still persists. Age of the car is therefore irrelevant as it is the dealers obligation because the car is still under warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMHO Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 (edited) Read the thread properly. Car is still under warranty, battery was very recently replaced (a few months ago) as per recommendation of dealer, issue still persists. Age of the car is therefore irrelevant as it is the dealers obligation because the car is still under warranty. The next logical course of action is probably to go back to the battery vendor, and try a warranty claim there. The first thing they will do is check whether the car is charging it correctly, so a second professional opinion.. If nothing else, it gives a reason to go back to the Ford dealership and get them to try again. It could also be the case that the replacement battery is indeed faulty or damaged - it happens. Batteries are not a warranty item - that's not just Ford, it's every manufacturer. There are simply too many ways to kill them that are outside the control of the car manufacturer - let them discharge too much, fill them with tap water, don't top up water, leave them in high heat situations etc etc. e.g. Allow them discharge a few times by leaving the lights on and that's it - new battery time. Edited March 12, 2016 by IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonw8uk Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 I read online somewhere that Ford had issued a TSB for electrical/charging problems. The bracket on which the negative battery lead connects to the chassis was painted. The TSB recommended filing the paint off to provide a better return path. not sure if it applies to your year/model, but it could be worth a look, as its an easy fix with some emery cloth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavisH Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 It's worth reading up on this problem on the net . Do a search on ford focus and battery loses charge all the time. That may point to some clues such as electrical equipment that causes drainage on the battery when the car is not in use. I recall someone mentioned a bluetooth device causing drainage when i did s searvh. Its worth checking possibilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seedy Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Troll / Flaming post Removed Keep the Personal Attacks off this Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seedy Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Post discussing Moderation removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary A Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 There is obviously a problem. My wife's Focus battery lasted 6 years. It often sits for a week without being driven. My old Nissan pickup had a battery problem. I had no idea that the idiot light had quit working. I bought a voltmeter that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket. That quickly told me the battery wasn't charging. After the alternator was repaired, no more problem. The Focus has been sitting for several days now and the battery voltage is 12.3 volts. The cigarette lighter socket does not turn off with the ignition key. It stays hot all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Pop Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Pop into A Honda Service ,they have Gadget that does a printout of Alternator and Battery whilst the engine is running ,they give you the printout ,works for all makes.Thy won't mind if it's Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 Bumping this thread back up. Another ford electrical problem (fiesta 1.0 ecoboost), even lower km, like less than 10k, and on this one the battery actually exploded! They replaced the battery (we paid) but the car wasn't running quite right after. Power was down and something was wrong. Took it in and demanded them to find the issue, they said of course nothing was wrong and tried to send us away, we persisted and said look a little deeper. They eventually discovered that the battery explosion had damaged the wiring beneath the battery in the engine bay and all the wiring all needed to be replaced. They said it is going to cost us 20,000 baht. We called the head office to complain, and they said they wont charge us for labour, but the charge is still 20k baht? It is a strange situation because Ford can claim it isn't under warranty because it is a fault of the battery. Insurance won't take it because there was no accident. What if the car exploded in flames and we crashed? In some ways this result would have been better off from a monetary point of view and maybe someone would take responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseTheBass Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Bumping this thread back up. Another ford electrical problem (fiesta 1.0 ecoboost), even lower km, like less than 10k, and on this one the battery actually exploded! They replaced the battery (we paid) but the car wasn't running quite right after. Power was down and something was wrong. Took it in and demanded them to find the issue, they said of course nothing was wrong and tried to send us away, we persisted and said look a little deeper. They eventually discovered that the battery explosion had damaged the wiring beneath the battery in the engine bay and all the wiring all needed to be replaced. They said it is going to cost us 20,000 baht. We called the head office to complain, and they said they wont charge us for labour, but the charge is still 20k baht? It is a strange situation because Ford can claim it isn't under warranty because it is a fault of the battery. Insurance won't take it because there was no accident. What if the car exploded in flames and we crashed? In some ways this result would have been better off from a monetary point of view and maybe someone would take responsibility. Fords stance doesn't sound right to me. Plus I would fear the same problem happening again..... Agreed. Ford should definitely cough up and then they should take it up with the battery manufacturer if they see the problem as their fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 The first issue was the battery not holding a charge, the battery was replaced but there was obviously still an issue as the battery then exploded. So the real question is why did this happen in the first place and who is to say it won't happen again and cause even more issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) The first issue was the battery not holding a charge, the battery was replaced but there was obviously still an issue as the battery then exploded. So the real question is why did this happen in the first place and who is to say it won't happen again and cause even more issues? Alternator voltage regulator... So if this is the case, then it actually is mechanical fault and ford should definitely be held accountable. I will call back the head office and explain it from this point of view. Also that they should fix the issue with the alternator voltage regulator so it won't cause it again and to stop blaming it on the battery. Edited July 28, 2016 by madhav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Pop Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Yeh T.A., everyone has an Mini AVO in their Handbag, bet poor "Old Enery Ford" is real proud of Thailand Fords customer relations. Its getting tooooo much..! Im still a Ford Fan, but never would touch one here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullcave Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Get yourself a cheapo volt meter. Measure the battery voltage before you start the car. It should be between 12 and 12.8 volts. After the engine is started, the voltage ought to go up to over 13 volts ideally about 13.8 to 14 volts with the engine running after a few minutes. If this doesn't happen do the same thing again at the dealer and tell em its not charging. If it does appear to be charging (voltage goes up after engine is running) either the battery is stuffed or there is current drain that shouldn't be happening when the engines off. One thing to note, many fords have the accessory / cigarette lighter sockets permanently powered. Make sure nothing is left plugged in for extended periods when the car is not in use. Maybe they should include one as a promotion with every purchase... Probably boost sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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