Car Battery

Your battery might be fine, but your alternator might not be charging properly. Normally the red light will come on. Faint at first then brighter as the alternator kills itself.

cyls 3 - get it checked professionally mate- i've sen soooooooooo many people replace their battery, only to discover that it's the alternator,or a power drain through a short etc. That being said, a decent cold snap usually finds out a weak battery. Could be just one cell that's goosed.You need over 12v to turn the engine. The alternator usually charges the battery about 13.8v. If you have a weak cell, cold weather overnight will allow it to drop sufficiently to cause starting problems. The life of a battery is affcted by a few criteria- how often you start the car-do you do lots of short journeys with the heated rear window/headlamps/heater on? I'd be disappointed if i didn't get 4-5 years out of an original O.E. battery Most aftermarket batterys now come with three or four year guarantees-it's worth paying a little bit more for a premier brand battery in my opinion. Take it to a decent accessory shop, if you haven't got a friendly auto electrician/mechanic-they usually have the means to drop test your battery on the car. Cheers. Paul.

Might be a voltage regulator? But usually the battery....... probably the cheapest and simplest solution anyway mate, and don't forget if you are changing the battery use a battery saver or simillar device-which retains the radio code etc. and make sure the keys aren't in the car in case the central locking, locks itself. Cheers. Paul

4 yrs is about right for an OE battery, go for one with a good G/T if your keepin the car, go for the higher power option if there is one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif