[kenld]

Kia Venga ongoing issues with flat battery. AA says it's the alternator. Kia branch says it's becasuse it's 'not being driven enough'.
3000 miles per year, supermarket trips etc.. Never more than a week between journeys.
Are Kia talking rubbish?
car 18 months old

 

[Indalo]

Welcome to the forum, 'kenld'.

We are living in strange times due to the Covid restrictions and huge numbers of private cars having problems with non-starting due to lack of use and commensurate battery depletion. Having recently replaced my battery and speaking to people in the trade, I can tell you that Halford's and online battery suppliers have been doing a roaring trade over recent months.

Further evidence of increased battery replacement was apparent at my local tip......sorry, recycling centre! I am currently in the midst of preparing to move house and I took the old battery there today along with loads of accumulated crap. One of the attendants directed me to the battery keep when I asked where to put it and he commented that I must be at least the 20th customer today to drop off a battery.

As your car is fairly new, unless the battery has been totally drained of energy, you should be able to charge it satisfactorily. Presuming you have the ability to park in close proximity to your home, driveway/garage, you can attach either a regular trickle charger, following any accompanying instructions, or a smart charger which will be even better as there is a reconditioning element in the charging cycle, (the smart bit).

 

[Turnup]

Lots of battery issues now we have been in lockdown for such a long time. 3000 miles a year is quite low but it will depend on exactly which journeys make up these 3000 miles. That's 60 per week and more than I am averaging at present and if yu are doing 60 miles each week then this should be plenty.

Has your KIA dealer actually looked at/tested the car or is this a phone conversation?

 

[Phil in Wales]

That's 60 per week and more than I am averaging at present and if you are doing 60 miles each week then this should be plenty.

Its what I am doing in my Venga and my battery is doing ok at the moment.. I'm doing round 20 miles 3 times a week roughly with the odd charge up here and there..

 

[kenld]

Welcome to the forum, 'kenld'.

We are living in strange times due to the Covid restrictions and huge numbers of private cars having problems with non-starting due to lack of use and commensurate battery depletion. Having recently replaced my battery and speaking to people in the trade, I can tell you that Halford's and online battery suppliers have been doing a roaring trade over recent months.

Further evidence of increased battery replacement was apparent at my local tip......sorry, recycling centre! I am currently in the midst of preparing to move house and I took the old battery there today along with loads of accumulated crap. One of the attendants directed me to the battery keep when I asked where to put it and he commented that I must be at least the 20th customer today to drop off a battery.

As your car is fairly new, unless the battery has been totally drained of energy, you should be able to charge it satisfactorily. Presuming you have the ability to park in close proximity to your home, driveway/garage, you can attach either a regular trickle charger, following any accompanying instructions, or a smart charger which will be even better as there is a reconditioning element in the charging cycle, (the smart bit).

Thanks - return journeys are only about 20 minutes. A trickle charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter?

 

[Turnup]

No point int plugging a charger into the cigarette lighter socket - that socket is dead when ignition off.

 

[Indalo]

A trickle charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter?

I would recommend direct charging of the battery via the + terminal 1st and an earth point nearby. The - terminal is fine but you must make the connection quickly without being tentative to avoid creating sparks which is never good where electronics are involved and dangerous if there are any gases present in the vicinity of the battery.

Any equipment claimed to charge a battery safely via the 12v socket, which is what I imagine you are referring to should be avoided in my opinion. Perhaps I'm out of touch in which case others with an electrical bent will put me right on that score.

 

[Turnup]

I would recommend direct charging of the battery via the + terminal 1st and an earth point nearby. The - terminal is fine but you must make the connection quickly without being tentative to avoid creating sparks which is never good where electronics are involved and dangerous if there are any gases present in the vicinity of the battery.

Any equipment claimed to charge a battery safely via the 12v socket, which is what I imagine you are referring to should be avoided in my opinion. Perhaps I'm out of touch in which case others with an electrical bent will put me right on that score.

If you have an allways live socket then I see no problem in using it for charging. Mine is fused at 10A and that is more than most chargers will deliver, but it needs ign at least to "acc" for it to become live and for that reason it is not suitable.

 

[2012vengaman]

On my Venga, the KIA OEM battery is 410CCA which seems to be just about enough when its got regular charging cycles.
I replaced mine last year as it let me down while out shopping, and I've got a heavy duty Exide in it now and it spins noticeably faster when starting and its rated at 560CCA. I've done a how to change the battery guide with pictures if you go back through the Venga forum if you find a new one is needed.
When I worked out the battery life and went through the receipts from previous owners it seems 3 - 4 years is about the life for the OEM battery as it had one at 3 years old and again at 4 years old when I changed it last year.

If Mr AA man says alternator, did he check it? - its fairly easy to do a rudimentary test on an alternator with a basic multimeter. When charging (ie: car running), the battery terminals should have something like 14.4V across them. If its down at 12v or thereabouts then alternator is suspect.
It's possible it could be parasitic drain. There is loads on YouTube about how to test this and you do need a multimeter that will do milliamps.

Having said all that, at 18 months old and assuming alternator hasn't gone fubar which is unlikely as they are fairly robust, I'd side with the dealer and say maybe it just needs driving a bit more as Kia's don't actually fully charge the battery anyway. They have a 85% rule and only charge above that on the overrun as its "free" energy. I believe its a fuel saving thing by reducing load on the alternator although I doubt it makes any real difference in real world driving.
So if you say you are at 85% on a Monday night and don't drive it again until Friday and then there's a 50mA parasitic drain it won't be surprising that by Friday the battery is getting a bit low.

If it helps You can get solar trickle chargers that feed back through the OBD2 port as there is a permanent live on that socket. There's even an AA badged one.

 

[Phil in Wales]

Solar battery chargers.. did you get yours after Pete.. two wattages available.. 2.4w and 4.8w..

AA Essentials 12V Solar-Powered Car Battery Charger Solar Panel OBD Version 5060114614185 | eBay

DAS CAR PARTS.

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AA 4.8W 12V Car Van Caravan Solar Panel Trickle Battery Charger Power Supply 5011927251432 | eBay

Safety & Security Accessories. Car Seat Covers & Protectors. Motorcycle Oil. Tyre Inflators & Pressure Gaug. Battery Maintenance. Number Plate. Fuel & Oil Additives. Steering Wheel Covers.

www.ebay.co.uk

When we had that good sunny weather last month mine was knocking out 21.2v..

 

[Turnup]

On my Venga, the KIA OEM battery is 410CCA which seems to be just about enough when its got regular charging cycles.
I replaced mine last year as it let me down while out shopping, and I've got a heavy duty Exide in it now and it spins noticeably faster when starting and its rated at 560CCA. I've done a how to change the battery guide with pictures if you go back through the Venga forum if you find a new one is needed.
When I worked out the battery life and went through the receipts from previous owners it seems 3 - 4 years is about the life for the OEM battery as it had one at 3 years old and again at 4 years old when I changed it last year.

If Mr AA man says alternator, did he check it? - its fairly easy to do a rudimentary test on an alternator with a basic multimeter. When charging (ie: car running), the battery terminals should have something like 14.4V across them. If its down at 12v or thereabouts then alternator is suspect.
It's possible it could be parasitic drain. There is loads on YouTube about how to test this and you do need a multimeter that will do milliamps.

Having said all that, at 18 months old and assuming alternator hasn't gone fubar which is unlikely as they are fairly robust, I'd side with the dealer and say maybe it just needs driving a bit more as Kia's don't actually fully charge the battery anyway. They have a 85% rule and only charge above that on the overrun as its "free" energy. I believe its a fuel saving thing by reducing load on the alternator although I doubt it makes any real difference in real world driving.
So if you say you are at 85% on a Monday night and don't drive it again until Friday and then there's a 50mA parasitic drain it won't be surprising that by Friday the battery is getting a bit low.

If it helps You can get solar trickle chargers that feed back through the OBD2 port as there is a permanent live on that socket. There's even an AA badged one.

50 mA will drain 1/2 AH over 10 hours, 8.4 AH per week and this should not flatten a healthy battery.

Strongly sugges that you take your car to a battery specialist - they can test the battery and the alternator. Seeing lots of dead/dying batteries because of lockdown,.

 

[iooi]

Solar battery chargers.. did you get yours after Pete.. two wattages available.. 2.4w and 4.8w..

[

For anyone interested the 4.8 version is just cheaper @ Amazon. If you have prime faster delivery.
I'm tempted by this as my m/bike is on a charger 24/7. So would save a tad of electric over the year. As well as having a better range of connections.

 

[Phil in Wales]

For anyone interested the 4.8 version is just cheaper @ Amazon. If you have prime faster delivery.
I'm tempted by this as my m/bike is on a charger 24/7. So would save a tad of electric over the year. As well as having a better range of connections.

Ta buddy ..when I bought mine I should have bought the 4.8w one.. while in decent sunlight the 2.4w one does its job I think the 4.8w one will perform better in dimmer light situations.. mine in a dimmer light knocked out 12.2v the other day compared to the 21.2v I gave earlier on a sunny day..I personally think for what they are they are an excellent buy.. saw a you tube vid from Oz where the owner of a swift used one to charge his battery up that was completely flat to a state where it started..they obviously have a hotter climate there so can benefit more than we can but with Covid about anything that helps is good..do you have a link to the amazon one ..

EDIT.. this is that vid..

 

[JIMSAAB]

the kia battery is very low output. changed mine at three years old. put on a heavy-duty battery not had any more starting
promems

 

[2012vengaman]

Solar battery chargers.. did you get yours after Pete.. two wattages available.. 2.4w and 4.8w..

Hi Phil
No not yet, Mrs Pete said I could have one if the heavy duty battery I put on lets us down.
So far its been fine so no new toy for me.

Pete

 

[Phil in Wales]

Solar battery chargers.. did you get yours after Pete.. two wattages available.. 2.4w and 4.8w..

Hi Phil
No not yet, Mrs Pete said I could have one if the heavy duty battery I put on lets us down.
So far its been fine so no new toy for me.

Pete

I need to have a word with her.. 😉

 

[klyne]

I had to replace the battery in what was, at the time, a three and a half year old Venga last year. Discovered that Kia don't put particularly large batteries in their cars! Last year I did 1210 miles in the entire year which might have contributed to it demise? If Kia have tested the alternator and concluded its OK then clearly the battery is suspect. Personally I would just change it and if you can go for a higher amp hour one so you have a bit of reserve.

David

 

[Phil in Wales]

Mine has been unused since Sunday ..so today with the battery at rest I did a voltage test and alternator test.. at rest it was 12.1v and when running 14.4v.. did a load test before starting it for the alternator run and that was 10v..load test.. when you consider its the wrong battery on my Venga and only 52Ah instead of the stipulated 60Ah its still holding up and starting ok 🤞 found this battery on Tayna but know nothing about them but seems a good deal with a 4 year warranty..

100 BulletBatt Car Battery 12V 66Ah

The Ultimate combination of price and performance. BulletBatt - The unstoppable force.

www.tayna.co.uk

 

[iooi]

I have used Tanya for previous car & bike batteries.
No issues with them at all. Usually great price as well.

 

[Phil in Wales]

I have used Tanya for previous car & bike batteries.
No issues with them at all. Usually great price as well.

Comment I made was aimed more at the battery make than the company Oh yellow one.. 😉 gong to do a search in a bit to see who makes them and if they are part of a bigger group..🤔

EDIT.. not much about them but they are getting very good reviews..

Reviews - BulletBatt BB100 - Page 1

All of our Customer Reviews of the BulletBatt BB100 are listed here.

www.tayna.co.uk