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[Varche]

I am now on my third battery and needing a new one. That is in four years of living in Spain. Prior to that the car was on its original factory spec battery till summer 2006.

The charging is correct. batteries are local motor factors jobs with supposedly "two years guarantees" but I doubt I could get this one replaced assuming I could find the receipt.

Question is do southern europe cars have different alternators, thermostat, air con, batteries? Mine is a UK spec RHD car. My batteries always pack up in the hotter summer months when using air con (which is still working well despite not being reagassed from new.) Am I missing something e.g. the air con is not working efficiently due to needing regassing and so is causing a drain from working extra hard? maybe it is just lots of short low speed journeys.

Any thoughts?

[tunnie]

Omegatoy moved to spain, he should be able to tell you of any issues.

What is it a GM battery?

[Omegatoy]

far as i know the only difference apart from toys, is the thermostat is a little lower for hot countries? normal 92/95, in hot countries its around 88, or at least it was on the straight sixes!!! mine does run a little hotter than when its in england but no issues with anything else, my battery died last year, and bought one on special offer in eroski with 3 year warrnty, it had greater cranking power than the original, but was physically smaller, only other issue has been tyres, now have spanish tyres on it and they are rubbish!!! lol
one further thought EPC should list the specs for hot countries?
G

[2woody]

I'd make sure that you have that jacket thing fitted over the battery - it's both an insulator to keep the battery warm in winter AND an insulator to avoid cooking the battery in summer.

I think all of the V6 thermostats are the same 92 degrees - always assuming that this is a V6 of course

[Bixy1]

Heat can kill a battery faster that anything apparently. Best to insulate it.  :-/

[Varche]

What jacket!!? 

Yet another thing "missing" off a supposed one owner VX car bought off a dealer Network Q when less than 2 years old. I don't suppose if I took it back to England they would fit me one free!

[arth]

My battery last around 2-3 years, it is I think 92Ah, only that I cannot use the central locking system with the handset as from time to time it waste the whole battery when the car is parked. I have already send it to an electrical specialist but as it is a ramdom failure we did not find the cause of this.

So I have to use the key to open and close the car and I cannot use the volumetric alarm??

Omegatoy?, What's the problem with the tyres?, did you buy branded tyres or EROSKI brand tyres?, those ones surely were rubish

Arth

[Kevin Wood]

Might also be worth getting some distilled water even if the battery is supposedly "maintenance free".

The battery in the Westfield is in a pretty hot engine bay and it results in a gradual loss of electrolyte due to evaporation which then leads to poor starting.

You can normally prise off the caps from the tops of the cells of a "maintenance free" battery and top up the electrolyte which restores the battery to good health, IME.

Kevin

[Omegatoy]

Varche,
 think the battery jacket only came on the TD IN UK?

Arth, they tyres wear ok just not the levles of grip i am used to, they were from a local garage not eroski,

[mathewst]

Can't see any difference in the car being different than an Vauxhall. Opel should have the same alternator, thermo etc..
Here it is as hot as in Spain and I have no problems with the mig.
Car does run little hotter in the summer than in winter but that is to be expected.

Change your battery supplier, also check that you are not draining current somewhere ( do you leave the allarm on everytime and not turn on the car oftern?)

[arth]

Since I do not use the alarm the batteries last much more. I have sent the car to service and we gave up, it is a ramdom problem, you can use the alarm for months and one day it finishes with the battery, and theris no chance to charge it, you have to replace it. 92-100 Ah batteries are quite expensive..

Now I am used to open the car manually with the key, the alarm is off but I doubt someone will take my car with 360.000 km and 14 years old... 8-)

Arth 

[Varche]

Since I do not use the alarm the batteries last much more. I have sent the car to service and we gave up, it is a ramdom problem, you can use the alarm for months and one day it finishes with the battery, and theris no chance to charge it, you have to replace it. 92-100 Ah batteries are quite expensive..

Now I am used to open the car manually with the key, the alarm is off but I doubt someone will take my car with 360.000 km and 14 years old... 8-)

Arth 

Arth I'll give you ten euros and a bag of olives for it. If it has a towbar make that 20 euros 

Car sorted now. It was a failed battery. The garage that supplied it did a comprehensive test of charging and discharging. We then negotiated a price for a different battery (80 A/h Hella). The man said this one will last 5 years. Hope I am still alive to see that!

yes I do sometimes leave it stood with the alarm on for a week. I shall desist from that.

[hoofing it]

Varche,
 think the battery jacket only came on the TD IN UK?

Arth, they tyres wear ok just not the levles of grip i am used to, they were from a local garage not eroski,

yip my tractor has one as its close to the manifold and it gets hot there ive asked my local scrapy and he's never seen one on a petrol

[hotel21]

Varche,
 think the battery jacket only came on the TD IN UK?

Arth, they tyres wear ok just not the levles of grip i am used to, they were from a local garage not eroski,

yip my tractor has one as its close to the manifold and it gets hot there ive asked my local scrapy and he's never seen one on a petrol

Jacket certainly there from new on my previous '98 minifacelift MV6 as well as my current 3.2 estate....

[Lazydocker]

Varche,
 think the battery jacket only came on the TD IN UK?

Arth, they tyres wear ok just not the levles of grip i am used to, they were from a local garage not eroski,

yip my tractor has one as its close to the manifold and it gets hot there ive asked my local scrapy and he's never seen one on a petrol

Jacket certainly there from new on my previous '98 minifacelift MV6 as well as my current 3.2 estate....

Got one on my 99 3.0. Had one on all my Vauxhalls from 93 on actually