V50 Electrics : 2011 V50 Battery & start/stop and coding

[jamesmark]

Evening all

Firstly the car, 2011 V50 SE Lux 1.6 drive, I only bought the car last Saturday and so far happy with it. My 2nd Volvo as previously had a 53 XC70 D5. Anyway I am waffling

The start stop system is not working, it is on. So read up on it and from advice in other threads decided to get the battery checked as it will not work if battery condition is poor.

So took it to a local car parts supplier tonight to get it checked and they have said the car is fitted with completely wrong battery, it is too small, as in it is a standard size and the V50 takes a much bigger battery. He quoted me £160, but double checked on his computer and apparently they are £216!!!!!!! The battery in the car is healthy according to his tester, it is just not up to the job.

Then he advised that the battery may need to be coded back into the car due to the start stop system.

So questions really
1. Are V50 batteries that expensive?
2. Does it require this so called coding back in or is it just a bolt in job like every other battery I have changed.

The place I got it checked is reputable in my area and before he quoted the price he knew he did not have a sale when he said battery is fine and healthy so he did not benefit from telling me £216

Advice please? I checked with my usual mechanic and he has never heard of coding the battery back in, but he said he has not actually had to swap a V50 battery yet.

Thanks in advance.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by jamesmark

Evening all

Firstly the car, 2011 V50 SE Lux 1.6 drive, I only bought the car last Saturday and so far happy with it. My 2nd Volvo as previously had a 53 XC70 D5. Anyway I am waffling

The start stop system is not working, it is on. So read up on it and from advice in other threads decided to get the battery checked as it will not work if battery condition is poor.

So took it to a local car parts supplier tonight to get it checked and they have said the car is fitted with completely wrong battery, it is too small, as in it is a standard size and the V50 takes a much bigger battery. He quoted me £160, but double checked on his computer and apparently they are £216!!!!!!! The battery in the car is healthy according to his tester, it is just not up to the job.

Then he advised that the battery may need to be coded back into the car due to the start stop system.

So questions really
1. Are V50 batteries that expensive?
2. Does it require this so called coding back in or is it just a bolt in job like every other battery I have changed.

The place I got it checked is reputable in my area and before he quoted the price he knew he did not have a sale when he said battery is fine and healthy so he did not benefit from telling me £216

Advice please? I checked with my usual mechanic and he has never heard of coding the battery back in, but he said he has not actually had to swap a V50 battery yet.

Thanks in advance.

firstly the best value for batteries is always the volvo dealer !

Have you got the correct AGM 760A battery ?

The battery needs to be at least 80% charged before the stop/start works ..
the volvo dealer can read out this state of charge ..
The car has been hanging around in a sales lot so the battery is going to be below 80% for sure .
You need to fully charge the battery first .This can take quite a time ... If you have a small 5 A charger it could take some days and nights , If you have a 20 A charger it might take 24 hours . If you have a 40 A charger you might just do it overnight ...
Do that before even considering a new battery ... That is IF you have the correct battery . when charging, the earth lead of the charger must go on the car chassis , not the battery -ve terminal . Otherwise you bypass the battery monitor which part of the negative terminal , it stores battery condition and usage data .

[jamesmark]

Hmmm, just lifted bonnet to check and battery in my car is a Volvo battery. It is is also stamped 760A.

Is there different 760A?

I will go and get a 2nd opinion about the battery, probably go to my local Volvo dealer as car parts place I went to and have used many times in the past said the battery was perfect and was fully charged, no signs of weakness.

I have not got a battery charger myself but is that not something that can be done just by driving the car? I have clocked up 500 miles since Monday night picking the car up, surely the car should have recharged the battery since then?

Not an expert on batteries by no stretch of imagination, just concerned the other morning the low battery warning came on, with the side lights having been on for barely 5 minutes.

Unless there is a drain somewhere. Will get my usual garage have a look.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by jamesmark

Hmmm, just lifted bonnet to check and battery in my car is a Volvo battery. It is is also stamped 760A.

Is there different 760A? No , that is the correct AGM type .

I will go and get a 2nd opinion about the battery, probably go to my local Volvo dealer as car parts place I went to and have used many times in the past said the battery was perfect and was fully charged, no signs of weakness.

yes they can read out the state of charge from the Battery monitor module ...

I have not got a battery charger myself but is that not something that can be done just by driving the car? I have clocked up 500 miles since Monday night picking the car up, surely the car should have recharged the battery since then?

No it won't ... once the battery gets to 80% it only charges when you are braking or foot is off the throttle for economy .

Not an expert on batteries by no stretch of imagination, just concerned the other morning the low battery warning came on, with the side lights having been on for barely 5 minutes.

Unless there is a drain somewhere. Will get my usual garage have a look.

It could be a drain ... the normal drain current is up to 30 ma ...

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by jamesmark

Hmmm, just lifted bonnet to check and battery in my car is a Volvo battery. It is is also stamped 760A.

Is there different 760A?

I will go and get a 2nd opinion about the battery, probably go to my local Volvo dealer as car parts place I went to and have used many times in the past said the battery was perfect and was fully charged, no signs of weakness.

I have not got a battery charger myself but is that not something that can be done just by driving the car? I have clocked up 500 miles since Monday night picking the car up, surely the car should have recharged the battery since then?

Not an expert on batteries by no stretch of imagination, just concerned the other morning the low battery warning came on, with the side lights having been on for barely 5 minutes.

Unless there is a drain somewhere. Will get my usual garage have a look.

Just to add a little to what the other chap said:

The battery dealer will have most likely tested the battery using a generic tester which works by putting a heavy load on the battery and ascertaining its charge and condition from the voltage drop over a short time. The Volvo dealer will get this information from the battery module part of the electronics in the car which monitors this constantly during charge and discharge cycles, and hence can learn the characteristics of the battery. This will give you a much more accurate indication.

They will also be able to tell you exactly why the start/stop system is not operational, whether it is the battery or some other reason.

Given the car is just 5 years old, and has a Volvo branded battery, I would bet it's the original and in most cases they will last a minimum of seven years, many go on for longer.

Some Volvo dealers have a free winter check promotion, if you local has that you might be able to negotiate the checks as part of that if they're friendly?

If you are worried about going to the dealer and facing a big bill, maybe buy or borrow a small battery charger and leave it on charge a few nights. Amazon have them starting at around £15.

[cojo37]

I have a 2010 v50 which doesn't have stop start. But I am sure I have read somewhere that stop start has its own battery behind the front wheel. Could this be part of the problem?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by cojo37

I have a 2010 v50 which doesn't have stop start. But I am sure I have read somewhere that stop start has its own battery behind the front wheel. Could this be part of the problem?

No , this is never the problem , the main battery does all the work , the small reserve battery just powers the system whilst the engine is stopped .

[Billggski]

760a seems to be the correct size battery, the cold weather and short journeys may have lowered its power.
Yes, the intelligent charger needs reprogramming to a new battery.
Just had it done on a mini gel battery, a charger needs to have a gel setting.

[jamesmark]

Thanks guys, a lot to go on.

Start/stop system is not urgent to get fixed if I am being honest, it will just drive me nuts my car is not working as it should, but do I need it.........no.

So will be on the list of things to get done eventually, I may be jinxing myself as the start stop may turn into an expensive pain in the ass but if that's all that's wrong am ok.

Question for when it does happen, does the V50 have stereo codes if battery is taken out to charge or disconnected? I cannot recall seeing codes for it. But saying that who would steal a stereo out of a V50, so did they have them in first place.

Once again thanks all that have replied, feeling most welcome.

[jamesmark]

So managed to get hold of a charger, charged it till the charger said it was done + a few hours.

Start/stop still does not work. So will be getting it checked out MOT time in March.

Any more on what it could be other than the battery?