XC60 low battery voltage message

[GrahamHR]

Originally Posted by Pandamedic

I'd pop to Volvo and get them to check it. Mine was saying low battery charge all the time, even after driving to Europe and back. My stop start never seemed to work either. They plugged it in to their gadgets and said it was the battery. It was only 2 years old, so they changed it for free for me. Since then. No issues.

They did replace the first battery under warranty.

i'm sure they'll replace the battery again under warranty.

My worry is that the underlying cause of battery failure won't be addressed like the first time.

I had intended to keep the car basically for ever, only doing some 4-4500 miles per annum. I don't really want to buy a new battery every 2 years after the warranty expires ( my previous car, a Mondeo 2006 ST220 had in it's last 3 years I had it the exact same sort of yearly mileage/ driving conditions ; still on the original battery.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by GrahamHR

They did replace the first battery under warranty.

i'm sure they'll replace the battery again under warranty.

My worry is that the underlying cause of battery failure won't be addressed like the first time.

I had intended to keep the car basically for ever, only doing some 4-4500 miles per annum. I don't really want to buy a new battery every 2 years after the warranty expires ( my previous car, a Mondeo 2006 ST220 had in it's last 3 years I had it the exact same sort of yearly mileage/ driving conditions ; still on the original battery.

Not all volvo batteries are weak , In fact they are well known for lasting 14 years or so . It is unlikely to be the battery , The latest software is needed and a volvo battery test , and full charge overnight . They should know what to do at the dealer . The modern batteries will never recover fully if they are left flat for more than a day however . so if stored before being sold and let go flat that could well be why some are playing up .

[nigxl]

I spoke to my nearest Volvo dealer, some 2 hr drive from me who said they would probably need it in overnight as they would possibly have to charge it before testing it.
So thats about 280 miles with 2 trips up and back.
Then I spoke to the service manager I believe who said that when they test the battery the info is sent to Volvo and they analyse it to see if the battery has ever gone flat. If it has then they reject the claim.
He said it's happened to their own cars that have sat on the forecourt for a while and they can not get a new battery from Volvo.
Now not knowing the history of the car I am loath to gamble 2 trips and clock up a load of miles so I may as well buy a new Bosch and be done with it

[Clan]

Originally Posted by nigxl

I spoke to my nearest Volvo dealer, some 2 hr drive from me who said they would probably need it in overnight as they would possibly have to charge it before testing it.
So thats about 280 miles with 2 trips up and back.
Then I spoke to the service manager I believe who said that when they test the battery the info is sent to Volvo and they analyse it to see if the battery has ever gone flat. If it has then they reject the claim.
He said it's happened to their own cars that have sat on the forecourt for a while and they can not get a new battery from Volvo.
Now not knowing the history of the car I am loath to gamble 2 trips and clock up a load of miles so I may as well buy a new Bosch and be done with it

That's a fairy story , the battery test is built into the car , when carrying it out the battery must NOT be fully charged it MUST be anywhere from virtually flat to 60% charged . If you have just driven it there they have to DISCHARGE it down to below 60% before doing the test

If the battery fails the test a long code is generated and this is used for the warranty claim , that is the only way they can claim the cost of a new battery from volvo . The battery has to be charged fully then before it leaves the place … surely they can do the test first thing in the morning with a new battery on hand in case it fails ? then charge it up , then you take it back in the afternoon ?

[nigxl]

That sounds a lot better to me.
Think I'll try a different dealership.
I can run the car for 30 miles and if I come to a stop whilst on the phone I'm getting the message up within 30 secs so it's definitely not holding charge.
My initial plan was to trickle charge the battery overnight before leaving so it had plenty in it when it I got there.
It takes a full charge from the trickle charger and rests at 13.8V but gradually discharges down to 12.2V at rest over a matter of days.
Also checked the alternator is putting out around 13.8V too.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by nigxl

That sounds a lot better to me.
Think I'll try a different dealership.
I can run the car for 30 miles and if I come to a stop whilst on the phone I'm getting the message up within 30 secs so it's definitely not holding charge.
My initial plan was to trickle charge the battery overnight before leaving so it had plenty in it when it I got there.
It takes a full charge from the trickle charger and rests at 13.8V but gradually discharges down to 12.2V at rest over a matter of days.
Also checked the alternator is putting out around 13.8V too.

Gut feeling especially with the low alternator voltage says battery , but the tests have to be done ...

[oragex]

Originally Posted by nigxl

It takes a full charge from the trickle charger and rests at 13.8V but gradually discharges down to 12.2V at rest over a matter of days.
Also checked the alternator is putting out around 13.8V too.

How do you measure the battery? It should be measured 30 minutes after driving the car with all computers and every single light off - anything that is on will drain battery current and lower the voltage.

One possibility is a parasitic drain that's discharging the battery overnight. Measure it 30 min after shutting the engine off, then the next morning (again, everything off), and compare the voltage - there should be no more than 0.1V difference. A parasitic drain will discharge the battery, then the next day it gets charged back again while driving - this battery cycling will kill a new battery in matter of months. A worn battery can no longer charge (no longer get a decent voltage of 12.5 or higher) and no alternator will even manage to charge a worn battery - some alternators will even not put more than 13.7V if the battery is worn and can no longer be charged.

If both the alternator and the battery are (still good), starting with the battery discharged at 12.2v for example, you should see with the engine running some 14.4v until the battery gets fully charged, after which the alternator voltage should drop to around 13.8v

My wild guess in your case is an issue with some electronics not completely shutting down when the car is parked (parasitic drain). Unless there is a manufacturing defect (quite rare) a genuine battery should never last only 2 years. Remember that as long as there is a parasitic drain in the car, a new battery will also get wasted in a matter of months or 1-2 years (depends how much parasitic drain the car has overnight). That's why you hear about owners who had their battery replaced by the main dealer only to 'fail' again in two years https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/archi.../t-106831.html

[paul chocks]

Interestingly, I've recently sold an XC90 that I'd owned for 10yrs/150,000 miles. In all that time, I used to regularly get a low battery message if I left the ignition on. So, if I dropped my son off at football training and tried to listen to the radio in the car, I'd get the message and switch off.

Having said that, the battery never let me down, even during several trips to the Alps, where one year it stood in -30deg for a week. Still turned over (although my diesel had turned to jelly!)

I just put it down to being a 'feature' - kind of warning you that are draining battery.

[nigxl]

Originally Posted by oragex

How do you measure the battery? It should be measured 30 minutes after driving the car with all computers and every single light off - anything that is on will drain battery current and lower the voltage.

One possibility is a parasitic drain that's discharging the battery overnight. Measure it 30 min after shutting the engine off, then the next morning (again, everything off), and compare the voltage - there should be no more than 0.1V difference. A parasitic drain will discharge the battery, then the next day it gets charged back again while driving - this battery cycling will kill a new battery in matter of months. A worn battery can no longer charge (no longer get a decent voltage of 12.5 or higher) and no alternator will even manage to charge a worn battery - some alternators will even not put more than 13.7V if the battery is worn and can no longer be charged.

If both the alternator and the battery are (still good), starting with the battery discharged at 12.2v for example, you should see with the engine running some 14.4v until the battery gets fully charged, after which the alternator voltage should drop to around 13.8v

My wild guess in your case is an issue with some electronics not completely shutting down when the car is parked (parasitic drain). Unless there is a manufacturing defect (quite rare) a genuine battery should never last only 2 years. Remember that as long as there is a parasitic drain in the car, a new battery will also get wasted in a matter of months or 1-2 years (depends how much parasitic drain the car has overnight). That's why you hear about owners who had their battery replaced by the main dealer only to 'fail' again in two years https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/archi.../t-106831.html

Spot on, it was a drain caused by the radio not switching off fully.
They did a software update on the radio and fitted a new battery and now all is well, I hope.