July 2020
My otherwise perfect (literally!) 2014 RAV4 has been prone to run down its battery prematurely since fitting towing electrics 4 or so years ago. It's only a minor inconvenience (as I now use a battery isolator when parking for extended periods) but ideally I would like to fix the issue one day.
Everything works as it should, and the electrics are Toyota's official kit (bought from Toyota and a plug in fit). However, the kit (despite being Toyota branded) was made by Westfalia, and I've recently noted on the internet that Westfalia acknowledge battery discharge problems with some of their towing relays where only a single 12v feed is used, instead of a permanent feed and a switched feed. I suspect (but am not certain) that the problem might be due to the Toyota installation using only a permanent feed.... Read more
Hi all,
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Citroen Berlingo/ Peugeot Rifter / Vauxhall Combo Life
Will get a 1.5 - 2 year old 1.2 petrol model for £12k
Perfect for your needs , masses amount of space, nice enough drive, reliable and robust
We have a 308 2008 1.6 vti petrol. it hasn't been driven for a few months and lights, battery, dash, locking are all dead no sound when turning over, nothing at all.
I was wondering this seems like a battery dead problem.
So i was going to buy a 027 battery to give it a go.
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Google BSI RESET. You must do this when you fit a new battery.
Took the plunge bought a rear mounted 3 bike cycle rack. Don’t want to scratch the car! However with all 3 bikes loaded the lights and partially covered. Read some things about a board with number plate and brake/indicator lights? How the hell do you go about getting a connection from the car to that? Read more
Indeed - given BMW, like all German makes, love optional extras, they must do one, at a price. But then some indie makes must also produce something that fits.
I'd imagine Halfords have roof fixings for the 5 series touring in their range. For most applications I've sought in the past, for Citroens BX, Xantia and Berlingo Multispace, they've done an own brand version and, with higher quality/cost, stuff by Thule. ...
call an experienced electrician if you're having trouble with it as you don't want to cause a fire. Read more
Im probably being a bit thick but what are the three little circles in the boot well floor inside the car for?They seem to be metal not rubber so I assume they’re not grommits? Read more
Drain holes for the painting process.
I don't watch F1, so I found this article by accident:
inews.co.uk/sport/formula-one/das-mercedes-f1-dual...7 Read more
"they could not hide it any longer..."
So says the report....
What are the UK Car manufacturers that offer Self charging SUV vehicles either in petrol or Diesel format? Not plug in types. Read more
Not only are all electrified cars routinely "self-charging" by virtue of their regenerative braking but modern conventional petrol/diesel are optimised to use off-throttle over-run momentum to recharge the electrical system.
Re the comment, above, made by RT, this is indeed true. Many modern ICE engines employ quite sophisticated alternator management systems (AMS), which once the battery is sufficiently replenished by the alternator (e.g. after a cold morning start) will 'settle' such that when cruising at a steady speed, accelerating, or hill climbing, the battery volts will 'settle' happily at around 12.5 volts, with little or no current being drawn from the alternator, to save fuel. However since the ignition system and other systems constantly draw on the battery, the AMS will periodically activate to give the battery a booster charge when the brakes are applied and when travelling down hill. The AMS intelligently 'adapts' throughout each journey with the objective of saving fuel by operating the alternator charging system to optimise battery charge, typically keeping the battery charge between half and three quarters fully charged from week to week, without any need for periodic external charging to top it up.
Hello all
I have another post about the honda CRV .... Read more
Thought i recognised this thread and looking back i found one from you at the beginning of March asking pretty much the same question. Only difference was an S-Max rather than a Grand C-Max being compared to a CR-V.
I bought my son his first car is September last year and was told it had a new MOT, he got stopped today as the MOT ran out last December!!
He is worried sick as only driving since late January. The police let him drive home and said he would get a letter, can anyone advise what to expect? The car is in my name. Read more
Before you get it MOT I would make sure the garage are going to pass it other wise the failure could be construed as proof that the car was not roadworthy. Obviously in your favour that the Police let your son drive it in the current condition.
Browse
Elekie doctor's comments appear to have been spot on.
I did a bit of experimentation today and found no evidence of a problem with the towing electrics - or anything else for that matter! After a settling down period (around 20 minutes), residual current was only about 20mA. It jumped up to (and stayed at) around 500mA with the key fob close to a front door, and it settled around 200mA with the key a few feet further away. With the key taken completely away, it dropped to around 160mA for perhaps 20 minutes; then falling to about 20mA, where it stayed indefinitely (unless I brought the key back, or opened or closed the bonnet latch - then temporarily back to 500mA, etc)....