VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems

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Thu 20 Nov 2014 14:55
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - pusched

Hi,

I have a VW Polo 98, it is my 1st car so still learning all about it. I didn't drive it for a couple of weeks and the other day decided to go for a ride and it started fine, stayed in the car for 5 minutes and then drove off. Within a minute, it stalled but started again and I drove off.

It then stalled again about a minute later and this happened a couple of times until it just stopped. I could see in the dashboard that the light was going off between the stalling and re-starting.

Anyway, within 5 minutes, the car stopped completely and had to call the rescue team. He recharged the battery and we drove off and he tested it again and said it was fine.

I am now worried to drive again and worried it may stop. The rescue guy told me to warm up the engine for 30 minutes before driving off. Would it really take that long? Does anyone experience similar issues?

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Thu 20 Nov 2014 15:37
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Cyd

You need to put the battery on charge properly with a charger. Your alternator will never fully charge a battery, never mind a flat one.

Batteries do not like complete discharge, so it is possible it is trashed. Even brand new batteries can die if totally discharged.

A healthy battery should be able to withstand being stood for 2 weeks (assuming the car has no drainage faults). So chances are it wasn't well charged before, which may be an indicator it's time for a new one. Contrary to urban myth, they can die at any moment and Sods Law says you'll be away from home. Also chances are that now you've called out the rescue to a battery problem they may charge you if you call them to another (see your t&c's).

Not worth effin' about with for the price of a new one IMO. Especially if the one you've got is a few years old.

But do have the charging system checked.

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Thu 20 Nov 2014 15:54
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Railroad.

Absolutely correct. Car batteries are designed to pack a punch, meaning they deliver a large amount of power in a short time for starting. They are not 'deep cycle' batteries, and as such are not designed to be discharged and recharged. Doing so will greatly reduce its service life. Car batteries that have been left discharged for a period of time very rarely recover. Your car's alternator is very good at keeping your fully charged battery fully charged, but nowhere near as good at getting it there.

Batteries used on vehicles such as electric golf buggies are the deep cycle type. These batteries are designed to deliver smaller amounts of power over a much longer period, and are intended to be discharged and recharged (cycled) many times. This type of battery would not perform well on a petrol or diesel engine motor car.

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Thu 20 Nov 2014 20:33
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Bolt

I would tend to think its a fault somewhere causing the stalling, even a low battery can run an ecu/electronic ignition as long as the alternator is charging,

bearing in mind once started the alternator should charge the battery and run the electrics all together,if it cant there is a problem but not neccesarily the battery

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Fri 21 Nov 2014 11:35
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - KenC

The colder air temperature ALWAYS causes problems with weak car batterys. A weak battery can function throughout the summer and suddenly give up when the temperature drops

Check you battery terminals are clean and well fitted to the battery posts, if it looks ok remember changing a car battery is one of the easier things that can be carried out at home, all you need is a couple of spanners,daylight and common sense.(ALL FREE)

If you are keeping this car and the current battery is more than 3 years old, buy a new battery immediately before you break down again.

If the fault is NOT the battery you probably will need one soon anyway (if its more than 3 years old)

1.remember some breakdown companies limit the call out you are entitled to

2.do not buy your battery at a well know high street car spares shed or from breakdown companies unless you want to be overcharged by as much as 100 % AND pay them to fit it & recycle the old one.

3. Check out www.performancebatteries.co.uk from Tewksbury, they have a short video on choosing and changing a battery (if you need to watch it) they also price match and will advise you on the battery AND deliver within 24hours.

4. If you buy online remember to measure your battery first & note the post positions

5. I have bought two car batterys from the above and saved £80 compared the high street price.

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Fri 21 Nov 2014 12:29
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Peter.N.

Check that the battery is actually charging, connect a voltmeter across it with the engine running, should read about 14.4 volts, much less and you probably have an alternator problem.

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Fri 21 Nov 2014 14:36
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - pusched

Thanks for all the replies.

All a bit to take in for someone with no experience and very few tools.

I have no idea how old the battery is to be honest but will have a look at it to see how the connectors look.

The road assistant guy did check the voltage going in the battery after he re-charged it. The car worked fine after that. When i parked near my house, he tested the battery again with those voltage reader machines and he said it wasn't as good as new but said it was fine.

I have to drive on sunday and getting nervous about it. Will leave the engine running for 20 minutes tomorrow and see what happens.

I got an Eurocar parts nearby so may not have time to order it online but after this sunday drive may purchase a new battery regardless to be on the safe side.

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Fri 21 Nov 2014 15:32
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - gordonbennet

If you're going to get one from ECP, you might well save a few quid by buying via their site and use the click and collect option.

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Fri 21 Nov 2014 17:31
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Andrew-T

DON'T ditch the battery before making sure its terminals are clean and properly tight. I have binned a good battery before now ....

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Sat 22 Nov 2014 15:33
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - pusched
Ok so i switched on the car and left it on for about 10minutes with no lights, heating, etc on. The engine was warm so i tried to accelerate and it just went off.

Tried to switch it back on and it was makin the same struggling noises as last week and not coming back on. Battery light cames on the dashboard.

I had a look at battery connections but doesnt look as straight forward as some other car batteries i saw online.

Does this mean the battery is gone?
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Sat 22 Nov 2014 18:00
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Cyd

Remote diagnosis can never be 100% - but it does sound that way.

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Sun 23 Nov 2014 19:07
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - Big John

If your battery is on its last legs then it is usually the start of the winter when it finally fails.

I've been keeping an eye on the battery in my 2003 Skoda Superb for a few years - it's the original!

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Mon 24 Nov 2014 14:31
VW Polo - VW Polo 1998 - Cold weather battery problems - pusched

Had to pop into the car yesterday to grab the sat nav holder and decided to try and switch on the car - started with no problems!

I didn't try to drive it though and just switched it back off. Will try it again tonight but was talking to my colleague who said it could be the alternator or carburetor.

Had a look online and they all have similar issues. Guess will have to get a mechanic out to fully check it before I buy anything.

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