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Motorhome Engine Battery


Micky Salty

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CTEK chargers have a good name and if you haven't got a decent automatic charger then go for a charger first. But your starter battery may well be the problem, especially if it was a cheap one and persisting with a failing battery can easily damage a charger so be careful.

 

Disconnect the battery and then charge it for 24 hrs, then leave it to stand for another 24, then measure the voltage. If it is above 12 volts check again every 24 hrs and note the result. A good battery should hold the charge and if the voltage decays scrap the battery and buy a decent one.

 

A Varta LFD from Alpha batteries is regarded as a reliable bet.

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Ok thanks, my battery is the one originally fitted to my Peugeot Boxer base in 2017. I got jump started on Friday and took it to a garage on Monday who then tested it and said it needed replacing. Since then I have been told it needed to be fully charged before testing, is that right ?
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Keithl - 2019-01-02 7:27 PM

 

A 2017 Peugeot Boxer should still be under warranty so head to your nearest Peugeot commercial dealer and ask for help.

 

Keith.

 

I don’t know how up-to-date the information about Peugeot warranties on the following link is

 

https://www.sgpetch.co.uk/media/pdf/peugeot_warranty_terms_and_conditions.pdf

 

but Page 3 states what the 2-year contractual warranty does NOT cover, and this includes

 

"the replacement of parts subject to normal wear linked with the use of the vehicle, its mileage or its geographic and climatic environment, if this replacement is not due to a fault. This concerns the following parts in particular: brake pads, shoes and discs, tyres, clutch, BATTERY, belts, dampers, wiper blades, plugs, bulbs, BATTERIES and fuses, etc.”

 

The starter-battery factory-fitted to a 2017 Peugeot Boxer still ought to be able to cope with the vehicle standing idle for (say) a couple of weeks without ‘going flat’. This assumes, of course, that the battery has not been abused by allowing it to go flat (eg. by leaving lights on) and/or that there is no significant constant load being placed on the battery (eg. by a poorly-fitted alarm system) when the vehicle is standing idle.

 

If Micky’s Elddis motorhome lacks the capability to charge the Boxer’’s starter-battery via the motorhome’s on-board charger, then buying a separate battery-charger and using this to charge up the starter-battery every few weeks makes sense. In fact (in such a circumstance) it would be essential to do this if the motorhome were not to be driven regularly. But if the starter-battery now needs to be replaced as the garage has diagnosed, then trying to maintain its charge-state by using a separate battery-charger won’t properly address the ‘going flat’ issue and would just be asking for trouble.

 

I’d tell the Peugeot commercial dealership that the starter-battery suddenly went flat, that the motorhome had to be junp-started and that a garage has diagnosed that the battery needs replacement. I’d ask for a new battery to be fitted free-of-charge under the terms of the Peugeot warranty on the basis that the reason the battery went flat was due to it having developed a fault.

 

How resistant to that approach the Peugeot agent might be is anybody’s guess, but if the present battery actually does requires replacing (because it became faulty or allowing to to go flat has damaged it) then that needs to be done now not later.

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I think our van can manage a month before the battery gets too low, it's kept under cover so the solar panel can't top it up, and getting mains power to it wasn't very practical (now sorted), my answer was a solar panel placed on outside of building, this worked very well for several years.
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Using a CTEK I have always charged my engine battery every 2 to 4 weeks until it registers 'fully charged' or 12 to 24 hours.....(Meter reading prior to charging about 12.2 to 12.4v)

Charger connected to battery in situ.

With alarms etc draining the battery 2 to 4 weeks is the normal 'run flat' time!

Have never trickle charged and batteries tend to last 7 to 9 years ;-)

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I also directly charge my motorhome’s starter-battery every 4 weeks or so.

 

I use a CTEK MXS 5.0 5Amp battery-charger (that I’ve owned for years) and a CTEK “Comfort Connect” flylead that’s bolted to the Ducato’s starter-battery terminals, allowing the battery to be charged in situ without removing the large plastic cover in the footwell or the carpet above the cover.

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Micky Salty - 2019-01-03 4:18 PM

 

Thank you all very much for your help. This has been very useful.

How do I close this forum down now ?

 

As has been said the site is open for your use at any time. You will need to log on again so remember your details. To get the best results when asking questions please indicate your van name and type with its age date or the date you bought it. Look at the headings of those who use the site most as it will give you ideas.

 

Everyone then knows what they are dealing with and possibly are using or have used a van of the same type, Remember any answers will only be as good as the information you provide

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Micky Salty - 2019-01-03 4:18 PM

 

Thank you all very much for your help. This has been very useful.

How do I close this forum down now ?

 

As has already been said, you don't, BUT it is always appreciated if you would come back and post a conclusion when you do get sorted.

 

Keith.

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