Work Van Owner's - how long does the typical battery last?

ea90gl · 31-05-2016, 10:02 PM

Hi fellas, I just wanted to hear from the work van owners out there in regards to what sort of lifespan that they have gotten out of the batteries in their work vehicles.

The reason for asking is I currently own a 11 month work van (bought new and now has 19,500km). Approximately 6 months into ownership the battery went flat (with no warning at all and with minimal stationary power usage) however after waiting about 20mins it just got started again and away I went. Due to the flat battery the vehicle was displaying an error message which I had road-side assist attend to just to cover my tracks. Eventually after some more driving the error message disappeared most likely due to the proper charge up.

Only earlier this evening the battery packed up again however this time it was a complete no go, it just ticked over. Again comes roadside assist to replace the battery however he mentioned "it passed the test however I will still replace it to save you the headache". Long story short the replacement battery is physically smaller so some dodgy works have been put in place to stop it from sliding and the assistant dropped and lost the battery clamp bolt which means there currently is no clamp in place. He assured me he will get in touch with me ASAP to rectify the issue and finalise the paperworks.

This battery life to me seems very unusual (regardless of it being a commercial vehicle) and I am assuming the battery is a dud and must come under the 12 month battery warranty. I do not leave on interior lights, crank the radio for hours on end constantly and always disable the start/stop feature when driving (whether or not the battery has anything to do with this I am not sure of). Stop/start driving makes up at least 40% of my driving which I do not personally see as excessive). The van has no aftermarket accessories at all which would put any additional strain on the battery. Yes I do open and close the doors often while working which operate the interior lights excessively however even still this can surely not wear out the battery so quick.

As mentioned I would love to hear from any one relating to the above. Thanks in advance

lamborghinifan · 01-06-2016, 08:05 AM

Hi there. My iload has 95% stop start on/off short driving trips. Interior Lights get left on all the time. 2.5 years and no dramas. Previous van which is 5 years just had a battery go flat after a few hours of door being left open, so the battery is prob getting to the end of its life. Same working conditions.

Yellow_Festiva · 01-06-2016, 11:23 AM

You could have had a dodgy battery cell?

I know you have already bought another battery, perhaps present the receipt and the old battery to the dealership to see if they will come to the party with the cost?

Just stick with the smaller battery. You have paid for it now and it should be fine for a few years. What warranty did it come with?

I guess, in future you can buy yourself a better 'correct' battery with 3yr warranty.

mik · 01-06-2016, 05:00 PM

11 months sounds a bit short , maybe its been cooked or damaged in some way , or something in your electrical system is leeching power , or the battery was a dud ?
diesels require more grunt to crank them over so may shorten the life of a battery, is yours a diesel ?
these days i always buy the biggest cc amps mother of a battery i can fit in the battery tray,
my old lexus has a almost a 4wd/truck size battery in it , the headlights dont even dim when i start it up ,

.:4:. · 01-06-2016, 05:05 PM

What make of van? When I had a Mitsubishi (for 6 and a half years..) I couldn't leave it for more then 2 days without it going flat, and definately couldn't run the radio for more then half an hour or the hazards for an hour. Id had 4 batteries in that time and they were all as bad as each other. They were about the size of 8 d cells taped together

XR Martin · 01-06-2016, 07:47 PM

Batteries in our Diesel Hiaces last atleast three years.

ea90gl · 01-06-2016, 08:35 PM

The van is a current model Renault Trafic LWB 1.6TT diesel. Good news in the end, the road side assist fella actually called me back via his personal mobile today and he replaced the other supplied battery (smaller one from last night) with a correct sized battery so all is well and good. He also ticked the box on the service report sheet going along the lines of "battery replaced under warranty etc etc" rather than the "battery replaced at owners cost and you will be charged like a wounded bull because it is not covered by warranty".

Going from his original comment about the factory battery "testing OK" I initially thought I would be charged for the replacement however seeing as he only had an incorrect replacement battery at first, me lending him an 8mm socket to get the battery out, cutting up some small off cuts of thin pine and shoving it in the battery holder to keep the smaller battery from sliding and also him dropping and losing the battery clamp bolt I think he just put it under warranty to be done with it.

From previous experience I have usually gotten about 4-5 years out of a good quality car battery in a standard vehicle and would at least think a commercial battery for a van would last a minimum of 3 years.

Franco Cozzo · 01-06-2016, 10:16 PM

My diesel Focus has been religiously killing them every 12 months to 18 months since I bought it new, it toasted the first one in 14,000km.

Anyways, a few weeks ago my mate wanted to drive so I threw him the keys and jumped in the passenger seat, I was looking around and happened to notice the feint glimmer of light coming from behind the glovebox but only if I was looking at it in a very particular angle.

Long story short, glovebox lid is warped and has been since new, making the light inside stay on 24/7 killing my batteries early.

wackyv8 · 02-06-2016, 08:27 PM

i put an old (probly 5y.o) bond brand calcium batt. on the charger tonight , it clearly states -
Warranty
private use 40 months
commercial use 12 months
taxi use 6 months

Hemihunter · 03-06-2016, 09:35 AM

Both our 2013 Rangers XLT 3.2 had new batterys in 13 months- out of warranty of course.
But if we bought new replacement ones from ford dealer they gave us 2 year warranty...we went non original cheaper replacements

Vesper Martini · 03-06-2016, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Long story short, glovebox lid is warped and has been since new, making the light inside stay on 24/7 killing my batteries early.

early Ford Territory issue

Yellow_Festiva · 03-06-2016, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemihunter

Both our 2013 Rangers XLT 3.2 had new batterys in 13 months- out of warranty of course.
But if we bought new replacement ones from ford dealer they gave us 2 year warranty...we went non original cheaper replacements

I guess if you go through batteries you can try the ones with the 3yr warranty. There is a little bottle of battery conditioner fluid that claims to add another year to any battery warranty providing you buy it at the same time as the new battery and add it to each of the cells.

Wonder if anyone has ever made a claim? Probably must like the many extended warranties on offer = worthless.

Bushbasher · 04-06-2016, 10:20 PM

I had a Repco battery replaced, no questions asked, when it was refusing to take a full charge. It was a 36 month warranty one with only 6 weeks of warranty left. The guy came out to the car and tested the battery then did the swap there and then as well as cancelling the old sale and giving me a new reciept so the replacement battery also still had it's 36 month warranty. Ya can't ask better than that.