Weird electrical problem?

[thomatkinson]

Hi everyone, any ideas what might be causing this problem?:

Occasionally, the ABS brake alert beeps and lights up on the dash and the power steering light too. Sometimes the power steering actually cuts out at the same time. Turning the ignition off and on again resets everything to normal. The car’s clock resets to 00:00.

Often happens as I slow down towards stopping at a junction.

Possibly associated with not using the car as much - tends to happen after a holiday period when the car is parked more and driven less.

All ok when the car is being driven regularly to work - 7 mins there and 7 mins back along a stretch of 60mph A-road, 5 days per week

One time after it happened I took the car for a free battery health check at Halfords. They said the battery (only put in a couple of years ago) was fine but a little low at 60% or so.

Why is this happening? Battery? Wiring? Our mechanic can’t diagnose anything obvious and as we can’t show them what’s happening (it seems to happen randomly and can’t be done on purpose) they don’t know what to say.

Anyone had a similar issue?

[iichel]

get your battery tested as a start, that's what i'd do

[thomatkinson]

Thanks, but as mentioned the battery was tested and we were told it was in good health, just a little low at 60% and it would be charged up soon enough by driving…

[Le_Combattant]

7 min of driving even in daily is not enough to charge a battery.

Take your car the weekend for a long drive on highway for an hour or more.

Also, if you are loosing the clock, it means battery is dying.
When for exemple you disconnet the battery, clock is reset.

[thomatkinson]

Thanks. If you include both there and back, the car gets about 15 mins of driving per day, but it sounds like that’s not enough to charge the battery. This seems odd to me as our old Polo did the same and had no problems. Plus I would have thought many people are driving their cars for this sort of time and distance, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem that is that widespread.

Thanks for the tip to take the car for a longer run at the weekend - will try that to charge it back up now and then.

Anyone else had similar experiences? Should a battery at 60% charge cause the power steering to cut out?

[amer6R]

before my old battery died, when i had just enough juice to start the car ( diesel) the power steering was working with no issues.
So i think no. The alternator should provide enough

( Maybe because diesel has a bigger battery)

Did you check for loose grounds?

[thomatkinson]

OK, thank you.

I suppose my questions are:

- If it's not normal for a low battery to cause issues like power steering cutting out and ABS alerts turning on, what else could be causing this?

- Or if a low battery (caused by not driving the car quite enough) could still be the culprit, why isn't this a much more common problem?

- And how much driving does it take to keep a battery topped up enough to avoid any problems?

Thanks!

[ciclo]

It is not common because it depends on the consumers used on those short trips, each driver has their own routines and ways of driving.

Depending on the condition of the battery, half an hour would be fine for a battery to take a decent charge, although a slightly longer trip would be better if the battery is somewhat worn out.
On the other hand, battery chargers are quite cheap and easy to use.

7 min is one of the worst distances for the operation of a combustion vehicle in general terms, the battery does not charge, the engine never reaches the appropriate temperature, etc...

[thomatkinson]

Thanks for that - very helpful!

It sounds like we need to figure out a way to keep the battery charged, but it's tricky as we'd have to drive the car around specifically to charge the battery! The idea of a battery charger sounds god. Anyone have a recommendation? Are there chargers which can charge up a Polo battery without having to remove it from the car?

[ciclo]

I have had this battery charger for many years, I think it was one of the cheapest and simplest models I found in a shopping center.

It has always worked well, it detects the battery type and charges correctly, you don't need to do anything special, just read the user manual for a single button (easy).

It is not necessary to remove the battery, you just have to have a power outlet close to the vehicle (2 to 3 meters), or use an extension cord.

Nowadays they have been significantly improved, wait until a user from the UK recommends one with the appropriate UK plug. They are sold in many places.

[Mikeso51]

I can recommend the smart chargers sold by Liberty Batteries. Quite sophisticated - 5 stage charging regime etc - but very simple to use, and surprisingly inexpensive compared to the likes of CTEK. I use mine regularly on my very lightly used cars, and the original batteries are still going strong on both after more than 7 years.

https://www.libertybatteries.com/Batter ... ries-4-Amp

Usual disclaimer: no connection with supplier, just a satisfied customer.

[thomatkinson]

Thanks so much everyone! I’ll get a charger sorted and see if that helps. Really good to have an answer, or at least a most likely theory, for this problem. Much appreciated - have a good weekend!