Flat Battery Charging With Optimate 111

[akeithj]

Tried to start the car at the weekend and all it did was "tick". There was sufficient power in the battery to allow me to get into the car and for the lights to go on, but that's about it.

I took the advice of forum members and bought an Optimate 111, so far the car has been on charge for about 12 hours (amber light lit on Optimate so I assume charging is going ok), however the car appears to have no power at all - I cannot even open the door with the remote.

Any ideas ?

[Godzilla]

Is it back in reverse?

Car is still "live" if not in reverse and current drain will be more than the charger provides.

Otherwise try taking it out of reverse and back in again. You want "intrusion sensor" to come on in the DIC.

[akeithj]

Yes the car has been in reverse, I have taken it out of reverse and put it back in again, but it appears totally dead. I have to gain access by opening the boot with the key and pulling the lever inside the boot to open the door.

When I was inside the car with the door open the red light (bottom left) on the starter motor switch was illuminated, but this went out, when I took the car out of reverse and put in back into reverse again.

The strange thing is, everything was working on Sunday, the car just did not appear to have enough juice to start, it's just as if some master switch has been activated cutting all electrical power.

[Godzilla]

Hmm. Now check the Optimate's LEDs. Messing about with the car with the charger connected can cause it to light a red LED and not work properly.

I just take it off and put it back on (I use the 12V socket in the centre console).

You should have one green LED and one amber when charging. When fully charged both turn green.

[ParkLane]

If the car is flat to the point that the starter solenoid clicks, then the optimate will probably take about a week to get the battery back up to a reasonable level, as the charging ampage is very low.

James

[akeithj]

Thank's guys.

I have one green light and one amber light, so I believe charging is taking place, so hopefully things should start to improve.

Bit of a dumb question, but I take it you normally leave the battery in the car and leave the charger connected until the battery is fully charged, rather than removing the battery from the car - just being cautious?

Regards

Keith

[Godzilla]

Yup. And it is totally safe to leave it connected to the car all the time it is parked.
In fact, best for the battery to do so.

I find the cigar lighter attachment useful, provided you don't want to shut your window the whole way.

[akeithj]

Thanks David.

Regards

Keith

[Y50 VET]

On the C5 its possible to permanently illuminate the dash lights from the dimmer switch if turned fully clockwise (until click) this will drain the battery apparently L

Trickle charging is best for the battery but will take a long time, I bought a jump pack, as it will double up as a standby 240 inverter to power lap top etc on the run,

Sam

[anonymous-user]

Rule 2 of car ownership

"Once your battery lets you down, get a new one."

Having said that, the current (standard) battery in my Vette is now SEVEN years old, its predecessor having failed after TWO years and been replaced under warranty. We should have a sweep on what month of what year this one is going to pack up! Prize = the satisfaction of being right!!

[G4HKS]

I bet 95% your battery is shagged, even if the car was only supplied last September. Get them to change it. The Optimate is only meant to condition the battery not bring it back from death...

[GO55 USA]

G4HKS said:

I bet 95% your battery is shagged, even if the car was only supplied last September. Get them to change it. The Optimate is only meant to condition the battery not bring it back from death...

Very true,well said.

[akeithj]

I decided to call Corvette assistance as the battery was showing no signs of life and within about an hour the guy arrived and we managed to start the car with one of those booster packs. I left it running for 10 minutes or so switched it off and it again failed to start. Started again with the booster pack and the guy did some checks on the battery and the readings were low even with the car running, so it looks like a new battery may be in order.

I phoned Stratstone to see if they could provide me with a replacement battery, bearing in mind at this point in time I was unsure whether or not I would be able to start the car again if I switched it off....and this is where the bad news starts..

I was told I would have to take it to the local Vauxhall garage for diagnosis, ok fair enough but I wasn't going to leave the car, so could they confirm that they had a battery in stock first.

A couple of hours later I received a call back saying I would have to leave the car at the garage to have a Vauxhall battery fitted as it would take two weeks to get the correct battery for the car......but they were so busy the car couldn't be booked in till next Thursday, nearly a week to have a battery fitted !

Not my idea of customer service.

Whilst I am still on my soapbox about customer service I will also mention my key fob. When I collected the car in October the key fob worked fine, but it was all scratched so I requested another, no problem I was told and believe it or not I am still waiting, nearly five months on.

[Godzilla]

That is appalling! Hopefully someone from Stratstone here can step in.

There must be some independent vendors who can supply the correct battery immediately?

I say get one from them and get Stratstone to reimburse you.