Battey Woes

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123Eish

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Hi Guys

This is my first car so I am new to this.

My car is a 1998 Golf 3 GS. Recently I have had to jump start my car a lot. Especially today I had to do it three times. The battery goes completely dead the starter does not even turn. There are some lights on the dash but they are very dull.

Anyway I have sound in but the amp turns off when the deck is off. So the sound is not the problem, the deck is removed and all light are switched off when i a get home at night. The battery is flat the next morning. I saw that there is some white powder around the bottom of the battery is this a sign that I need a new battery.

How do I know what the problem is? If I do need a new battery what are the costs of a new battery and which brand is a good one to purchase. Another thing I have checked the battery,it has enough distilled water and is not empty. Lastly after I jump start a car how long must I leave the car running to recharge the dead battery?

Thanks
 
Get it tested at a battery place, it could be on it's way out.
 
How old is the battery? Does everything work well while the car is running? if you have a multimetre test the battery voltage when idle(12v-13v) and when you rev the car to about 2500rpm(13v-14v) if thats fine then your alternator is working but you may have a dead cell in the battery.

Take it to a place like battery centre and they can test it for you, price of a new battery depends on brand and size. willard and exide are good brands imo.
 
Have you had the Alternator checked - that’s also a possibility.
 
Another possibility could be that something is draining the battery, would be best to take the car to an auto electrician to have it checked out.
 
1 check alternator charging
2 check battery
3 check what is draining if either 1 or 2 are fine

Otherwise you'll be wasting money.
 
Sinbad said:
My money is on old, dead battery.
Click to expand...

+1

Especially with the white residue described. If you get a new battery and the problem exists, test the alternator. If that doesn't appear to be a problem, there may be some kind of short that is causing it to leak power.
 
Very probably a dead battery, they should last 3-5 years, but some only make 2. You're probably looking at around R750 or so, I replaced mine in a Golf 3 GSX earlier this year. Go to a place like Battery Center or Supaquik, they can test and replace it for you. SABAT and Willard are good brands.

To recharge after a jump start, you should take the car for a 4-5km drive. That should bring it up to normal levels. If it doesn't then it is time to replace it.
 
SABAT is a good make. My mini's original battery passed on after 18 months and Auric wanted R1400 to replace it. An SABAT (bright orange case) was R550 and is now over 3 years old
 
SABAT is very expensive Willard held out a very long time (2 years each) and was half the price. Cape Town, Vonde in Maitland is the cheapest.
 
Thanks for all the reply's, I bought the car with the current battery so I am not sure how old it actually is. I took the car for a long drive I will check tomorrow morning and see if it starts if not, I will boost it and take a drive to my local supaquick to have it checked.

Thanks again
 
I won't touch a SABAT. I've had them die after just 1 year (just outside of 12 month warranty). Most of them don't make 5 years.
Willard are a bit better but personally I'd rather spend a little more on a Raylite battery.
I've never had a Raylite battery last less than 5 years and usually they last 5 to 8 years if not abused (i.e. run flat).
 
Where do you guys buy your batteries? In both my cars, I've replaced batteries 3 times in total and in all cases, all the batteries lasted longer than 4 years.
 
Paul_S said:
I won't touch a SABAT. I've had them die after just 1 year (just outside of 12 month warranty). Most of them don't make 5 years.
Willard are a bit better but personally I'd rather spend a little more on a Raylite battery.
I've never had a Raylite battery last less than 5 years and usually they last 5 to 8 years if not abused (i.e. run flat).
Click to expand...

+1
Sabat's are crap batteries. Had two that died within 6 months.
Varta, Exide, Raylight or if you can't get those, Willard.

Since it's a golf and you have sound, look at getting a 652 battery for the car. (biggest size/capacity that will fit in a golf.)
They are around R850-950, but provides more power.
 
Hey everybody my battery was the problem. Installed a new battery and it works hundreds now

Thanks for all the advice
 
I actually didn't buy it, My uncle works for a battery company and he apparently gets 2 batteries discounted per year. He got me a new one and told me it an xmas present. Its an exide or something like that (brand new). I had to give him my old one though.
 
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