Y reg Punto wouldn't start yesterday morning. Car is used mainly for short journeys every day.

Had a flat battery last winter after car was idle for a day. Jump started it and had no further problems until now.

So yesterday morning the car had been idle for about 36 hours. My dad re-charged it and it was ok in the morning. It was idle for about 18 hours and dead again this morning.

Before I rush out for a new battery is there anything else to look at? Battery terminals are quite dirty but surely it wouldn't start after being charged if that was the problem?

If a new battery is required any tips on where to buy one? Appears to £85 at Halfords

Quick google search and I've found the following (inc VAT + del):
- Lucas HB202 / HCB202 / LP002 @ battery2u.co.uk - £53.93
- Numax 002L 12V 38AH @ tayna.co.uk - £56.86
- Varta Blue Dynamic Type 202 12V 42Ah @ tanya.co.uk - £56.97
- "Super Start" 202 330 @ eBay autosparesgb - £53
- Griffin 1982 202/002L @ eBay griffin-batteries - £49.90

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Either that or have your alternator tested to make sure it's charging the battery. Make sure you give the terminals and earth cable a good cleanup.

Also you can either get a bog standard battery for around £50 from motoring shops or you can get an uprated one for maybe £30 more but it will last alot longer

The bog standard battery will start the car even when its nearly worn out, but long before that the low system voltage will cause power steering errors and faults. Puntos with electric power steering need a good strong battery so get the best you can afford.

So WhiteSei, are you saying I should have noticed other electrical problems before reaching this car-won't-start stage?

It's a bog-standard Punto Mia 1.2. I've not had any other problems with it.

I'm afraid I'm a complete spanner when it comes to cars so I've got no idea what the "best" battery would be. Is the one with the highest AH rating and a reputable name about the right kind of thing? So "Varta Blue Dynamic Type 202 12V 42Ah".

I did quick search on testing the alternator and found a good post by HiRich with a few suggestions for battery problems:
Re: Battery problems with fiat punto cabriolet
/https://www.fiatforum.com/punto/141012-battery-problems-fiat-punto-cabriolet.html?p=1479257
[edit: not enough posts to put in proper links]

To check for 13.5v+ with the engine running, would the battery have to already be well-charged or could I do this immediately after a jump start?

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Not sure if it's useful info but I just checked the idle voltage of the battery and it's 9.75v - that's before any jump start or charging.

Thats a low output as you said should be 13.5+ a new battery will be required, don't buy from Halfrauds,have you got a Unipart near you or a good automotive store should be around £50, get the same AH or higher.

inki said:

Thats a low output as you said should be 13.5+ a new battery will be required, don't buy from Halfrauds,have you got a Unipart near you or a good automotive store should be around £50, get the same AH or higher.

Click to expand...

That 9.75v was with the engine off (as it won't start). I've yet to measure with the engine running - I'm guessing it needs to have a decent charge to get a meaningful measurement? and a jump-start won't be enough?

Quick search here for Unipart centres:
http://www.uccc.co.uk/uccc/index.jsp?pageLink=Locate
and there's three nearby so I'll give them a phone.

Yes a fully charged good battery should be 12.7v or more,but with the engine running with said battery 13-14volts should be read across the battery terminals. Sounds like 1 or more cells have had it defo needs replacing in time for winter.

Jump started it this morning and checked the voltage - 13.9v - so alternator seems ok.

I'll phone around for batteries today.

Cheers folks

The battery on my car had lost one cell but it still started the engine (1746cc) I had only the odd steering problem. But finding out more about Puntos when it did fail, decided to get a really good battery. The steering needs a good system voltage for it to work properly and will trip out if the battery is weak. Steering fault warning lamp and heavy steering wheel.

My old battery was ropey for a while but died suddenly with an internal short circuit. I bought the best I could get because in cold weather no battery can deliver its full power and just when its started the car its also expect to drive the steering - engine speed is low when parking so generator isnt much help until the car is moving along. A good battery minimises problems and cheap batteries will cause problems sooner.

EDIT The steering has been fine ever since