In that case I'd suggest it really is time for a new battery.

I always recommend buying a battery with at least 3 years warranty - in which case you should simply need to claim on it :chin:

Ok, so i have been to my factors and bught a new 096 740cca 70ah batery wih a 3 yr warranty- lets see what happens in the morning, i'd like to say thanks to everyne who have helped me with this in the last few days especially Davren and Argonought!

I woke up today to a flat battery. My son was trying to install the CD changer from his car into mine yesterday and it didnt power down when the head unit was switched off, all the lights were on it, not sure if that could have caused it. I have the battery on charge ATM but I am wondering if its time for a new one.

Is there anyway to tell how old a battery is? Also this one is a Magneti Marelli, 12V 60Ah 32 0A, its been fine in all this cold weather but I have been reading back over old threads and cant find anything about this brand. Any input?

Normally there's a month and year of manufacture marked somewhere on the battery casing...

Cant find anything, maybe there was a sticker that has fallen off. I did a google search and came up with a FF thread from 2003, it says that Magneti Marelli batteries are what Fiat put in all new Stilos, is it possible this could be the original batttery? (52 plate 73,000 miles). I have also noticed recently that when I turn the key in the ignition there is an odd kind of buzzing noise for a few seconds before the car starts. Could this be related to a weak battery? When I tried to start it this morning I got a 'loose connection' warning but that only came up once and I tried to start it a few times. There was power there, just not enough to start the car and the clock had reverted back to factory setting.

Ok theres a barcode and next to it , it says:

Dis. Fiat: 46810023

I am wondering if that could be 10/02? That would fit with the age of the car.

Magneti Marelli are the batteries originally fitted by Fiat. They produce lots of electrical and electronic eqiupment for the automotive industry. I think the company is owned by Fiat. I've never seen MM batteries for sale in the UK apart from Fiat dealers.

46810023 is the Fiat part number for the battery. Most manufacturers stamp the date of manufacture into the side of the rim around top of the battery. Some use a secret code, some use day/year (e.g. 126/02 for 126th day of 2002) format.

If you left the radio, CD changer and ignition on for an hour without the engine running to defeat the " WAIT " message, that could have flattened your battery. It may only need charging.

Buzzing noise may be a headlamp adjuster motor. Listen from the front of the car.

Davren said:

Magneti Marelli are the batteries originally fitted by Fiat. They produce lots of electrical and electronic eqiupment for the automotive industry. I think the company is owned by Fiat. I've never seen MM batteries for sale in the UK apart from Fiat dealers.

46810023 is the Fiat part number for the battery. Most manufacturers stamp the date of manufacture into the side of the rim around top of the battery. Some use a secret code, some use day/year (e.g. 126/02 for 126th day of 2002) format.

If you left the radio, CD changer and ignition on for an hour without the engine running to defeat the " WAIT " message, that could have flattened your battery. It may only need charging.

Buzzing noise may be a headlamp adjuster motor. Listen from the front of the car.

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Thanks Davren, no it wasnt left on. The Visteon head unit is set to switch off after 20 mins anyway but after your advice on the ICE thread I just decided to leave it until I was going someplace that would take an hour or more.

But when I got in it this morning, the CD changer was fully lit up, even though the head unit wasnt on, even before I tried to start the car so I am assuming it was like that all night. I have no idea if that is 'normal' or if its supposed to switch off when the head unit is off or the engine is off. Maybe the changer is just faulty or perhaps it wont work right until it has the code?

It should only switch off after 20 minutes if the ignition is switched off.

Lights on the CD changer shouldn't stay on when not in use. The IDC-A09 CD changers were never the best bit of kit. If you search on here for idc-a09 and idc-ao9, you'll find lost of reported faults with them, including all the lights staying on i think.

Great subject as I'm searching for a heavy duty battery to put up with my 1.6 Dynamic, Tanya looks to be the top choice but which should I choose for like for like replacement and no modding of battery tray, I was thinkin Type 096 Varta Silver.

you can actually fit a VARTA E44 in the stilo tray, (slightly taller than 096) with no modding, its the best that'll fit. ive done it and a few people on here have aswell.

Yep, very true indeed Mr mzhussein

For some pics check post 49 on page 4 of my VARTA battery install :yuck:

Hey, sorry for resurrecting this old thread, but it seemed the most appropriate place to post in. So, after reading some threads about Stilos and batteries, it's pretty clear to me that I need to change mine. However, I'd still like to get some more info. But first, a bit of history.

Got my 1.9 JTD (85kw) Stilo in 2011 when it had about 147000 km. Haven't checked or touched the battery since as I haven't noticed anything wrong. At this point I should mention I'm not really knowledgeable when it comes to cars, so in case there were sings about the battery dying, I might have missed them. First issue that I did notice was a year and a half ago when the car wouldn't start after a couple of days of really cold weather (I think it went well below -10 in the night). I was able to start it with a friend's gadget which is basically a sort of small battery that provides the initial high current required when one starts the engine. I also went to the electrician around that time to have the battery tested (see attach). That's when I learned I have a Bosch S5 installed and saw am expiration date that mentioned 2010 (guessing that's when the battery warranty expired). I've had another test done earlier this year and the health dropped below 30% if I recall correctly. Still, besides the fact that, when I brake hard, I get a message saying the oil level might be too low (don't think that's related to the battery), I'm not seeing any obvious side effects. Oh, I've had the two low beam lights and one fog light fail all within two weeks, but the guy that changed them said it's not related to the battery.

So, given the above, I plan to get a new Bosch S5 74Ah/750A sometimes in the future. Now, assuming I delay this replacement until the start of winter, what are the risks involved? I read about sensors misbehaving and such, but is there a risk that something might actually get damaged and need to be replaced? Like the alternator maybe? Not really sure how these things work, so I'd be curious to know what might go wrong.

Thanks

I have got a top of the range one from Halfords. They have a great warranty and are easy to fit and purchase. I have used them many times and in many different car's. Always been great for me. If you have a Halfords trade card it's even cheaper ?

jarod said:

So, given the above, I plan to get a new Bosch S5 74Ah/750A sometimes in the future. Now, assuming I delay this replacement until the start of winter, what are the risks involved? I read about sensors misbehaving and such, but is there a risk that something might actually get damaged and need to be replaced? Like the alternator maybe? Not really sure how these things work, so I'd be curious to know what might go wrong.

Thanks

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Bosch S5 is a good idea... That spec' sounds like an "096" battery which I think is the biggest that will physically fit in the Stilo. At -10C you need as many amps as you can get...

There's no real problem with not fitting it until later... you won't break anything straight away.... but the car can start doing strange things and giving unusual errors.

But... why wait? If your battery is failing, it might completely die when you're in the middle of nowhere without anyone to help you start it.

Also, the battery resistance will be higher and that must increase the load on the voltage regulator on the alternator. Apart from removing a brake servo, changing the alternator is the biggest pain in the 'arris job there is. You really, really don't want to put any strain on the alternator components..

Ralf S.

Yorkshire007 said:

I have got a top of the range one from Halfords. They have a great warranty and are easy to fit and purchase. I have used them many times and in many different car's. Always been great for me. If you have a Halfords trade card it's even cheaper ?

Click to expand...

Don't think they have Halfords in Romania.
.

Ralf S. said:

But... why wait? If your battery is failing, it might completely die when you're in the middle of nowhere without anyone to help you start it.

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These are some wise words. I wish I read them earlier today!


Saturday I had to go somewhere a few km away and the car started after the 2nd try. Sunday I didn't start it and today I had to make another short trip. After I was able to start the car (again, after the 2nd try), I got the dreaded "check engine" LED which wouldn't go off. I went my way and later, when I wanted to come back home, it wouldn't start anymore. Made some weird sound, I tried for three times and then left it there.


So, tomorrow morning I'll go there and try to jump start it with that battery gadget from my friend and then head out straight to the electrician to replace it. After that, hopefully the "check engine" LED will go off. If not, I guess I'll have to take another trip to the mechanic and hope he'll figure it out.


Just writing this here in case others will have the same dilemma as me whether to change a failing battery.

Davren said:

Don't think they have Halfords in Romania.
.

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Sorry didn't see that.....lol