Technical Is it OK for me to trickle charge my battery please?

[RamesesPNiblik]

Hi,

Before I set fire to myself or - worse still - my house with the missus inside, would it be possible for someone to advise as to whether it is OK for me to trickle charge my Fiat Panda 2012 Twin-Air battery please? Here it is:

Looks like the same battery from brand new(?) Judging by all the dirt I'm guessing the previous owners didn't really do that much maintenance on the car in general.

I purchased my Panda back in July 2023. I live in London and only use it on Saturdays to go to the supermarket.... I think the battery is drained because when I tried to start it this morning I got a bunch of sensor errors and a rapid clicking noise.

(If I can trickle charge it I will clean up the battery connectors to confirm that it isn't a bad connection.)

Cheers!

 

[jackwhoo]

Yes

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Awesome! Thanks Jack for your speedy response!

 

[jackwhoo]

The ground strap / wire between the engine/ gearbox and vehicle structure has a reputation of rotting away even inside plastic covering, but
Your clicking symptoms are indicative of flat battery.

 

[Marcus Daly]

If the battery charge isn't even lasting a week you need a new battery.

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Thanks for confirming, Jack!

Hi Marcus! Yeah - I had a Mk 3 Panda prior to this one which had the same issues when the battery was running low. I ended up purchasing a new battery in the end. One of the downsides of living in London and only using the car at weekends unfortunately. Still, it is over 10 years old - so not that bad really. I'll give it a charge and will see what happens.

 

[varesecrazy]

If the battery charge isn't even lasting a week you need a new battery.

Maybe..

Often mileage is the problem

Ideally wants 20 minutes plus after every start, and an hour plus once a month

It may not get this

 

[varesecrazy]

My 2012 factory battery still functions.. It will die one day

 

[FiatMatt94]

If thats the original battery from 2014 it's done really well to last this long but it's well overdue a replacement & I would really consider changing it for a new one as most of us on the forum know the original ones never last this long usually with false errors being thrown up, difference in the feel of the steering etc & also the electric dual drive power steering relies heavily on the battery. Get a well known decent branded battery such as Bosch, Varta, Yuasa etc as they don't do too well with the cheap ones & it should be all good

 

[Marcus Daly]

I had a Mk 3 Panda prior to this one which had the same issues when the battery was running low. I ended up purchasing a new battery in the end. One of the downsides of living in London and only using the car at weekends unfortunately. Still, it is 10 years old - so not that bad really. I'll give it a charge and will see what happens.

Like you, I live in a big city and rarely use my 2020 Panda. It can often sit for a month. I bought a NOCO battery pack, as I was constantly afeared of finding it dead, but never have so far (touch wood). Still on the original battery, BTW.

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Hi Varesecrazy! Nah - I only do about 10 miles a week at moment. Enough for a dawn raid at Sainsburys and back before the traffic gets too bad. I only do at most about 800 miles a year.

My battery connectors are absolutely filthy...

Hi Matt - yeah, I'll purchase a new battery if the trickle charger doesn't do the trick.

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Hi Marcus - if it's a 2020 battery I think you'll be fine for a few more years.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi Varesecrazy! Nah - I only do about 10 miles a week at moment. Enough for a dawn raid at Sainsburys and back before the traffic gets too bad. I only do at most about 800 miles a year.

My battery connectors are absolutely filthy...

View attachment 443924

Hi Matt - yeah, I'll purchase a new battery if the trickle charger doesn't do the trick.

When you decide to get another,

Look on Tayna batteries website, a great choice of the various types and brands

Good prices, and delivered to your door

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Nice one! Thanks! I also need a battery terminal cover... mine appears to be missing

 

[GettinBetter]

... I only do about 10 miles a week at moment....

Yep, and you've managed to get through the winter (read that as had lights, heater, and wipers on for most of it).
I'm quite surprised it lasted that long doing so little mileage.

It's quite a testament to how good these intelligent charging systems are.

GB

 

[rmjbn1]

How about a solar trickle charger left in the car to keep the voltage topped up?

Never used a solar one, but I do use a mains trickle charger to maintain the battery of an old car through winter when it doesn't get much use - works well

 

[GettinBetter]

How about a solar trickle charger left in the car to keep the voltage topped up?

Never used a solar one, but I do use a mains trickle charger to maintain the battery of an old car through winter when it doesn't get much use - works well

Perfect, guys used to use them on their boat batteries down the harbour, sometimes there were weeks/months depending on personal occurances going on, always had a full battery.

They are very low output, in the region of 0.5A, but work very well. The panels were approx 300 x 500mm, but this was back in ~2000 odd, they've more than likely got smaller for the same output.

GB

 

[varesecrazy]

I had one in my diesel that only saw occasional use, did the job

 

[RamesesPNiblik]

Hi! A solar trickle charger sounds good, but I keep my car in a garage - so I don't think it will work.

Well, 3 hours of charging later, the battery is back in the car and working fine. I'll monitor it, but as the battery is 12 years old I reckon I'll be changing it soon.

A massive thanks to everyone for their help and guidance!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

That’s a stop start battery… they don’t like small current charging. They have a different internal structure to an ‘standard’ lead acid battery ‘of old’. Also they rarely last more than four, or five if you’re lucky, years. Cars that see low mileage use (less than a couple of hundred miles a week) will fare less well. You get a good indication when the stop-start system stops working, or restarts just seconds after stopping.
You need a new battery.