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I read the sticky post about using a voltmeter to check, but I think I need further advice.
I have a 2005 Federal Elise and I'm not sure if the battery has been replaced before.
About 2 weeks ago, after sitting in sub-zero (about -4 to -10C) temperatures for 1.5 weeks, the battery did not have enough power to start the car. The radio, alarm, etc all worked fine.
I put a trickle charger on the battery and it was charged the next day, and the car started with no problem. I then waited a few days (no charger attached) to see if the battery could handle a few days without a charge (weather was slightly warmer too). It started fine after sitting for 3-4 days.
I've ordered a Battery Tender so I'll be using that from now on. I don't think I'll have issues with starting the car from that point, at least while it sits in my garage where I can plug in the Tender.
My concern is how to know the battery is ready for replacement. What I want to avoid is if I take the car out of town for a night, and can't start it in the morning (assumption is there will be no place to plug in a Battery Tender in the place I stay overnight).
Should I just ask the dealer to let it sit for a day and put a voltmeter on it, or is there some more certain test they can do? I'm not against spending the money to replace the battery (seems like AGM is the safest/best option from what I read in this forum) if it means I won't have to risk being stuck out in the countryside with a dead battery, but if there is some accurate way to determine if this is likely or not, that would be helpful. No use in replacing the battery if it's not necessary.
I will visit the dealer in a few weeks' time to have them put the summer tires back on, so I could have them deal with battery stuff at that time as well.
I have a 2005 Federal Elise and I'm not sure if the battery has been replaced before.
About 2 weeks ago, after sitting in sub-zero (about -4 to -10C) temperatures for 1.5 weeks, the battery did not have enough power to start the car. The radio, alarm, etc all worked fine.
I put a trickle charger on the battery and it was charged the next day, and the car started with no problem. I then waited a few days (no charger attached) to see if the battery could handle a few days without a charge (weather was slightly warmer too). It started fine after sitting for 3-4 days.
I've ordered a Battery Tender so I'll be using that from now on. I don't think I'll have issues with starting the car from that point, at least while it sits in my garage where I can plug in the Tender.
My concern is how to know the battery is ready for replacement. What I want to avoid is if I take the car out of town for a night, and can't start it in the morning (assumption is there will be no place to plug in a Battery Tender in the place I stay overnight).
Should I just ask the dealer to let it sit for a day and put a voltmeter on it, or is there some more certain test they can do? I'm not against spending the money to replace the battery (seems like AGM is the safest/best option from what I read in this forum) if it means I won't have to risk being stuck out in the countryside with a dead battery, but if there is some accurate way to determine if this is likely or not, that would be helpful. No use in replacing the battery if it's not necessary.
I will visit the dealer in a few weeks' time to have them put the summer tires back on, so I could have them deal with battery stuff at that time as well.