Battery fault..?

[Chocky]

I'd suggest 12V is too low, so try setting the magic pro dip switches to 12.5V and giving the car battery a good overnight charge. See if things improve.

[alanp]

I'd suggest 12V is too low, so try setting the magic pro dip switches to 12.5V and giving the car battery a good overnight charge. See if things improve.

Well I’ve had this conversation on the dash cam forum, it’s suggested that setting it to 12.5v won’t switch the camera on,

[Chocky]

When the engine is running the alternator will be producing about 15V, more than enough to support the dash cam. With engine off the dash cam is depleting your battery at rate of about 0.4Ah, so after four days the battery voltage is going too low, causing problems with the car. I suggest 12V, or 11.9V as you measure, is too low.

Yes, setting to 12.5V may cause the dash cam to turn off when the engine is off, but it will protect the car battery. Personally, I'd prioritise a working car over a working dash cam

[alanp]

When the engine is running the alternator will be producing about 15V, more than enough to support the dash cam. With engine off the dash cam is depleting your battery at rate of about 0.4Ah, so after four days the battery voltage is going too low, causing problems with the car. I suggest 12V, or 11.9V as you measure, is too low.

Yes, setting to 12.5V may cause the dash cam to turn off when the engine is off, but it will protect the car battery. Personally, I'd prioritise a working car over a working dash cam

I see your point but the whole idea of having the cam with a battery cut off is so I can use parking mode,

[Chocky]

Potentially your short commute isn't enough to recharge the battery to accommodate the additional cam demands. Also worth considering the battery might already be damaged due to sulfation, meaning it will never take a full charge, exacerbating the problem. Now whether this was done before you collected the car or since you took ownership, the dealer should be able to help you understand.

There's a nice graphic on here about voltage and state-of-charge. <12V is <25%:
https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.c ... y-test-car

Good luck

[alanp]

Yes, my thoughts are the battery is faulty, my Puma is an ex demo, I agreed to buy it just before lockdown in March, it sat in the dealers compound until I collected it at the end of May, so I’m thinking the battery discharged and has damaged it , we did get the battery save message when we were doing the handover whilst sat in the car on the phone, we had to start the engine , sadly the dealer we bought the car from has closed (lookers ) and I can’t get into the next nearest dealer midweek as I’m working..

[Duncraig]

Mine goes back to fords on wednesday for a new battery so I'll let you no if this solves the passenger door opening problem which we both have

Mine was booked in today for a new battery as they finally admitted it was not holding charge.
( Cheap Romanian Rombat - not a quality Varta )

A week ago when I was booking the appointment.
"We'll charge the battery overnight before you come in so we can do a quick swap over"

At reception today, "Here's the key, I'll just sit and wait"
"Ah, he wants to do a full check of your car it'll take about 1½ hours but you can take the courtesy car"

Two hours later - "The battery isn't fully charged yet"
"Weren't you going to charge it the previous night" - mumbled excuse about time to charge etc.

"Take the courtesy car and we'll phone tomorrow". It's a Ka+ and stinks of cheap air freshener so I drive with the window open

Three miles from the garage the low fuel warning kicks in with a range of 30 miles and it's 15 to home
OK, I'll fill at Asda - the petrol station is shut for a revamp !

Grrrrr and they wonder why customer satisfaction is low? Day from hell!

[Chocky]

Don't get it. Why does the dealer think they need to charge a new battery?

[Duncraig]

Don't get it. Why does the dealer think they need to charge a new battery?

My thoughts exactly but I went along with their reasoning. Next day 17 hours later it was at 50% so they agreed to a new battery. Got a VARTA in place of the Rombat Romanian one and all is good, no error messages at all.