How long have your 12V batteries been lasting before they need replacing?

[hoverdonkey]

We have been happily running our MG ZS EV for just over 2 years since new without any issues, but over the last week we have found it completely dead three times, requiring manual key entry and jump-starting to wake it up. I am wondering whether the 12V battery has simply reached the end of its unnatural life, or if we might have developed an underying electrical fault that is draining it excessively.

Is two years a resonable life-span for th 12V battery? Seems a bit low to me.

 

[Roldorf]

There should be a label on the battery showing the date of manufacture. Some of the fitted batteries in the MG's have been stored on the shelf for a long time before fitting.

 

[Alb]

2 years is an exceptionally short life for a battery.

 

[N2STY]

Is two years a resonable life-span for th 12V battery? Seems a bit low to me.

The cheapest batterys normally come with 3 years warranty 4 years for more premium some premium have 5 years

 

[N2STY]

One thing I have found over the years after a hot summer kills batterys in the winter I have 5+ batterys this month in my workshop failed before warranty ended and each one has been replaced for free the 2 companies I get my batteries from have said they are getting back more than normal this month

 

[Malcolm Anderson]

Here's short tale about this kind of problem. I own a MG5 and a Hyundai Ioniq 38 on a 69 plate 15k mls The wife normally drives it but I wanted to move it on the drive to put the MG on the house charger. I went to move the Ioniq and it didn't respond I thought I had rushed the start up and so I tried again and an audible warning started! I was still thinking what's going on? When the emergency services started talking to me asking what was wrong? I quickly told them there wasn't a major problem and they rang off. The car had automatically phoned them. I went to move the car again but it was totally dead! Anyway the AA came out and the 12v was as dead as a dodo. He started the car with a power pack and I drove it to my Hyundai garage and they replaced the battery which was chargeable because the car was just over 2yrs old at the time, the replacement was £78 and fitted free after I talked to them. So these things happen to various makes of EV not just MG. My previous MGZS gen1 the battery was fine after 2yrs 16k mls when I it traded for my MG5.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Has the battery been drained in the past? Even is it is fully charged again, it will not hold its charge as well as it used to and eventually it will fail on you.

My Kona was in the body shop for a month waiting for a part. They left the tailgate open and it drained the battery (I know because they phoned me to ask for the granny charger, thinking they'd drained the traction battery). The 12 volt died on me a few weeks later, the AA boosted the 12 volt and tested it and it was a dead parrot. Fortunately it was just inside the 2 year battery warranty and they changed it for free.

The first thing workshops do now is connect a booster pack to the 12 volt whilst they service or work on your car.

 

[Malcolm Anderson]

No problems before with the 12v and we've had it from brand new. The only other problem we have had was when the outside osr door fell off! Must be fairly common as they didn't even want to look at it they just ordered a new one. The alloys laquer is peeling off, its going in for its 3rd service Tuesday and Ive asked them to look at them then, but we shall see.

 

[hoverdonkey]

Thanks all. It seems to be the general consensus that 2 years too short (it was never drained before)... i.e. it looks like something else might be up.

Indeed, I discovered today from my wife that the lad was "stress testing" the rear left window switch last weekend (the re-enactment was reminiscnet of the old Track'n'Field video game ). I wonder if he burned something out / caused a short... I have now pulled the fuse, we'll see if that makes a difference.

Many thanks indeed.