[arnprasad]

Hi All,

I have a 2015 Ertiga ZXi which till now has covered only 23K Kms of which 80%+ is highway driving as I prefer to use public transport in Bangalore.

I have been having this issue regarding battery getting fully discharged in my car. I have had a Zen and a Versa which used to start even if they were idle for two weeks. But this car doesn't start if its idle even for a week.

Post lockdown and now on a career break - I just don't have a need for the car and hence its very minimal driving and every time I try starting it - I pray to god and almost once a month at least, it doesn't start and my kids have to push it to jump start.

While I do understand the need for the car to be driven at regular intervals - this kind of battery getting fully discharged in a week is something I haven't experienced with my previous cars.

Since I have been having this problems for more than 5 years now - I have had the car battery replaced once already but still the issue persists.

Mandovi is where I bought my car and where it gets serviced. I have complained numerous times including some escalations - they just take the car and that's it...There is absolutely no change in its condition.

Every time I call Mandovi to come and jump start the car - they charge 650!! although they are just 2 kms away.

Since I am a bit technically challenged, I have been postponing the idea of getting some kind of a jump start kit - but today was the final straw. Just took my mom to a doctor and I was in the car with the headlights on and music playing - In just five mins the battery drained and I had to abandon my car and walk home with my mom.

So was googling to find out if there are affordable kits so that I can jump start myself and I found this 4 star rated contraption. Although it is listed as a device to charge the battery rather than jump start - some of the comments on the URL suggests that it can be used to jump start as well

I wanted to get rid of this car and get a Carens - but then being on a career break and driving an average of 3K kms a year - seemed like another dead investment.

Please help me on the following:
(a) Does the below device help in jump starting the car?
https://www.amazon.in/Verilux%C2%AE-...9107384&sr=8-6

(b) What are the other affordable alternatives assuming the car needs a jump start in (i) places where there is a electrical socket available say in front of my house and (ii) places where there are no electrical sockets available - I am assuming for situations where an electrical sockets is available. I just need to buy some long jumper cables to jump start it?

I will google myself for answers and looking forward to some affordable help on this forum as well.

Many thanks in advance for all your help!!

[mygodbole]

check the alternator, which charges the battery when the car is moving.
invest in a drip/trickle charger, since you don't drive much.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by arnprasad

But this car doesn't start if its idle even for a week.

Clearly, there is something wrong with your car. Either the battery is on its last legs, it’s not being charged properly, or you have a parasitic drain.

Note that draining your battery regularly is very detrimental to the battery condition. It will go from bad to worse.

You need to take it to a different service centre or a good car electric specialist.
A car battery should hold its charge over at least 6-8 weeks at least. And that icon modern cars with immobilisers and alarms and so on.

Fully drained means there is something wrong. Jump starting is a last resort, should not be the default way of starting. Also, jump starting on badly depleted and old battery will deteriorate your battery further to the point of damaging it. Just the other week I damaged my (pretty) old battery on my Jeep Cherokee trying to Jump start it. Busted one of the battery cells.

Good,luck
Jeroen

[danny_d]

I’ve been in a very similar position with my 2004 Santro and frequently ran into situations where it needed to be jump-started at the most unexpected moments.

I own the item that you have linked above, but that is just a battery charger and not a jump-starter. I purchased it primarily so I could charge the car battery during the pandemic, when the car lay unused for a very long time. I would disconnect and unmount the batter and charge it at home, but if you have a socket nearby you could just as easily charge it in the car itself. However, it does take about 4-5 hours to charge it, if I remember correctly.

What you should be looking for is called a Portable Jump Starter. It’s basically a Power Bank that can supply a high amperage jump to your batter to help the engine crank when it’s out of juice. Most of these devices are only good for 2-3 jumps before the device needs to be recharged, but 2-3 is plenty of course.

Here’s the portable jump starter I purchased in 2020:
Fabtec Portable Jump Starter https://www.flipkart.com/fabtec-prem...m94b8af3c21cfb

It’s specifications defy battery physics at 70k odd Mah in handheld form factor, whereas it’s likely no more than 10k Mah. It also came with an assortment of cables to charge other devices, though I don’t use it for that purpose.

My experience using it has been excellent so far. It’s very easy to hook up to the battery with alligator clips and has never failed to jump start my Santro. Fortunately never had to use it for my Polo just yet (touch wood)!

That product is no longer available on Amazon, it was about 4.5k INR when I’d purchased. There’s a much better but more expensive version being offered by 70Mai at the moment:
70Mai Portable Jump Starter
https://www.amazon.in/70mai-Starter-.../dp/B07XLZ1CFT

[ajayc123]

A few things that come to my mind:

Have you added any/ too many accessories to the car like dashcam. sometimes they may drain the battery?

How old is your current battery ? It may have weakened if it is old. In case you have option to check water level requiring topup you may try.

You may want to take it to a battery shop to check battery health and seek advise.

Lastly, it could be the alternator not working properly.

Finally, you may want to check if you want to sign up for some annual roadside help package till your problems get settled.

I have noted some people who are infrequent users run the car at idling in neutral for a few minutes every few days to charge the battery.

I have also seen some people keeping battery chargers, but I am not very familiar and you may want to research more.

Avoid load on battery when the engine is not running (like music, fan etc) till your problem is solved.

[hrman]

While I have not tried this, there are some positive reviews on a similar threat on TBHP for the Maruti Jumpstart Charger. Maybe worth checking out. It costs 5050. In case you need to spend Rs.650 per call to Maruti, this will probably recover your investment in 8 such breakdown calls.

https://www.marutisuzuki.com/genuine...90j0m999x0-070

Alternatively, you can try Exide Batmobile. They charge Rs.200 per visit if its a Non-Exide battery. I was trying to contact them a few days back, but for some reason the OTPs they sent were not reaching my mobile. They did call back a few hours later, but by then I had arranged my battery mechanic to jumpstart. He charged me 350 rs. The Exide batmobile has some mixed reviews on TBHP
https://www.exidecare.com/batmobile

[SS-Traveller]

It does not make sense to buy a portable jump starter, when your battery or charging system or electrical system is faulty. Fix that issue first. If your battery is over 3-4 years old, get it load tested from a battery shop, and discard & replace if it is at the end of its life. Check for parasitic electrical drain (anything above 300-400 mA is not acceptable), and check for charging voltage.

A portable jump starter pack will last about as long as a new battery will (3-5 years), and with very limited use when your car's electrical system is working fine, it'll be a wasteful investment.

[condor]

I think you need to get the root cause fixed. Till then, you could try to disconnect the battery when not in use.

I dont know which part of BLR you are in, else could have suggested couple of alternate places that are good, where you can get your car checked and get the main issue resolved, rather than attending to the symptom of the battery getting discharged

[saket77]

As other members have noted, getting a jump starter system is not recommended without rectifying the root problem. If your battery is in good condition, then there is certainly a parasitic drain.

Since, the problem persists consistently, it should be easy to isolate the circuit where the draw is actually happening compared to intermittent drain issue. This can be checked by using an amp meter (in series on main battery terminal) and then pulling out fuses one by one to get the draw reading in the normal range. Don't fret too much about it as this can be done by any good electrician.

In the meanwhile, learn how to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and keep it that way when the car is not in use. Before using the car, just secure the terminals properly and your car should start even after a month- given that the battery itself is fine.

Regards,
Saket

[Gypsian]

Get the battery distilled water level checked, then get its voltage checked. If voltage is not as much as required, get it charged. Even after this if it drains out, replace it with new battery, but before buying new battery get the alternator checked.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by arnprasad

Hi All,

I have a 2015 Ertiga ZXi which till now has covered only 23K Kms of which 80%+ is highway driving as I prefer to use public transport in Bangalore.

I too have an Ertiga Zxi+ from 2015, with the original battery.

My current odo reading is 21K. Usage too is similar to yours. Mostly highway, Often parked for weeks together, a couple of times even for over a month. (We have other cars that do regular duty).

But starts on first try, without any drag each time. Another point to jote are are there are no accessories running on electricity other than a dash cam plugged into the charger port on it.

Once, around 4 years ago the battery had drained completely due to the cabin lamp being left on. But once charged it has been ok since then. Since then to be on the safe side I have always carried around a jump start cable but never had to use it for the Ertiga.

I suggest that you first find the root cause of the drain. Check all accessories etc.

[s.sriram1989@gm]

Originally Posted by arnprasad

Hi All,

I have a 2015 Ertiga ZXi which till now has covered only 23K Kms of which 80%+ is highway driving as I prefer to use public transport in Bangalore.

Get the electrical system checked, small leaks do drain battery faster. It is advised if you are not using car for long time remove the -ve (black) wire connector from the battery, it wont drain if its not connected. I used to do it for my alto whenever I went hometown, sometimes leaving it for 2-4 months, in lockdown I did it for more than 6 months. Battery never gave any trouble. Try this once.

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[satish.gawai]

Hi All,

I have a 2015 Ertiga ZXi which till now has covered only 23K Kms of which 80%+ is highway driving as I prefer to use public transport in Bangalore.

Few words from my side.

The battery should not drain completely in a week's time. there must be some kind of current leakage. Pl check for any accessories consuming that current even after the vehicle is not in use eg. dashcam...

If the battery is older (>4 yrs), visit the battery shop and ask him to check the SOC. If required he will add distilled water. If at any point you are going to change the battery go for a higher rating battery (a little higher) e.g. if your current battery (OEM fitted) is 48AH go for 50 or 52 AH. This will help a lot.

Try to check your battery voltage if you have a voltmeter. It should be somewhere bet 13- 13.5 V (in a 12V system). Do it when the engine is OFF and when the engine is ON. This will ensure alternator functioning.

A jump start should only be a last option for emergencies once in a while. we need to get to the root of the problem. The jumper kits (which you shared) comes in handy if you have an electrical supply nearby (electrical socket). You can also keep one set of jumper cables (https://www.amazon.in/Heavy-Jumper-B...7NL3JF9C&psc=1) for situations where you do not have an electrical supply, but need to take help from other car owners.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards

[vidyanand]

Since no one mentioned it above, you can use your Car Insurance provider to come you and Jumpstart your car for free if you have the RSA package included.
I know there is free towing but limited to 2-3 depending on the provider but not sure of the Jumpstart limit.

Rest I agree with other posts suggesting to check the battery health/life, then looking for the battery drain culprit.
You will get multiple trusted Jumpstart and Charger options including BOSCH Car/Bike Battery charger (there is even a dedicated thread for this).

[Gypsian]

At the outset, check the alternator and then check for current leakage. Its probably an half an hour job for an electrician to diagnose the issue. He will then recommend you, if you need a new battery. If your not using the car for long durations, just unplug one of the terminal.
Jumper cable can be any fat wire or you can join four medium sized wires for each terminal and jump start a car. As prevention is better than cure, see to that your battery doesn't get drained out.