Bloody modern cars😡

[Neil123]

Does sound like it would pay to check the quiescent drain, see what load is constant.
Solar can be rubbish if cloudy, wrong orientation, or shaded, so it is good to know what sort of wattage is required to stay charged, and then get a panel that is rated five times(+) that.
This one I think is small, rated at about 6W, has nothing connected to the battery and is south facing.

I've checked it a while back, Nothing out of the ordinary, about 80mA.
Which for the alarm, clock etc sounds about right.
This is on my old car btw, not the one that's eating the batteries.
That one gets used daily.
The problem with mine is it sits all week doing bugger all then at weekends does about 15 or 20 miles on average mostly on short runs.
It's just not getting the charge time it needs, don't think it's a drain fault.

 

[Philthunder]

Don't you listen to the main stream media!
EV fires are a myth,,,,,, apparently

My grandson works for Essex fire service, got called out to Luton airport multi-storey car park, Diesel quoted as causing the fire, he said diesel’s don’t explode like that it was an electric. Gets called out to about one a week electric car fires.

 

[colinb]

My old crate sits doing nothing for most of the week, which isn't good for the battery.
It only really goes out at weekends.
Need to get a trickle charger/conditioner on it really.
Even so, batteries are lasting 10 times longer than on the wife's hybrid!

Don't bother. Using a car once a week won't do any harm. The only worry is long term no-use and the battery going flat. My neighbour regularly trickle charges his battery, and then has to replace it more often that should be required....

 

[Bighit]

The Vitara mild hybrid we have has two batteries . The main 12 and the 48v one under the passenger seat .

From what the dealer said it uses both (the under seat one more ) to start the engine when using stop start. Also uses the under seat battery for other functions rather than the 12v .

Video here .

 

[Joey]

A lot of people say it's a better option but with cars as with houses, I don't rent.
Can't be bothered with being told how many miles I'm allowed to drive and them going over it with a magnifying glass for every stone chip and pulled thread to charge me for when I hand it back.

Yes I own houses rather than rent. Although alot of the wealthy prefer to rent houses as they don't want money tied up in assets.

It' isn't that bad to be honest.

I know we average 8k miles a year, so I always pick 12k a year incase we decide to do lots more. Besides even if we did go over our allowance, it works out at an extra £150 per 1000 miles which isn't bad.

I've never once been charged when I've returned one. There's quite alot of give in the 'wear and tear' terms.
Carpark dinks are fine, wheel scuffs upto a certain size are fine, swirled paint is fine too. Obviously if you've got a serious dents they'll charge you. I usually get a wheel refurbed if needed before handing it back as it's alot cheaper for me to have it done than them charge me.

 

[Neil123]

My grandson works for Essex fire service, got called out to Luton airport multi-storey car park, Diesel quoted as causing the fire, he said diesel’s don’t explode like that it was an electric. Gets called out to about one a week electric car fires.

There was one at Gatwick a few days ago. This was originally reported as an EV but turned out to be a VW Tiguan hybrid petrol/electric according to the number plate.
Pulled up to the car park barrier to exit then just burst into flames
The mainstream news blurred the numberplate but the unblurred original is on YouTube.
You can see the burning petrol flowing down the gutter during the fire so this one definitely had fuel on board, but it also had a battery which may have been the cause of the fire in the first place, although when the fire starts the smoke does seem to be coming from under the bonnet. The batteries on these are under the back seat.
At the very least you can tell that once the fire was going the batteries joined in very enthusiastically I've never seen a pure IC car burn that fast or that intensely.

 

[Neil123]

Yes I own houses rather than rent. Although alot of the wealthy prefer to rent houses as they don't want money tied up in assets.

It' isn't that bad to be honest.

I know we average 8k miles a year, so I always pick 12k a year incase we decide to do lots more. Besides even if we did go over our allowance, it works out at an extra £150 per 1000 miles which isn't bad.

I've never once been charged when I've returned one. There's quite alot of give in the 'wear and tear' terms.
Carpark dinks are fine, wheel scuffs upto a certain size are fine, swirled paint is fine too. Obviously if you've got a serious dents they'll charge you. I usually get a wheel refurbed if needed before handing it back as it's alot cheaper for me to have it done than them charge me.

Our work vehicles are lease.
Maybe it's different for business customers
They are a nightmare to hand back.
Stone chips, windscreen chips, scratches, dirty interior (a lot of them are work vans)
It all gets totted up and charged.
You would think that when handing back a 150k miles Transit that a few stone chips, a slightly mucky drivers seat and some scrapes in the back from loading/unloading would be fair wear and tear. But no.
The last time I changed was during the new vehicle shortage just after COVID.
If you remember they couldn't get chips and various other components so new vehicles all had waiting lists.
Because of this I had no option but to go way over the lease agreed milage as I simply couldn't get a new one without a 6 month wait.
The amount they charged per mile over contract was scandalous, thankfully the company got hit with that, not me.

I often wonder how much lease vehicles are jacking up insurance for the rest of us, as every little dink and dent is claimed for to avoid getting skinned at hand back.
If my car gets a scrape I grumble and moan about it but it usually falls into the
"Not worth loosing your no claims" catagory.
It gets left or I fix it myself. Nobody can fine me for damage to my own property.

 

[Joey]

Our work vehicles are lease.
Maybe it's different for business customers
They are a nightmare to hand back.
Stone chips, windscreen chips, scratches, dirty interior (a lot of them are work vans)
It all gets totted up and charged.
You would think that when handing back a 150k miles Transit that a few stone chips, a slightly mucky drivers seat and some scrapes in the back from loading/unloading would be fair wear and tear. But no.
The last time I changed was during the new vehicle shortage just after COVID.
If you remember they couldn't get chips and various other components so new vehicles all had waiting lists.
Because of this I had no option but to go way over the lease agreed milage as I simply couldn't get a new one without a 6 month wait.
The amount they charged per mile over contract was scandalous, thankfully the company got hit with that, not me.

I often wonder how much lease vehicles are jacking up insurance for the rest of us, as every little dink and dent is claimed for to avoid getting skinned at hand back.
If my car gets a scrape I grumble and moan about it but it usually falls into the
"Not worth loosing your no claims" catagory.
It gets left or I fix it myself. Nobody can fine me for damage to my own property.

Yeah I can understand high mileage vans to be fair. I wouldn't lease one. I did 60k in my last work van and it was really abused and battered to bits.

I have a brand new car for 3 years and it only does between 25k and 30k.
90% of the time they go back in great condition apart from wear and tear like stone chips or a slightly worn steering wheel.

Cheap to insure though. Our renewal for a 2023 Tiguan R, was only £280ish for the year.

 

[Neil123]

Yeah I can understand high mileage vans to be fair. I wouldn't lease one. I did 60k in my last work van and it was really abused and battered to bits.

I got 312k out of a Peugeot Expert van (owned not leased)

That was a whole new definition of knackered by the time it finally bit the dust
(A doors held shut with ratchet straps kind of knackered )

 

[bi6als]

I had 4 new batteries in 3 years on a brand new Tiguan Diesel 4x4.......The RAC men who came all said the same. The batteries are all the same but the higher spec cars have more bells and whistles that use the battery. In other words they are not upto the job. Before that I had an E Class Merc estate, never had a problem but it had 2 big batteries.

Ive leased my Cars for the past 6. ( 2 Mercs, 1 BMW, 2 VW Tiguans and now a Volvo) Never had a bill at the end, There has been minor dings and scratches but they have never even mentioned them.

 

[Neil123]

The lease market is in trouble apparently.
Screaming for government assistance due to all the 3 year old EVs that are coming off lease being worth buttons and nobody wanting them.
They based their leasing charges on an assumed residual value and the EV cars ended up being worth about half what they thought they would be

 

[Mackem]

My first cars were bought in the mid 70s - bloody old cars!

 

[Bighit]

Yes I own houses rather than rent. Although alot of the wealthy prefer to rent houses as they don't want money tied up in assets.

It' isn't that bad to be honest.

I know we average 8k miles a year, so I always pick 12k a year incase we decide to do lots more. Besides even if we did go over our allowance, it works out at an extra £150 per 1000 miles which isn't bad.

I've never once been charged when I've returned one. There's quite alot of give in the 'wear and tear' terms.
Carpark sinks are fine, wheel scuffs upto a certain size are fine, swirled paint is fine too. Obviously if you've got a serious dents they'll charge you. I usually get a wheel refurbed if needed before handing it back as it's alot cheaper for me to have it done beforehand than them charge me.

Fair wear and tear . Mobility do it also.
We got a dent in the wing ( I suspect a kid on their bike fell against it). I contacted the Mobility and supplied a picture and they put it down as fair wear and tear.

I was told not to claim on the insurance as it would have us paying for a £75 excess for each claim . Claim them all at the one time we were told unless the insurance said not to if they classed it as fair wear and tear.

Mobility is a lease scene but may have more exemptions than other leases.

 

[Stingray003]

I had a lease vehicle via the NHS, and when I handed it back they asked for £400 for damage to a bumper.
Despite me checking it prior to handing it back, and took pictures there was no damage.
I wrote back and asked them to provide the repair photographs, and an invoice for the repair.
I never heard from the them again…

 

[ColinD]

I had a lease vehicle via the NHS, and when I handed it back they asked for £400 for damage to a bumper.
Despite me checking it prior to handing it back, and took pictures there was no damage.
I wrote back and asked them to provide the repair photographs, and an invoice for the repair.
I never heard from the them again…

Same thing happened to me, and did exactly as you did. Nothing back from them after that, especially as I'd said I have photo's of the car on the morning they came to collect it showing no damage

 

[gen100]

Just had to go on a rescue mission. The wife was out with the baby and her car conked out.
It's a hybrid and has eaten yet another 12 volt accessory battery. I swear the damn thing gets through at least one a year.
Total failure, sitting at 4.5volts, it started the car when she left home so that must have been an instantaneous fault.
£112 a time to replace it!!

My Rover is 22 years old and it's on its third battery since new!

It's a hybrid, what do you expect?, the more complex anything becomes, the more unreliable .

 

[Neil123]

It's a hybrid, what do you expect?, the more complex anything becomes, the more unreliable .

The Mrs has only been driving a short time, this is still her first car.
I think I showed her every car in the known universe when she was trying to choose it.
She liked the Land Rover Freelander, went to test drive one,,nope,,like driving a tractor apparently.
She liked the BMW X3, went to test drive one,,,nope, she hates the interior.
This went on for quite a while

So when she saw a Lexus RX and liked everything except the colour I gave in.
At least all I had to do then was find a black one,,,,with black leather seats,,,,,and running boards

She's used to me doing all the family car maintenance and repairs, I did make it clear at the time that although I can dismantle and rebuild an average combustion engine with my eyes shut, I know little or nothing about Hybrids.

It's not been terrible so far tbh. Apart from the accessory batteries which only takes 20 mins to change, it's had a radiator swap, a few simple enough electrical gremlins (relays etc) and the stability control sensor (twice).
Not terrible for a 2008 car.

 

[lukepee]

Has the 12v battery been register to the car every time it’s been replaced? I’m level 3 ev and hybrid qualified. All modern cars the 12v battery needs registering otherwise the alternator overcharges the battery and your battery can be knackered within 12 months of use

 

[Keylo]

Modern cars need batteries to be coded as @lukepee says. AA and so on plug into the car and update the system to work with a new battery whenever it's replaced. There are a few ways to do it yourself if you want to spend time searching on an owners forum.

 

[Neil123]

I had a lease vehicle via the NHS, and when I handed it back they asked for £400 for damage to a bumper.
Despite me checking it prior to handing it back, and took pictures there was no damage.
I wrote back and asked them to provide the repair photographs, and an invoice for the repair.
I never heard from the them again…

Same thing happened to me, and did exactly as you did. Nothing back from them after that, especially as I'd said I have photo's of the car on the morning they came to collect it showing no damage

It's to be expected I suppose.
They are glorified Rent-A-Cars, and car rental firms are notorious for their charges for "damage"