My radio usually flattens my battery after around an hour on the zafira. On the peugeot around the same before economy mode rears it's ugly head. The peugeot battery is new. I think general rule of thumb is around 4 years before change. The zafira battery has never let me down on the starter and that was manufactured 2007. Just checking a battery with a multimeter won't give you a conclusive result, ideally it will need load testing to see if duff, unless you have an obvious charge fault.

 

My car us clever and turns the radio off after about 40 minutes, even my Corsa B did that so surprised the C doesn't.

 

Few people connect a battery charger every couple of weeks to keep the battery topped up. Plates inside get sulphated and the efficiency goes down. The alternator is there to maintain the charge and is not there to revive a flat battery, but people do a jump start and carry on as normal. I've not long changed my battery at nearly eight years old. At four years old a replacement for OEM will be going down in efficiency so I would give it a charge, but batteries are always variable and they can give out at any time.

 

Hi Guys yes ok maybe i should explain a bit further, i have tested the battery with 2 different drop testers, one was the old toasting fork type, and the other bit more of a modern one, but they both read marginal, the radio isn't the normal car radio, its what they call an Amateur radio/ham radio, called an Icom IC 7000 transceiver, but that is just on receive so prob uses maybe 1 amp, so bit more than a car radio...it has got a timer on, i have recently set it to go off after 1/2 hour of non use...so i'm not having too much trouble, its just the battery is a bit below par, but it still starts ok, i think if it was a bigger engine it probably wouldn't...but as the man says 4 years old...if it gives me any hassle i will just change it...i think if we had had a really cold winter it might have failed....but yes it's just about 4 years old...cheers all from Fred in a not so cold Essex.

 

Just a thought Fred but the dealer i was at sold a couple of different battery ranges all supplied from Vauxhall.
There was a original fitment battery that cost an arm and a leg and trade club batteries that were pretty good quality but not oe spec,i finished there in 09 and the last battery i bought in 2012 was a trade club one but according to one of my old apprentices that still works there not the quality of the range it replaced

 

Hi there, yes i wondered about that, whatever make they put on when they make the car might be available form Vauxhall i suppose...might e worth going into it...cheers from Fred.

 

I think you should realise that Vauxhall don't make batteries, they will be bought in from someone like Varta or Bosch with Vauxhall branding applied.
Most replacement batteries these days will only last about four years anyway.
You are probably better off going to someone like Carparts4less, and choosing the quality you want, going by the warranty offered, when you need one. I've bought several from them, for myself and my neighbours cars.

 

If you look at your battery tray there is a big gap around the battery to accommodate the larger batteries used in the bigger engined Corsas so you could consider putting in a larger battery rather than the tiny one that is typically specced for the 3 cylinder engined cars.

 

The basic lead acid battery from Halfords has good reviews and guarantees. Much better than sending away for one and possibly have to fund a courier to return. http://www.halfords.com/motoring/bu...-blades-batteries/car-batteries/halfords-lead-acid-battery-hb012-3-yr-guarantee

 

you want 12.6 volt on the meter otherwise battery isn't 100%. Just been here with the smart charge system on a Ford throwing Alternator Warning Lamp and battery was only reading 12.1 volt which is around 40% charge.

 

I had an Astra F which I ran for 10yrs from new, when it moved on it still had the factory original battery fitted. I never charged it.
My Astra G had it's factory original battery changed at 10 years, purely for peace of mind.
I now have a Varta D21 and gave it a top up charge just after New Year because of the cold snap. (2+ years on and still extremely reliable.)