Author Topic: Battery maintenance  (Read 9250 times)

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Offline Harold33

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Battery maintenance
« on: November 22, 2016, 07:33:14 pm »
As a very pleased new owner of an 63 plate SE-L Nav. estate, one of the things that I found interesting is the fact that the battery, after many years of cars and motor cycles being supplied with maintenance free batteries, is to find it has and "old fashioned" wet battery that I presume needs watching and topping up with distilled water.
Is there a reason for this?
Also, is there a source of a simpler list of instructions for the Audio and Phone systems other than that contained in the hand book? I could list the questions I still have but they are best demonstrated as I may be missing something fundamental. Are there any experts in the Greater Manchester area other than the two dealers I have tried without success?
Sorry if this has been covered already. If so, lead me to the thread.

Offline V 249

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2016, 11:01:42 am »
For the battery is the original Japanese one still in place and working. ? Or a different one.?
The originals do not have a great reliability record. Mine from new lasted 4 years before failing. But the dealers tell me that they have changed batteries from one year old cars upwards on a regular basis.!!


Offline Harold33

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2016, 03:59:14 pm »
No, the battery was replaced by a dealer just before I bought the car. It is a "wet" battery and as it was under warranty at the time, I assumed the original was also "wet" . Can someone comment? Thank you.

Offline vitesse

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2016, 10:00:38 am »
Lead acid car batterie are all 'wet' aren't they :) ?

Offline Harold33

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2016, 10:52:39 am »
Not sure what they are called today but I identify the word "wet" as a battery that needs topping up from time to to time with distilled water. Maintenance free are sealed for life.
 My original interest was why have Mazda gone back to a battery that needs attention after all these years of maintenance free. My MX5 ('51 Plate) still has the same maintenance free battery fitted.

Offline Willpower

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2016, 12:43:36 pm »
No, the battery was replaced by a dealer just before I bought the car. It is a "wet" battery and as it was under warranty at the time, I assumed the original was also "wet" . Can someone comment? Thank you.


I think you need to be talking to the dealers who fitted the battery.  It could just be that they took the cheap option.
I'm pretty sure that most cars these days are supplied with maintenance free batteries and that if a garage was to supply a replacement, then it would be also maintenance free.

It would be wrong to surmise, but it could be that they just happened to have this battery available and thought you wouldn't know any different.   
Look at life through the windscreen, not the rearview mirror.

Offline Harold33

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2016, 09:17:58 pm »
Any replacement battery being fitted, may be the reason but it was done by an official dealer under warranty and why does the Service schedule have an item "Check specific Gravity and adjust level if necessary". You can only do that if you have access to the cells via screw tops to each cell. Am I the only one to have such a battery?

Offline Harold33

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2016, 03:57:23 pm »
I finally found a Mazda dealer (Perrys of Barnsley) who understood my question as to the type of battery fitted to the current 6 and he confirmed it is a battery that is as batteries used to be in that the electrolyte has to be maintained above the plates by the addition of distilled water (through the screw caps on top). If I remember rightly the SG should be about 1.265 when a cell if fully charged.
That is why it appears on the maintenance list as an action. Whether your average dealer does that is anybody's guess.

Offline mareng73

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Re: Battery maintenance
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2017, 12:07:32 pm »
No, the battery was replaced by a dealer just before I bought the car. It is a "wet" battery and as it was under warranty at the time, I assumed the original was also "wet" . Can someone comment? Thank you.


I think you need to be talking to the dealers who fitted the battery.  It could just be that they took the cheap option.
I'm pretty sure that most cars these days are supplied with maintenance free batteries and that if a garage was to supply a replacement, then it would be also maintenance free.

It would be wrong to surmise, but it could be that they just happened to have this battery available and thought you wouldn't know any different.

Harold you are  correct, all new Skyactive M6's  and  I would assume other skyactive models come fom the factory with the 'non maintenance free battery'.
I did ask this question when they had to replace the battery following  TSB on the  software  for the charging system.  The answer was that with the capacative charging system  (under the passenger seat) they need a a  battery  with more but thinner plates to take the charge. The sealed maintenance free would not work.  Like you I thought the same thing. I forgot when I last had a 'wet battery', must have been in he 70'.
Having more lead plates make them much heavier. I assume the batteries are not fitted fully charged as it takes 20 minutes of driving  to fully charge them. They sit around on a lot, started, moved, put on the ship, driven off, sat in a lot and eventually the customer  gets their car with poor battery. The dealer might boost charge the battery as part of the PDI , which is not good for a battery as it warps the plates, and then it fails after a year.
A car  made   in this country comes straight to you without any hanging around and the battery is charged fully in your first day or so.
The Skyactive is a differant kettle of  fish compared to all the previous Mazdas.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2017, 01:37:14 pm by Willpower »
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