Forester battery - is the dealer full of it?

I have an 02 Forester S, 29M miles, stock battery. THis past week we had a cold snap with temps below zero. The car refused to start with any sub-zero temps. I ended up putting a heating pad on the battery through the night and that seemed to give it enough help to start the car but just barely. With warmer temps the battery seems to have enuf juice to crank.

So, I took it to Goodyear yesterday and had them check the battery and they tell me that its weak, only pulling 8 something volts under load. They said it should be well over 9? I called the Subaru dealer here in Spokane and they said the battery was covered under warranty. So I take it to them today. They checked and said the battery was fine. I asked them if it should crank the car at sub-zero temps and they said yes. I told them it didn't. They just smiled and reiterated the battery checked out. I guess I will just get a new battery but I felt like the dealer was jerking me around. Is it normal to have the car refuse to start at anything below zero?

Reply to
KookeeKaroakee
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Reply to
KookeeKaroakee

Do you have the recommended 5w30 oil in the vehicle?? If so it should start. Check your battery and starter high current connections. If these are good and you have the correct weight oil then I vote for a bad cell inthe battery. If the dealer refuses to budge then get a written statement from Goodyear? and contact Subaru's district manager. In the mean time to get you going get a new battery and keep the receipt for reimbursement. eddie

Reply to
Edward Hayes

Would have to ask... what is everyone else doing? -25 is awful cold.

Reply to
M. Butkus

Well we certainly had other folks who couldn't start either. I was just surprised at the dealer's contention that the battery was OK and ther should be no reason the car wouldn't start. Well, %$#@ it WAS the battery, cuz after I warmed it up for 3 hours with a heating pad it finally had enough juide to turn the engine over. Screw it I will just buy another battery before the next sub-zero snap hits (maybe I will get lucky and it won;t get that cold again :)

Reply to
FunMan

Famous last words :-)

Reply to
Dominic Richens

Hmm, it was just a few degrees below zero here a couple weeks ago, and my Subaru started just fine... And that's with a cheapo battery, although it is only a year old.

-Matt

Reply to
Hallraker

Not a Subie example, but I had a '99 Camry with OE battery. Took it to Lake Placid. Hit 40 below (cent or fahr - it's the same at that temp). Took about

20 secs of cranking, but it started. No battery or block warmer. The tranny did make a horrible sound until the fluid thinned up...

So, I would think that a Subie would start.

Reply to
Alan

If that can help answer your question, my 96 Legacy Brighton started right up at a temperature of -32C (-25F) last wenesday morning with Mobil 1 10-30 oil (did not have the time to change to 5-30 yet). It has

200,000 kilometers and the battery is about 18 months old. I found out after the engine had started that the headlights had come one when I turned the ignition on (left the headlings switch on the night before), so the battery was able to power the starter AND the headlights at the same time. Your battery should be able to start your car at least down to those temperature.
Reply to
Gilles Gour

Reply to
KookeeKaroakee

If you do not drive long distances to your work, it is possible that your battery deteriorated within only three years. It had no time to fully recharge during the travel. Once it has deteriorated, under a certain temperature it will just freeze and there's no way to get cranking current out of it. The alternators are quite precise on Subarus (don't boost anyone while your engine runs). I suggest that you stop losing time with the dealer and get another battery elsewhere, a good one like a Delco. It should sell in the $75 range. On my Legacy it lasted seven years, including a couple of deep discharges, before signing its swan song this week at minus 27 Celsius, even if I used synthetic oil. I purchased an identical one.

Felix

Reply to
Felix Crashalot
Reply to
Rodrigo Diaz

A few points-

as the air temp drops, so does a batteries ability to supply the needed current. When you took the car into your dealer I will assume it had time to warm up the engine compartment, hense the bat was supplying current at a higher level. So it 'passed' their test. I doubt they were trying to BS you.

My pers> I have an 02 Forester S, 29M miles, stock battery.

Reply to
Phil Marshall

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