Forester battery - is the dealer full of it?

[KookeeKaroakee]

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?

 

[KookeeKaroakee]

I should add that Monday morning it was 25 below, Tuesday about 10
below...

 

[Edward Hayes]

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

 

[M. Butkus]

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

 

[FunMan]

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

 

[Dominic Richens]

maybe I will get lucky and it won;t get that cold again

Famous last words

 

[Hallraker]

I should add that Monday morning it was 25 below, Tuesday about 10
below...

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

 

[Alan]

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.

 

[Gilles Gour]

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.

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.

 

[KookeeKaroakee]

Assuming everythig else is okay, battery connections fine etc, doesn't
it make sense that if I couldn't start it at very cold temperatures
that the BATTERY was most likely at fault and in need of replacement?
I just could not understand the dealer claiming that the battery was
okay, especially after another mechanic told me it was in need of
replacement. Really ticked me off. I am going to follow Edward Hayes
suggestion and get a written statement from the Goodyear mechanic and
contact the Subaru District Manager.

 

[Felix Crashalot]

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

 

[Rodrigo Diaz]

Sometimes a neutral safety switch can be the culprit(if you ave an auto
trans)

 

[Phil Marshall]

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 personal car gets driven very few miles per week.
The alternator never really got a good chance to charge
the bat fully. I ended up replacing the OE bat after just
two years. I now try to drive the car at least 3-4 times
a week for 30 minutes. It has been trouble free since 2000.

-Phil Marshall-
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