bpg
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Post by bpg on May 5, 2024 16:51:44 GMT
I've been checking the battery pull on my 2011 disconnected, modem less car Vs the two connected cars. When parked my 2011 pulls 20mA, the two connected cars are pulling between 23 and 25mA, upto 25% more. Combined with OTA updates the connected cars can render the 12v battery dead in less than three weeks to the point neither will unlock via the remote. The 2011 car I can leave for months with no attention.
I swapped the battery last week on my Focus. Exactly the same fuel immediately before and after the swap, same driver, same journeys, fuel consumption has gone from 27.1mpg to 29.7mpg. What's that ? About 9.5/9.6% improvement with a battery swap ?
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Post by Humph on May 5, 2024 18:01:18 GMT
It’s still awful. 29mpg?
Sheesh!
😬
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bpg
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Post by bpg on May 5, 2024 18:49:25 GMT
Not really when you consider a 3.0 diesel with only 250-260 horsepower averages 35mpg, my petrol has 365 horses.
I can see why diesel was demonized. Nobody is going to swap 700+ mile range for an EV right now if they cover big distances. Petrol and diesel come from the same base.
Edit: ...and I'm saving the planet with a Euro VI petrol at 29mpg vs my falling off the end of the world 50+mpg Euro V diesel.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2024 8:02:44 GMT
I've been checking the battery pull on my 2011 disconnected, modem less car Vs the two connected cars. When parked my 2011 pulls 20mA, the two connected cars are pulling between 23 and 25mA, upto 25% more. Combined with OTA updates the connected cars can render the 12v battery dead in less than three weeks to the point neither will unlock via the remote. The 2011 car I can leave for months with no attention. I swapped the battery last week on my Focus. Exactly the same fuel immediately before and after the swap, same driver, same journeys, fuel consumption has gone from 27.1mpg to 29.7mpg. What's that ? About 9.5/9.6% improvement with a battery swap ? Is it just because the weather's a bit warmer, BP? |
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bpg
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Post by bpg on May 7, 2024 8:06:55 GMT
It's been warm here for two or three weeks now, high-teens to mid-twenties.
Last Thursday I came out of work, car parked under trees, car read 35°C which dropped to 30°C once on the move. Getting the aircon compressor replaced last year is already very noticeable, cold air from pretty much startup.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 7, 2024 8:21:52 GMT
Presumably the battery swap wasn’t just for fun. If the old one wasn’t holding charge, the alternator would have been working harder to keep it full. Don’t know about Fords but modern (well, not that modern as they still burn fossils 😛) BMWs have a ‘regenerative’ feature that disengages the alternator until the engine is under a light load, such as coasting. That suggests that the alternator is a big enough drag on the system to make a difference.
Similar thing with air conditioning, I suppose. I can see — or think I can — a reduction in consumption in the CLS with the AC off. (Dry, cloudy 15°C days are perfect for testing that!) Much starker difference in the i3, of course.
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Post by Humph on May 7, 2024 8:29:16 GMT
I never turn the AC off and I always turn the stop/start off, still gets mid 40s round the doors and 50+ on a run so that’s fine.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on May 7, 2024 8:53:11 GMT
The 'old' battery has had its day, 3½ years and 19,600-ish miles, I was warned at the last service in August SoH was down to 38%. COVID, the lack of use in the first two years, only covered about 8,000 miles in 24 months, combined with my lack of understanding how much juice a modern car needs even when not moving hit the life of that battery.
The new one came with 12.88v already loaded, popped it in the car and straightaway stop/start was working again. It's easy to see how the aircon compressor, when needed, hits the fuel economy when the alternator at somewhere near max load is hitting almost 10% impact on consumption.
Smart charging has been around for at least 14 years, even my old Volvo has it. 13.5v with load on the engine 14.5v on overrun.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on May 13, 2024 18:00:17 GMT
As this appears to have taken over the general maintenance thread and the Search didn't turn up anything recognisable when I looked for MOT, took my bike for its HU today. It past though second test in a row they've forgotten to ask me to Huppen.
Only comment was a bit of oil mist around the sump. Nothing to concern me too much, I think it was the result of using a K&N oil filter which I didn't tighten enough initially after changing the oil. To get a proper seal do it up hand tight then use a bar to give it another five turns. I'll keep an eye on it.
Previously, when genuine Suzuki oil filters have been used by the garage I've had to resort to knocking a screwdriver through the whole filter to twist it off. Flippin' tight doesn't begin to cover it.
95€ for two minutes lights and emissions test, general inspection of the bike then a quick blast around the car park to check for clonks and rattles. Same price as test for an EV which they have to get up on a platform to make it do a little dance to check the suspension. The emissions test for the bike is only 2,100-2,300 rpm, barely above idle, compared to red lining the diesel a few times.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2024 10:16:06 GMT
Servicing/MOT time then...
Honda Civic is in for "Interim Service" and MOT, i.e. oil and filter change plus various inspections and a chance to upsell me to many other expensive things. I have ordered air and cabin filters from onlinecarparts.co.uk for £20 delivered, and will change them myself as it's easy peasy.
I booked it at my local Honda dealer through "bookmygarage.com", and got the service part for £121, and the MOT for £40. Which is far cheaper by almost £200 than if I'd booked it direct with the dealer. Which is nice. They've called me to advise brake pads on rear at 80% worn, so OK, fair enough, I've asked them to change them for £150, which is over the odds, but still. Meh. Good to have OEM pads dealer fitted I suppose. They also advised my aircon system has double the bacteria in it than is considered safe, and would I like it cleaned for £150. Hold on a tick there, I said, and quickly Googled that service elsewhere. At Halfords, it's £20. So I declined and booked it in to Halfords for tomorrow morning. Probs a good idea not to have huge amounts of bacteria blown down our faces all the way to the south of France and back. But a £130 premium to get it done at a dealer...wow.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jul 19, 2024 10:24:27 GMT
Legionella can take the gloss off a holiday pretty quickly.
What do you get for £20 at Halfords? I think re-gassing the CLS two years ago cost me more like £85 — but not at Halfords. Would be more expensive with a newer car and the current refrigerant standard.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2024 10:26:05 GMT
Indeed. They'd better give the car a wash and a vacuum too.
Expensive day...car, ferry booking, wedding anniversary dinner tonight...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2024 10:29:33 GMT
Legionella can take the gloss off a holiday pretty quickly. What do you get for £20 at Halfords? I think re-gassing the CLS two years ago cost me more like £85 — but not at Halfords. Would be more expensive with a newer car and the current refrigerant standard. Not a re-gas, just an antibacterial cleaning treatment. I know one can buy aerosols to spray down one's own vents for under a tenner, but for £20 to have a man do it, and hopefully do it more professionally than I, seems fine. The system is producing ice cold air, so don't see the need for a re-gas. |
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jul 19, 2024 10:45:06 GMT
No. And I also suspect that running the system at its maximum temperature for 20 minutes might achieve the required effect for even less.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Jul 19, 2024 11:05:53 GMT
I'd double check that. Legionella has been mentioned, in water/CH systems 60°C or hotter is recommended to remove it, high 20s in a car might just be the reinvigorating sauna some bacteria needs.
I've found there's AC and there's AC. The Volvo system gets up to speed cooling the interior of the car better than Ford's system. The Ford system in my car was refreshed a month ago and an improvement felt, still not a patch on the cool air felt through my Volvo though. Could be because the Volvo is a white saloon with no sunroof, the Ford a red estate with panoramic glass roof with blind closed.
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