Cold affecting the battery?

renov8

I have a 03 Punto that was lying idle for the past part of a week over Xmas. Wife went to start it yesterday morning and it was dead, seemed like battery was gone. I tried it a couple of hours later and it started first time.

Same again this morning, tried to start it and barely turned over, all the signs of a low/dead battery. Jumped it and off she went. Just looking for opinions on how it got going yesterday after seeming dead, could it be that it warmed up (sitting in the sunlight) after initial attempt by my wife in the morning? Does cold affect the battery performance?

TherapyBoy

Yes, the cold affects battery performance. However, it sounds like your battery is probably on the way out. It'd be worth replacing it before it leaves you stranded somewhere cold.

seamus

As above, battery performance degrades in the cold, but a battery failure in relatively mild conditions (we're not in Siberia!) means it's probably on the way out.

renov8

seamus wrote: »

As above, battery performance degrades in the cold, but a battery failure in relatively mild conditions (we're not in Siberia!) means it's probably on the way out.

Thanks. It was -2 this morning so pretty abnormal but take your point, battery is probably on its last legs. I'll know more when I go and start it this evening having been sitting in a car park two floors below ground all day! Jump cables at the ready.

seamus

A healthy battery at full charge should work fine down into the negative teens. It's extreme cold and long-lasting cold that will cause problems. We don't really get that here in Ireland, so a failure in cold weather is a good indicator of a dying battery. For the sake of €100 that a new battery costs, you'll save yourself the headache of a car that won't start just when you need it.