2011 1.4 ES new owner- tips?

[Hora]

So after buying a bargain basement 2005 Jazz I decided to buy a newer model; tomorrow I pick up my new, well 'new' Jazz.

Any tips, mods etc? I've paid for a space saver wheel from eBay so far.

[guest7027]

Don't leave or run any electrics (radio, light, heaters etc.) for a long period of time with the engine turned off - the battery isn't very big on the Jazz and it soon runs it down!

[Jocko]

I have a 2006 GD5 and I have never had any troubles with the battery. I regularly park up with the radio blaring and I always leave the doors and tailgate open when washing and waxing. Granted, my battery is only a year old, but I have never had the issues I hear others talking about.

[guest7027]

I've currently got x2 Jazz's (me and the partner) - one is a 2009 EX 1.4 manual, and mine is a 2010 ES 1.4 manual - batteries seem weak on both.

My partners battery died when used on a car park just with the radio on (engine off) for about 10-15 minutes or so and couldn't then start the car - recovery guy from a big name recovery company came out to jump start and he said 'Honda Jazz are a great car just shame about the battery as this is the oly thing we ever get called out for on them'. He also went on to say that he used to work at the local Honda main dealership. There were no tell tale signs that the battery was going to fail prior to this happening although in fairness the battery was at least 6 years old so make of this what you wish.

I was cleaning & aligning the washer jets on mine a few days ago and wash using the washers without engine running - came to turn car on a couple of hours later and it nearly struggled to turn over! Again my battery is at least 6 years old but it doesn't seem to take much to run the battery down when the engine is turned off.

Also read a thread somewhere else where the Honda main dealer sales people were recommending to customers not to run electrics without engine turned on - not sure how much truth there is in this but seems to coincide with my experience so far.

Maybe it's the standard Honda batteries that are fitted from new which are weak? who knows, just my 2 cents.

thanks

[culzean]

OEM batteries are all pretty good quality, but to be fair a six year old battery is living on borrowed time,  I would not complain about a battery being weak at that age,  as batteries age they lose both the ability to store and release electricity. There is a reason that standard chemistry lead acid car batteries only get a 3 year warranty.

Get a new Yuasa battery, buy a 'silver' if you have the money (about £70), you will get a 5 year warranty,  then you can have the radio or whatever on as long as you like - and it may well give good service for 6 or more years.

Having been involved in battery manufacture I never leave a battery on a car more than 5 years,  there are so many things that can affect its life (high temperature, has it ever been allowed to go flat etc. etc) that its a lottery after that and batteries are not that expensive - it is called preventative maintenance.

Battery capacity diminishes so slowly over time that it goes unnoticed until one day it does not perform (normally in winter, but it is heat that kills them) and people blame bad quality,  we are lucky in UK our batteries last a decent amount of time, the reason there are so many battery makers in USA is that in their hotter states battery life can be as short as 18 months.

[Jocko]

I pretty much agree with what culzean says. I don't change my battery after 5 years, but the first time it struggles to start, or fails altogether, I replace it. Maybe if I would be stuck without my car, I would change it as he does, but it is never that desperate for me and the RAC is just a phone call away.

[Hora]

Agree about battery shelf life. I had a Subaru Forester that had a battery on borrowed time. One day it went like a light switch, no turning over, no lights,not even the symptoms of an old battery. One taxi ride to Halfords and back and bingo! Cured

Thanks guys - Ive just taken a load of old roofing material to the tip in my Jazz - great cars.

[guest5079]

Without going into technicalities, Culzean is absolutely correct.
However, we all want to avoid spending money but when we bought our Jazz, was warned NOT to use the radio or other accessories unless the engine was running.
Our Jazz is approaching 7 yrs old, the indicator in the battery claimed all was well. Stupidly I forgot to turn the interior light off while working on a rear door. Less than one hour battery flat.
Replaced the battery as I wasn't prepared to have it fail in an awkward place. Car starts considerably quicker. I am not prepared to repeat the door open test.
So as advised, the battery is telling you to replace it.

[culzean]

Our Jazz is approaching 7 yrs old, the indicator in the battery claimed all was well.

Just a point to note, the indicator window only roughly shows the condition of the electrolyte,  it does not show the condition of the plates (whether they are corroded or sulphated up).  Also it is only showing condition of one of the 6 cells (the cells are are sealed from each other and the outside world).

[madasafish]

The Yuasa battery in my 2003 Yaris lasted 10 years.  Its Bosch replacement lasted 3 years of a 4 year warranty. Its Exide replacement is in its second year.
The Yuasa battery in my son's 2001 Yaris lasted 12 years.
The Bosch battery in my Audi A4 lasted 3 years.

[plasma]

I all ways put Yuasa batterys in my bikes ,never have problems.

Plasma.

[Hora]

Just checked it's a Varta. I might replaced it