Shouldn't it be under warranty?

 

If it's still under warranty (and it seems pretty improbable that it's not) then messing around changing a battery that may well not be the cause of any problem doesn't seem that sensible. The 12 V battery is charged up by the car, and it seems most likely that any problem is related to that charging system. If so, then changing the battery will have zero effect, as the new one will most probably suffer in the same way.

 

Unfortunately it first went flat after 2 years and 1 week so isn't covered by warranty. Kia don't want to know about it and seem to want to push it onto my local dealer, who did the 30000 mile service but other than that have had nothing to do with me.

 

It's a design defect so covered by the Consumer Rights Act. Lots of eNiros have this problem so keep pushing for Kia to fix it. They have given lots of other people free replacements. Quote the Consumer Rights Act at them.

 

12V battery charge issues seem to be fairly common with EV's not just the e-niro. If you search the forums you will find detailed analysis of how the battery is charged by the car. Andrew Till (Mr.EV) has posted some YouTube videos about his battery problems. It seems likely that there may have been faulty batteries fitted to some cars. I would have thought the mileage you have done would have kept the battery charged. I have had my e-niro for 14 months but because of lockdown we have done less than 2000 miles. As the car is an EV the battery does not have to provide a large current to turn over a conventional internal combustion engine. Some have suggested replacing with a leisure or gel type battery. As far as I know there are no problems with swapping the battery over. Possibly going to Halfords or similar to get a replacement might be an option as they will fit it for you and dispose of the old battery. They should also have a range of alternatives available. I suspect that if you fight hard and gather information from the forums you would be able to get the battery changed under warranty. It just depends how keen you are to pursue the matter. Good luck with whatever course you decide to take.

 

Yes, 2,000 miles in 14 months, the battery could have gone bad... from disuse, like any other lead acid battery. there's plenty of discussions on checking on it, how to force the charge, etc.

Greg

 

Sorry I should have made clear my battery has been fine without taking any special measures to charge it.

 

Since I bought it in Sept 20 I've done 12500 miles so, like George said, I don't think lack of use is an issue.

I was keen on pushing KIA to sort it but I'm getting fed up with having to put it in Utility mode when I get home, charging it every night and having to get out a battery boost every other day. So even though I think they should be fixing it, it's probably no longer worth the time and effort.

 

Since I bought it in Sept 20 I've done 12500 miles so, like George said, I don't think lack of use is an issue.

But it isn't total miles driven that matter. It can often be multiple very short journeys that do not run long enough for the DC to DC system to keep the battery topped up. Ten separate trips of 5 miles taking 10 minutes each is not the same as one 50 miles journey taking an hour and a half when relating to a 12v DC battery recharge.

And once a 12v battery has been allowed to get to a very low state of charge many times it can be so badly damaged that it will eventually die. Sometimes a smart charger, rather than a dumb trickle charger, can resurrect it as they analyse it first and then instigate a programme to repair and condition before starting a planned pulsed programme that it decides is required in the circumstances observed.

Many people use a smarty once a month whether it seems to need it or not as that keeps the 12v battery in good condition even if the car usage is not optimum for that. Six years ago I had all of the reported issues in my 24 Leaf within the first few months and after advice in here I have used a smart charger overnight once a month ever since. Never had a problem with low 12v events since then.

As has been indicated, if the problem is the car systems failing to maintain the 12v battery in good shape then changing the battery will just produce the same result.

 

these batteries seem renowned for being a bit crap and once a lead acid battery has been deep discharged it’s usually damaged and compromised. You do right to replace it. When these cars were first shipped without the battery saver enabled, chances are the battery was deep discharged in the way to the UK so already damaged when the car was new.

I’d expect it just to be a case of putting in a battery with similar enough specs that will physically fit, only use a decent brand. Varta or Bosch have always been my go to. Just make sure it’s the same type. Don’t replace a gel battery with a wet one and vice versa.

 

I agree with Idiotzoo on new car shipping and the 12v systems going flat after I test drove a new, zero mile Soul. I stopped in a car park after 15 miles to play with the settings as the onboard computer was showing "shipping mode" on the dash, after about 2 minutes the car told me I'd have to start it to make any further changes to the settings as the 12v battery was at too low a state of charge to continue.

I stopped an hour or so later to play around a bit with the dash/in car entertainment unit to see consumption/screen speed etc and the car was not bothered about the 12v state of charge, so clearly it was flat or getting that way when I collected it (it was delivered to the dealers the day before & still had the plastic on the seats and the sales guy was pulling the wee blue foam pieces off just before I took it out).

 

Thanks for all the advice.

I don't think it's driving habit causing an issue as its usually 35 min each way to work everyday then a 100 mile round trip 4 times a week.

I'll give Kia another go but the cost to me in frustration, time and stress is starting to outweigh the cost in replacing the battery.

 

Was it the e-Niro that had a lot of reports about the rear tailgate door not latching properly and keeping the car awake even when locked and parked overnight? That also led to drained 12v Batteries I think.

 

I've just fitted my new £47 (+ £10 next day p&p) Varta C22 battery and its looking good. I've also attached a BM2 monitor so I can keep an eye on it. Plugged the car in and it is charging the battery so hopefully things will be fine.

In other news, 10 days later and Kia are still trying to get in touch with the dealer to "confirm next steps". I'm presuming that, as they haven't been in touch with me for 10 days and haven't replied to emails asking for updates.