Hi all
I’ve just been moved into a 2009 Volvo unit, and the battery seems to drain very quickly if I run the air pod or fridge at night, to the point where I am currently turning the fridge off when I sleep!
Some are saying that this just goes with the territory in Volvos, but I’d like to know about other drivers’ experiences, as I never had this with my old DAF XF105
Ghost
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Unless you’re on long haul work, volvos batteries are crap. All our ones get replaced every winter.
Yeah it seems to be a Volvo thing. They do seem to have more battery problems than other makes. Is it a fitted fridge or your own? The Volvo fridge switches off itself under 23.6v
Yeah we have a load of 63 plate Volvos and they seem to get low on power relatively easy.
All our 64/65 plates the batteries needed changed within 3 months which I think is ■■■■■■■ ridiculous. Not had any problems since so must have been replaced with a better battery.
Might be interesting to see what capacities the batteries have on the sticker on the Volvo in question.
For comparison the ones on my MAN are 2 x 900CCA and 175ah, made by Varta i believe.
I have had Volvo with second rate batteries from new before, replaced when they failed after just over a year with properly specced, problems cured and lasted the course as you would expect.
Like Juddian I assume it must be a problem with original Volvo batteries, as had several Volvo that have stood for long periods of time, or have been driven a few miles now and then, but have fired up no problem even in the middle of winter covered in snow.
They were series 2 and 3’s not FH4’s. but at 2009 the OP’s won’t be an FH4, and it could just be the batteries are reaching the end of their life, regardless of the truck they’re in.
I’ve said this before, but I can’t understand why trucks don’t have separate starter and leisure batteries.
Harry Monk:
I’ve said this before, but I can’t understand why trucks don’t have separate starter and leisure batteries.
Maybe one or all of these reasons, Cost, Weight, Space.
Scania do on the Streamline model (2013)
muckles:
Harry Monk:
I’ve said this before, but I can’t understand why trucks don’t have separate starter and leisure batteries.Maybe one or all of these reasons, Cost, Weight, Space.
Volvo have a problem with battery capacity due to modern electrical demands, and the only way to remedy it is to increase the battery bank. If they ever grasp the nettle and do this then the best thing they could do is to separate the starter and leisure batteries so that the truck will always start, no matter how flat the driver has run the batteries with his fridge/ DVD player/ Ipad etc.
Harry Monk:
muckles:
Harry Monk:
I’ve said this before, but I can’t understand why trucks don’t have separate starter and leisure batteries.Maybe one or all of these reasons, Cost, Weight, Space.
Volvo have a problem with battery capacity due to modern electrical demands, and the only way to remedy it is to increase the battery bank. If they ever grasp the nettle and do this then the best thing they could do is to separate the starter and leisure batteries so that the truck will always start, no matter how flat the driver has run the batteries with his fridge/ DVD player/ Ipad etc.
Not saying it’s not a good idea, in fact it makes a lot of sense to me. I just put forward probable reasons it wasn’t done.
merc0447:
All our 64/65 plates the batteries needed changed within 3 months which I think is [zb] ridiculous. Not had any problems since so must have been replaced with a better battery.
Well that’s going to play havoc with SwitchLogic styling and blow drying his ■■■■■ in a few months! 
In cold weather it was always prudent to switch a Volvo off at the mains if parking for a long weekend such as a bank hol and sounds like thats still valid, my sisters FH, which had more new batteries in its life than you could shake a stick at, would always need jump starting after anything more than a 2 day weekly rest in the cold, but her extra problem was the specialist trailer she used stayed alive even if empty as well as the tractor, so double the drain.
Surprised to find modern MAN’s don’t have a mains isolator switch, have other makes gone down this road? seems odd cos in the event of dead short, glowing wires melting insulation etc leading to possible fire) its no longer a 1 second job to cut the power.
I have a 2011 FH and it has a "Battery Guard " fitted - one of these I think -
http://www.intellitecmv.com/index.php/products/Battery_Guard/BG2000/Battery_Guard_2000_-_200_Amp To be honest I don’t have many problems with it .
Juddian:
In cold weather it was always prudent to switch a Volvo off at the mains if parking for a long weekend such as a bank hol and sounds like thats still valid, my sisters FH, which had more new batteries in its life than you could shake a stick at, would always need jump starting after anything more than a 2 day weekly rest in the cold, but her extra problem was the specialist trailer she used stayed alive even if empty as well as the tractor, so double the drain.Surprised to find modern MAN’s don’t have a mains isolator switch, have other makes gone down this road? seems odd cos in the event of dead short, glowing wires melting insulation etc leading to possible fire) its no longer a 1 second job to cut the power.
Good point point Juddian. My DAF has no isolator. Haz spec vehicles have battery isolator switches dont they? I cant see they`re that expensive and can save a major meltdown or even a fire in case of an electrical fault before the fuses. All/most Euro reg trucks seem to have a simple switch near the battery box.
The new Scania I had a couple of years back had ‘leisure’ batteries. Not sure if this is a standard thing or was specked (sp?) up by the owner. A mate of mine has a new all singing and dancing Volvo & has had problems with his batteries. His icool which in theory is a brilliant bit of kit will only run for half hour or so before he gets the dreaded battery critical warning come on shutting his fridge & icool down. Volvo have told him they’re aware of the issue & are looking into it. Hmmmmm
The first point that I would like to make is, leisure batteries are not in my opinion cost effective in this application. This is mainly due to cost and weight. The best value for money has always been lorry batteries due to the number of units produced and the required specification (think abuse, abuse and more abuse).
As has been said before on this thread buy good high capacity batteries, Varta are I think one of the best.
You get what you pay for, are Volvo owned by the Chinese?
wally-to:
The first point that I would like to make is, leisure batteries are not in my opinion cost effective in this application. This is mainly due to cost and weight. The best value for money has always been lorry batteries due to the number of units produced and the required specification (think abuse, abuse and more abuse).As has been said before on this thread buy good high capacity batteries, Varta are I think one of the best.
You get what you pay for, are Volvo owned by the Chinese?
Volvo cars are owned by a Chinese holding company.
Volvo trucks are a completely different business who are owned by the Volvo group.
Evil8Beezle:
merc0447:
All our 64/65 plates the batteries needed changed within 3 months which I think is [zb] ridiculous. Not had any problems since so must have been replaced with a better battery.Well that’s going to play havoc with SwitchLogic styling and blow drying his ■■■■■ in a few months!
I tend to do my hair at home these days because it’s better equipped. I think its called a bath room, literally a room with a bath in it… 