Well it finally happened at 4:30 this morning in Dundee. Nothing at all on the key!!
I only watched tv for an hour and had the night heater on as well all night.
The truck was a 61 plate MAN.
coreysboys:
Well it finally happened at 4:30 this morning in Dundee. Nothing at all on the key!!
I only watched tv for an hour and had the night heater on as well all night.
The truck was a 61 plate MAN.
That’s what killed them.
A 61 plate (is it 12 months old yet?) ought to be able to stand the night heater on all night, tv as well too. That,s really poor, perhaps some other faults are dragging them down, I would expect 2-3 yrs at the very least from batteries.
Harry Monk:
coreysboys:
Well it finally happened at 4:30 this morning in Dundee. Nothing at all on the key!!
I only watched tv for an hour and had the night heater on as well all night.
The truck was a 61 plate MAN.That’s what killed them.
Surely truck batteries should be able to handle the night heater being run all night? On a 61 plate the batteries should only be slightly over a year old?
If you ran your dashboard heater fan for nine or ten hours with the engine off, would you be surprised if the truck didn’t start? 
I can’t sleep with my night heater on all night. A quilt with a fleece blanket or bedspread over it and it’s nice and toasty… (and you don’t get flat batteries lol). Then set the heater to come on 30 mins before you get up.
Pencil batteries in as an annual consumable and if they last longer it’s a bonus.
Something day-cabbed with no tail-lift etc. they can last ages though.
JB:
I can’t sleep with my night heater on all night. A quilt with a fleece blanket or bedspread over it and it’s nice and toasty… (and you don’t get flat batteries lol). Then set the heater to come on 30 mins before you get up.
Same as that.
our firm had trouble starting the trucks a couple of weeks ago
the batterys wernt flat they were missing off about 6 trucks some theivin barstewards had hack sawed all the leads and nicked them over the weekend
Try and get into the habit of switching the lights off (all of them), you see lots of drivers loading/tipping/fueling who leave the headlights on, the cold weather also has an effect on the performance of lead acid batteries.
A modern truck with night heater should be able to cope all night without flattening the battery;
Eberspacher website quote on truck night heater…
‘Low power consumption, thus suitable for long heating times with the vehicle stationary (long breaks, overnight stay)’
So I reckon you’ve been unlucky with the make of night heater (not very efficient) or have a problem somewhere…
Harry Monk:
If you ran your dashboard heater fan for nine or ten hours with the engine off, would you be surprised if the truck didn’t start?
Good batteries will more than cope running the night heater all night. Been doing that for years.Even with the water heating type 
Might be the fact its a MAN lol,
Mate got a 62 plate MAN , first day out with it all the fuses blew ! then the compresser failed ,fitter came out and fitted new one, it to was faulty !!! 
billybigrig:
Harry Monk:
If you ran your dashboard heater fan for nine or ten hours with the engine off, would you be surprised if the truck didn’t start?Good batteries will more than cope running the night heater all night. Been doing that for years.Even with the water heating type
Ditto, must be a problem somewhere and more than likely a dodgy battery even though they’re only twelve months old, they doon’t make em like thay used ta 
Big Joe:
billybigrig:
Harry Monk:
If you ran your dashboard heater fan for nine or ten hours with the engine off, would you be surprised if the truck didn’t start?Good batteries will more than cope running the night heater all night. Been doing that for years.Even with the water heating type
Ditto, must be a problem somewhere and more than likely a dodgy battery even though they’re only twelve months old, they doon’t make em like thay used ta
and it’s not only truck battery’s…, put a new bosch s4 battery on the civic back in october, pulled it off under warrenty last week, with it being at 11.06 V, 265 amps’ (should be 330) and a total life of 66%, not happy, but it look like it’s all sorted…
philgor:
Big Joe:
billybigrig:
Harry Monk:
If you ran your dashboard heater fan for nine or ten hours with the engine off, would you be surprised if the truck didn’t start?Good batteries will more than cope running the night heater all night. Been doing that for years.Even with the water heating type
Ditto, must be a problem somewhere and more than likely a dodgy battery even though they’re only twelve months old, they doon’t make em like thay used ta
and it’s not only truck battery’s…, put a new bosch s4 battery on the civic back in october, pulled it off under warrenty last week, with it being at 11.06 V, 265 amps’ (should be 330) and a total life of 66%, not happy, but it look like it’s all sorted…
I know quite a few people with different motors who have had problems with batteries this year. The batteries in many cases being only 12 or so months old 
A small point is that although a truck may only be 12 months old by its registration, it could have been parked in a stock storage park at the factory all winter before it.
I put a brand new Bosch battery on my discovery last winter and its starting to fail now so will be taking it back as has 2 years guarantee.
Its a modern MAN, say no more, they definately ain’t what they used to be.
Some blokes i know have mistakenly left night heaters on all weekend on the FM’s and Scanias at my old firm, usually fired up no problem come Monday morn.
Had my night heater on all night in Poland at -21c. Started 1st time every time.
Before I go asleep at night, I switch most things off and run the engine for 5-10 mins, starts first time every time.