[zsk]

Recently purchased new tires and while in the shop I asked them to check the 12 Volt battery. Pick the car up and everything is fine, they give me the print out from the battery test and it says "battery type" as one area the technician has to enter as part of the test procedure. The print out showed type as "flooded", not AGM.

Battery tested fine and they said no need to buy a battery today.

Does that mistake cause false readings for AGM batteries?

THANKS!

 

[jcanoe]

Recently purchased new tires and while in the shop I asked them to check the 12 Volt battery. Pick the car up and everything is fine, they give me the print out from the battery test and it says "battery type" as one area the technician has to enter as part of the test procedure. The print out showed type as "flooded", not AGM.

Battery tested fine and they said no need to buy a battery today.

Does that mistake cause false readings for AGM batteries?

THANKS!

In this case it probably does not matter. Conventional (flooded cell) lead acid batteries can deliver higher instantaneous peak current output than Gel or AGM type batteries. If your Volt's battery passed the test for a conventional battery it is probably fine. A better indicator would be the age of the battery and if the battery has ever been allowed to fully discharge (very bad for an AGM battery.) If your Volt's battery is less than 4 years old I would just keep driving, maybe keep a small lithium jump start pack close by in case you ever need to use the jump starter to boot the Volt's systems. Become familiar with the procedure for unlocking the driver's door using the emergency key. Also, learn the location of the jump start terminals located under the hood, it is usually easier to open the hood than open the hatch when the 12V battery is discharged. There are a few Youtube videos that demonstrate how to unlock the door using the mechanical key. Once you know the drill, it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to unlock the driver's door, open the hood and connect the jump starter cables to the jump start terminals. In a worst case scenario, where the 12V battery is completed dead or has developed an internal short in one of the cells, you may have to disconnect the negative cable from the 12V battery so that the jump starter pack is able to boot up the Volt's 12V systems.

 

[lagagnon]

Quality automotove battery testers in use today will test both common lead acid and AGM batteries, the tester does not need to know what battery type...

 

[Barry]

I wouldn't put much faith in that test even if the battery type were not an issue. They don't seem to be sensitive enough to flag a battery that is marginal and really should be replaced. I have had at least 3 batteries fail to start the ICE car but test OK by the time I jumped it and drove to the auto parts store. Those cars all worked fine after replacing the "good" battery.

 

[zsk]

Thanks guys. Looks like I better just replace it.