Unable to check Battery status

[sus]

My 2017 MKX's battery died. I had just had it in 10 days before for a 30K checkup and asked why it had not been checked. I was told there is no way to check the battery for power. He stated it was a common occurrence after about 3 years and he had others with the same problem. It might have shown good power at the time of the check up and show virtually nothing the next day! I informed him I was planning on leaving for a long trip and if I stopped along the way and the battery was dead, then what! His answer was that I would have to call road side assistance. We had a very cordial conversation and I did receive a new battery under warranty at no cost. The battery was a standard Ford product which was as expected. I'll probably replace it with a much stronger battery in a year or two based on this experience.
Can someone please explain to me as to why the voltage power could not be checked to determine if the battery was operating a maximum capacity or at what capacity it did indicate?

 

[bbf2530]

My 2017 MKX's battery died. I had just had it in 10 days before for a 30K checkup and asked why it had not been checked. I was told there is no way to check the battery for power. He stated it was a common occurrence after about 3 years and he had others with the same problem. It might have shown good power at the time of the check up and show virtually nothing the next day! I informed him I was planning on leaving for a long trip and if I stopped along the way and the battery was dead, then what! His answer was that I would have to call road side assistance. We had a very cordial conversation and I did receive a new battery under warranty at no cost. The battery was a standard Ford product which was as expected. I'll probably replace it with a much stronger battery in a year or two based on this experience.
Can someone please explain to me as to why the voltage power could not be checked to determine if the battery was operating a maximum capacity or at what capacity it did indicate?

Hi sus. The information the Service Department gave you was correct. A battery can check "Okay" today and fail tomorrow.
Yes, a battery can be checked for its condition/charge at this very moment. However, that check is only a snapshot in time and is not a predictor of what may occur tommorw.

They were also correct that 3-4 years is about what we can expect from new car batteries nowadays. This is due to the heavy computer/electronics/electrical dependency of modern vehicles. Even when the car is sitting in the driveway. Plus, we have the current pandemic situation where many/most people are not driving as much, and the batteries are under more stress due to low and infrequent charging. This leads to more battery failures than in normal times.

And just an additional bit of advice/opinion: Save your money and do not buy a "much stronger battery" at this time. It is just as likely to fail as the Motorcraft battery your vehicle now has. If/when this one fails and is no longer under warranty, then think about replacing it with something else later.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Corsart]

My 2017 MKX's battery died. I had just had it in 10 days before for a 30K checkup and asked why it had not been checked. I was told there is no way to check the battery for power. He stated it was a common occurrence after about 3 years and he had others with the same problem. It might have shown good power at the time of the check up and show virtually nothing the next day! I informed him I was planning on leaving for a long trip and if I stopped along the way and the battery was dead, then what! His answer was that I would have to call road side assistance. We had a very cordial conversation and I did receive a new battery under warranty at no cost. The battery was a standard Ford product which was as expected. I'll probably replace it with a much stronger battery in a year or two based on this experience.
Can someone please explain to me as to why the voltage power could not be checked to determine if the battery was operating a maximum capacity or at what capacity it did indicate?

A battery can be checked "for power", I assume the service writer told you this, they do not have credentials in auto mechanics! Furthermore, if they tested the battery under load it would have revealed the battery was in need of replacement. As a rule, batteries can go 3 or 4 years, and typically I personally change mine out after 3 to avoid being stranded..a dead battery is the leading cause of that.

Batteries are little chemical factories and over time, the chemicals that hold the charge degrade which results in less cold cranking amps being available. And, when the threshold fails to reach critical mass..the number of amps required to turn the engine over... your battery is considered "dead", and you are stranded.. So, the symptom comes on suddenly but the cause has been brewing (quite literally) for a while.

Your Motorcraft battery is actually quite good if the CCA's match the requirement for the engine...I assume the dealer would have checked this, so there's no need for a "More powerful" battery. Juts realize that it should be replaced in 3 years regardless of symptoms.

 

[enigma-2]

This is the tester I use to test my batteries. It tests the capacity in CCA's and the charging system. Testing a battery's voltage level is not an accurate way to determine its capacity. You have to test its reserve capacity to really know its internal condition. (Most dealerships still test voltage).

I don't completely agree with the comments about not knowing. You can test a battery and watch it weaken over time. This unit will tell you when it weakens and when it's about to fail.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IZFNJ6Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_BCMPC83R6X0ABCDNABKK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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[Corsart]

This is the tester I use to test my batteries. It tests the capacity in CCA's and the charging system. Testing a battery's voltage level is not an accurate way to determine its capacity. You have to test its reserve capacity to really know its internal condition. (Most dealerships still test voltage).

I don't completely agree with the comments about not knowing. You can test a battery and watch it weaken over time. This unit will tell you when it weakens and when it's about to fail.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IZFNJ6Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_BCMPC83R6X0ABCDNABKK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This is worth a +1 mention: There are a few things every car owner should have, and a good battery tester (like your mention) is a must..along with a good tire gauge (not one of those cheapo inaccurate $.79 ones), a trickle charger and power pack being the others....along with quality microfiber towels for detailing.

There's often a lot of hate expressed towards dealership service, much of it perhaps deserved. But, there are dealerships out there that really do staff their service depts. with knowledgeable, capable techs who take the time to do things right...like a through battery test. The task is finding and then patronizing them, and I don't mean that like some of the talk you hear online.

 

[sus]

My 2017 MKX's battery died. I had just had it in 10 days before for a 30K checkup and asked why it had not been checked. I was told there is no way to check the battery for power. He stated it was a common occurrence after about 3 years and he had others with the same problem. It might have shown good power at the time of the check up and show virtually nothing the next day! I informed him I was planning on leaving for a long trip and if I stopped along the way and the battery was dead, then what! His answer was that I would have to call road side assistance. We had a very cordial conversation and I did receive a new battery under warranty at no cost. The battery was a standard Ford product which was as expected. I'll probably replace it with a much stronger battery in a year or two based on this experience.
Can someone please explain to me as to why the voltage power could not be checked to determine if the battery was operating a maximum capacity or at what capacity it did indicate?

Thanks to all for the prompt responses.
Nice to know this forum provides detailed answers. Much appreciated.