Charging a Dead Battery

Wai-Fan

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Would it be OK to have a car jumped start and drive around about an hour to charge the battery with the alternator?

Read some stories that doing this could damage the battery as the alternator doesn't provide enough power to charge it up from being dead or something.
 
You ideally should trickle charge for a day or 2 to bring it upto approx 14v, but in your situation I see no reason why not to try this route.
 
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You ideally should trickle charge for a day or 2 to being it upto approx 14v, but in your situation I see no reason why not to try this route.

Yeah, I want to try it, just in case Audi are trying to rip me off with a battery that I don't need. Just worried if I stop, I'll be stranded lol.
 
Well if you turn the engine of then possible yes it may not start if the battery is that deeply discharged or its goosed, but make sure you have a fully charged starter with you or drive around where someone is close to you for a bump start.
 
Yep, and it should charge it pretty quickly too, the alternator will push 20 or 30A into the battery, a mains charger will probably output less than 5A.

Make sure you've got 14v at the battery terminals with the engine running.

As above, dont turn it off though! I did the same with an old Disco last year, set off, drove around for 20mins then pulled into a petrol station as i was on the red. Filled up, went to restart and got <CLICK>.

Asked the bloke in the next pump over for a jump start, which had the attendants screaming at me down the tannoy for jump starting it at the pump :laugh:

The battery was completely fubar though, a good battery would have charged in that time.
 
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