Ford Now Offering Free Battery Checks

[Neil4Real]

At the 24 month and 36 month maintenance, I just tell the dealer the LVB died on me, please test. This is much better than just asking to check the health as they take it as a real "issue" and not just a want.

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[SonicBlue]

I am at 38 months. Maybe I am cheap, should I just replace it? How much is it to just replace ?

I typically roll my eyes at this sort of stuff, but not after it personally happened to me right around 38 months. Yeah, I’d replace.

 

[Nikos]

It’s just a way to drum up battery replacement business. I’ve gotten this offer long before EVs and AGM batteries.

That is exactly what will happen.
Many dealers will take advantage of their customers. Some batteries will need replacement and some won’t.

 

[Rusky]

As far as testing the battery is concerned I don't know how you would get a good result without a load test. My battery will be at 3 years in May, it will be replaced, no questions asked.

 

[IgorKl]

I personally hate battery checks: every time I do t and got positive feedback my batteries were dying shortly (3-8 weeks). I better replace it on MME 3 year anniversary on ‘21 and before “travel season “ on ‘22

 

[curtisfinney]

So buy a good dongle (like OBDLink MX+) and download the carscanner app for free. With these two things, you’d be able to read the SoC of your 12v battery and many other things related to the vehicle.

I was looking for help in how to look up that specific variable. I can’t find it

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I was looking for help in how to look up that specific variable. I can’t find it

It’s in the Dashboard on the top left of the menu. You have to scroll through a few pages to get LVB SoC.

 

[RickMachE]

Hmm. Seems like a strong coincidence to get this email within weeks of Ford’s other efforts re the Mach E battery issues. Also, most Mach E batteries from 22 on are still under warranty, so that’s odd timing to drum up business.

This is nothing new, Ford dealers always test 12v batteries for free.

 

[Snakebitten]

A lot of things in the car still are based on the power they draw from a 12V - radio, window motors, HVAC, etc. They would have to change all those devices or put in power controls to convert the lithium battery to the power expected from a 12V. Or just keep using 12V because despite other flaws, it works and means not having to maintain one set of equipment for ICE, and one for EV.

A 12V LFP battery is still going to operate well within the range of the 12V electronics onboard. The DC/DC converter in both the Mach-E and my F150 Powerboost operate at 14.X Volts for much of the time the 2 vehicles are "running". So the native voltage for the LFP is not going to be an issue.

Ford would simply need to alter their battery charging strategy from 12V AGM to 12V LFP. And they would need to equip the battery enclosure with some thermal management capabilities for the folks in Saskatchewan. ?

 

[guinn]

As far as testing the battery is concerned I don't know how you would get a good result without a load test. My battery will be at 3 years in May, it will be replaced, no questions asked.

Rusky,

You are correct. The SOC (state of charge) doesn't tell you anything about the health of the battery. (Possible exception if the reading is very low.) SOC tells you how much power the battery has as a percentage of its maximum. You can have a battery that is close to 100% charged but still not able to deliver full power under load. Make sure your dealer does a load test.

 

[ShowMe25]

So buy a good dongle (like OBDLink MX+) and download the carscanner app for free. With these two things, you’d be able to read the SoC of your 12v battery and many other things related to the vehicle.

Do I need to purchase an OBD? I just ordered my first EV.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Do I need to purchase an OBD? I just ordered my first EV.

Yup. If you order the one I speced, you can also get acceleration figures and a lot of other useful data. There’s so much to monitor in an EV and ford didn’t give us easy access to that info.

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