Car not turning on

[Archsteve]

Hi Folks,

I just returned from out of town. My 2012 i-miev had 10 miles of charge on it, but will not turn on properly. I have the yellow warning light with an exclamation. It says this is a battery problem, and i have to contact a certified service center right away. It also has a high pitch warning sound. Needless to say I had it towed today. I am not looking forward to the damage assessment. Any thoughts on what it will be? Coincidentally, my side view mirror fell off the day before I left town. I had posted last night looking for a supplier of mirrors. Is it possible the two issues are related? There is an electric wire controlling the mirror that is hanging. Some kind of short? Just grasping here.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[wmcbrine]

It could just be the 12V...

 

[phb10186]

there is a low 12v warning alert, i've had that (bit pointless as it rapidly runs the 12v down itself). My 12v suddenly gave up about 2m ago... first job would be to charge the 12v, and check/ replace.

Bet that's all it is, you've just come back from a trip.

If its over 4-5y of age, i'd just replace it anyway.

There probably is constant power to the side mirrors as the double press on the key fob opens and closes them... unlikely but possible. put a bit of tape over the contacts.

 

[Archsteve]

So, it was the 12v. Are these special batteries? The dealer is charging me $400, and had to ship the battery in from somewhere?? Dangit. I was able to buy the side mirror on eBay for $75! This is a 2012.

 

[JoeS]

Glad it was the 12v battery, the most common cause of i-MiEV problems. The battery that fits a Mazda Miata works just fine for the i-MiEV - it's a BCI group 151R. A number of us have purchased the expensive AGM version for $108 from BatteryMart. Archsteve, I'm incredulous what you were charged by the dealer! OTOH, you got a reasonable deal on the mirror.

 

[phb10186]

So, it was the 12v. Are these special batteries? The dealer is charging me $400, and had to ship the battery in from somewhere?? Dangit. I was able to buy the side mirror on eBay for $75! This is a 2012.

$400 for a battery? thats probably compounded by diagnostic and fitting costs. I expect for that amount they gave the rest of the car (inc the battery) an OK?

The Miata battery works, so does the Honda Insight Gen 2 one, though it requires terminal adaptors, as it has the smaller type (some batteries come with those already on the terminals.

I think my battery was about $75 equivalent in Costco (Bosch blue top with a 4y warranty).

 

[Archsteve]

Yes, with all other diagnostics, etc. they’ve had the car over a week waiting on the battery.

 

[wmcbrine]

So, it was the 12v. Are these special batteries? The dealer is charging me $400, and had to ship the battery in from somewhere?? Dangit. I was able to buy the side mirror on eBay for $75! This is a 2012.

They're not special at all, they're standard 151R car batteries you can get anywhere. Do not pay $400. A standard 151R fits perfectly and requires no adapters. You can replace it yourself. Personally, I had a hard time getting the positive terminal off the old battery, but otherwise it was trivial.