In message , Roger Mills
writes
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the
car's alternator can do any better.

Worth trying a few charge/discharge cycles. Run the battery down using
the car lights then re-charge. If it won't start the engine after a few
cycles it is junk.

--
Tim Lamb