I have copied this previous posting of mine here as I don't want to muck up Bobupndowns stream about the 75th LR Anniversary Badges.

Although I do have a tale of woe.

After cleaning window and attaching my 75 Badge, I climbed into my Metro and pressed start.

Glow plugs lit OK and then after the briefest of starter engagements ---NOTHING---

I retried, but apart from some extra random faults showing, ---NOTHING---

I tried my Booster Battery Pack but only got a few coughs.

I then put on charge for an hour, but still not enough power to start.

I called out Land Rover Assistance, and the AA man arrived within half an hour, did a few quick checks and started my car within seconds with his own Battery Booster Pack, and everything seemed normal.

My Battery is a KwikFit Lifetime Warranty 75Ah, so I will giving them a visit tomorrow, for (free) check.

Lessons learned -----

My 2 FL2s that I have had over the last 11 years have been so reliable that my emergency kit is out of date / unserviceable and no longer good enough to get me going.

Although I was embarrassed by calling for such an easy failure, I should have call LR Assistance earlier, and thus not wasted the afternoon.

I need to review my tools and equipment to see what I NOW need, and not rely on my 'Historic' collection(s?).

Thank you LR for making such a reliable car.

continues---
The AA man told me that there was unlikely to be anything wrong with my Metro's charging system as it was providing over 20 amps to the battery.

I put my car on charge (4amp charger) overnight and next day the battery had a resting voltage of 12.5, definitely up from the 11.2v it was showing at the time of problem.

As everything now seemed normal, we went off to visit some Somerset Market Towns in a round trip of about 90 miles.
Everything was normal.

I then attended Kwikfit for my Battery Check appointment.

After explaining that my 'so called' Lifetime Battery Guarantee only covered battery failures not wear and tear, they checked the battery and the machine pronounced it Good.

They said that as my FL2 is not used everyday, it had most likely gradually had less and less charge left in the battery, and advised that I put the Battery on charge every now and again to keep it topped up.
This advice I will follow, as I had noticed a few 'lumpy' starts lately, my Metro normal starts sweetly onto smooth idle on all 4 cylinders.

Lessons learned

I will think twice before spending extra money on a 'Lifetime Guarantee' and get a normal (I think identical) battery.

I need to think about getting a means of emergency starting that works. (although the AA man was very quick)
------What do the Forum members advise on this subject------

The full Extended Warranty - with Assistance - is worth the money when things go wrong.

The FL2 is a ferocious user of electricity, and so needs a good well charged battery, if only for a friendly face and reassurance that things will get fixed.

And lastly - don't get to deep into trying to emulate a forum members fault that you sit out on a cold night, without the engine running, and take a large chunk out of your batteries reserves.
Here's that post.
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic38958.html (Mirror Memory) FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

That's a poor response from Halfords but I suppose if it has just discharged and is now fully charged and not showing a fault its not surprising? I'd monitor it regularly though to see if it's discharging more than expected.

Something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192267690550?mk...media=COPY would be my suggestion to have as a backup, I'm not suggesting that actual make or model but we use very similar looking units in work regularly.

I have my old battery which I replaced when it started getting the 'low voltage, the end is nigh' message on the dash and keep it on a trickle charger in the garage. It's then always available with a set of jump leads if required. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

As i said I wasn't recommending that particular item. There are a multitude of similar options available. The ones we have in work are used to start diesel Defenders which they do without issue. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

Thanks for replies.

After reading both original replies and some other reviews/recommendations, I opted for this Lithium Pack.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MVY...&psc=1

Most likely an overkill, but it has the following advantages to me;
small and light enough to be carried in car,
will act as USB power supply to mobile phone, computer and any similar devices,
looks fool-proof with it various safety devices.

Also on looking at the output and functionality of existing (ancient) battery chargers I think I may look into getting this as a help of keeping my FL2 going, now that it isn't used as often. Again perhaps an overkill, but it does seem to do Lithium as well as lead acid.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOCO-GENIUS10UK-F...&psc=1 FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

How old is the battery.


Charging the battery overnight, a 4AH charger will be plenty good enough, but the battery should be in the 13 volt range. 12.5v is too low. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

IanMetro wrote:

Thanks for replies.

After reading both original replies and some other reviews/recommendations, I opted for this Lithium Pack.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MVY...&psc=1

Most likely an overkill, but it has the following advantages to me;
small and light enough to be carried in car,
will act as USB power supply to mobile phone, computer and any similar devices,
looks fool-proof with it various safety devices.

Also on looking at the output and functionality of existing (ancient) battery chargers I think I may look into getting this as a help of keeping my FL2 going, now that it isn't used as often. Again perhaps an overkill, but it does seem to do Lithium as well as lead acid.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOCO-GENIUS10UK-F...&psc=1

The GB40 teardown

 Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I’ve got a GB45.

My battery runs low when the FL2 languishes on our drive for a few weeks - which it does fairly regularly - I just put the charger overnight after about a week or so to keep it topped up.

Not hard a problem starting when using the car daily for more than very short runs - ie on holiday Jules

Again Thanks for replies.

In what I think may be the biggest overkill solution to my problem, I have bought NOCO Battery Charger and Booster.

With luck the battery charger should deal with most of the old and current batteries I have around with mobility scooters, etc, which include Lead Acid and Lithium. I hope to get some of my older batteries back up to something like a useful capacity with the 'Repair' Mode.
And, the Booster should be man enough for the Freelander Diesel, but small and light enough to fit in a door pocket until needed. From my experience Lithium Batteries are very good at maintaining their charge so I plan to check state about every month or so (hopefully this period will increase)
The Booster has also a bright LED Emergency Light.
A handy Cloth Pouch was included with Booster.

The units appear to be quite robust and well thought out, and came well packaged. (see below)

Click image to enlarge

I am happy to report that I have had no further starting/battery problems.

So I await the coming Autumn/Winter to see what happens, knowing that I now have my back up kit.

However as my Metro is coming up to its 10th year I have been looking at what (if anything) could I replace it with. After seeing a few shiny white Volvo XC60s, I started to wonder if I was giving my Metro a fair chance.

So I decided to get out the toothbrush and clean out the moss, and other greenery, that lives on my car.
I continued by cleaning all the paintwork with the aforementioned toothbrush and the results are fantastic, and I may be keeping the my shiny white Metro for a bit longer.

I hasten to add, that my Metro is normally put through the Car Wash (I clean off the wheels and other awkward bits before visiting) every month or so, but a bit bit of detail cleaning makes a vast difference.

My only worry now is that I might have few leaks, until the moss regrows.

Click image to enlarge

I carry some jump leads alongside the spare wheel - just in case.  Jules

The NOCO Booster sits in a rear door pocket (in its black cloth bag) and easily and quickly restarts the car, even when main 12v battery will not turn engine.

The Lithium Booster Battery seems to retain its charge OK, month on month, and is safe and easy to use. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

I don't think a 75Ah battery is sufficient for these vehicles. They require far to much energy, which a small battery doesn't deliver for very long.
My original battery was always showing 12.2 to 12.5 V depending on the time of year, which is basically flat or worn out, so I changed it for something I knew would be more suitable.
I went with a Yuasa HSB110, which is rated at 85Ah, and 800 CCA. Yes it was over £100, but I'd rather spend that than be stuck with a battery of questionable capacity.

 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate. The family car.
2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Gone.
2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE. Gone.
Audi A5 convertible, my daily driver.
1972 Hillman Avenger GT, the project.