Battery question - resolved, thanks!

[Tommy Twist]

Hi folks,

Wife has just phoned me to tell me that the Elise's alarm has gone off four times in the last few minutes. The car has barely been used recently so I suspect that the battery is going flat, which has caused the alarm to trip.

How can I disable the alarm when I get home? Car is MY07.

I don't want to move the car just now to charge the battery as I need it to stay clean and covered, and to recharge the battery without moving the car I'll need to disconnect it anyway, which will presumably further upset the alarm...

PM me if you'd prefer not to publicise details about disabling the alarm.

Thanks in advance!

[Tommy Twist]

P.S. I am of course assuming that the alarm has some sort of onboard battery that will hold a charge long enough for it to make a nuisance after the main battery's disconnected! Please feel free to correct me on that!

Cheers.

[Shug]

Disarm with remote, then disconnect battery within 60 secs. So, loosen neg terminal, click button to get single flash, pull off terminal and locate so it can't spring back onto the battery post.

[Tommy Twist]

Thanks muchly, Shug!

Maybe a daft question that would have an obvious answer if I had access to the car right now, but I've never been in about the Elise's battery before... how is that plastic cover over the battery removed? Does it come away with the rest of the boot carpet? There are two clips next ot it on the carpet IIRC.

Cheers again!

[Shug]

I just pulled - think it's velcroed. Won't be too complicated when you look at it.

[alicrozier]

The press studs hold down the cover, undo them then the cover will come right off (with a bit of faffing).

Edited to add, I found the best disarming technique was to:
1. Disarm as normal
2. It will rearm the immobiliser automatically after a bit (red flashing light on dash)
3. Press once more to disarm again
4. You now have unlimited time to disconnect the battery.

You can of couse do 2 and 3 while faffing about in the boot.

[Shug]

No studs in Elaine's, so either missing or they've changed the design.

[alicrozier]

No studs in Elaine's, so either missing or they've changed the design.

mebbies...if there's 2 clips next to it on the carpet then likely the press stud arrangement.

http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?TBL ... 0&ST=&SC=0

[Tommy Twist]

Thanks very much for the replies folks, MUCH appreciated!

Off out to tackle it now... lovely night for it too (sod's law!).

[IanD]

So in response to your other thread,
'How long before an Elise battery goes flat'
the answer is
'Quicker than I had thought or planned for'

[Tommy Twist]

The press studs hold down the cover, undo them then the cover will come right off (with a bit of faffing).

Edited to add, I found the best disarming technique was to:
1. Disarm as normal
2. It will rearm the immobiliser automatically after a bit (red flashing light on dash)
3. Press once more to disarm again
4. You now have unlimited time to disconnect the battery.

You can of couse do 2 and 3 while faffing about in the boot.

Thanks for all that, Ali – followed your procedure exactly. Battery cover came out very easily, battery was easy to disconnect, alarm was not triggered.

Despite that, the job was a NIGHTMARE on account of the weather and the car cover. Honestly, it's absolutely howling out there – easily as windy as during the so-called 'storm' last week – so much so that I didn't want to completely remove the cover because one good gust and it could've been blown away or been on the ground (picking up grit on the lining can turn it into a brillo pad for the paintwork).

So there's me faffing around in the boot while the missus is simultaneously trying to hold this enormous cover in place (and only just managing), while also holding the boot lid to stop it blowing onto the back of my head, and complaining that her fingers are going numb... oh man... honestly, it was like having a cold shower inside a wind tunnel

Then I had some trouble with the door locks so I had to get into and out of the car, still with the cover in place, with the wife still clinging on for dear life. Eventually got that sorted, but the process was drawn out by having to go inside every 5 mins to regain the feeling in my fingers...

Got to the point where the cover could go back on, then came the fun of trying to feed the straps under the car while the wind was blowing them all over the place... and then one of the straps came apart. However, 25 mins and a plastic mop handle later it was all tethered again.

Just hoping the paintwork isn't ruined now after the carry-on with the cover flapping about like a Wizard's sleeve on a North Sea oil rig

Anyway, thanks again for all the advice

[Tommy Twist]

So in response to your other thread,
'How long before an Elise battery goes flat'
the answer is
'Quicker than I had thought or planned for'

Ian – yes, on the face of it, it does seem ironic...

However, as far as planning goes... only yesterday I had the car cover off so I could retrieve the manual from the boot in an effort to work out how to disable the alarm prior to disconnecting the battery. Did some Googling, even asked the same question in the other thread... but only this afternoon was I able to ascertain that, apparently, the only way to disable the alarm is by disconnecting the battery! Och well, perhaps that should've been obvious, but at least now I know

Och well, hopefully no damage done – the battery had enough life to operate the central locking, and the immobiliser was still functioning, so hopefully it's saveable. More worried about that damn cover and the paintwork, TBH... aaaargh!

Roll on spring...

: Does anyone know – is a regular (but not constant) trickle charge OK for keeping an Elise battery alive while out of the car? Ideally I'd have it in the house constantly connected to a battery maintainer, but it looks like fumes might be an issue (small house with very limited space).

Thanks again.

[Tommy Twist]

http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?TBL ... 0&ST=&SC=0

That's the one.

I hope it won't make any difference, but I simply disconnected the earth strap at the nut where it connects to the neg terminal clamp, i.e. left the clamp in place on the battery terminal and put the strap to one side.

[Tommy Twist]

Have to laugh at myself these days, when it's somehow become a big deal to disconnect a bleedin' battery... what have those years of new car ownership (before the Elise) done to me?!

I used to do all my own servicing, you know...

[CubanGav]

A battery should sit quite happily for many weeks indoors if it's fully charged and in good nick to start with.

Think of all the Halfords ones sitting on the shelves for donkeys.

Laughed my arse off at 'wizards sleeve on a North Sea oil rig'.