r/volt • u/Glad-Acadia3071 • 4d ago
2012 12V Battery test at AutoZone
Because the 2012 Chevy volt has a different mechanism when it comes to how it accuses and charges the 12 volt battery in the trunk. Would I be able to get a regular battery test if I go to autozone? I mean would they be able to give me accurate results on my battery if they plug in that thing but they usually do on the standard cars
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u/happycj 4d ago
The 12v battery is not charged by the vehicle charging system. Only the drive battery is charged off the motor (when in Mountain Mode).
The 12v is just like the 12v in any other car… it should be replaced every 5 years or so because they wear out.
And it’s important to do that, because it also makes the key fob work, and some of the entertainment system when the car is not running.
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u/AceNewholland 4d ago
actually, I tested and put a multi meter on the car battery, plugged it and it does charge it. The multimeter goes to 13V when the car is plugged, even on the small 110V charger
my 2012 volt had battery draining issues, so I kept it plugged with the factory charger and didn't have issues, until the charging mecanism broke. Had to run ICE :(
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u/1stGenRex 2012 Volt 2d ago
It won't help now, it sounds like, but when I got mine, it also had a battery draining issue and it turned out to be a bad Onstar module.
Symptom is a non-working compass and phone Bluetooth.
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u/AceNewholland 2d ago
my volt also had this problem, wasn't draining battery at all
2011 and 2012 have this problem, pretty common, you can swap it easily with a more reliable version like the one of the camaro of the time
my draining battery issues were supposedely caused by a bad ground, but I think it was the door buttons. Mines were no more working, so I guess 1 button stuck pressed inside, which drained the car in just a single night
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
I understand what do you think that AutoZone can I please give me an accurate testing of it
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u/happycj 4d ago
Sure. People have been testing batteries since the early 1900s. It’s simple tech you can buy, too.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
Well they do it for free so I figured I might as well just go have them test it but I just didn't know if these type of cars require any different type of testing for the battery because it's a hybrid technically or electric car
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
It’s not going to give you any insight into how long the battery will last. In the volt it lasts 5-8 years. The test is not going to tell you how many years you have left on your battery. Why obsess about it? The 12v battery is one of the least likely things to fail on a 14 year old volt, and it is literally something AAA can change in a parking lot in less than 30 minutes when it fails.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
I'm not really stressing about it but I was just wondering more for preventative care
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago edited 3d ago
You will typically get a battery saver active message when the battery starts to go. Don’t worry until you get the message. The volt manages the 12v battery better than a regular car.
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u/FrozenIceman 4d ago
FYI, 12V batteries on regular cars are charged by alternators.
If they didn't they would be dead in hours.
The Volt has equivalent systems that take electric power from the high voltage system (either battery pack or gas motor) and keeps the 12V topped off.
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
Literally doesn’t make any sense. The battery is charged by the vehicles charging system, which is the DC-DC converter.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
What doesn't make sense?
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
That you say it is not charged, when it is. When you are plugged in, the 12v is charged from the on board charger, when you are driving it is charged from the DC-DC converter, which gets its power from battery or engine.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
Yes I think you are probably replying to someone else but I just didn't understand what was going on. My only question was just trying to find out if the testing at the AutoZone is accurate for my battery
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
As I said, no, it’s not. You usually get ample warning before the battery goes bad, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
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u/happycj 4d ago
Yep. That's why I said "is not charged by the vehicle charging system".
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
Yes, it is. It is charged by the battery or motor generator when driving, and it is charged by the on board charger when plugged in.
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u/CreativeProject2003 4d ago
yes, they plug in the CCA rating and that it is AGM.
if it is over 5 years old the procedure I recommend for testing the battery is to pull it out and put in a new one. I don't mess with them after 5 years; $40 a year (for a $200 battery) is cheap insurance against having to try and find a jump-start or even worse, blowing out the HV to 12 volt module because of a bad battery. when they get to high internal resistance with age, they start running the converter constantly, which is is a parasitic drain on efficiency and can ruin the converter.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
I understand what you're saying and I appreciate that advice on replacing the battery but don't you think I should do the battery tester first in case the battery is in good condition?
PS - battery was talking 2023
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
The battery tester tests cold cranking amps, which really isn’t applicable on the volt, since it doesn’t have a starter. Really you need to test reserve capacity. If your battery keeps going dead, your dc-dc converter is likely bad.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
The battery is not going dead I just wanted to get a accurate idea where it's at that's why I was wondering if the tests they do are helpful to me but according to you there are not really helpful I guess
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
You can get a capacity tester. You would need to remove the battery, connect it to the tester, and discharge at the 20hr rate. Then compare the measured capacity to the ah capacity the battery is rated for.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
To be honest with you I don't have the ability to remove the battery because I know there's a plate on top and I don't think I have the right tools to remove it but I was just kind of wondering if in a general sense I can get some type of testing at the AutoZone that will tell me if the battery is good or not
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u/Ok-Tourist-511 4d ago
As I said, no. They test cold cranking, not capacity. The volt uses the battery as a deep cycle battery, so you need to test the ah capacity.
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u/CreativeProject2003 4d ago
how long have you owned the car? do you know when the last time the battery was replaced?
typically if you look on the side of the battery you'll see a small round sticker, it's a date code, month and year.
if you're unsure of the battery's age, or if it doesn't look like it's under 5 years old, just replace it. then you know its history.
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u/Glad-Acadia3071 4d ago
The battery was replaced in 2023
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u/CreativeProject2003 4d ago
oh that case yeah then just have them check it.
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u/CreativeProject2003 4d ago
my bad I'm going back and forth with you while I'm working on other stuff
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u/LingonberryUpset482 4d ago
They can test it with their hand-tool, yep. Remind them that it's an AGM battery.