My Coupe's MOT was today but when I got in the car the battery was flat as a pancake because I'd left the radio on for about 3 weeks. Made a later MOT appointment and called out the RAC. Patrolman said battery was knackered and should be replaced, that it would never recharge on just the alternator, that it was only charging at 2 volts. I was a bit suspicious as the battery isn't that old, so I refused the new battery at £130, and after he'd left I took the car for a blow up the motorway. Noticed volt meter was reading 12 volts as usual. Car has started first time all day and performed faultlessly on MOT test with all the stopping and starting.

So! Do RAC patrolmen get commission for selling batteries? And if so, are they routinely making people replace perfectly good batteries? And are they no longer on the side of the motorist, but just out to make maximum profits?

Batteries are the holy grail to people who do scrap these days.
I took a car to weigh in recently.
Also took some crappy alloy wheels and a few old batteries. The wheels and batteries did over 200 quid, weighing in the car which was about 1.4 tonnes wasnt even worth my time/towing it there.

Do rac men get to keep the scrap batteries i wonder? May not be allowed to for some bogus regulations, but if theyre replacing a couple a day.....

I had a total discharge on a landrover recently due to a parasitic drain. 1 year old battery. Went back under warranty with a knackered cell. They dont make them like they used to. Ignore your voltmeter in the coupe and get a multimeter on it. So simple even i can operate one! Or go to your local factors, they'll have a battery tester that measures how weak the battery is.

If its recent you may get away with a warranty replacement?

I've found my local Halfords very honest with testing batteries, have told me several times they are good despite being several years old.

I do usually walk in carrying the battery rather than it being in the car - might make a difference as no money for fitting?

He actually said the 4-year warranty on the existing battery would be void if they knew I'd let it go flat. Is this true?
He seemed quite desperate to sell me a battery, even offered a ten percent discount. And said RAC would charge me if I called them out again with same problem, having refused his solution. .

I think it is RAC sharp-practice. I had one changed on my Alfa GTV after I had just purchased the car. They fitted a good battery with a 5 year warrenty, but it cost £130! The relity is that normal retail for the battery would be around half that, so the profits they make from home start calls when batteries are changed are huge. My personal belief is that sales are somehow incentivised, but I have no evidence.

A week later and my existing battery is still working perfectly. I feel a letter to my local paper coming on ...

Its true that lead acid batteries REALLy don't like to be fully discharged, and left discharged.
They can be charged again but often there not as good as they were, I believe you can condition them using a fancy charger?

It does sound like a selling tactic though and they are on commision for batteries