RACV Mobile Battery Service

I always use RACV for batteries. My hubby's car had a replacement yesterday, the battery was from Costco installed by the previous owner 3 yrs ago. His previous car battery from RACV lasted 7 yrs. I find it convenient that they come to you and test… Read more

to confirm that it is just the battery. They are available 7 days a week & discounts for members. I found that batteries I have had in two cars over the past years have lasted 6-7 yrs, well past warranty period. Actually I have booked a battery replacement for my car tomorrow morning at home as it is now 7 1/2 years old & even though it is still showing green a new one will be needed eventually, so I will do it before it fails.

I have tried to arrange the purchase and installation of a suitable battery for my Jeep at Flinders Victoria. After you enter all your details and RACV membership, assuming your address can be found the systems just freezes and you go abolutely NOWHERE.

I’ve been a member for 41 years my car was not starting straight away so I called to check my battery The serviceman said the battery was low so he changed it for 268 The next day it started but now the car won’t idle and stops at every lights or interception which is very dangerous my machanic said the battery was installed incorrectly wrecking… Read more

the car’s computer now we have to pay to get the car fixed Very upset with this service We also rang last night and after 2 hours no one came to look at the car very unhappy I will not renewing my membership

Great Service – Booked a battery replacement on line at 6AM on 28 January, and Con the mechanic arrived in Hawthorn soon after 9AM. 5 minutes to test the old, pronounce it dead and install the new battery. $342 expensive? Maybe but the problem was solved and I was very happy. Show reply

Nearly 10 years use, Now we need a new battery – Purchased 2544 21/4/2014, it just gave up the ghost - can't really complain usage of 9 years, 9 months Booked for an on-site check on Sunday 14/1/24, got confirmed appointment for Monday 15/1/24 New 2506 installed without a hassle, Fully charged, Alternator checked and OK, Cranked 1st Go - Yippee RACV had a record of previous purchase, even the mechanic thought nearly 10 years was awesome Back on the Road Again !!! Show reply

My 7yr old RACV battery is still going strong! – In around 2016, RACV installed a stock-standard 720cca calcium battery for a reasonable price (these days the same battery costs $300 for members). We manage to leave a light on for a week, which destroyed the battery (got down to 1 volt!). The roadside guy (Mark, a proper mechanic with over 30yrs experience) came out today with me fully expecting… Read more

the bad news of a defective battery and to handover $300. Instead it was still able to receive 48amps of charge after all those years. Had a great conversation about cars and learnt a lot (even as a bit of a backyard mechanic). About a decade ago, RACV used a different brand of battery and they had never-ending problems (they fitted two new 'powerful' batteries within 6 months on a different car way back when). Very happy customer.

“Free” battery lasted 13 months – I would give them a 1 but they refunded me the cost. An arrogant serviceman came to my breakdown and said, ya battery is dud. I had reservations it was the battery and against my better judgement I agreed to let him change it for $304. Made zero difference and had to get a tow to a mechanic the next day. Turned out to be a fuel pump! Ironically my… Read more

“free” (refunded) battery only lasted 13 months LOL. The next serviceman just told me the battery needs replacing but only gave me a jump start. Rather than haggle with them to get a “free” battery replaced under warranty, I paid someone else to put in a beefy ACDelco. Think twice before choosing their ‘battery service’ if avoidable. This review is from a 30-year paid up member!

Absolutely disgusting service! – Hubby's car wouldn't start yesterday, we suspected it was the battery, so contacted Ford National Roadside Assistance and was told that someone would be out to the house with 40 to 70 minutes and that if they couldn't replace the battery then the car would be towed to the nearest dealer. The dour serviceman finally arrived after 2.5 hours, took… Read more

one look at the car and told me that we don't replace the battery in those. That's funny because that's not what Ford or their website says, he checked the car, jump started it and then basically told me I was on my own and it was up to me to get it to somewhere with a workshop that could replace it. Gee thanks for nothing mate! I have made a formal complaint to the RACV and to Ford and will be escalating the matter. This is simply not good enough and smacks of false advertising. I will certainly be investigating whether or not I keep our insurance with the RACV, if this is indicative of the service they provide. This is also not the first time they have left us in the lurch! I have security camera footage of the exchange with the Serviceman. I was able to get the vehicle to a local battery dealer and that saved me $142 on the RACV quoted price!

Damage following battery replacement – RACV came and replaced my battery. Straight after that, my car could start, but many issues on the dashboard computer (warnings/indicators not working, remote control not working, other lights on the dashboard blinking for no reason). Car dealer inspected the vehicle and found out ETAC (a part of the internal computer) was dead. It cost me 1700… Read more

dollars. RACV told me they will investigate, giving me false hope as RACV came back saying RACV will not take responsability. Very disappointed as a loyal customer for more than 15 years. It was obvious ETAC was damaged / corrupted when the battery was replaced. A shame RACV did not recognise such this mistake. Very painfull financially for a battery change. This report was "in mediation" for more than 2 months with nothing happening - no reply except one saying it is in mediation.

New battery – I was told $440 over the phone and got charged $462 instead. After the battery was fitted, same battery cost $390 at Repco with 2yr warranty. There is no discount for racv gold membership instead 20% more than other competitors. Really unhappy with service and pricing offered over the phone and when it arrived it was a different price.

Rip of a member of 15 years – Very disappointed with a rip off subsidiary service of RACV BATTERY SERVICE. I pay road side assistance annually. I have been a member for about 15 years. On 14/05/23 I called the RACV to residential address in Epping VIC. They could not offer me a recommended battery of up to 650CCA, instead offered a bigger one 720CCA which is not neeeded and… Read more

not advised and of course cost me more. Then they charged me $300. Are you serious?

Next day I called a few specialist and they all asked me for car model to match the correct battery. None of them offered the 720CCA even if the business would make more money by selling me a bigger battery.

Had I been offered the correct battery for Subaru Outback I would have saved myself at least $50.

Their service of Price match is useless. I called them and of course they don’t accept me going to a retail shop and buying a battery because the delivery is not there but hang on. I pay my Roadside Assistance annually for that!

So I called 5 different business, managed to find exactly 720Cca battery with delivery and install! All are at $269 and I don’t have to pay any annual membership fees. I wrote a detailed email to RACV battery service department on the15/05, today is the 23/05/23 and heard nothing!

Rip off. Gonna cancel my roadside assistance because I learnt there are plenty of those services around when you are not going to desert somewhere.

Fantastic service with Robert of Niddrie locality, learnt some tips too! – Robert replaced our large battery and it was a very tight fit. It took a while and he persisted. We had not been able to use the car for a long while and it was such a relief to be able to get it working again and he knew all the tricks to get it going and some. We now know to use the high octane diesel for our car, where to get it and where to get a discount. Very good outcome with minimum of fuss. Thanks Robert.

Beware of RACV BATTERIES – I run a fleet of 20 vehicles and used racv batteries because of their in-house warranty.Unfortunately that was a a decision I regret making as I’ve had nothing but issues with their unreliable batteries that aren’t made out what they are meant to be .I don’t mind paying for a quality product and their batteries aren’t cheap to buy as a customer… Read more

however the batteries are probably made in China because they fail regularly even though they are under warranty it is still a huge inconvenience which just keeps happening.I’ve decided to pull all the racv batteries out and use an Australian made battery for my fleet please learn from my mistake

Not for regional customers – We had a flat battery and called RACV. We were told within the hour but turned out to be 3 and 1/2 hours. When the service man got there he was quiet helpful and said we needed a new battery. He installed it and I paid. I was charged $30 more than the advertised price on the racv website. When I rang the service line I was told in regional areas… Read more

they can charge any amount they want and because it’s regional RACV won’t price match or give the $15 discount for racv members that is advertised on their website. Apparently all this information is available on the website but as the customer service lady told me it was very difficult to find. Next time I’ll call RACV, they can jump start me and I’ll drive straight to a parts store who will install a purchased battery free of charge. Looking into it afterwards I would have saved $70. Seems regional members aren’t as important as city members.

Battery failed after 3 months – I called RACV after only 3 months getting a new battery .. I’m wondering now if I did ever need a battery or just a jump start k. My 2 year old car . any way .. I will never know this .. but today the new 3 month battery wouldn’t start and the service lady said you must of left your light on and it’s not a warranty issue , then Tried to sell me… Read more

RACV membership !! To get a van out to come and put a new battery at a cost to me again . After I got upset and asked her , what do you base the warranty as ? How do you know the battery hadn’t failed .. she put me on hold and came back and said 2-3 hours wait to get someone to test only test the battery , they will not start me up !!!! Wow !!! Very poor service .. I will go else where and get my battery tested as I do not trust they will tell me the truth .. after reading the reviews . Big corporation with big pockets . Will be in touch once I get my independent report re my 3 month old battery . RACV replaced .. You come you check and you don’t start me up unless I pay more money !!! Wow !!! Crazy stuff .. the product has failed after 3 odd months !!! Thank you for nothing .. won’t give you people another cent .. your batteries are over priced , happy to pay but expect good after sales support until warranty is over , at least .. Was also promised a emailed invoice of new battery never got it .. Betty

RACV battery change saved me a lot of hassle – I can't understand all the negative comments regarding the RACV and their battery service. The field technicians do not get any profit kick-back from the sale of batteries. The money all goes to the RACV. In my case my VF Commodore had an odd problem with a failed cell in a battery which was hard to diagnose. The technician spent ages testing… Read more ·  1

the fuses, relays and even rocking the starter motor to see if it has seized. The battery was giving false readings due to the dead cell. Anyway, he changed the battery and the problem was fixed. Brilliant.

Simply perfect service – Battery was purchased 17 months ago and no longer functioned. One call to the R.A.C.V. service centre and within an hour a replacement had been installed. Their technician was efficient and very helpful. After testing the old battery and declaring it dead, he replaced it under warranty with no hassles.

BENZ vs RACV – My car battery died, called Benz and battery replacement with RACV was 40% cheaper with RACV and on site. I didn't have to wait long either 1 hour to get to me and 1 hour to replace my battery and do full computer diagnostic to ensure all back to fully working order. Thank you Peter you were a true gentleman and I could see that you love your job, best customer service. Show reply

Tried to sell me battery I didn't need – Recently had my car serviced and nothing was raised after a battery check. Left it undriven for a while and so needed to call RACV to get it started. Bloke does his test and declares battery is stuffed and I need to buy new one for 250 dollars. He didnt try anything else. I asked him could he at least try jump starting it and I'll drive it round a… Read more

little bit. Started up straight away and is working great. I am really shocked by this experience and wonder if the roadside assist guys get a commission for battery sales. He really jumped quickly to that solution without even trying to get the car going.

Horrible service, shorted out module – Technician arrived and changed battery in BMW 3 series, after changing the battery, the lights, indicators and power windows didn't work. I asked what needed to be done and was told I would probably have to get something reset at BMW. I tried to ask for more info but he quickly shoved an eftpos machine in front of me to pay and then promptly left.… Read more

BMW had to replace a module that was overloaded due to incorrectly changing the battery, BMW even supplied me the quote and worksheet stating this was caused by the battery change and RACV are claiming the errors were already there before the battery was swapped, which is ridiculous. They are now refusing to pay for the repair which was over $1500

Do not use RACV for batteries

Good battery replaced and poor handling of the case by so called customer relations consultant – A case was raised for investigation on misdiagnosis and wrongly replaced my good battery (as later on tested by REPCO/Century multiple times). The battery guy was certainly quick to determine it was bad cell and replaced it, though it turned out to be nothing to do with my actual car issue for the call out. Worst part is the follow up with the so… Read more

called customer relations consultant. Lack of responsiveness/reply to my email, called in and was given the typical high ground reason. Poor even in today’s standards. There has been no explanation or real action taken to prove it wasn’t a misdiagnosis, even after I went through all the troubles to get REPCO/century to test and provided their test reports. My request for the call to be audited and case escalated was just ignored.

Huge dent on RACV brand! Looking to report it to government body. It’s just important to prove there’s no miss practice in RACV mobile battery, give public the confidence?

Battery – I required a new car battery so I looked it up on RACV web price was very good Rang to order and was told they couldn’t supply as I live in regional Victoria Went to local repco store and got it cheaper than RACV To me it seems as RACVdoesnt value regional Victoria I have been a member for 10 years

Thanks for nothing – Ordered a new battery for my 2008 Suzuki Swift Sport online on Tuesday 14 September. Received an email confirming my booking for between 3.30 and 5.30 the following day. I made sure I was home well before time. Received a text message saying the driver was on his way with my $364 new battery, then the driver rang and told me that my car needs a… Read more

'special' battery and he didn't have one in his van, said he would have to order one and it could take 2 days to arrive. I cancelled my order and found a battery for $194 delivered and installed by another company. Message to RACV - my car does NOT need a 'special' battery!!!! I am definitely not happy with the way you treated a 25 year member, but I saved $170 by going elsewhere

You'll never get the price match promised! – This is the biggest lie, they do not do the price match ever! They'd keep on looking for excuses like "our battery is 1 cm longer than the one you found". I do not recommend, it's a scam, the advertised price match will never happen. RACV batteries are kind of unique in specifications. Not worth it, you can get batteries 24/7 from any other provider and cheaper! with the same 3 year warranty.

RACV batteries make your life harder. Warning ⚠ – 1 I bought RACV battery for my Dodge Journey on 8/11/20. They said they can supply only due to the particular vehicle in their list for replacement. And advised that owner fit himself or organise repair to do it (evidence available) 2 Replaced RACV which I have paid $238.00 (30 months warranty) battery through private mechanic by paying $75 on… Read more

same day. 3. Mechanic fixed and started the car. Car did not use until one week. 3. As it is my spare car not very ofter use, car stared on 10/11/20 by my wife to drop my son at school. Car stopped at an intersection by showing battery warning sign however it restarted again. My wife lost trust and did not use after that. 4. On 27/11/20 at approximately 7.30 AM, I started this Dodge again and went near by park, it stopped at an intersection of Evident av/Capricous Cres Tarneit. Could not restart. 5 Called RACV for assistance, mechanic reported that the battery either charge or replace.(Evidence available) And organise Dodge towed to Caroline Springs JEEP. 6. At approximately 15.00 Dodge service centre detected that the Two weeks yig RACV battery(30 months warranty) is faulty needs to be replaced. 7. At approximately 15.30 reported this to RACV and got told battery help is on way and once he checked the battery they will give an option either replacement or refund. 8. At approximately 16.00 battery repair called and reported that he can't come and it needs to be resolved by office. 9. Called RACV and explains that I can't let my car down. She reported that she opened a case number Member number : 3121769. Case number RACV 20200001284803 and she said get JEEP to report about faulty battery. 10 Jeep management (Simon SOKOLIS) emailed RACV. (EVIDENCE EMAILED) 11. On 30/11/20 person name (available on request) at approximately 11.00 AM contacted me from RACV Head office :-

He said : Your request being rejected as this battery was not fitted by RACV. I said : On 08/11/20 I have requested RACV to replace my battery, however RACV supplied the battery and but told me to either fit by myself or organise mechanic to do it (evidence available on request) why did not fit the battery? He said : I am the boss of this Company my decision is ultimate. I said : You cheated a loyal customer having bronz membership card and I will report it to VCAT fair traid and review on Google and will inform my community about my bad experiences and go on YouTube. He said : I do not care.

Impossible to get warranty documentation – The guy with the battery came quick enough, but lacked the ability to type correctly into the little machine, and they email out your receipt/warranty. Despite five phone calls and numerous online complaints, I still don’t have it. RACV NOT the company it once was, and I truly hope I don’t need that warranty document, because I just can’t get them to email it to me.

Cannot even email a receipt – Was told I would be emailed the receipt within 24 hours (29/09), chased it up on 5th and then again today. Now they claim their system has been down a while and they don't know when it will be up and running again. But everything else was working well...just can't email a receipt. APPALLING!!

Appalling customer service – My son purchased an RACV battery for his car but in less than two years it kept going flat. RACV said the car was not being driven enough. However the battery was regularly being charged overnight using a car battery charger but still went flat inside about a week. RACV did not want to replace the battery under warranty but eventually agreed under… Read more

duress. The RACV battery technicians seem totally focussed on selling new batteries rather than providing proper customer service for a faulty battery. The attitude of the technician in this case was just appalling!

Broken Processes – I recently had a battery replaced by RACV, which they attended to promptly. The service representative advised that he would email me a copy of the receipt. The following day, not having received the receipt, I called RACV customer service who advised they would email me a copy. Four days later, still no receipt, so I called customer service… Read more

again & was advised it was being actioned as we speak & that I would receive it today or tomorrow. I called later the following day to follow up, AGAIN, and was advised by the customer service representative that she couldn't access the file because I wasn't authorised on the account. She advised that she could see the matter was being attended to. I don't understand how it can be so difficult to email a copy of a receipt. It certainly shouldn't take 6 days. I think it illustrates just how broken RACV's processes are.