Li-ion battery problem

[Andy Pratt]

After fairly limited use, the second battery of my makita 18v li-ion drill set seems to be worn out. At some point my charger started sticking and doesn't seem to pop the batteries off (slightly) toward the back when they are done charging. Now one battery just causes and error light to flash (red green This may have caused the failure in the battery that is bad, but the good battery has been treated the same and still works fine. Any ideas on fixes, or am I out of luck.

I've heard of people getting the cells replaced at battery shops much cheaper than you could buy a new battery for, any experience with this?

Thanks,
Andy

[J. Z. Guest]

Andy, when Makita first came out with their Li-Ion tools, I think they had some battery issues and fixed them when customers asked about it. That is one option.

I had the same error on my new Milwaukee 12 V driver. It turned out to just be new & stiff latches that weren't allowing the batteries to seat all the way. I just slammed them into the charger a little harder and everything was good.

One thing you should look for before following up with Makita is to make sure none of the latch mechanisms are prevented from working because they're loaded with sawdust. That would be embarassing. (and forgive me if you've already thought of this)

[Jason Abel]

Currently nobody rebuilds Lithium tool batteries. We may be doing it soon but currently don't offer lithium rebuilds yet either. We are doing R&D and tons of testing and may offer such a service in a few months.

FYI, I had a pair of Makita BL1830 that only lasted about 10-11 months before failing as well.

Jason
Battery Builders / MTO Battery