Car battery

[andrew e]

Is it me or have battery prices gone beserk? £40 sheets for a 015 for a bloody midget Any tips gents?

[pogweasel]

Any tips gents?

Yes, I ask Fatha_Pog (independent motor factors)He sells them cheaper than anyone it seems, and that's before the discount. (Though I rarely actually pay him for them....)Try your local independent motor factor, much betterer than halfrauds or whoever.

[Ratdat]

I go to my local scrapyard. Most of the cars they get in these days are pretty modern and usually write offs. They sell the batteries, which are often nearly new for about £11 for a small one up to £17 for a big one. They even give me 3 months garuantee for that!

[Torsten2001]

We've got an accountr at Maccro's at work, got one for my 635 for £25, that's value!

[wuvvum]

Last few batteries I've bought have been from a scrapyard in Norwich - he charged a tenner and gave a 3-month guarantee. I can honestly say I never had one of his batteries let me down. The price has probably gone up a bit now like 'cos the price of new ones is so stupid, but I doubt he'd charge more than £15 even now. About five years ago I bought a great big f***-off 130AH JCB battery to put on my Dodge 50 recovery truck (the dozy pikey who I bought it off had been running it on a battery from a 1.3 Astra, which couldn't turn it over fast enough to start from cold). That was brand new at the time from a tractor repair place and cots me 40 quid. It's done sterling service, jump starting everything from a Bond 875 to a Ford D series lorry, and despite years of abuse it still holds nearly 13 volts and will still start more or less anything, although it doesn't turn the engines over as fast as it used to (and it nearly puts my back out every time I lift it). These days I could easily pay that much for a motorbike battery from a dealer.

[CortinaDave]

Batteries were fantastically cheap a couple of years ago, price seems to have gone back up again now.Having said that, I'm seeing a fair few original batteries lasting almost to the end of a cars life these days... just replaced the original 1998 battery on my missus fiesta and i know a mate's 97 escort still running its original motorcraft one even now. Used to be if you got three years it was the exception!

[Father Ted]

I had to put a new battery on te yam not long back - £39 for somthing the size of a very small butty box.Talking of which, does anyone want to swap my Woolf 2.4HP generator for a leisure battery?

[retrogeezer]

and i know a mate's 97 escort still running its original motorcraft

My 96 Mondeo still has the original battery in it... I did grab a spare one from one that was destined for the fragger before xmas though just in case!