Any battery manufacturer and/or supplier recommendations?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Today, the Scorpio refused to start after having sat for 2 days. The aldi battery tester (FTW) says it's definitely a battery thing, so, since I can't see anything having been left on, I guess it may be time for a new one. Since I plan on keeping the car for a bit, I reckon I'll avoid scrapyards/ebay and just go for the best new one that I can find...It's been a few years since I last bought a battery, and that was a Fiamm which proved to be gr9 value at just 40 quid (it easily outlasted the car). Previous to that, I'd bought a super expensive Bosch that barely lasted two years (when I mentioned that to an auto electrician friend of my dad's, he told me that their quality has seriously gone downhill over the past few years) . Every online place I've checked seems to only stock overpriced own-brand tat or even more expensive Varta- and Fiamm don't even seem to have a UK office anymore...

 

So it's a twofold question- is Varta any good, and is there any factor/chain known for extensive range and/or keen pricing on batteries?

[Polystratus]

County Battery (www.countybatteryservices.co.uk) I find them quite reasonable in price, certainly cheaper than the ones in Halfords.

[Guest]

I had a varta battery on my Delta and never had a problem with it.

[Shep Shepherd]

I had a Unipart 'Samson' battery fitted to The Volvo by the AA in January 2004, and it's still going strong despite being discharged/re-charged/jumped more times than I care to remember

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Cheers for that, Shep. Unipart are always a decent value option- I will ring them on Monday.

 

Bloody hell- I managed to find an Exide one, too...ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE POUNDS

http://www.motionbattery.co.uk/AGM-70Ah ... ar-Battery

[Guest]

I've got exide battery on the fso. Wasn't that expensive though.

[Guest]

What's wrong with scrapyard ones? I use them and they're no bother. If they're the right size and hold their charge well, no reason why they shouldn't last for years properly maintained.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

What's wrong with scrapyard ones? I use them and they're no bother. If they're the right size and hold their charge well, no reason why they shouldn't last for years properly maintained.

 

How much do they go for? It may be worth having a nosey, as a decent new one seems to be around a ton.

[Guest]

I pay about a tenner.

[ashmicro]

In my experience, the £30 jobbies from motor factors are just that - jobbies. I paid £70 for a Varta one for the Rover. Good job.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I've got exide battery on the fso. Wasn't that expensive though.

 

The one in question apparently is a new kind of technology which is called a 'gel' battery or something. However, it only comes with 2 years' warranty as compared to 5 for the (cheaper) Varta...

 

I pay about a tenner.

 

I will definitely have a nosey then...I'm not famous for my good luck, but I guess that I can afford about 9 duff batteries before I start losing any money.

 

In my experience, the £30 jobbies from motor factors are just that - jobbies. I paid £70 for a Varta one for the Rover. Good job.

 

We're starting to see a consensus on Varta being decent...So I guess the winning combo could be to get a Varta off a scrappie.

[myglaren]

I had a varta battery on my Delta and never had a problem with it.

 

I had one on my '52' C5 that I am convinced was original and I have had it 5 years.

Changed it recently for a Yuasa but discovered that the battery wasn't defective

[Guest Len H]

Have you ever been to a motor factor?

[warren t claim]

Have you ever changed a battery before? Does the Scorpio have a locking terminal that you may need a key for?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Have you ever been to a motor factor?

 

Good question. I have never been to one in this city, unless you count the Unipart branch. I only have a couple of local mates, both of whom are clueless about cars, and I'm not about to start ringing random shops from the yellow pages in order to end up buying from the one dodgy ('ethnic' or not) shop specialising in fake goods and/or carrying stock from 2002.

 

Have you ever changed a battery before? Does the Scorpio have a locking terminal that you may need a key for?

 

I've never actually changed one before, but what could possibly go wrong (cue 200 posts about the terminals crumbling)? I'm pretty sure all post-96 Fords have done away with the key, but I'll double-check.

[warren t claim]

Do you have the code for the radio?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Do you have the code for the radio?

 

There is one in the paperwork that came with the car, though I obviously haven't actually tested whether it's the right one.

 

Speaking of that, after jumping it with my battery charger, I noticed that the trip meter reset itself, which is quite bizarre as the battery was nowhere near flat (all 'toys' were working fine- it just couldn't muster enough to fire up).

[warren t claim]

When my old Omega fried it's battery it wouldn't even power the clock but did remember the pre-sets on the electric seats. The windows did need programming though. My Rover 800 had all sorts of electrical naughtiness after a battery swap.

 

I hate to state the obvious but you have topped up the existing battery haven't you? I got my current K11 Micra cheap because the battery was dry and the owner reckoned the alternator wasn't charging.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just get one from a local car parts shop man. Dont buy one online whatever you do, its ridiculous to pay to send a battery through the post.

 

A local scabby spark plug shop will be cheapest, they will probably say something like 'do you want a budget one or a heavy duty one' and the two sorts will have different guarantee length and cost different amounts. They won't sell total rubbish cos many of their customers will be local shaven-heaved taxi mechanics who will cheerfully launch the battery through their shop front if its not up to scratch.

[gtd2000]

What's wrong with scrapyard ones? I use them and they're no bother. If they're the right size and hold their charge well, no reason why they shouldn't last for years properly maintained.

 

+1

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I hate to state the obvious but you have topped up the existing battery haven't you? I got my current K11 Micra cheap because the battery was dry and the owner reckoned the alternator wasn't charging.

 

Yes, of course. I'm not about to buy a new one until I am totally sure it's dead. I jumped it and then drove around for a dozen miles or so...

 

Living in the city centre and not even having to commute anywhere, the amount of miles I do day-to-day is tiny, so it probably doesn't have enough time to fully replenish the start-up effort... Tomorrow I'm off to Manchester, so it will get a bit of 'exercise' and let me assess things on Monday...Before setting off, I will plug the aldi tester in to check both battery and alternator.

[warren t claim]

Instead of getting a new battery have you considered getting a scrappy battery and a cheapish booster pack? They're a must have accessory for all shiters and can also be used to power sat navs and mobile phones in shite that isn't equipped with a 12v socket. Some even come with a built in compressor for inflating tyres so you don't have to bother with pesky locking wheel nuts....

[overheadvalve]

Do you have the code for the radio?

Good call, i've done that before...

 

What's wrong with scrapyard ones? I use them and they're no bother. If they're the right size and hold their charge well, no reason why they shouldn't last for years properly maintained.

 

+1

+2 ....

I have bought batteries from the scrappy before, about 3 years ago ago called in and looked at my local scrappies where i picked my own, a large GM battery for a Merc 200, £10 it cost and it lasted for over 2 years, i sold the car with the battery still working.

I would imagine most people who are not clued up will replace a battery on an older car because some know all down the road or at the pub will say try the battery first, it's worth the expense etc etc

 

I have very recently bought a Yuasa for the wife's Bini it's a 55 reg and it's fooked already..... , i went up 5 amps on the capacity to 60 Ah they charged £49.

Both Unipart and Varta are good these day's too imho

[garethj]

Have you ever changed a battery before?

 

I've never actually changed one before, but what could possibly go wrong (cue 200 posts about the terminals crumbling)?

Disconnect earth lead first, reconnect last.

 

The earth lead is the one that's either braided, or (what, really?) goes to somewhere on the bodyshell. The positive will go to the alternator and starter

 

Other things that can go wrong is you drop a spanner across both terminals and the massive current welds it to both terminals. Under no circumstances try and pick the spanner up because it'll be so hot you'll get branded like cattle

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Instead of getting a new battery have you considered getting a scrappy battery and a cheapish booster pack? They're a must have accessory for all shiters and can also be used to power sat navs and mobile phones in shite that isn't equipped with a 12v socket. Some even come with a built in compressor for inflating tyres so you don't have to bother with pesky locking wheel nuts....

 

haha never thought of that. I'd happily do that with an older, simpler car, but here there's just too much electrical stuff to risk frequent instances of the battery going flat- ECU and the LPG fuel management system to name but 2.

[shite_meister]

In my professional experience of batteries I would say Varta are the best, I belive they are one of the few companies that make their own batteries which may explain their high reliability rate. If I need to depend on a car for a long journey I don't piss about I buy a Varta. I used to work for an automotive electrical specialist and in three years I saw maybe a couple of Vartas back and once re-charged they were fine.

 

Numax on the other hand are utter shite, day-in day-out we'd see loads of them back with dead cells, same goes for Lucas and Yuasa batteries aren't great either but better than Numax. Platinum are ok but I'd agree with Bosch not being as good as you'd think they would be. Every car I've had thats come with a Numax (about five) has failed on me.

 

My suprise vote if you don't want to fork out for a Varta would be Motrio which is a Renault brand, hardly ever saw those back under warranty and they are dirt cheap, all Renault parts depts have them.

 

If you really want the cheapest then get your 'arris down the scrappy and try and buy/borrow a hydrometer (they're about £6 new) and do a quick cell test, its easy to do and will take one minute and tell you of its general state of health.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Cheers for that, shite_meister. GR9 post! In the end, it looks like it's probably a slightly worn alternator as opposed to anything wrong with the battery, but a hydrometer has got to be worth the investment at that kind of price. Is it something that can be gotten off the shelf at maplin or similar, or do I have to order it online?

[shite_meister]

Its not electronic so I doubt you'd get one at Maplins, I got a Draper one from a car shop, they measure the specific gravity of the acid which gives you an idea of the state of the cells...obviously not much use on a sealed battery though!

 

http://www.workshopping.co.uk/product/d ... ter/61792/

 

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=18564

 

You can get the same thing to test Antifreeze and brake fluid an' all.