Car Batterys - Which one?

[ChristianZS]

Going back to the days of when my dad had the car parts business I always remember Varta being the one to get. Is this still the case?

I bought a cheapie last year since the original one failed and now after accidently being run flat the other month seems to be holding bugger all charge. It turned over this morning but only just! The dials flew round the clock as the car started..

Which battery and from where is the best?


Help!!

Ta

C

[cptsideways]

Bosch Silver about the best you'll get

[ChristianZS]

Any PH'ers own a car battery online next day delivery shop then?

[Hybrids]

Bosch & Varta Batteries are made in the same factories.
Don't just buy on warranty period, some questionable quality batteries come with 4yrs but have less cranking than others supply with a 2yr warranty.
If you avoid buying on price and buy on spec of highest CCA & Ah you should be fine.
But don't go to Halfords (Halfords batteries are supplied by the company that own Varta, but are not full spec Varta/Bosch product) use a motor factor or independent spares shop.

[minimatt1967]

Hybrids said:

Bosch & Varta Batteries are made in the same factories.
Don't just buy on warranty period, some questionable quality batteries come with 4yrs but have less cranking than others supply with a 2yr warranty.
If you avoid buying on price and buy on spec of highest CCA & Ah you should be fine.
But don't go to Halfords (Halfords batteries are supplied by the company that own Varta, but are not full spec Varta/Bosch product) use a motor factor or independent spares shop.

Very good advice! I have seen some right bilge with a 3-4 year warranty, then when you go to claim on the warranty they just claim its been overcharged or there is a drain on the battery so on and so forth!

We sell Varta where i work and they are, touch wood, very reliable and normally more powerful than their specification suggests!

Sorry we don't deliver

[Orb the Impaler]

cptsideways said:

Bosch Silver about the best you'll get

Ah! Beat me to it.

Cheapest I found for these by the way was German & Swedish / GSF (regardless of whether or not your car is German. Or Swedish).

[Mars]

I thought ANY car battery left to go below 66% of full charge will subsequently fail to hold any charge again.

[ChristianZS]

Mars said:

I thought ANY car battery left to go below 66% of full charge will subsequently fail to hold any charge again.

Its probably the case I've just shagged the current one then. It was left to go totally flat unfortunately.(Even the doors or alarm wouldnt work)

Ford are asking 49.99 for a battery which Im tempted to go with since the old one were on it from new and only failed last winter(6 Years).

[oakdale]

Just another recommendation for the Bosch silver, excellent battery at a good price.

[Mars]

ChristianZS said:

Mars said:

I thought ANY car battery left to go below 66% of full charge will subsequently fail to hold any charge again.

Its probably the case I've just shagged the current one then. It was left to go totally flat unfortunately.(Even the doors or alarm wouldnt work)

Ford are asking 49.99 for a battery which Im tempted to go with since the old one were on it from new and only failed last winter(6 Years).

My brother's (no stolen) Landy had a special deep-discharge battery, normally called a "leasure" battery installed in parallel to the starter-motor battery. This one was protected from being called-upon to kick the starter over because it wouldn't manage it. It hasn't the cranking power of a normal car battery but its strength lay in being able to run down further than a normal battery too.

[jinthamc]

Bosch from Costco!

[skilly1]

ChristianZS said:

Any PH'ers own a car battery online next day delivery shop then?

My mate owns http://www.performancebatteries.co.uk/

They are excellent !

Edited by skilly1 on Monday 5th January 13:07

[Justin-W]

I had always intended on getting a Bosch one but demand and no-one stocking them them around here is a problem. To which I now use Banner has a bull on it if I remember correct, Austrian manufactured and of good quality. Had 3 of them now one for the Ax, another for my brothers Saxo and one for the Ginetta.

[morgrp]

I go with Bosch Silver line - but Varta are great on a budget

[ChristianZS]

Well its gone flat this morning..

Off to the motorfactors to see what I can find!

[Silver993tt]

morgrp said:

I go with Bosch Silver line - but Varta are great on a budget

Bosche Silver and Varta blue top are the same battery with different branding. Varta own the Bosch brand for batteries, so technically Bosch SIlver & Varta Blue are exactly the same

[ChristianZS]

How strange.. The old battery was half the weight of the new calcium one and now the car is running much better! It also had some green/yellow scum around the terminal which didnt look like it were grease.

Edited by ChristianZS on Tuesday 6th January 10:23

[retrorider]

Hybrids said:

Bosch & Varta Batteries are made in the same factories.
Don't just buy on warranty period, some questionable quality batteries come with 4yrs but have less cranking than others supply with a 2yr warranty.
If you avoid buying on price and buy on spec of highest CCA & Ah you should be fine.
But don't go to Halfords (Halfords batteries are supplied by the company that own Varta, but are not full spec Varta/Bosch product) use a motor factor or independent spares shop.

if your halfords battery does fail however,they replace them without hassle,as long as you still have the receipt...