battery worries
Discussion
last year my 5 started to struggle starting so i went to my local motormania who tested my battery and alternator and came to the obvious conclusion it's the battery ,so 5 mins thumming through there stone age folders they said... i kid you not £185 for a replacement. So as i left with my middle finger getting trapped in there exit door i went to a local garage and said how much to replace the battery they then replaced it for about £40 ....but heres the reason for this long winded story they replaced it with a standard battery, which has been spot on for the last 8 months but now that the wipers and lights are in use it labours when i start it, but has never failed yet but it is starting to cause me some worry that it will fail me when it gets colder, i am suprised as its got the same starting and holding rating as the original has anyone else used non standard and survived for longer than this.
Have you thought about a solar powered trickle charger like this one http://www.maplin.co.uk/solar-powered-12v-2.4w-bat...
I know a few people with classics that dont get used very often but the always leave this attached and most reckon it does a superb job.
I know a few people with classics that dont get used very often but the always leave this attached and most reckon it does a superb job.
Pints said:
Good call on the trickle charger. Neighbour Dave used one on an old Renault 5 he used to have, and it did the job very well.
Don't think it'll work so well if your P&J is garaged though.
I think they come with a fair length of wire so the panel could still be mounted on the external wall/roof and cable run in to the garageDon't think it'll work so well if your P&J is garaged though.
There is no reason at all why a lead-acid battery shouldn't work just as well as a gel battery in an MX5. The only reason why a gel battery is recommended is because it's in the boot which vents into the passenger compartment rather than being under a well ventilated bonnet like in most cars. Due to this lack of ventilation they also tend to cause a bit of localised rusting around the battery.
madmover said:
So whats the crack with Mazda batteries?! ive just got a normal one from a friends company which i got for pennies and its running like a treat!
The crack is that they give off fumes that can corrode the boot, unless they're properly vented. The Gel type batteries have pipes and there is a pipe in the boot floor to vent the battery. Normal batteries under a bonnet have proper ventilation, in the boot you don't.mx5parts.co.uk do a Westco battery that is good, although it's too small for the original battery holders..
HereBeMonsters said:
Mine needed the "proper" gel battery from Mazda. Cost me less than £100 from a main dealer.
The water/lead acid battery was sloshing around too much in the boot and losing charge. Weirdly, seemed to keep charge much better if I drove sensibly.
But where's the fun in that?
thats the problem i have its fine going to work and short drives,, but on long spirited outings it seems to drain it down but if left for a couple of hours its fineThe water/lead acid battery was sloshing around too much in the boot and losing charge. Weirdly, seemed to keep charge much better if I drove sensibly.
But where's the fun in that?
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