My MB E Class estate 220CDI is now 8 years old and I am getting nervous about the battery. Which one of this lot should I go for? :-
www.tayna.co.uk/019-Car-Batteries-G11.html
Or another supplier? Is AGM worth the extra? I have no intention of changing the car in the forseeable future. The car does not have stop/start.
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Why are you nervous about the battery?
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Wouldn't bother unless the battery itself is showing signs of fallibility. I have the same model, built 2008 (although registered in 2009) and the battery seems as strong now as when we bought the car four years ago.
If it's any guide, we eventually replaced the S60's original battery at 12 years when we were chasing a cold starting problem. That turned out to be injectors; I'm pretty sure the battery would still have been going today if we'd kept it.
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I am not sure if the engine is hesitating before it turns over. It hasn't yet failed to start. Do I have a sensitive ear? Or am I kidding myself?
We are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and the car will be parked at the docks. Perhaps I am worrying unduly?
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>> Wouldn't bother unless the battery itself is showing signs of fallibility.
But they don't, do they?
I change mine every five years, although even that doesn't always work out as planned. My last battery failed just before the end of its three year guarantee.
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"But they don't, do they?"
No they don't especially if you have a diesel car which takes more power to turn the engine. One day they they have enough power to start the car as normal without any warning signs and the next they won't even turn the engine. Have been stranded twice by cars with failed battery.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Thu 24 Mar 16 at 10:05
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Solar battery charge?
£10 @ Maplins
tinyurl.com/je5k5mo
Cannot vouch for effectiveness but if you can afford a 2 week cruise £10 should be loose change
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>> if you can afford a 2 week cruise £10 should be loose change
...or perhaps it's because he doesn't treat £10 as loose change he can afford a 2 week cruise :)
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My 2004 BMW is still on the original battery, although I required a new alternator last Autumn. It continues to hold charge very well... I have had three extended trips away in the past 12 months, circa 2 months each minimum, and leave a CTEK smart charger connected... I appreciate that's not possible at the docks!
Happy cruising
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I love the first Most Helpful review on that Maplins charger.
"Very good solar panel, it works even in daylight"
Makes you wonder what the expectation was...
My replacement batteries have come from Costco. They were a respected brand, Bosch I think, but were considerably cheaper than Ha;fords, Euro Car parts and the rest. You need a Costco card (and a local Costco!) though.
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My replacement batteries have come from Costco. They were a respected brand, Bosch I think,
>> but were considerably cheaper than Ha;fords, Euro Car parts and the rest. You need a
>> Costco card (and a local Costco!) though.
>>
What sort of price difference? I wonder what they are like vs a halfords trade card
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I think around in the order of 20% but it was a while back. And that was Halfords own brand. I don't have a Halfords trade card.
Mind you it probably costs me a tenner to go to Costco, and that's without the collateral damage of stuff I didn't really go for!! :-)
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>> I think around in the order of 20% but it was a while back. And
>> that was Halfords own brand. I don't have a Halfords trade card.
Right cheers, probably about par then.
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>> My MB E Class estate 220CDI is now 8 years old and I am getting
>> nervous about the battery.
Typical German crap. My Japanese battery is 9 years old. Not at all worried about it.
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> Typical German crap. My Japanese battery is 9 years old. Not at all worried about
>> it.
>>
Not a true car4player then ;)
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>> > Typical German crap. My Japanese battery is 9 years old. Not at all worried
>> about
>> >> it.
>> >>
>>
>>
>> Not a true car4player then ;)
Indeed not - I use cheap halfords screen wash, and have not the slightest intention to use winter tyres.
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You'll be telling me next you don't spend your weekends reshiming your starting handle.
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Is that a euphemism sooty?
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Might be better if it was, but I fear not.
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>> reshiming your starting handle.
>>
I found my lost starting handle yesterday. It came unclipped from the tractor mudguard 30 years ago, and I never found it. I noticed a bit of rusty metal poking out of the mud along the track, and on excavating it it turned out to be the original 1949 Ferguson starting handle, still bearing traces of grey paint.
It certainly needs reshiming now, whatever that means.
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1998 Xedos needed a new battery in 2013 - a month short of 15 years.
It was working fine and then suddenly died on me without a warning - jumped started it & the battery would not take a charge when I got home.
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The OE Panasonic battery in my Subaru was 8 years old last year, so I thought tis about time for a new one, being as the car doesn't do many miles these days. So I bought an expensive Yuasa www.yuasa.co.uk/ battery.
O'er the following weeks I wasn't 100% H A P P Y with the battery so, rather than be caught out one cold & frosty morning, I bought another one, Exide this time.
Turns out I'd forgot to remove the vent plugs in the new Yuasa jobbie!!
Se Vende: One Yuasa car battery. As new condition.
:}
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...the charging regime fitted to your car will not be optimal for an AGM battery.
The different characteristics and voltages required for standard Lead/Acid, AGM, and Gel batteries are much discussed on motorhome forums.
Empirical evidence indicates that use of an AGM battery with charging characteristics oriented to either of the other two type may significantly shorten its life (and until very recently, though AGM batteries have started to be fitted to motorhomes, there has been no on-board charging equipment available tailored to its use).
They are common in cars with stop/start fitted, and these will have had the electrics "tweaked" to deal with them. I'd stick with a good, basic Lead/Acid design.
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The battery on my 5-series is 14yrs old this month (by its date code) and still fine. Does help that it lives indoors in the warm... so to speak.
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>>The battery on my 5-series is 14yrs old
That's amazing. I trust you keep a spare in the boot.
:)
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Well no... just the existing one.
A battery of this age is something I've seen a fair bit on both German & Japanese cars over the years. Can't remembert what make mine is but it's huge.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Thu 24 Mar 16 at 09:32
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Varta Silver is their range topper and not expensive.
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Never had a battery fail thank goodness, but I do seem to think that I've heard that it plays havoc with the electrical systems and their settings when you change them. Radios and electric windows etc being the most obvious things. Codes needed for radios and so on?
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I think that was more of a 1990s problem, Humph. Better sorted now. I don't think we even had to reset the clock in the Volvo.
Still don't see the point in replacing a healthy battery 'just in case'. The Volvo once needed a charge from the AA after we'd been away for a fortnight in the other car, but that was at least two years before we changed the battery.
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>> I think that was more of a 1990s problem, Humph. Better sorted now. I don't
>> think we even had to reset the clock in the Volvo.
That's my experience too. Xantia (2000/X) needed a radio code after battery disconnection. The code wasn't provided with car either. Got it via dealer easily enough and they thought it's ommission from the handbook pack was an oversight.
2005 Berlingo's was coded to car. Probably disconnected battery three or four times in ten years. Only once for battery failure, others were repairs where battery and tray needed to come out for access. Would initially flash up need for code but quickly re-synched itself. After completely flat battery the warning lights, partic ABS, went briefly haywire but fine after a couple of restarts.
Roomie's handbook is explicit that the 'Swing' CD/Radio is coded to car. It can be changed/swapped at which point code and/or dealer intervention needed.
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>> heard that it plays havoc with the electrical systems and their settings when you change
>> them. Radios and electric windows etc being the most obvious things. Codes needed for >>radios and so on?
All I need to do is reset the radio programmes and the clock, and tap both the ambient temperature and A/C buttons on my Japanese barge.
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>> >> heard that it plays havoc with the electrical systems and their settings when you
>> change
>> >> them. Radios and electric windows etc being the most obvious things. Codes needed for
>> >>radios and so on?
>>
>> All I need to do is reset the radio programmes and the clock, and tap
>> both the ambient temperature and A/C buttons on my Japanese barge.
You must have shed loads of experience with all those battery changes.
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>> You must have shed loads of experience with all those battery changes.
>>
True enough, although experience mainly gained from (as a low mileage driver) frequently charging my battery.
I really must invest in one of those new-fangled smart chargers from Lidl.
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Which Car Battery? - sooty123
