Reply With QuoteNO recommendations but I thought Exide made good batteries, clearly not.
The original battery in my V70 D5 lasted nearly 8 years which I thought was great, especially as a big diesel engine pulls a lot of amps on start.
However, it was changed with an Exide battery that lasted just over 2 years, and has just left me relying on the recovery services twice. It’s as flat as a pancake and will not recharge.
As the battery’s got a 3 year warranty it’s going back to EuroCarParts tomorrow for replacement.
But I would rather pay some more money for a better battery as this Exide one has been pants.
So any recommendations?
NO recommendations but I thought Exide made good batteries, clearly not.
Bosch Silver are very good.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Recovery man said Exide are crap batteries based on his experience. I forgot to ask what he recommended.Originally Posted by reggie747
Varta.
Yuasa all the way
Bosch or Varta - Costco tyre bay has a good range at good prices
Last battery I bought was a Yuasa as recommended on here if I recall. You can get a good deal at GSF car parts with their discount codes.
10 year old Astra workhorse started to struggle so popped it in to Halfords for one of their silver / premium efforts.
It’s been decent since and they fitted it for buttons.
Bosch has been good to me and I think some have (had?) a 5 year warranty
Bosch and Varta are the same battery just different labels they consistently out perform other brands in independent tests . I buy mine from tayna batteries online usually arrive next day
My two year old Caddy with Start/stop was having a lot of bother with this until last month when it was showing me the 'low 12 volt supply, turn off your entertainment system.' It hadn't been on. Admittedly I don't do many miles but i had just been for a fair run so it should have been charged.
I had it seen to by the RAC. The guy replaced the batter with a Varta. He said, his AA rep mate agreed, that the manufacturers were not putting in powerful enough batteries to cope with start/stop. He said there were three levels of battery, the names of which went in one ear and out of the other. He put the top one in. So far it's fine. Perhaps someone else knows.
Start/stop batteries need more than just more power. Different technologies (AGM or EFB) are used to cope with the increased cycles and a ‘standard’ battery will have a shortened life.
This.
It was a good few years ago however I used to sell Lucas/Yuasa batteries alongside Halfords own brand (also made by Yuasa, can't be sure that's the case now though). Considering how many we sold warranty replacements were very few and far between.
I might be wrong but I think Bosch and Varta batteries are made in the same factory - thats certainly what my research taught me when i was looking for one a few years back. Don't think you can go wrong with either and you can buy either with a 5 year warranty so you will be covered for a few years at least. There is a shop on eBay when i was looking that were the best priced - you may want to check there as installing a new battery is pretty straightforward.
Costco sell Bosch S4’s with lifetime guarantee at a very reasonable price
Exactly what I have been doing for years now. Hassle free and no complaints so far.
Sent from my SM-A320FL using TZ-UK mobile app
Cars with start stop often have two batteries one small to run the audio eqpt etc and then the main battery in my experience its best to replace both at the same time and many cars like BMW's need the new battery to be "coded" to the car
As do Halfords. And with a halfords trade card they come out at a very, very good price
Bosch S4 comes in at around £120 from Eurocarparts with the winter35 discount code if that beats Halfords. Either way I'd go for Bosch as I've never had one go bad on me, although I've only ever bought three of them to replace oem ones.
Exactly this and their Bosch batteries are very keenly priced!
+1 for Tayna and Bosch. I paid £95 for an S5 008 delivered next day. Previously I had paid £130+ for an S4 from the local Eurocarparts.
BOSCH and VARTA are made in the same factory, they are top quality though and will last well. Yuasa make good stuff too. Pay the extra if you can and ditch the exide for one of the HD Bosch/VARTA
On a side note have you checked that the car is charging at full capacity and there is no current draw issues when stationary.
The last 2 or 3 I've bought have been Bosch from Costco. No complaints on price or performance.
I agree that it's good idea to check both charging and static/standby current draw. My son's Mazda flattens a fully charged battery in 3 weeks if not driven. I fit one of these green earth isolation switches to all my "toy" cars to stop this
Well I had a result today. The garage who changed the battery had gone bust, but the recovery driver recognised it as EuroCarParts supplied due to an innocuous sticker, as he used to work there.
So, I trotted off to ECP with garage receipt and asked them to change it as it had failed 2.3 years into a 3 year manufacturers warranty.
A little persuasion was all it took to honour the warranty as they would insist on the garage making the claim, but the garage had gone bust.
No, challenge about the replacement whatsoever, they just did it no questions asked.
How’s that for customer service. EuroCarParts are impressive.
You may get an extra tenner off dealing with a purely online company, but highly recommend EuroCarParts
Fair enough, good on them and thanks for letting us know.
Glad you got it sorted- however there's a reason they're called Euro car prats in the trade.
Posting Permissions
