Which battery?

[Coco]

I suppose that 8 years isn't bad for a battery, so when mine only just started after a week away I decided that I have to spend some money and buy a new one.

Had a good look around and have narrowed it down to a choice of 2. Either a :-

Varta type 110 Blue Dynamic. 80AH & 740CCA. 317x175x175mm at £74
or
Varta E44. 77AH & 780CCA. 278x175x190mm at £82

Different Ah and CCa ratings and a difference in price too. Is my firmly held belief that a good big 'un is always better than a good little 'un true here?

Opinions please and any other gems that might help me make up my mind will be welcome

[Les]

HI Coco,
Sorry I cant offer any advice on the technicalities of your choice,but my philosophy is to get at least three suitable choices and take the middle price.I do this with tyres and most other things that I buy.As you only give a choice of two but which are of close( or probably equal quality) and both suitable to your needs, in this case I would go for the £74 one and save yourself a cool £8.
Even if you saw fit to go halfers with me with your saving for my sage advice youd still be £4 up.:lol:

[andy-womble]

Coco, you have not factored "Guarantee period" into the equation ????....

[Ol'Jeffers]

My previous car was a 2.0l diesel 2006 Passat estate.
I had a spare Varta battery for it and, a few weeks after I bought the
Berlingo, I fitted it in preference to the originally fitted Tudor battery
as I had read reports of Tudor batteries having poor manufacturing tolerances plus an occasional
problem of spraying the underside of the bonnet with acid.
The Varta battery fits perfectly in the Berlingo's battery tray and the
terminals are correctly oriented. It spins the motor effortlessly even on very cold morning starts.
So if you can get that size of battery as a replacement then go for it!
The performance figures for the Varta are 77Ah and 780CCA. HTH.unny:

[andy-womble]

Tudor batteries are hardly worth a mention.....ahem.

The one on my Berlingo lasted 7+ years, Coco's has just done 8 years so they can't be that bad surely...

[ron]

The Tudor battery on my old C15 lasted 8 1/2 years.Perhaps the OE batteries are better quality than than the ones sold to the aftermarket?

[j90xxx]

You are correct. (Sort of.)
Typically, the bigger, the better.
Big amp hrs and big cold cranking.
But...
Sometimes this can be false economy, as obviously big usually means expensive.
As we (British, this is a worldwide Forum) live in a temperate climate the environment is kinder to our automotive batteries.
Devon is quite a way from the Arctic Circle!
A batterys purpose is to turn the engine over (via the starter motor), energise the ignition, and power electrical items.
Take into consideration how many cold mornings we have, how often you use your headlights, heated rear window, heater on full etc.
Also how much stop-start driving you do. It typically takes an alternator 10 to 20 minutes to replace the current drawn by the starter motor.
As for the quoted figures, remember that Cranking Amps (CA) is measured at zero degrees celcius and Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is measured at minus 18 celcius. Don't think the South West of England gets that cold too often....
Physical size is not too much of an issue as battery trays can usually accomodate a larger battery, just watch the height. (The bonnet does need to close.) illyme:
And as Mr. Womble correctly points out, a long guarantee period is sometimes a deciding factor. 3 years minimum, some now have 5 year warranty.
And finally. Euro Car Parts have some deals at the moment. :woop:

[andy-womble]

Dunno, I went for a Bosch in the end up because the Tudor was showing signs of immenent failure and I didn't want to be caught napping. Did a write up on here somewhere.....

Edit,,,,,

Just read Martin's thread and yes it was Europarts that supplied mine, curiously I got it cheaper by visiting the premises than buying on line...

[Fido]

Got mine from europarts,ordered online and received a discount,click and collect from local store,very efficient.
You should get a ring back telling you its ready to pick up...
Promo code battery15

[Coco]

First, thanks to you all.

Well, I ended up with a Bosch. In this case an S4 110, it gives 80AH and 720 CCA.

I bought from Euro Car Parts again, not the online or local independent that I would have used (although they don't sell the Varta) .

Both the above were thanks to your suggestions. This led to me also buying a new battery for my bike as well.

But the main reason for telling you this is because the bike battery ended up costing me half what it would have done had I bought from either of my first two due to another online discount code that I found saving me 25% overall.

Enter "ukpas25" at checkout and save 25%

Thanks again, from me and my bike ! alut: