Spec me a battery

Well getting an answer other than get the most AH's on here would seem unlikely tbh ;)

AH is pretty simple, how many amps for one hour, cold cranking amps is another factor, which you havent informed us of, it is difficult to make a proper rec unless we know what you are likely to need.

If you have a chav stereo and use it a lot with the ignition off or your car is a pain to start on a cold day, or has lots of other electrical gizmos or drive long distances in traffic with lights etc on and low rpm's, you would want a higher AH for a margin.

I would generally go with higher AH rating for a margin as it's not like you should have to replace often.

Question I am asking is why has the old battery failed?

Varta are a good reliable brand, cant see a Bosch giving any better service than that for the extra cost tbh.
 
Dr Who said:
AH is pretty simple, how many amps for one hour, cold cranking amps is another factor, which you havent informed us of, it is difficult to make a proper rec unless we know what you are likely to need.
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I have no idea how many CCA the current battery is. I do not know what I am likely to need which is why I am asking for advice.

Question I am asking is why has the old battery failed?
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Because it's been in the car since new. It's not failed yet - but I suspect it will do in the near future. It's flat if I leave the lights on for an hour or so, etc etc. The other day I had the DSC light come on and stay on for a bit - this is either a faulty sensor in the DSC system OR a sign of the battery on its way out.
 
Hi fox, do you have any sort of warranty on your 530i at the minute? I've had AA breakdown repair cover for a few years now and it's paid for itself a few times. Taking out the repair cover and paying thE excess for a new battery might be worthwhile, you'd be paying a pretty tiny amount for a year's breakdown warranty.

My leon sheared it's aux drive pulley and the bill came in at £375 and I only paid £25 of it. A few months later and it needed a new battery, so I ran it down properly and thy replaced it at a cost of £25 to me with an invoice value of £120. You need to be clear for 10 days before you can claim but as it's not an emergency, it's worth a thought.
 
SeatIbiza said:
The cold kills batteries that are old :(
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Sulphation kills batteries, colder weather usually results in more "electrical" activity and insufficient charging, couple this with slower chemical reactions in cold weather and the battery dies faster.

Lots of starting, excessive use of anything electrical (rear screen heaters should be turned off when the screen is clear for example) should be avoided if possible during very cold weather.
 
Wouldn't touch a Halfords battery with a bargepole.

I have a Varta battery ATM, & am happy with it, CC is 720amps so it spins my 2.5TD over nicley :)
 
Why? They offer long warranties and are very cheap with a trade card (which loads of people have, or can get hold of).
 
monkey_boy said:
Hi fox, do you have any sort of warranty on your 530i at the minute? I've had AA breakdown repair cover for a few years now and it's paid for itself a few times. Taking out the repair cover and paying thE excess for a new battery might be worthwhile, you'd be paying a pretty tiny amount for a year's breakdown warranty.

My leon sheared it's aux drive pulley and the bill came in at £375 and I only paid £25 of it. A few months later and it needed a new battery, so I ran it down properly and thy replaced it at a cost of £25 to me with an invoice value of £120. You need to be clear for 10 days before you can claim but as it's not an emergency, it's worth a thought.
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My battery hasn't failed, my car will start perfectly when I go to use in a bit, I'm just planning ahead because its been there since new and it's not going to last for ever.

This service looks interesting. I was under the impression I'd not get any 'warranty' worth having on my car, so I run it without a warranty.

Whats the claims experience like? Is it all hassle free? So if I'm driving down the road and, say, a wheel speed sensor fails and the DSC light comes on, the AA would recover my car, drop it off at BMW and pay the first 500 quid of the bill?

Surely there is a catch?
 
My experience with Halfords batteries is they recover well from abuse, so if you completely flatten it you'll have few problems with recharging. I have had problems with their returns though, which is a bit annoying when you've paid a premium for a 4 year warranty on your battery.

I have given up buying no-heard-of brand batteries from motor factors. Let them lose a bit of charge and they never recover properly.

On the other hand, you have a quality charging system in your car and you are unlikely to kill a battery, so I might be inclined to get the cheap one, especially since you've had the car for a few years and unlikely to keep it as long as the battery lasts ;)
 
I know it's only a battery but I tend not to skimp on my cars which is why I went for the Varta and it looks a lot nicer in the engine bay.
 
Firestar_3x said:
Last battery test i read (Car Mechanics mag) the Halfords range (Standard and Advanced), the advanced being the calcium battery iirc did very well.

They came top 3 in the Auto Express test.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/210431/car_batteries.html
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I have one of their calcium batteries which I bought on its ability to recover from a bit of cycling. Mine charges with a dynamo so it does occasionally run down if I'm in traffic at night, because it doesn't charge at idle. So I'll be able to tell you how good they actually are if/when/how well it survives the winter.
 
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