mic_VR 3 Posted May 8, 2014 Afternoon all. Bit of a dilemma here, just went to get the car out of the garage and battery is completely dead. Put the tester on it but and won't take any kind of charge... guess that's the price of not using it often.... But anyway, I need to use it in the morning which means finding a battery on short notice. I've got 2 maybe 3 shops near me, Halfords, Euro car parts, and some independent thing which will no doubt be closed now. So this one - http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Volkswagen_Corrado_2.9_1994/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444770758&1&caa4c2294299ef3cde0bf7a9a9dd88546bfa0f4c&000020 Or this one - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_264105_langId_-1_categoryId_165762 Or are batteries pretty good these days so just go for something that'll do the job? I appreciate there is a search function but most mention mailorder or dealer and I've not got the time. With these options ECP is open at 8am and Halfords is open until 8pm. Cheers all! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kempy 0 Posted May 8, 2014 they got 3 -5 years guarantee so cant go wrong really. Mines from EPC, its not a daily car and it still holds a good charge. its not a bosch though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted May 8, 2014 TPS is cheapest for batteries if you can get to one but otherwise Halfords as they are open the longest I think this is best for future issues as you could find a branch anywhere in the country practically if you need a warranty swap and you're away somewhere... without a trade card though it's going to cost you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted May 8, 2014 Also if you sit the tester on it for a while it may start to charge but often if it's comepletly dead you'll need to stick some serious amp-age through it to de-calcify. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted May 8, 2014 Bosch Silver from Halfords will do you nicely. If you've not ordered a battery for a while though, make sure you're sitting down before you look at the price - they're crazy money! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted May 8, 2014 Ecp of those two. Have a look at the websites, Ecp cost about a third less than halfords unless you have a trade card. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Billzeebub 1 Posted May 8, 2014 Bosch Silver the only battery I ever purchase Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mic_VR 3 Posted May 8, 2014 The halfords one I can get 10% off, plus it's what's on there now and it's lasted 7 ish years. But I can get 25% off at ecp.... Arghhh! :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigchagg 0 Posted May 8, 2014 Bosch Silver from Halfords will do you nicely. If you've not ordered a battery for a while though, make sure you're sitting down before you look at the price - they're crazy money! Bloody hell the last battery I bought was back in 96 for my pug 306. Im sure it was only around £45 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Storm Guy 0 Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) Got a Bosch S4 - for a difference of only 60ccas and one year guarantee chose that over the S5 at only at £63 - ECP -even cheaper with your disc. Edited May 8, 2014 by Storm Guy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted May 8, 2014 Halfords one cold cranking amps are a bit low. Think mine is 700a. I'd get the bosch. That's what I was about to buy but ended up getting convinced to go to some mates mates place and not been totally happy with it. Still plan to get a bosch or varta Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted May 8, 2014 I think ecp will do a bosch silvertop for £70 if you go for some discount. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mic_VR 3 Posted May 8, 2014 Yeah, been looking and I think ecp is the answer as I didn't even get close to making it to halfords this evening. Bosch S5 silver for £72 looks like the best I can get at 8am tomorrow that's for sure! :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted May 8, 2014 Get it done :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yandards 0 Posted May 9, 2014 Halfords ones don't seem to last as long as they used to, on a different tack what battery charger are you using? I know my old one would not charge some batteries I had but the CTEK MKS 5.0 I bought to replace it managed to recover a few I though were dead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted May 9, 2014 Seems like a CTEK charger is the only really worthwhile one to go for! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 9, 2014 Halfords one cold cranking amps are a bit low. Think mine is 700a. I'd get the bosch. That's what I was about to buy but ended up getting convinced to go to some mates mates place and not been totally happy with it. Still plan to get a bosch or varta I'd focus more on the Ah personally. Charge storage capacity is far more important than CCA. Big battery reserves = less work for the Alt to do. Since Bosch batteries are just Vartas in a different frock, I just get a new Varta Silver Dynamic from Battery2U every 2 years. No battery has every lasted the full 5 years of the warranty in my experience. The static charge usually always falls below 12.6 after a couple of years. If your batt is showing around 12.3-12.4 a day after a full charge, it's time for a new one, because it will just die when you need it most (when it's - 10 outside) otherwise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 9, 2014 Seems like a CTEK charger is the only really worthwhile one to go for! They don't like damp garages. Halfords own battery charger is the most reliable one I've ever owned. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted May 9, 2014 Halfords own battery charger is the most reliable one I've ever owned. I'd have to agree. Never let me down and will almost always recover a virtually dead battery. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 9, 2014 I've been using an Optimate to keep the battery topped up for years now, works just fine. The only issue I ever had was that the connector that's outside the car corrodes after a while and you have to cut it off and solder a new one on. Last about a year. My current car battery has been on the car for five years of very very low use (less than 4000 miles total) and the battery is still perfect since it's been kept topped up 24x7. Some chargers will run a desulphate cycle (18-20V for a few minutes), which can recover some deep cycled batteries in some specific conditions, but it's never going to be quite the same again and you may as well replace. The point with replacement is you're just recycling the old one - they will recover the lead and you're paying for the refurbishment process. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sankysvr6 0 Posted May 9, 2014 Stick 'clbpol25' in the discount code for ECP and get 25% off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mic_VR 3 Posted May 9, 2014 Well having just arrived back from my morning meeting I've got some positive news. In the end I didn't have time to sort a new battery this morning so I jumped the 'rado from the wife's car and took my leads with me fully expecting to need a further jump after the meeting. It's about a 30 mile drive into the office and low and behold it started on the button after my meeting so some charge is definitely getting in there and being retained to a degree. I've already ordered a Bosch Silver from ECP (£70) so I think I'll still change it. And I'm using a Gunson multi-stage charger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
