Car battery question - false economy?

Torkijo

Question, is it false economy to buy a cheap battery - is it best to get a Bosch or other decent one or are the Cheap ones fine?

leosayer

I buy mine from Halfords - they have a four year guarantee.

Not the cheapest though.

s_b

many batteries are sold under different names so your question as it stands cannot be answered
if you had been specific in make, model ,engine size, time you expect to keep, the car driving conditions where you live, then a more specific answer could possibly be given

Torkijo

Its for an 86 VW Camper 1.6td - used weekly/fortnightly

Looking at a 096 battery and 3 options so far -Ultra Plus - £59 delivered, Lucas Premium £80 delivered or Bosch £90 delivered (The Bosch is the same model Halfords sell for over £130.

So question is should i go for the Bosch with a 5 year guarantee of the cheaper one with 4 years? Whats the real difference between them?

Cheers

s_b

go to your local motor factor like andrew page/partco that deals with the trade you should be able to buy the bosch 096 for £65 all in tops and is the battery i recommend

Torkijo

Found it for 68 with 3 yr warrantee or 90 with 5 yr

s_b

batteries work on insurance principles ie the longer you own them you get diminishing returns if it fails against a new one
i would therefore suggest for a diesel battery even in todays world a 3 year warranty should be sufficient for your needs and works out at around 50 new p a week
im sure you can squeeze the pips a little harder but dont know where you live, but do try a factor, they are all struggling at the moment and to get a battery of their shelf in nearly june would be a blessing for them

split_second

i bought mine from griffin battery centre based in bury, i believe a battery for a vw van with a 1.6 engine is about £45, i've had mine for a good few years now and use my car daily and it has been fine, also partco and andrew page will do you a decent deal, had many parts from them over the years (i've owned a fiat for 7 years and a citroen for 2 years before that- of course i have had plenty from then)

Torkijo

Cheers, know of any factors in South
Warwickshire?

flang

have you tried http://www.carbatteriesonline.co.uk/
I recently used them via their ebay shop and got a bosch battery to fit my 1993 bmw for $40 delivered. cheapest i could find anywhere online

skiddlydiddly

You don't have to buy one specific for your camper, it just has to be able to fit in the battery tray.In the past I've bought bigger, more powerful diesel batteries and even made a new tray to give better cold starting and there wasn't any real difference in price between that and the one specific for my car.