Car battery question - false economy?

Rolandtheroadie

I got a Bulldog Battery for the wifes car due to a starting problem. Changed the battery, problem still there.

Chased a possible drain on the battery, no joy. Eventually took it back to be told it was very rare for a battery to be faulty under warranty.

They checked it on their Bulldog equipment, was around 300 CCA (cold cranking amps?) should have been around 640. Carried out a rescue charge twice, got it up to about 450.

THEN they replaced the battery stating they still were not convinced it was faulty and would put it back on the shelf.

The new battery they supplied was checked by them and was about 700 CCA (still labelled 640) and the cars never failed to start since.

grizzly1911

IMO batteries last a lot longer than they used to. On my last car I changed it was 8/9 years old on a diesel and still going strong.

The biggest problem these days is that they just seem to die overnight. At one time you got some notice that they were on their way out. Not sure if that is anything to do with the fact they are largely maintenance free these days?