Wrong battery from Halfords- can I get a refund?

Auticko1

Hello, last year I bought a new battery from Halfords and they also fitted it into my car. They have an online "search for the right battery for your car" tool, which I used to buy my battery and when they were fitting it in, they also said it was the right type. However, a couple of months ago, my car broke down and the AA guy who came to fix the alternator told me that the battery for my car was too small/wrong type. I don't have a receipt anymore but paid by my card. Will Halfords give me a refund/new battery even though they claimed they gave me the right type of battery in the first place? Is it best to go to the shop where I bought it or contact their customer services? Many thanks.

maninthestreet

So what battery did you buy, and what make/model/engine is your car?

Auticko1

Hi, my car is Ford Focus 1.6 but I don't remember the make of the battery, I will have a look when I get home. However, the AA guy said it was the wrong size for my car. Shall I go by what he says and get a new battery or leave it if the car is running fine and just assume that the alternator broke irrelevant of the battery? Thanks.

agrinnall

An alternator can't break because of the battery that's fitted - is that what the AA guy told you? If so, I'd be making a complaint about him in the first instance, rather than Halfords. I'd say if the car has been starting and running OK with the new battery you may as well leave it in place.

Limey

The AA sell batteries, I wonder if he was fishing for a sale.

forgotmyname

Telll us whats on the labels on the battery or take a photo and upload it to tinypic or similar.

There maybe several battery options. The budget battery and the premium one which hasa higher rating but costs more.

If they said we have this one for £70 and this one for £140 which would you choose?

Halfords are expensive for batteries.

marlot

As said, sometimes there is a choice of suitable batteries.

Crabman

The "Ah" rating (e.g. 45Ah or 60Ah) is generally specified for each car and retailers/garages should be able to find out what is suitable via a database.

If you type your vehicle's registration number into http://www.carparts4less.co.uk it'll tell you (when you click through to Electrical > Car Batteries) what each battery's specs are. Then you can compare those with what Halfords actually fitted to your vehicle.

colino

AA man was fishing and your car broke down because of the alternator, not the battery.

patman99

As long as a battery meets the minimum Ah for your car, then no problem.
Btw, Focus's use a 'smart charge' system. The alternator might not be the issue. The fault could lie with the ECU or the dashboard (each of which has chips to monitor/control the alternator output).

306chris

Is it manual or automatic. if its petrol manual then I cant imagine halfords selling many batteries that wouldn't do the job in terms of performance.