Batteries for TDCi

[bundybear75]

Originally Posted by cobrin

well well well, it failed to start today battery must have been low, it cranked too slow to even start. I've had a replacement here for two days on maintenance mode cause I've been doing to some work on the cars exterior, looking great I might add. A quick swap and it's cranking like a champ and starts up in two chugs so to speak.

The missus has neglected the battery and has been using the car with the engine off every day (phone calls over bt after shut down, music ect.) coupled with leaving the keys in the vehicle overnight (multiple times) boot not fully shut multiple times only to find out the following morning the car clicks and doesn't have enough charge to crank, sure it gets a charge up and all is good but the first time it went really low it's never been the same and there's only so much a monthly charge can do or save. Two or three days of nil use and it wouldn't start.

As I've been cleaning and protecting the car over the last two days it didn't go well today. So in went the battery. Oh yeah WTF! is going on with the cost of batteries these days?

The same replacement from the same place of purchase (and others mind you) is $309-330 greedy bastards...

Century Heavy Duty DIN75LMF 80Ah 730cca $254 from SuperCheap Auto bought 27-11-2016 [24MTH warranty]
It is 1151 days from the old battery.
Or 3 years, 1 month, 26 days.
Or 37 month, 26 days.

This is the shortest battery service life I've had in all my driving history but it's the missus that attributes to this shortened result so I'm not completely annoyed. It's made over it's warranty period which is a bit weak if you ask me. Any who I'm not buying a $300 battery, my wife found the replacement from the last place you'd think to buy a battery from. It's not a 80Ah battery she found a 95Ah 810CCA replacement but it were to high to fit in the battery box coming in @ 224mm height. The 80Ah battery also were ~190-205mm height and didn't want to chance it.

The winner with 305x175x175 was:
Exide Extreme DIN66MF 66Ah 650CCA $175 (wow!!!)
[36MTH extended warranty]

And from all places it was from Bunnings, all because several months ago I noticed the tool shop had a rack of them and I made mention to the missus how weird or that I didn't know they even sold car batteries at bunnings. She's laughing now as I type this, good on ya love...

so that's a nice savings to keep.

Taken today and looking really shiny:
image

Funny, I noticed batteries at my local Bunnings the other morning. I didn't stop to look at the prices as I assumed they would be stupid, but I will have another look. My kids paddock basher needs a new battery so this might be the go to.....

[manchu]

Originally Posted by cobrin

The winner with 305x175x175 was:
Exide Extreme DIN66MF 66Ah 650CCA $175 (wow!!!)
[36MTH extended warranty]

And from all places it was from Bunnings,

I noticed batteries last time I was at Bunnings, including one that looked like it might just work for the mondeo but was't sure. . Thanks for the details...that's what I'll be buying IF I need to replace my 8yr old battery. It's given me a few low battery warnings over recent months but keeps on kicking

I say IF because my mondeo is off for insurance assessment tomorrow after being hammered by hail on Sunday.

[thebigd]

Sorry to hear about the hail damage manchu.
This pic was from a 2012 hail storm in Brisbane. My company car was just six weeks old at the time. The claim on my house was nearly $60K.

[cobrin]

Oh sorry to hear that Manchu.

[Franco Cozzo]

Something to keep in mind that when you have a tired battery and its starting to turn over the engine slowly and you keep persisting, it damages the contacts on the commutator inside the starter motor - this is what it does:



Whats cheaper, $350 for a battery or a new starter motor, labour to remove and refit AND the $350 battery?

When it gets weak, replace it

[manchu]

Originally Posted by cobrin

Oh sorry to hear that Manchu.

Originally Posted by thebigd

Sorry to hear about the hail damage manchu.

thanks for the condolences guys.

As I expected it's a write off. $12,400, 2012 MC Zetec wagon with ~130kkm. The assessor barely even looked at it.

I'm now trying to decide whether to by it back for $2500. Other than some cracks in the tail lights it's all cosmetic damage. Good tyres, brakes etc and goes well but It's almost due for it's trans fluid change though so that's a pending cost. It's our 2nd car and just for my work commute so I'm not too fussed about the dings.

[manchu]

Originally Posted by cobrin

The winner with 305x175x175 was:
Exide Extreme DIN66MF 66Ah 650CCA $175 (wow!!!)
[36MTH extended warranty]

the frequency of my low batt warnings is increasing so will get a new one soon.

current battery is DIN77 so a little concerned going for DIN66. Hows it going cobrin?

[cobrin]

Originally Posted by manchu

Hows it going cobrin?

It's going great, I do about 8 starts a day if nothing is happening and it's starting with gusto. The old battery is indicating low water (looks like is has done for some time) and it's never recovered. I'm using it for a motorcycle custom build battery supply seeing as it's battery is cactus. It'll hang in there for the time being.

[cobrin]

I forgot to add that when I bought this Mondeo it came with a 60Ah RACQ battery which in part why I'm comfortable with the battery capacity to do it again. This vehicle is a Fleet Vehicle from Woolworths Brisbane if it's of any interest.

[manchu]

I finally bit the bullet and replaced by 8yo battery. It was still ticking but figured I'd pushed it far enough.

I just went for whatever my local auto elec/battery man offered for as little as possible.

$165 for a Lion 485 red DIN77. About as cheap as it gets so hopefully lasts OK. 3yr warranty is good.

https://www.lionbatteries.com.au/pdf...nce%20Free.pdf