Best place to get a new car battery?

[TDi_B5]

Any thoughts on the best place to get a new car battery? Mine is on its way out, 'unservicable' and running at 67% according to halfords, although I'm loathed to pay £93 for a new one from them!

Should I go for a heavy duty one or a standard? Its currently got an 80Ah battery fitted from uni part, shame it didn't last more than 3 years.

[snapdragon]

I still have the original VARTA one after 8 years (to the month) so they are obviously a good make :D *touch wood*
See Eurocarparts and GFS, also Vauxhall dealers used to sell their own GO batteries which were rebranded AC Delco, these were good quality and cheap and fitted other makes, but that was 3-4 years ago now.

[TDi_B5]

The heavy duty batteries are longer in size than some of the standard ones. My current battery is around 310mm wide and the one I'm looking at is 345mm.

Surely the battery tray can only accomodate upto a certain size? My current one fits snuggly so I guess that rules out the wider heavy duty one?

[martin1810]

You can get varta batteries delivered try a google.

[jammy86]

Do you know anyone with a halfords trade card? Where in the world are you, maybe someone near you from here could help you out? You get about 30-40% discount with them.

As much as the halfords ones seem expensive, if or when it fails within 4 years you can rock down to halfords and have it changed then and there....

JAmes.

[TDi_B5]

Just tracked a good one down through an ebay seller;

Exide
80Ah
700amps

Fitted to new Jags and Landrovers, £49.50 delivered.

Think i'll go for that one. 3 year warranty too. In Southampton by the way.

[badade 1.8t]

just chaeck dimension of the battery you most likely to find that the battery is about 315mm in lenght and if you go to most of garages they will ofer around 278mm just a bit short to secure the battery with the clamp on the left hand side of the battery when you look at it, cos I have problem with my just found out this problem today, most places you can get on is like UNIPART or PARTCO to get the right size, just saying check before you put clams on to because sometime when you buy one and connect it first, and you will find that will not secure like it should they may not give you your money back, this happend to my thats why I'm just saying maybe I'm wrong

[GARY]

My 51 plate 130 passat still has the original fitted!

[stuk]

The original battery on my '01 TDi 130 lasted until summer '09 (approx 8 yrs and 230k).

It finally died whilst I was camping in Surrey. With the aid of Google Maps on my mobile I found there was a Euro Car Parts not too far away (walkable in about 30 mins, but not with a battery). They were jolly nice chaps, very helpful and agreed to deliver one to me on the next van passing, which took them all of about 45 mins.

I cannot remember the exact prices, but they had three ranging from late £60's to mid £70's ex VAT.

[lee01]

try euro car parts i got one for mine (the battery is for a 1.8t) from them for £35 +VAT and the battery is a bosche one

[scotty33]

Hi

I had to replace the Banner branded original battery on my 98 passat earlier this year (09) so it had lasted 10.5 years and 200k!
n.b there are I think 3 positions that the clamp can be fixed in to take different battery sizes.

[badade 1.8t]

Hi

I got my battery from PARTCO for about £67, places like GSF and other they have the short version just 278mm original passats are a bit longer at 315 and you can't secure the short models.

[wobbla]

kirkland battery from cosco

[MalcQV]

Bought one local for my 2.0 petrol for £46, though it is only 75Ah, which is in this case the same as the previous.