Which battery?

[clk320x]

Varta, Exide, Bosch? Any advice?

I’m thinking of going for Varta from Tayna but I will give my local dealer a call and see how much they want for one.

 

[Denis O]

Don't forget Yuasa.

I just bought a 019, for my Range Rover. £105 with my Trade Card.

 

[Gazwould]

Bosch are made in the Varta factory .

 

[markjay]

Bosch are made in the Varta factory .

As above.

Bosch Versus Varta batteries-Both the same Batteries?

 

[Petrol Pete]

I got a Bosch with a 5 year warranty virtually half price from Eurocarparts when they were having one of those promotions that they always seem to have going. Worth a look. Having said that the last 7 or 8 batteries I have bought (including for my moms motability scooter and a kids electric motorcycle) have come from Tayna without problems and at a good price.

 

[markjay]

I got a Bosch with a 5 year warranty...

Yes, with Varta/Bosch branded you can pay more and get a longer warranty (the battery itself is the same), but with MB-branded Varta battery you are limited to the standard 2-year warranty.

 

[wongl]

I have always stuck to Varta rather than BOSCH - probably because in the parts department at my local MB dealership they used to have a sales display showing cut-outs of 'inferior' non-MB parts verses the cut-outs of the 'superior' MB parts. The 'inferior' non-MB parts looked like they carry the livery from BOSCH although the manufacturer logos were carefully removed by strategically cutting the products in half to expose the innards.

I was surprised to learn via this thread that the batteries from BOSCH and VARTA are essentially the same product! However, you might want to read this discussion about BOSCH vs VARTA batteries on the Money Saving Expert website to make your own minds up about the wisdom of buying a BOSCH or VARTA battery for your car.

Bosch Batteries - The Truth from Bosch - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

 

[mbzclk]

For me, Bosch S5 every time.
AGM or standard depending on the car. Brilliant, reliable and usually backed with a 3-5 year warranty.

Can’t go wrong. Used it in all of my Mercs with no issues and utterly reliable.

 

[mbzclk]

Further to this.

When I had a Mercedes Varta battery fail under warranty the service manager was a prat (I’m being polite)

Blamed the other battery despite and just tried to wriggle out of sorting it because super duper diagnostic computer said no.

When one Bosch battery failed due to alternator failure a few years back I was able to take it to ECP and get it swapped no bother and also had the option of a Bosch Service Centre.

 

[AMGeed]

Maximum of 3yr guarantee on any brand of AGM battery.
Its almost like they know they will fail

 

[clk320x]

My E250 W212 doesn’t have stop-start but ECP only list AGM batteries, so I assume even non stop-start 212s need these?

When I googled the p/n from my battery A0045418601 it comes up with this: E39 Varta Start-Stop Plus 096 AGM Car Battery 12V 70Ah (570901076)

 

[AMGeed]

My old E55 didn't have stop/start but needed an AGM battery Abs.

I'd replace yours with your choice of 096 type AGM battery

 

[markjay]

I have always stuck to Varta rather than BOSCH - probably because in the parts department at my local MB dealership they used to have a sales display showing cut-outs of 'inferior' non-MB parts verses the cut-outs of the 'superior' MB parts. The 'inferior' non-MB parts looked like they carry the livery from BOSCH although the manufacturer logos were carefully removed by strategically cutting the products in half to expose the innards.

I was surprised to learn via this thread that the batteries from BOSCH and VARTA are essentially the same product! However, you might want to read this discussion about BOSCH vs VARTA batteries on the Money Saving Expert website to make your own minds up about the wisdom of buying a BOSCH or VARTA battery for your car.

Bosch Batteries - The Truth from Bosch - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

It seems that the source of his problem was that due to a mistake made by the retailer he had no proof-of-purchase for the Bosch battery (the retailer supplied a Bosch battery but mistakenly wrote 'Varta' on the invoice).

It would be interesting to see what sort of warranty replacement service Bosch would have offered him had he been able to produce an invoice showing the purchase date of his Bosch battery.

Although, even so, reverting to 12 months from day of manufacture in the absence of proof-of-purchase seems a bit harsh. The flip-side is, of course, that we don't know what service Varta would have offered if he told them he had a Varta battery but no proof-of-purchase?

And, what compounded matters further, was his inability to raise this with the retailer who sold him the battery in the first place, because it wasn't worth his while to travel back to the shop.

But it does not end here... if I understand correctly, he also complains about the length of the warranty, which is stated as 3 years plus 1 year, but the extra 1 year is excluded form the UK?

So in short clearly he did not have a very good experience, but to be fair to Bosch there's also a set of unique circumstances here. Plus it was 4 years ago - things may changed since.

In summary it was an interesting read, but I doubt it will influence my decision if I ever have to to choose between Varta and Bosch...

 

[markjay]

On a general note, I would be happy with any battery brand that is a tier-1 supplier to the automotive industry.

Based on my experience with the industry, car manufacturers put an effort into choosing the right parts for new cars because they know that poor-quality parts in a new car means they will have the incur the cost of labour in relation to dealing with the issue (the part itself will be cover by its manufacturer).

So while car manufacturers do sometime get it wrong, it is rarely done knowingly.

 

[AMGeed]

On a general note, I would be happy with any battery brand that is a tier-1 supplier to the automotive industry.

So would I. Much like tyres, we have our preferences but all the premium brands should be considered good quality.
The brands I have had , and would use again include Varta, Bosch, Exide, Banner and Yuasa. I wouldn't have another Halfords branded battery or Lion brand from ECP.

 

[Dichtung]

Yuasa everytime for me. Never ever failed in my cars.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Here we go again with the 'Battery thing' Lets face it , even in the bad old days of topping up with 'distilled' water from your moms kettle a car battery was just a lump of thing that either worked or it didn't. And it was easy and cheap to sort out.

We all agree that the demand on a car battery has come a long way since then but we must (surely) also agree that having them fail as a matter of course at the 2 to 3 year mark is taking the pi$$.

Moderators, I ask again for a battery only section on this forum.

 

[Wolfie1]

In my rx7 i used to always run bosch batteries used to last 2 years and then it always needed replaced, put 2 in and then though sod it im going to try a cheap 1, cheap 1 has been in 4-5 years now troublefree

 

[Flyinspanner]

The only caution I would add is that with online retailers, to replace the battery, they may want you to pay for the return (keep all the packaging and remember that only certain companies will carry batteries =£££) so they can assess the battery, and if they say “we can’t fault it” you pay for its return again,... if it’s duff they’ll send a new one, so you may be without battery for 4-7 days in total.

Get one from your local ECP,...walk in -walk out - same day.

50% off batteries ECP use code “ SALE60”

 

[190]

We all agree that the demand on a car battery has come a long way since then but we must (surely) also agree that having them fail as a matter of course at the 2 to 3 year mark is taking the pi$$.

I would be seriously pi$$ed if a battery failed at 2 - 3 years. Outside of very hot climates it just shouldn't be happening. I think one aspect to batteries being increasingly viewed as a short term consumable is the promotion of the idea by the car manufacturers that a battery is totally maintenance free and never has to checked or charged to achieve maximum battery life. Lead acid batteries only last if they are kept close to fully charged at all times. Lets be honest, the average punter still thinks that if a battery starts the car then it must be fully charged and can be safely ignored. That will in some cases be a recipe for a short battery life.