New battery.

[GiveMeABreak]

YUASA bought out LUCAS first 50% then later bought the other half, marketed LUCAS batteries for a while then pulled the brand - a good bit of history here:
https://www.yuasa.co.uk/company/history ... urope-ltd/

[GiveMeABreak]

Looking at the above made me do some digging on my Bosch S6 'Premium' AGM battery:- for which there seems to be a lot of discontentment with:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... ?t=5426815

It would seem there is a lot of conflicting information about the warranties of these batteries from the link above - concerning the 12 months from the manufacturing date not the date you buy it - so it could be sitting on a shelf for 2 years before you even buy it!

[wheeler]

So you wouldn't recommend the battery these guys said I needed here?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2664405692

No chance, its far too small cranking amps. If you fit that battery you will be lucky to get a year out of it.
The original battery is 720 cca (EN) that one is only 610 cca so not even close.

[Paul-R]

I'm not finding EFB & AGM batteries to have a very long lifespan at all, even when fitted to stop start cars. ... im finding loads of them failing when still under manufacturers warranty.

The stop-start on our 308 started misbehaving early last year when it was about two years old. The dealer "looked" at it a few months later and asked us to see if had been fixed. It wasn't but we couldn't get it back to them until after the summer holidays when they had it on-and-off for another month or so - each time asking us to see if it was fixed. In the end they fitted a new air intake flap (at our expense, as it was damaged) and a new battery (under warranty).

I'm not convinced the air intake flap contributed to the problem as the stop-start was working earlier on so it looks to me as though the battery had reached the end of its life.

[boristhespie]

To be honest all the searches bring up batteries in tye 600-660 range and not 720 as my Varta is.

Why would this be?

Maybe a good idea to be sure on what the figures mean. 096 is the size (physical????) Of the battery. 600 CCA is what...the amount of power available for start up? And 70 is the amps?

[EDC5]

Yep, 096 is the physical size, any battery with this designation will fit perfectly.

CCA is cold cranking amps, basically the maximum current the battery can provide instantaneously, mainly quoted when talking about car batteries as the starter motor is a huge current load.

70 Ah is the Capacity. This being the total amount of charge stored in the battery. Larger capacity gives more start attempts or longer with the radio on without the engine running etc.

[GiveMeABreak]

The MK I for 2003 lists several batteries and list these as possibilities:
72 / 450
60 / 640
77 / 780

so in simple terms, the AH (Amp Hours) are how long the battery will last uncharged, and the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is the power they have to turn the engine over sufficiently to get it started in cold conditions.

I would suggest you get the size and terminal poles correct first, then get what you can afford - although remember that they won't necessarily last any longer, so no point throwing buckets of money at a bigger battery than needed for the vehicle. So it's ok to get a better spec. if you want, but don't go below.

Crossed over with your post Elis!

[reef2k]

So you wouldn't recommend the battery these guys said I needed here?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2664405692

They all make a big thing about checking rhe dimensions of the battery tray. I couldn't measure this BUT did measure the battery at 26.5cm and 16.5 cm which seems smaller than a lot of the batteries here. What size can the tray in the C5 take?

I fiited one of those Hankook type 096 to my Grand Picassoa couple of weeks ago. it's the bigger of the two they recommend,027 is the other. I fitted a Varta battery to my wifes C5 1.6 HDi which i thought was rather small,and certainly no bigger than the dimensions you mention but has been fantastic,even though it was second hand. I tend only to check and make sure the terminals are on the correct side for my car.

[RichardW]

027 and 096 are the same height and width; 096 is longer, so generally higher capacity.

There is more than one measure of CCA - SAE is usually quoted in the UK; this is the current a battery can provide for 30s at -18C without dropping below 7.2V. Ah is the number of hours a battery can supply 1 amp. In general Ah and CCA rise together. Both give an indication of 'reserve' capacity of the battery, it's best not to deplete the battery too much starting the car, as car spec lead-acid batteries don't like being deep cycled. If you have a big diesel, use it infrequently, and live somewhere cold, then more CCA is better. If you have a small petrol, use it everyday, and live somewhere warm, then CCA is less important.

Stuck one of these on my Sister's C4 Picasso a few months ago. Not a 'known' brand, but 5 year warranty: https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/p ... -advanced/

[myglaren]

This is mine - been perfect (only just remembered to look)

[EDC5]

This is mine - been perfect (only just remembered to look)

IMGP1510.JPG

That looks like a good old fashioned flooded cell to me.
I still think they're more robust than the modern variants of lead acid.

Also a crude way of comparing batteries is by looking at their weights. More lead makes for a better battery.

[boristhespie]

Got a battery and just delivered from the link you provided RichardW. Thanks.I now have to get socket to remove bolt and plunk this thing in. I have been doing searches for correct installation sequence. Windows down, buttons pressed etc but can't find it.

[RichardW]

You don't need to worry too much about powering it down. Open the bonnet, close the doors, give it at least 5 minutes to go to sleep. Change the battery. After reconnecting wait a few minutes for it to initialise before opening the door, then switch on the ignition. Wait a minute or so, turn on the lights, wait another minute or so, then start the engine.