Long-lived battery

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 06 Feb 2011, 11:47

I changed the battery on my Sept. 2000 (registered then, but various date markings shows manufactured in May 2000) Xantia Hdi90 the other day.

When I moved the battery into the garage this morning I noticed the date on it - the date it was manufactured.

020500.

So it was the original battery! Practically 11 years old.

spider · Unread post by **spider** » 06 Feb 2011, 11:58

Done well

The 'Freedom' batteries fitted to GM stuff in the '90's were excellent too, I had one last 9 years.

The other ones I recommend now (if you can find them) are Motaquip but you must have a VBY or VBZ one not a VBX (the cheap ones) , the one in my 205TD lasted five years.

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 06 Feb 2011, 14:02

This is a Varta, standard fitting on Frenchcars I think.

spider · Unread post by **spider** » 06 Feb 2011, 16:17

rmunns wrote:This is a Varta, standard fitting on Frenchcars I think.

Even more so then, I bet they have changed them slightly as they did not do very well in my experience.

Toby_HDi · Unread post by **Toby_HDi** » 06 Feb 2011, 18:00

Just changed the one in my Coupé. It is a Bosch S5008, 77Ah and 780cca. 5 year guarantee on it so we shall see if it lasts that long.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 06 Feb 2011, 20:12

Battery life, apart from the quality, has a lot to do with how easily the engine starts, car batteries are not designed to be deeply discharged, only to provide a few hundred amps for a few seconds then the alternator takes over. If you have to churn the starter over several times or for a long period it will kill a battery quicker than anything.

Liesure batteries of the deep cycle kind can be fully charged then discharged about 500 times during their life, do that with a car battery and its life will be nearer 20 times. It has a lot of very thin plates designed to allow it to give a very high current for a short time, continually charging and discharging it will cause to plates to fall to pieces.

Using the highest capacity battery you can fit will also extend its life as you use a smaller percentage of its capacity each time you start. Batteries do vary in quality though - the best ones are usually the heaviest, either the plates are thicker or there are more of them.

Peter

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 06 Feb 2011, 20:54

...last year we had a BX TXD on a K plate that had it's original battery on it.

It was quite a special car though...31,000 miles and one lady owner.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 07 Feb 2011, 00:06

I wish my car was that clean under the bonnet