Best value car battery for family car

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timmmay

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#195469 21-Apr-2016 08:30

What's the best car battery and place to get it, for a small family car - Corolla in this case. I got an Exide from Bridgestone last time, it lasted 5 years or so and is finally giving up the ghost. Is it worth looking at Marshall or Repco?

When I say value I mean good quality and reasonable prices. I'm not looking for the cheapest that will fail after 12 months, or the most expensive that will last 5 years.

Bridgestone say $169 to $199 (he didn't seem to have time to check) and drive in any time.
Repco say $188 for their premium
SuperCheap have a good range from Century but no idea what model. Their "club" prices are good, but I don't know what it is.

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#1537197 21-Apr-2016 09:02

Cost price on a 430cca battery which would be more than suitable for corolla is about $60 +GST

The 430cca is probably the the biggest that would fit in there and is what I would get.

How if your current battery failing?

timmmay

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#1537198 21-Apr-2016 09:06

Current battery is just reluctant to start. Instead of roaring quickly to life it sounds like it's straining and takes longer. I really want to replace it ASAP, this week / weekend.

So there's a huge markup. Is there anywhere that does good quality for lower markup than cost + 150%?

Jase2985

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#1537200 21-Apr-2016 09:11

Have you check the voltage before startup in the morning? have you tried it on a battery conditioner?

if it still has a decent voltage then conditioning is all it may need

timmmay

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#1537201 21-Apr-2016 09:15

I haven't tested or tried anything - I don't have a conditioner, and having to reset the radio/alarm is annoying. The battery is 5 years old, I assume it's just old and needs replacement. Extending its life a little isn't worth the risk of it not starting even once, and it's going to be moved from a shed to being kept outside soon too.

We drive 15 mins to and 15 mins from work each day, so it should have time to charge.

Where would I get the battery conditioned? I'm unlikely to buy a fancy charger to use every 5 years. Is it really likely to extend life significantly?

davidcole

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#1537204 21-Apr-2016 09:17

There's a battery place next to supercheap in the hutt, I'm sure their pricing is better than that. Or hutt auto parts in alicetown. They should be priced and better quality than what you'll get from supercheap/repco

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Jaxson

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#1537216 21-Apr-2016 09:19

If you know anyone with a government spending board passport, Century do significant discounts via that scheme.

You're usually physically limited as to what volume you have in your engine bay/battery support area. So you often have to stay with the manufacturers intended battery, or at a push one size up.

The only variance from there is a cheaper traditional battery or one that is self contained.

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trig42

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#1537217 21-Apr-2016 09:19

15 minutes each way each day may not be enough to keep it fully charged up (especially if some of that 15 minutes is sitting in traffic with Aircon/lights going).

Maybe take the car for a decent drive (half hour there and back, up a couple of hills - in Wellington, head over to Kapiti and back?). See if that makes it better for next week or next day even.

I'd say SuperCheap may be your best bet for value on the battery.

timmmay

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#1537221 21-Apr-2016 09:28

davidcole:

There's a battery place next to supercheap in the hutt, I'm sure their pricing is better than that. Or hutt auto parts in alicetown. They should be priced and better quality than what you'll get from supercheap/repco

Century Yuasa, helpful guys, but only sell to trade. The Battery shop next door sells batteries a

Jaxson:

If you know anyone with a government spending board passport, Century do significant discounts via that scheme.

You're usually physically limited as to what volume you have in your engine bay/battery support area. So you often have to stay with the manufacturers intended battery, or at a push one size up.

The only variance from there is a cheaper traditional battery or one that is self contained.

I work for a govt dept. Century do govt discounts. Not sure what a govt spending board passport is though. Century asked for an "N3" ID number but my procurement team don't know what that is. Google suggest it's this.

timmmay

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#1537223 21-Apr-2016 09:29

trig42:

15 minutes each way each day may not be enough to keep it fully charged up (especially if some of that 15 minutes is sitting in traffic with Aircon/lights going).

Maybe take the car for a decent drive (half hour there and back, up a couple of hills - in Wellington, head over to Kapiti and back?). See if that makes it better for next week or next day even.

I'd say SuperCheap may be your best bet for value on the battery.

We just recently got back from Taupo, so a pretty big drive. We do a bit of driving on the weekend. It's not really worth spending $50 worth of petrol to try to revive a 5 year old battery when replacement cost is $200 or so.

Jase2985

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#1537227 21-Apr-2016 09:38

they do say to condition your battery once a year to help with it keeping charge. I brought a charger with a conditioner built in for about $150 and use it on both of my cars and also other family members.

but yea 15mins isn't much for charging the battery

MikeB4

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#1537254 21-Apr-2016 09:42

An NS60L for a corolla will cost between $140 - $180. Super cheap is about mid point in the market, I have purchased a few from there for boats and all have been good

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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#1537260 21-Apr-2016 09:55

timmmay:

I work for a govt dept. Century do govt discounts. Not sure what a govt spending board passport is though. Century asked for an "N3" ID number but my procurement team don't know what that is. Google suggest it's this.

For N3, thats the one. See your HR or office admin (they usually know such stuff) about it. We had it at a PTE I worked for, were given a card IIRC with the company ID# etc on it - just flashed that at stores and got discounts.

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timmmay

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#1537263 21-Apr-2016 09:57

$189 seems to be the regular retail price for most. The Battery Shop in Hutt Rd has the best price for a quality battery at $145 inc GST if I fit it myself, and they'll still check it's fitted properly and test stuff. I'll go get one of those on the weekend I guess.

Thinking about regular conditioning, is there a charger that can do car batteries and the 33SLA batteries I have for emergency backup? They just sit in the shed, I have no charger for them.

timmmay

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#1537264 21-Apr-2016 09:59

xpd:

For N3, thats the one. See your HR or office admin (they usually know such stuff) about it. We had it at a PTE I worked for, were given a card IIRC with the company ID# etc on it - just flashed that at stores and got discounts.

Might ask HR, but procurement lead doesn't know about it.

Jaxson

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#1537273 21-Apr-2016 10:19

GSBclub1 Rewards Passport

Looks like it's been replaced with that n3 thing, as non of the old links on my cardboard 'passport' work anymore.

Worth pursuing if possible. Purchased a new battery less than a month ago at approx. 40% off from repco/supercheap price from memory.

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