s2turbsZVH

Need some help/advice re best battery for me to get.

I have had some problems with the battery draining quickly and then lacking sufficient power to crank the engine (car used very rarely) - it will start on jump leads and will run fine but to be honest I think the battery is shot to bits.

1) I have been hunting around and it seems I can get either a 650 CCA (cranking) 72Ah or a 590 CCA 60 Ah battery - again I assume best idea is to get the 650CCA 72Ah battery?

2) Am i right in saying that I should get a trickle charger to keep it topped up when I am not using the car?

Any help appreciated as I am certainly no expert when it comes to batteries.

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

go to halfords and get a HCB075 should do the trick, its a calcium battery so should last ages and it comes with a 4 yr guarentee

tabetha

Don't bother with a calcium, these discharge even quicker when not in use.
How much do you want to spend ?, your ideal battery is a AGM, ie absorbed glass mat, this will rape your wallet to the tune of around £110, but will have almost zero discharge compared to a std lead acid or calcium battery.
All batteries will self discharge, of any type, AGM discharge the leastm lead acid tend to lose 1% a day, calcium 1 1/2% - 2% a day, AGM(a good one) is 1% a week, ideally need to be above 80%.
AGM also don't get damaged if fully flattened, unlike all the others, and have massively superior cranking power, a 70ah AGM will be 1000 amps easily.
If fitting a calcium battery to a car with a std charging system such as yours it will never fully charge to it's potential, as voltage on calcium equipped cars is higher up to around 15.8V, will work ok at lower voltage of lead acid battery but you'd be paying extra for a benefit you can't get, and a disadvantage you don't want.
tabetha

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

If battery is old and car not being rearely dosen't help them then most likely battery shot, a trickle charger does as the name says just gives a small charge to condition battery.

Martin

tabetha

Be aware a trickle charger is totally different from a maintenance charger, a trickle charger does as it says, and does your battery no good, a maintenance charger will cycle up and down exercising your battery.
A excellent maintainance charger can be bought at LIDL when they have them on offer for £15, have one myself, also does repair modes etc, does battery no harm.
tabetha