Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 15:57
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - myusernameunavailable

Hi all

I own a 2008 Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol. Couple of days ago the battery on it went flat. I called up AA guys for a jumpstart (and to establish the reason behind battery dying all of a sudden).

The guy was helpful and jumpstarted the car. left is the engine running for good 10-15 min. but as soon as he removed the battery charger the car died..he said the battery is done for good and i needed to replace it.) The multimeter (or whatever that device is) gave him the following readings

VOLTS - 11.29V

MEASURED - 62 EN (A)

RATING - 390 EN (A)

He was asking me to pay around 85 pounds for a 079 type battery which he said was the right fit. However i decided against paying because a quick google quoted me max 45 for the battery

My questions are

1. When searching for a battery online is the battery type (in this case 079) + volts (12V) enough? Do i have to know any thing else to order the right battery online? Does more amp mean better performance/extended life? According to the readings above, it looks like i need a 390 amp battery. But could i get a say 540 one as well?

2. Are Bosch any better than Excide (Or AA)? I have the original ford battery in there right now.

3. How easy is it to change the battery on own? Its a smaller (than normal) battery.

4. And most importantly going by the readings above, do the battery ACTUALLY need changing :) ??

Any feedback is much appreciated. Do let me know if my questions are not clear and i wil try to put more details.

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 16:16
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - slkfanboy

VARTA & Excide are the most respected battery makers. Bosch are badged versions.

A battery with only 11.29v is dead. A better battery generaly has better CCA (Cold Crank Amp) so 540 is better.

There seams to be a number of battery types for 2008 1.6's so be careful to get the correct type. If you intent to keep the car then go for a better 3yr warrantied battery

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 16:36
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - skidpan

Don't Fords need a special battery, something to do with the alternator.

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 16:43
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - myusernameunavailable

Don't Fords need a special battery, something to do with the alternator.

i did not know that. might as well give my ford dealer a call and ask. any suggesstions on reliable online retailers to buy them from ?

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 16:42
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - myusernameunavailable

VARTA & Excide are the most respected battery makers. Bosch are badged versions.

A battery with only 11.29v is dead. A better battery generaly has better CCA (Cold Crank Amp) so 540 is better.

There seams to be a number of battery types for 2008 1.6's so be careful to get the correct type. If you intent to keep the car then go for a better 3yr warrantied battery

thanks a lot for your reply. yes i intend to keep the car for long. i am going to go through the service book to find the exact make of the battery (hoping its somewhere in there)

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 17:41
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Galaxy

The Ford Focus must be fitted with a calcium-type battery. Fitting a traditional lead-type will upset the Ford charging system and cause all sorts of problems.

I replaced the battery on my Ford Mondeo with a Bosch, which I purchased from Euro Car Parts. Don't buy batteries in Halfords, by the way, because they charge and absolute fortune. The Bosch was OK but there were a couple of odd things which the car did afterwards that it didn't do before. It could have been just due to the fact that I had completely disconnected the battery for a little while, or it could have been connected with actually fitting a Bosch battery instead of a Ford one. Never found what the problem was before I got rid of the car.

If I needed a new battery for my present Mondeo then I think I'd buy a genuine Ford one. Even doing that would be cheaper than buying a battery in Halfords! Also, if I did have to change it, I would fit a considerably larger battery than the one that's fitted at the moment.

When I purchased this car a couple of years ago I was really surprised when I pulled the plastic cover off to reveal the battery. It's only a 43 AH which I personally consider very tiny! I would fit at least a 60 AH should I need to replace it. There's plenty of room on the battery tray to fit a much larger battery but this is something which obviously needs to be checked before purchase.

I suppose Fords are fitting smaller batteries now in order to save money during manufacture!

Edited by Galaxy on 27/04/2015 at 17:50

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 19:08
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - quizman

I would get a Varta Silver fromwww.tayna.co.uk/Varta-Car-Batteries-S218-1.html?or...=

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Mon 27 Apr 2015 20:12
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Wackyracer

There is only 2 brands of battery that I would recommend, Varta and Exide.

I had a Fulmen (Exides heavy duty) battery on the car for 14 years before I changed it.

The Varta silver has been on the car since 2006 and gives an instant start (you don't hear any cranking at all).

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Thu 30 Apr 2015 12:36
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - myusernameunavailable

thanks to all who have replied. your reply has been hugely helpful.

i was trying to find the right battery part for my car and since the entire description is hidden by a clamp, all i could see was 6G9N-10655-LA - 12V - 65RC. could someone please point what is the part number and type (i was told it is a 079) ?

i have tried googling this 6G9N-10655-LA and i did find the battery but not sure if its the right one.

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Thu 30 Apr 2015 13:16
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Galaxy

Well, it says 6G9N-10655-LA - 12V - 65RC on the label on the Ford battery on my Mondeo, but it also says 43 AH 390A which are the Ampere/Hour and Cranking Current ratings. So, I would guess, it's the same battery.

However, as mentioned in my other post, if I ever had to replace my battery, then I personally would fit a much larger one (Capacity-wise).

The battery you have in your car is shown here on the Ebay website:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Car-Battery-12v-43Ah-390a-...a

And, no, you don't have to buy one from Germany, they will be avaiable in this country from your local Ford Main Dealer! Should you wish to replace your existing battery with a larger one then I'm sure they'll have those too.

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Thu 30 Apr 2015 13:48
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Wackyracer

I think the right one for the Focus is an 075.

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Thu 30 Apr 2015 14:27
Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - Replacement battery - Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Petrol - myusernameunavailable

thanks for your reply.

i have just had a quote from my local ford dealer for a new battery replacement with CCA of 590 which works out with the fitting cost of £148.60 Inc VAT on a 3 year warranty

it is costiler than buying it online and getting it fitted but i am tempted to go and get it done with.

decisions decisions!!

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