The battery failed to start the BMW this morning despite having been on charge for the past 24 hours. I switched off after the starter had been engaged for about 5 seconds because it was obvious it wasn't turning fast enough to start the engine. I tried the headlights but they would give no more than an orange glow so the fault was clearly with the battery or its connections, not the starter motor.
I then connected the BMW and Triumph batteries together with jump leads extended in length with bits of fairly thin electrical cable. The headlights shone brightly, thus eliminating the possibility of bad electrical connections. Also the engine spun quite fast when the starter was engaged, despite the very thin jump cables. On disconnecting the jump leads and switching on the headlights again, these faded to an orange glow after a few seconds. I think this confirms that the BMW battery is defunct.
The existing battery is branded BMW but is made by Varta. It may well be the original, especially since (a) it is located underneath the rear seat, away from the heat of the engine and (b) it is HUGE and likely to have never been under stress. If Varta is good enough for BMW to put its name on then, as JohnCD suggests, I will look for this make as an alternative to Bosch when I go shopping for a new battery tomorrow.
|
Dizzy
I put a Bosch silver technology battery in the Mondeo estate and hve had no problems in the last 8 months with it. I always get the ones with more boost for starting on our cars. In the past I have used Fulminite (lasted 5 years) and Delco which is in the garage and I use it as a spare just in case, it was on our old Passat for about 4 years and holds a good charge even now, I just top it up every now and then. But yea Bosch!
Bill
|
|
|
|
Maybe your srategy on the tyres shows the thoughtfulness in your motoring decicions worthy of a Backroomer, so given that the premium for a Varta or Bosch is going to be large for your BM application, why pay it if you are not going to keep the car? Better to play off the reputable fast fit chains for the best price on an Own-brand. Just about any battery should be trouble free for 1 to 2 years.
|
|
Sorry, I can't agree that almost any battery will do in the short term. I had a Granada battery fail recently and called out a er well known motoring organisation to get the car started. The operative asked me where I was going (I said the local Varta agent). He said that was fine but not to go to Quickfit because their batteries were "expensive c***" and caused him no end of callbacks.
|
Thanks again to all for your help! I'm now up and running again.
Europarts offered a choice of batteries but I'm fairly sure that none were right for my car (it needs to be very shallow as it sits under the rear seat). The nearest, so far as I could tell, was a Bosch at £72 delivered. No good if it won't fit though.
The local Halfords Superstore didn't have any Lucas batteries. They had their own brand (which may come from Lucas) but these were smaller than mine and didn't appear to be worth the £70 asking price. They also stocked Bosch Silver Technology, but my car wasn't listed.
A call to the local BMW parts dept brought the offer of a branded BMW battery for £65, with one in stock and ready charged. This battery looked very similar to my old one (BMW/Varta) but included a state-of-charge indicator and was rated at 640 amps instead of 380 amps - ideal for jump-starting Centurion tanks! It also had provision for fitting the vent pipe that is essential for under-seat location. It oozed quality.
So again I have found BMW parts prices to be on a par or even lower than others. I bought the BMW battery and it whipped the engine over like a turbine. Not only can I now be confident in not having to buy another battery for this car but having the genuine item may also help when I come to sell it. Incidentally, the old battery was the original fitment, so it hadn't done badly to last 10 years.
A previous experience: Some years ago I bought a battery made by 'The Fenland Battery Company' of Railway Road, Wisbech. The battery failed within a few weeks so I wrote to claim replacement under guarantee. No response so I wrote again. Still no response so I wrote a third time, stating my intention to start proceedings if the guarantee wasn't honoured. My third letter came back marked 'gone away' so I decided to visit the manufacturer's premises myself, Wisbech being some 20 miles away. The 'factory' turned out to be a garden shed at the rear of a terraced house and the occupants had indeed 'gone away'. I was told by neighbours that what I had bought was an old battery in a new case.
|
|
|
|
|
