Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: bigdods on 22 May 2009, 09:22:32

Title: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: bigdods on 22 May 2009, 09:22:32
Well TheBoy was right about my battery (diagnosed at last tech2 session) , its had it. Best place to buy a new one ? - I'm assuming Vauxhall with TC will be cheapest and they have one in stock that I can pick up tomorrow.
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 22 May 2009, 09:24:53
I personally would, and do, use Vauxhall ones.

I doubt it will last as long as the original though!  Not sure if its just me, but new batteries seem to have relatively poor life to the original factory fit.
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: feeutfo on 22 May 2009, 10:00:06
i think my 52 plate still has the original battery, it has the Vauxhall sticker logo on the top so im thinking if it had been changed at any point it would be badged up differantly? Is that the case/likely?

If so its lasted very well even if its on its last legs, its not holding charge, leave it a week and it will struggle to turn over.

So as said i am also guessing the best option is from vx on trade club? But i dont want a "Go" badged item, although i have no idea if they are as cheap as they sound. A nice "GM" badged item with blue stickers sounds like it will last much longer  ;D

Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 22 May 2009, 10:11:39
Quote
i think my 52 plate still has the original battery, it has the Vauxhall sticker logo on the top so im thinking if it had been changed at any point it would be badged up differantly? Is that the case/likely?

If so its lasted very well even if its on its last legs, its not holding charge, leave it a week and it will struggle to turn over.

So as said i am also guessing the best option is from vx on trade club? But i dont want a "Go" badged item, although i have no idea if they are as cheap as they sound. A nice "GM" badged item with blue stickers sounds like it will last much longer  ;D

OE
70 amp/hr (OE)                                 9201470 £107.00 £97.92 £75.48

Go
3.0 V6 - 70 amp/hr                                 93189922 £63.00 £57.65 £47.83
3.2 V6 - 85 amp/hr (GM85-T7)                               19001900 £95.50 £87.38 £67.71


Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: bigdods on 22 May 2009, 10:19:34
Go looks good to me at half the price !. So Vaux supply either OE or GO batteries ? I bet Bridge only have the OE version at £75.....
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 22 May 2009, 10:25:10
Quote
Go looks good to me at half the price !. So Vaux supply either OE or GO batteries ? I bet Bridge only have the OE version at £75.....
They had the Go in stock the day I bought one for my MV6 (and then ripped the sump plug off the tractor on the way home ;D)
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: nick v6 on 22 May 2009, 10:27:03
Quote
Go looks good to me at half the price !. So Vaux supply either OE or GO batteries ? I bet Bridge only have the OE version at £75.....

i'll keep quiet on how cheap i got my new battery the other week at trade plus extra discount :-X :y
came with a 3 year warranty as well :y
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 22 May 2009, 10:27:09
Quote
Go looks good to me at half the price !. So Vaux supply either OE or GO batteries ? I bet Bridge only have the OE version at £75.....
Could always call them - 01295 744500 (or 755400, I can never rememeber - on the upside, the 'wrong' number is invalid, so you don't end up looking a prat to some stranger because you misdialled!)
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: bigdods on 22 May 2009, 10:35:32
Quote
Quote
Go looks good to me at half the price !. So Vaux supply either OE or GO batteries ? I bet Bridge only have the OE version at £75.....
Could always call them - 01295 744500 (or 755400, I can never rememeber - on the upside, the 'wrong' number is invalid, so you don't end up looking a prat to some stranger because you misdialled!)


I called them yesterday , they told me they had 'lots' of batteries in stock. I have to have one tomorrow so will take whatever they have. Battery can only hold a charge for about 12 hours now......
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: Seth on 22 May 2009, 11:20:03
Quote
Quote
i think my 52 plate still has the original battery, it has the Vauxhall sticker logo on the top so im thinking if it had been changed at any point it would be badged up differantly? Is that the case/likely?

If so its lasted very well even if its on its last legs, its not holding charge, leave it a week and it will struggle to turn over.

So as said i am also guessing the best option is from vx on trade club? But i dont want a "Go" badged item, although i have no idea if they are as cheap as they sound. A nice "GM" badged item with blue stickers sounds like it will last much longer  ;D

OE
70 amp/hr (OE)                                 9201470 £107.00 £97.92 £75.48

Go
3.0 V6 - 70 amp/hr                                 93189922 £63.00 £57.65 £47.83
3.2 V6 - 85 amp/hr (GM85-T7)                               19001900 £95.50 £87.38 £67.71



At these prices, I'd definately go for genuine Vx - no doubt about it!
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: feeutfo on 24 May 2009, 09:36:51
Quote
Quote
Quote
i think my 52 plate still has the original battery, it has the Vauxhall sticker logo on the top so im thinking if it had been changed at any point it would be badged up differantly? Is that the case/likely?

If so its lasted very well even if its on its last legs, its not holding charge, leave it a week and it will struggle to turn over.

So as said i am also guessing the best option is from vx on trade club? But i dont want a "Go" badged item, although i have no idea if they are as cheap as they sound. A nice "GM" badged item with blue stickers sounds like it will last much longer  ;D

OE
70 amp/hr (OE)                                 9201470 £107.00 £97.92 £75.48

Go
3.0 V6 - 70 amp/hr                                 93189922 £63.00 £57.65 £47.83
3.2 V6 - 85 amp/hr (GM85-T7)                               19001900 £95.50 £87.38 £67.71



At these prices, I'd definately go for genuine Vx - no doubt about it!

not a "GO" then? :-/


Also mine is currently a 66 amp/hr. maybe not the original then.... >:(
(http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p326/chrisgixer/20032009506.jpg)
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 May 2009, 13:59:58
Just had a look at mine, Chris, and it's exactly the same as yours. 66Ah. I guess they recommend the 85Ah "Go" because they know they are not as good?

Kevin
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: feeutfo on 24 May 2009, 14:22:44
hmmm, probably just good enough to outlast the warranty....perhaps?

how critical is the amp.hour spec.? would you expect issues if under / over spec? would 85ah be more bullet proof or be too strong for the electrical system or would the altrenator have trouble charging it?

as you can probably tell, my eletrical knowledge fails me again.... ::)  :)
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: v6coop on 24 May 2009, 17:49:10
My understanding is that the higher the output the better. The Ah figure is the reserve that the battery has the higher this figure the longer it takes for a current draw to flatten the battery (assuming the engine is not running and therefore the battery is not charging). The other important figure is the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) which is the 300A figure in the photo. The higher this figure the longer the battery will turn over the engine at a given temperature. The colder the temperature of the electrolyte in the battery the lower the output it is able to generate. When you consider that as the temperature drops the oil viscosity increases and the effort needed to turn the engine also increases it is a double whammy. So put simply the higher the figures the better but you will probably only notice the difference in really cold weather or if you leave a light on.

If you want to know more see here http://www.varta-automotive.com/elearning/findex.html
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 May 2009, 22:54:04
Quote
hmmm, probably just good enough to outlast the warranty....perhaps?

how critical is the amp.hour spec.? would you expect issues if under / over spec? would 85ah be more bullet proof or be too strong for the electrical system or would the altrenator have trouble charging it?

as you can probably tell, my eletrical knowledge fails me again.... ::)  :)

I'd say Ah rating doesn't make a lot of odds. As long as it can deliver enough cranking current capacity of a battery isn't that important, as you vary rarely would discharge it more than a few percent. A higher Ah rating might indicate a more substantial battery, perhaps with better CCA although not necessarily.

Quality is the biggest factor in longevity IMHO.

Kevin
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: VXL V6 on 24 May 2009, 23:01:08
Got a 70Ah GM labelled one in mine, my local dealer doesn't seem to stock the GO labelled ones any more.

Also check the dimensions of the 85Ah ones, got a feeling they are slightly bigger and the jacket will no longer fit, certainly was a stretch on the GM one I bought.
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: feeutfo on 25 May 2009, 00:39:57
thanks guys, :y

 new battery, pads and discs all round, hope trade club still works.
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: v6coop on 25 May 2009, 09:44:12
Forgot to mention you can get a really good price on Bosch Silver batteries from Costco if you have membership or know someone who has. They don't stock the complete range but prices are better than tradeclub for OE and they are good batteries
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 25 May 2009, 13:58:27
Quote
Forgot to mention you can get a really good price on Bosch Silver batteries from Costco if you have membership or know someone who has. They don't stock the complete range but prices are better than tradeclub for OE and they are good batteries
Anyone needing Costco around my area, I'll willingly take in as a guest.
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: omega rick on 25 May 2009, 15:20:23
got my new battery from halfords ,the old one had a 5 year warrenty on it but that was with the previous owner and i did not have any proof of purchace , but they exchanged it free of charge and gave me a new 5 year warrenty, not bad hey
Title: Re: Best place to buy a new battery
Post by: TheBoy on 25 May 2009, 18:25:03
Quote
got my new battery from halfords ,the old one had a 5 year warrenty on it but that was with the previous owner and i did not have any proof of purchace , but they exchanged it free of charge and gave me a new 5 year warrenty, not bad hey
I think a lot of the Halfords ones are lucky to last the warranty - they are relying on the fact on you losing the receipt.

You are lucky they swapped it for you :y