Have got a 16 year old Jap hatchback. It's probably got about a year's life left in it.
The battery has started playing up and is now not taking much charge (with external charger or on the car).
New basic battery at Halfords is £50 but it's not worth spending anything like that for a car which be scrap in a year or so.
So where's the best place to get a cheap used battery which will see me through for a year or so?
I'd just go to your nearest scrappy. Probably most cars that are scrapped have half-decent batteries still in them
Cheers Paul
Breakers? Take a hydrometer, and a high rate discharge tester with you, if you have one available, and check some batteries out. Problem is though, that many batteries are maintenance free, so can't easily be checked with a hydrometer. A high rate discharge tester might give a better check for that type of battery, but either method is no guarantee that you wont be wasting your money. If you find one that checks out, and buy it for a fiver or less, it might be worth the gamble, but personally I'd rather buy a new one, just for the peace of mind it would give me, knowing it's unlikely to pack up at an inconvenient time.
AFAIK Halfords only sell Lucas batteries. There are many less well known battery makers who offer perfectly good batteries at much lower prices than Halfords. Fairly recently I baught a heavy duty 70 amp hour battery, with three years guarantee for £39.99. A 'Fleetmaster' IIRC. Had one once before that lasted 5 years, so IMO they're good value, but don't worry about the make. Just go for the cheapest.
Have a ring around local motor factors, garages etc. You should be able to find one for much less than Halfords asking price. Mike.
Forget used batteries, they will probably have depolarised and be short on life anyway. Pick up your yellow pages and look for motor factors, I got a heavy duty Bosch silver from mine for £33, approximately half the price they cost from Halfords and other big outlets. If you arent so fussy about wanting a high capacity silver/calcium then £20 should be possible.
Mike
Last battery I bought last year from Partco (60ish Ah) was £30.89 all in.
Keep the old battery, if the car doesn't last the year, swap it back in when you take it to scrap and you have a spare for the next.
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I've been using a Lucas battery from Halfords in the same car for the past 12 years and still going strong.
Ahhh the famous last words :-)
IME average battery life is between 5 and 6 years, so yours is doing exceptionally well, but I don't believe it's because it's a Lucas battery. I think usage and maintenance has more to do with battery life than who made it. Mike.
You can get one from a scrappy or wire the car up to a charger overnight just to keep it going.
But the most logical solution is to buy one with a decent AH and cranking amps and just take it off the car before you scrap it, if necessary putting the old battery back on. The decent battery will then be good for your next car.
If you've got a Makro card, or know someone who has then they're certainly worth a visit, as they have a good selection of batteries, even with Vat a lot cheaper than Halfords.
Thought Lucas was defunct?
You may be right. I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure that that Halfords fitted a Lucas to my BM a couple of months ago. Wouldn't normally have gone there, but I wanted a new battery quickly. My back was playing up at the time, and I didn't fancy wrestling with the back seat squab to fit it. IIRC it was over £70!. The most I've ever paid for a battery. Mike.
During the winter months, I keep a spare (fully charged) battery in the boot. Just in case...
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