tdi battery

[pyro]

Hey all, the battery on my 2.5d v70 is getting a bit weak - its dated 2012 so not bad - just wondering if there are any worthwhile upgrades for it? Its completely standard (ish) and starts easy enough, though sometimes only just as its spins over a bit slow.

I believe its an 096 battery, any thing bigger that will fit? optima redtop etc? or just standard battery with a good CCA?

Cheers

Ben

[Martin Cox]

I have a 1998 V70 Tdi which I've had since late 2002. It's on its second battery which was new in 2008. It's just the standard Volvo battery and I've never had any problems at all to date.

Based on my experience I'd say the standard battery is ideally suited to the car and I doubt there'd be anything to be gained by upgrading to a bigger battery.

I would suggest sticking with a genuine Volvo battery. They are usually competitively priced and have a reputation for being long lived. My experience of 12+ years battery life is by no means exceptional.

In fact, the battery on my 2008 V70 is the original and is still fine at present.

Martin

1998 V70 Tdi Auto
2008 V70 2.4D Auto

[amazondean]

I can't remember the last time i bought a new battery! i always have a spare that is charged so that when winter comes i can quickly swap them over if one becomes a little weak. Then when the warmer weather returns, all is normal again for another 6 Months or so. This I have done for the last 25 years, gaining the odd second hand battery along the way!

[RollingThunder]

I've always gone for the highest spec 'brand' battery that will fit the battery tray.

CCA = cold cranking amps. This is the 'torque' of the battery and the higher the figure, the stronger it will be. Diesels tend to need a high CCA to overcome the higher compression.

Ah = amp/hours. This is how long they can maintain a usable charge when being drained by a 1 amp load. Again, the higher the figure the better.

As already said, Volvo batteries are excellent and seem to last decades. Other good brands are Exide, Varta and Bosch.

I tend to get my batteries from Tayna as they are competitively priced and quick to deliver - a list of their 096 batteries is here - https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/096/

HTH

[rudi dudi]

096 and the largest Cca one available.Avoid Varta these days as they are now made to a price with paper thin plates.
Yuasa or Duracell if you want the best.
No idea who makes the Volvo one's these days.It used to be Varta.If it istill is I wouldn't touch them.

[Bigfella666]

I am with RT and Amo on this one

Start with buying a decent 5 year battery - I have Bosch on both my R’;s bought from Tanya who offer a pretty decent service even when their figment diagrams are wrong ( 06 Nissan Note - cracking sardine can on wheels ) and yoo need to exchange

Then look after the battery especially from now on - have a swapsy, fit a solar trickle charger ( I have had a large Ring ! For few month but not really had time to assess it ) or every few weeks get ya C-tec on it for a few hours. Especially if like me your gal may not move for a fortnight

These simple steps have kept a 3 year cheapy battery going on my (sadly now sold ) T5 for 6 years

Never ceases to amaze me how infrequent users of cars simply neglect a vital motoring component which is so easy to deal !

[Luxobarge]

A while back I fitted a Lion battery to mine, had no choice as I was stuck somewhere and that's all the local shop had. It failed in about a year, so got another one under warranty, and that's weak now too, so I'd not touch another Lion battery unless I had no choice.

My car gets used frequently, so no need for a maintenance charger, but I have a number of other vehicles (including lawn tractors, farm tractor, classics etc.) that don't move for months on end, and maintenance chargers are definitely the way to go - for example the battery on my MG Midget is now over 20 years old and still working fine, no way that'd be the case if it wasn't on a maintenance charger, so that alone has paid for itself many times over.

[Martin Cox]

A good maintenance charger is an excellent idea for any vehicle that only gets occasional use. Lead Acid batteries don't like standing in a discharged state.

I use a maintenance charger on the Tdi and have been experimenting with a cheap solar charger simply because the Tdi hasn't been used that often over the last 4 years. It goes out maybe once a week or so.

I have an old Gunsons automatic battery charger I find perfectly adequate if used with a modicum of care.

I don't usually bother with the charger on the 2008 V70 since that's used on an almost daily basis.

Although I've always favoured the Volvo battery, any 096 battery from one of the reputable manufacturers should be fine.

Martin

[pyro]

Good shout on Tanya Batteries, Managed to get a 780cca bosch for £77 posted. I'll get it put on tomorrow, the old battery will do as a backup on my series 3 land rover.

I use the car daily, but currently it only gets short journeys, Ill check and clean all of the grounds when the new battery goes on,

Cheers

Ben