Which Battery?



  • hi guys,

    I want to buy a new battery for the 3. The one i have has been checked, as has the alternator and all is well BUT it doesnt seem powerful enough to me.

    example, went to start it this morning, the fans were on and rear demister, so although it started, it was slow and sort of started/stopped/started.

    another example, few weeks ago, was in Halfords card park, messing about with all the buttons etc, engine was off, lights on, kept trying the rear washer jets etc. waited about 20 mins, went to start the car, and it wouldnt. waited for AA to come, it started ok.

    so my thinking is, the battery is both old AND not very good.

    For my MX6 i bought a superb Varta and it made a huge difference, is there a bigger and better battery for the 3?

    cheers!



  • Varta is a good bet, I have recently had hell with mine, kept on completely dying on me, gt a new battery and this solved the problem for a few weeks, then the same old problem, so got the alternator checked out and all was fine. Car got stupidly "squealy" so checked the alternator belt and it was f**ked, I had it replaced on friday so I hope this has helped.

    All I can say is when you get a new battery, take the car for a good run out as apparently, despite what they say in the shop, the battery is never fully charged and you need to condition it by giving it a good proper run out.

    If this doesn't solve your problems, check the HT leads out, the spark plugs and also clean the distributor out (WD40 is fine for this) and check the belts over.



  • thansk for the tips, ill do just that as I fancy spending some time under the bonnet, which i havent done yet since buying it mid December 2010.



  • to get max size you need to measure the battery compartment and get one within the height limit otherwise it will touch the bonnet then boom the battery explodes.

    For a decent size get a higher ah - AMP HOUR
    That will mean the battery is stronger and is more powerful under heavy strain.

    Also with this drained battery for you and nightstalker I have had this problem now twice and it is the starter motor.
    The car starts fine one day then another it seems the battery is dead then is fine for a couple more times, the starter seems to direct earth the battery at times and flatten it within 2 turns, the other thing is the starter makes a slightly funny noise a bit like a chuffing noise. Every time I had this and changed the starter I have never had a problem again and never needed to change the battery



  • @632e58204a=djmarcopolo:

    Also with this drained battery for you and nightstalker I have had this problem now twice and it is the starter motor.
    The car starts fine one day then it seems the battery is dead, the starter seems to direct earth the battery and flatten it within 2 turns, the other thing is the starter makes a slightly funny noise a bit like a chuffing noise. Every time I had this and changed the starter I have never had a problem again

    I never really had a problem with it starting, it used to start, then after being sat there for about 20 mins I'd go to move it then it would cut out, the abs light would come on (the first warning sign), then the radio would turn off and then it would splutter and die. It was becoming quite tedious really (obviously the cold wasn't a big help either) hopefully tomorrow will give me a better idea of if everything is okay (at least, I won't be squealing all the way to work lol anyway :roll: ).



  • I like these batteries, mainly cos they look cool. But theyve got the same hype talk any parts manufacturer says so may or may not be worth the ridiculous price tag.

    http://www.caralarmuk.com/acatalog/High_Power_Batteries_By_Optima_And_Excide.html



  • @140a681c2e=Jesta:

    I like these batteries, mainly cos they look cool. But theyve got the same hype talk any parts manufacturer says so may or may not be worth the ridiculous price tag.

    http://www.caralarmuk.com/acatalog/High_Power_Batteries_By_Optima_And_Excide.html

    They don't do one in blue so therefore in my eyes they suck lol. No, they are good batteries, expensive but also have a lifetime guarantee IIRC



  • lifetime guarenttee? well if that is the case then thats actually a very good deal if you can afford it and your going to keep the car for many years



  • im not yet convinced its the starter, but we will see. im pretty sure itsd just the battery. I spoke to the AA guy, and he has a few Mazdas, he said the 005 batteries are just not quite powerful enough in this cold weather. Starter motor sounds fine, and i think the only reason it struggled like it did yesterday, was because i had the rear demister on and fans set to 3-so, more power drain.



  • your local motor factors should be a good bet to get
    a battery, mine are very helpfull and even checked
    it would fit properly before I left. It was around fifty
    quid, just bog standard size and amp is fine mate :)



  • could just buy this and then not worry about your battery…

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIRRLEES-BLACKSTONE-2-4MW-DIESEL-GENERATOR-/350353687524?pt=UK_BOI_Industrial_Tools_Generators_ET&hash=item5192b503e4

    The alternator alone is 8900kg


 

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