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Whats the best battery for a 12 volt beetle and what should i be paying?

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XXX-1.8T Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,113 posts · joined Oct 2002 ·

#685314
Got some weird price ranges from $70 to $160.

Any one know whats the best and where i should buy it from?

Bizarre Moderator The artist formerly known as blue74l

12,789 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#685315
Get one that doesnt take water - one of the sealed ones.
Personally i like the NRMA ones.
3 or 5 year warranty
No arguements - well, they replaced my kombi one after 2 years no worries

Probabal at the top end

Guess it all depends if you are gonna get pissed off it it doesnt start
Futue te ipsum!!!

kroozzn63 Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,005 posts · joined Jan 2004 ·

#685319
is she coming out costa?
show us your gates

XXX-1.8T Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,113 posts · joined Oct 2002 ·

#685330
kroozzn63 wrote:is she coming out costa?
got some new bits and bobs that i got from the US that i want installed.

i drive it 2 to 3 times a week so no biggie if she doesnt start but the battery is dead so need to buy a new one.

anyone else recommend a battery place in Sydney?

And what it costs to buy a battery for a beetle?

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,609 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#685331
I can't say where to get one in Sydney but make sure it has the terminals that are recessed below the top of the battery. This stops it making contact with the seat frame when someone sits on this seat above the battery. I also put a rubber mat over the top just to be sure.

From memory, my last one cost me about $140 froma VW mechanic.

Yogie

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#685365
EXIDE P460D Battery with recessed posts...

about $120 approx from BIG W...

also sold under Champion brand..

it has 455 CCA that will keep your beetle ready to go
after weeks of non starting....

LEE

I ONLY use EXIDE....
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

Euro_67 Wolfsburg Wizard

690 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#685377
Im with Lee, my last battery came from BiG W and is the Exide sealed unit. 2 year warranty, and the tools at BIG W dont know anything, so replacement if it fails will be piss easy.

Reminds me of a funny scenario I once saw. I was working in K Mart fixing some equipment and the Check Out chick on the next lane tipped a car battery upside down to SCAN the bar code. Battery acid went al over her, and every where. Funny stuff.

donn Wolfsburg Elder

3,515 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#685414
If the Exide also gets sold under the Champion brand, then why do you only use Exide? just wondering if there is some other diference.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!

Euro_67 Wolfsburg Wizard

690 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#685475
The exide was a sealed unit, maintenance free. Im Not suggesting one is better or worse, just my preference. The champion ones weren't sealed units.
I drive my '67 infrequently, maybe once a week, and some weeks not at all. My last battery at only 1 year old couldn't cope with the car not being run weekly, so I used a booster pack to start the car often. The new sealed Exide could go for a few months without a top up and still start the car cold.

General_Failure Use your head, don't abuse it!

1,036 posts · joined Jun 2004 ·

#685621
My answer is the biggest that reasonably fits, and if possible a good battery box or something to shield the top from OEM mass activated busbar sitting right above it. Also a battery isolator seems to do wonders. Even when there is no discernible draw according to an ammeter, all I can guess is that slow leakage / capacitance or whatever causes a faster discharge.

Back to the battery box. If it is infrequently driven a battery box that has been designed to be removed easily might be a good thing. Pull it out and have it on a top up charger or something.
If at first you don't succeed. Build, build again.
Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based LCA pop-top camper. Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.

matara Custom Title Time!

1,342 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#685638
Costa,

The best battery you can get for it would be an Optima Red top. They are sealed, and can be left in a car that isn't started often (like every 6 months) and will still start. Last time I checked they were like $260. Alternatively go down to the wrecker in Boralee Street in Botany, and you can get a second hand battery for $20 or $30 that will probably have a date stamp on thats < 6 months old. Total luck of the draw, but I paid $20 for one there and it lasted in my kombi for 5 years!

Cheers

Steve