| [ Total Views: 2075 | Total Replies: 40 | Thread Id: 86662 ] |
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 psimitar
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 08:52 PM |
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Best Battery manufacturer
Hiya all,
I'm almost ready to buy a 12v battery for the Beetle resto and wanted to ask the consensus on the best manufacturer of batteries to buy?
Had Exide and they were crap along with RACQ and not a fan of those Yellow and Blue ones Supercheap sell so any other offerings?
Cheers
madness is in the eye of the beholder  |
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vlad01
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 09:08 PM |
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R & J batteries are good. Their high range is Delkor. I have one in my daily. Works a treat.
I have tried Bond, Century, Excide, and my cars came with nrma and racq. All these sucked except the Bond. The Delkor is my new winner 
Only other one I had success with was the old maintained type lead acid Bond. Left it several times over 6-12 month periods and started first go
yes I was shocked too. wtf!   Lasted
few years with this neglect, till my older brother dropped it. Died very quick after the drop as all the plates were smashed 
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE |
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waveman1500
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 09:09 PM |
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Exide Premium from K-mart are the best I reckon! I can't believe you've had problems with them. The best thing about them is that their normal-sized
batteries have recessed terminals so you don't have to pay extra for the European DIN sizes. What problem did you have with your Exide battery?
Mine's been great, cost less than a hundred bucks I think, and it's lasted for years in a couple of my cars. I also bought a used Exide out of a car
in U-Pull-It, which worked perfectly for the time that I needed it, I just charged it up, put it in my Type 3 and was still going perfectly 6 months
later when I sold the car.
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 helbus
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 10:09 PM |
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The Century in our bus is about 9 years old and still good
In my car I have an Odyssey. It suits what I am doing though.
In the Limo for big power and deep cycle we have a Catterpillar. It lasted 5 years in major drain.
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 matberry
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 10:35 PM |
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My battery guy recommends AC Delco as the best value
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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waltermitty
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 10:51 PM |
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Im with helbus you can get a decade out of a century! Mitchell
23 windows ...8 too many!
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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| posted on October 19th, 2010 at 11:55 PM |
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EXIDE - EXIDE- EXIDE- EXIDE -
| Quote: | Originally
posted by psimitar
Hiya all,
I'm almost ready to buy a 12v battery for the Beetle resto and wanted to ask the consensus on the best manufacturer of batteries to buy?
Had Exide and they were crap along with RACQ and not a fan of those Yellow and Blue ones Supercheap sell so any other offerings?
Cheers
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Well,
I sold batteries for many years and the crappiest ones were Century... many failures... maybe they have gotten better??
but EXIDE have been My favorite for 20 years...
wouldn't buy anything else...
I buy Mine from BIG W... recessed posts for a VW...
also had EXIDE in My Mitsubishi Lancers & Magna..
There are the cheaper EXIDE with filler plugs on top..
then the ones with the green dot to tell You its OK..
they have 12 month and 24 month warranties..
Now there are the other types...
not called lead acid .... can't remember what they are??
I wouldn't buy a battery with 6 months warranty...
also get the largest battery to fit in the spot...
cheers
LEE
PS: Batteries have gone up in price ^^^^^^^^ the past 12 months ...
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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vlad01
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 06:35 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by matberry
My battery guy recommends AC Delco as the best value
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+1 on that.
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE |
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Joel
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 07:38 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by waveman1500
Exide Premium from K-mart are the best I reckon!
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x2
The Kmart battery thats in dads trike is a good 5 or 6 years old and that's with a crappy vw 30 amp generator too.
I've had a good run with Century batterys, the one in my first Sbug lasted 8 years, my currently my bug has an exide or apex something like that
which is 3 years old this month, but the bug sat for 6 months while i swapped the engine so I'm not expecting it to last much longer.
If you get more than 3 years out of a battery these days your doing well, the manufacturers sit the plates closer to the bottom now and the sludge
built up touches them and shorts them out alot sooner.
I spent nearly $200 on a sealed maintaince free one in the mainstreamer cos of the electrical load in that car which is coming up on 3 years old, will
be interesting to see what I get out of it, I don't reckon it was worth the money
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1303Steve
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 11:25 AM |
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Hi
I have NRMA batteries in my sons bug, at least 2 years old and we used it as fridge battery in our Prado on an outback trip so it was regularly taken
down to 10.5 volts, our Prado and Skyline both use NRMA batteries with no issues.
2 or 3 years is all you can usually expect from battery, it also depends on how you treat them, regular long drives and never leaving anything on, no
over charging or under charging will make a battery last, under the seat or in the boot is the best place for long lasting batteries.
Steve
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oldtub356
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 11:56 AM |
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The "BEST"?.......OPTIMA are the Ducks Guts.....but they cost!
They will sit there for a year and still kick a large hi-compression race engine, to life.
Read the forums...regular claims of life; 7 to 12 years.
Need a different charging technique - if they are run down, they need a heavy current charge to wake them and then revert to a normal trickle -
requires a heavy duty charger to achieve this - a garden variety unit doesn't have enough oomph to wake them up.
The Red Top version is the go for regular street use.
Agent in Brisbane at Rocklea.
Lance.
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vlad01
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 01:32 PM |
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Yes then there are those  They are one of the best you can buy from what I
have heard. Also they are good for weight reduction as the weigh next to nothing.
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE |
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psimitar
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 08:00 PM |
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Yea the Optima has always been a good brand but expensive.
As for the RACQ that failed within a year and Exide from KMart I went through 3 batteries within the warranty period and then it failed 2 months
outside the warranty and just went to Turbo batteries. Not fantastic but lasted 2 years now.
So shall look up AC Delco and Delkor with Century as the runner up 
madness is in the eye of the beholder |
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grumble
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 08:09 PM |
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I sell Century batteries and they have improved in the last couple of years,i was coerced into selling the Apollo's and the ones that I used in my
transporter lasted about 6 months and left me stuck like a pig 5km from my workshop,the Century agent came out with a battery and that was the end of
Apollo's.
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Uber Kafer
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 10:53 PM |
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All victims of a mass hoax.
I was in a major regional battery suppliers recently and noticed a bench with dispensing rolls of stickers... all the different major brand names on
the stickers. I had a peek at the warehouse section and they only had about 3 or 4 different battery styles out the back.
So tell me again which battery brand is better than the other ???
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waveman1500
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 11:27 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Uber Kafer
All victims of a mass hoax.
I was in a major regional battery suppliers recently and noticed a bench with dispensing rolls of stickers... all the different major brand names on
the stickers. I had a peek at the warehouse section and they only had about 3 or 4 different battery styles out the back.
So tell me again which battery brand is better than the other ???
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Riiiight... And your explanation for them all having different designs of case would be what?
Obviously, as with most products, the 'store brand' type batteries are going to be most likely the same manufacturer, wherever you buy them, but
different manufacturers and designs of battery do exist and they do perform differently.
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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| posted on October 20th, 2010 at 11:40 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Joel
| Quote: | Originally
posted by waveman1500
Exide Premium from K-mart are the best I reckon!
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x2
The Kmart battery thats in dads trike is a good 5 or 6 years old and that's with a crappy vw 30 amp generator too.
I've had a good run with Century batterys, the one in my first Sbug lasted 8 years, my currently my bug has an exide or apex something like that
which is 3 years old this month, but the bug sat for 6 months while i swapped the engine so I'm not expecting it to last much longer.
If you get more than 3 years out of a battery these days your doing well, the manufacturers sit the plates closer to the bottom now and the sludge
built up touches them and shorts them out alot sooner.
I spent nearly $200 on a sealed maintaince free one in the mainstreamer cos of the electrical load in that car which is coming up on 3 years old, will
be interesting to see what I get out of it, I don't reckon it was worth the money
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You will get a shock when replacement time comes..
as a 2 year warranty EXIDE Will set You back $130++++
can't remember the prices but they have increased somewhat
in the zero temperatures in winter..
I put My trickle charger on My battery to keep it up to 12 volts as I don't drive it every day... sometimes not for weeks and the cold really affects
lead acid batteries...
EXIDE & CHAMPION batteries are the same....
Lee
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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vwo60
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 08:50 AM |
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i get about two and a half year's out of a super cheap battery, the price is right and when it fail's you replace it.
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annosL
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 01:50 PM |
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Geez, sounds like they are all good if you keep them charged, I use a 5watt solar panel to trickle spare batteries in my shed, keeps them always
topped up. AGM batteries are good but expensive, I think Optima are AGM (absorbed glass mat) no maintenance apart from charging.
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Joel
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 02:46 PM |
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You would think with all the advances in technology that they could have improved the plain jane car battery over the last 30 or so years but no.
Even all these fancy new batteries makes me wonder some just don't seem that crash hot
classic example I've spent the last 6 hours sitting on a mower listening to my Ipod which has a Lithium battery and it was fully charged to start
with but ended up in power saver mode after that.
Its only reading from a hard drive with absolutely no moving parts at all 
Going back to the 80s here but I remember being the coolest kid in school with the Sony walkman I got for christmas, that had more moving parts than a
frigging VW engine yet ran for decades on 2 AA batteries 
[/end rant]
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ian.mezz
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 03:14 PM |
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Nobody wants to make a battery that last, after all they are in the business of Selling batteries.
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funbug
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 09:06 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by ian.mezz
Nobody wants to make a battery that last, after all they are in the business of Selling batteries.
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TRUE!!!
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waveman1500
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 09:37 PM |
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This is very true that the manufacturers will put themselves out of business if the batteries last too long. One of the original batch of Optima
batteries was apparently used in a daily-driven pickup truck for nearly 20 years, and was still going okay when they swapped it for a new one with the
owner to acquire it as a piece of company history.
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SPG guy
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 09:49 PM |
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Used to work at an autobarn and saw heaps of dead batteries.
if i were on a budget then i would buy a supercharge or R&J (ac delco). you can pick up a supercharge anywhere and they are lead acid so easy to
charge and well priced. had 2 in previous cars and well over 5 years on each.
the AC delco batteries have been real good too. another 2 cars (one current) 7 years on first. they are calcium so dont like normal chargers but i
have never had to charge one. not sure how supply is in qld.
R&J now sell Fullriver glass mat sealed batteries and they are fantastic.
have had one sitting in the shed for 9 months now and was super impressed how easy it was to start dads kombi and then my 914 right after.
not cheap but their slimline batteries will fit anywhere and give super power (hold 1100amp for 5 secs if i remember right).
then if you want super light weight then porsche has the answer for you.
http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/pressreleases/pcna/?lang=none&poo...
sorry for the essay.
edwin
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waveman1500
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 10:09 PM |
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Blimey! 2499 Euros for a car battery! Those German fellows surely do know how to apply a mark-up to options and accessories. I haven't seen a lithium
ion car battery before though, so it's interesting to see them offering one.
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psimitar
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 10:23 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Joel
You would think with all the advances in technology that they could have improved the plain jane car battery over the last 30 or so years but no.
Even all these fancy new batteries makes me wonder some just don't seem that crash hot
classic example I've spent the last 6 hours sitting on a mower listening to my Ipod which has a Lithium battery and it was fully charged to start
with but ended up in power saver mode after that.
Its only reading from a hard drive with absolutely no moving parts at all for fuxake
Going back to the 80s here but I remember being the coolest kid in school with the Sony walkman I got for christmas, that had more moving parts than a
frigging VW engine yet ran for decades on 2 AA batteries
[/end rant]
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people don't realise that all those hundreds of thousand of transistors that are constantly turning you digital song into an analogue signal and then
amplifying takes a lot of watts.
And old cassette desk was the drive motor and direct amplification of the analogue signal stored on the tape.
Will check out Delco's QLD suppliers but otherwise a $150 Century it may well be
madness is in the eye of the beholder |
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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 posted on October 21st, 2010 at 11:09 PM |
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I WOULDN'T BUY ANYTHING BUT AN EXIDE BATTERY
John Deere makes batteries...
they are expensive but Very well made... to do the best job with a lead acid battery..
I heard You can buy chinese batteries too..
I've never had one so don't know of their quality..
I suppose to make a better battery would cost more than double or triple the price of a standard Lead acid battery..
so, they keep making the CHEAPER ones...
they are also still very heavy...
LEE
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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matberry
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| posted on October 21st, 2010 at 11:10 PM |
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Try Batteries ASAP, Tony on 0408 876 666, if he can't help you directly, he will be able to tell you where to get what you need.
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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ancientbugger
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| posted on October 22nd, 2010 at 09:07 AM |
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My first beetle came with its original battery . This was in '74 and the beetle was made in'72, the battery was a Varta with the connection for the
computer diagnosis on it. This battery was still going strong in '88 when I left England. I never put it on charge for any reason, I only ever had a
dynamo in my car and it would have been subject to a hell of a lot of cold starts as well. I remember a mate had to buy a new battery over there so I
said Id never had a problem, but when he tried to buy a Varta battery the price was astronomical. On a different note though my eldest son (a
ricer,I'm sad to say) bought a calcium battery for his Mitsubishi Legnum and it cost him over $600! So as for the best battery it still looks like
you get what you pay for. My buggy used to go through batteries at a ridiculous rate but since getting a Cranky kits starter it has been as good as
gold and maybe one day I might even update to an alternator!
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BRUTUS
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| posted on October 22nd, 2010 at 11:01 AM |
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CENTURY last very well. I get them from Beaurepaires Tyreshops, may be dear, but very helpful staff in Vic anyway, & will get just the right one
for you, and change it if for another ANY problems. They always last at least 5-6 years, or more. (I always charge them every month or so over
Melb's cold winters.)
The only Really Bad one i've had was from RACV Direct. That was years ago, the top wasn't stuck to the casing properly and slowly leaked acid all
over Brutus's until then unmarked, oiriginal floorpan. In a couple of weeks it had ruined it... The man who replaced it didn't want to, grumbled a
lot, and then said it was... all my fault! Somehow I'd made the top get loose! When I convinced him I hadn't touched it, he explained they were
just cheapies from Asia...! Actually had two of them in different cars, both only lasted 2 or 3 years I think. They might have changed since of
course, but I'll only ever DIY now, even in an "emergency".
ACE 30 & 40 oils: specifically engineered for your Air Cooled VW
delivered (free del.) throughout Yarra Valley / Ranges, & Gippsland areas. Also ACE 20, 50 & 90.
FOR SALE: ACE 30, 40 etc. Oil formulations & Trade-names.
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