Dart77
Donating Member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2011
- Messages
- 135
- Reaction score
- 77
- Points
- 28
- Location
- Perth
- Members Ride
- VK wagon, S1 VE wagon SSV8
The second hand RAC battery (580CCA) died in my VK and what a good one it was, over 8 years old. After a week of thinking about which brand battery to replace it with I was all set to get an Exide 630CCA 112RC* for $188 with 30 months warranty which I thought was pretty good pricing. Even though many recent reviews of Exide were not that great.
Then on the way to the supplier (an auto elec chain here in Perth) I stupidly decided to pop in to Repco and Auto One to see what they had on offer as comparisons. Repco were overpriced but Auto One, which deal in Super Charge batteries had 20% off the entire range and a 650CCA 109RC Gold Premium M50 with 50 months warranty (over 4 years, sounds so good on paper) was under $200.
Condition indicator was showing green and they said it was fully charged ready to fit, so I bought it and fitted it in the car park. All ok, drove home, but two days later the indicator was showing clear (or white). And I always use maintenance chargers, either CTEK or OzCharge. I have a remote starter, so I did some cranking only without starting the car (starter is a high torque type). I found that after only the fourth session of cranking (less than 10 sec each time, then a minute rest) it was starting to tire. It's only a stock 202, so that's pretty lame. And the condition indicator is there for a reason. They've had them for at least 30 years on batteries, so shouldn't' t be a gimmick like some people reckon.
Then have a look at Product Review and see the woeful reviews that SuperCharge have now got. Average 1.5 stars from over 50 reviews! They used to be a good brand, not any more it seems. And so many people saying that the warranties they give are often just used as advertising bait and often not honoured, or at least, very reluctantly, with a fight.
I'm taking it in to Battery World tomorrow to get independently tested before I take it back to Auto One, who I assume won't be overly interested in hearing about it especially when they know it was installed in such an old car. New Bosch alternator about 1500km ago! What a PITA. And dumb of me to be impulsive, should have read more about that brand first. Doh.
Thanks for reading.
CCA = Cold Cranking Amps
RC = Reserve Capacity
Then on the way to the supplier (an auto elec chain here in Perth) I stupidly decided to pop in to Repco and Auto One to see what they had on offer as comparisons. Repco were overpriced but Auto One, which deal in Super Charge batteries had 20% off the entire range and a 650CCA 109RC Gold Premium M50 with 50 months warranty (over 4 years, sounds so good on paper) was under $200.
Condition indicator was showing green and they said it was fully charged ready to fit, so I bought it and fitted it in the car park. All ok, drove home, but two days later the indicator was showing clear (or white). And I always use maintenance chargers, either CTEK or OzCharge. I have a remote starter, so I did some cranking only without starting the car (starter is a high torque type). I found that after only the fourth session of cranking (less than 10 sec each time, then a minute rest) it was starting to tire. It's only a stock 202, so that's pretty lame. And the condition indicator is there for a reason. They've had them for at least 30 years on batteries, so shouldn't' t be a gimmick like some people reckon.
Then have a look at Product Review and see the woeful reviews that SuperCharge have now got. Average 1.5 stars from over 50 reviews! They used to be a good brand, not any more it seems. And so many people saying that the warranties they give are often just used as advertising bait and often not honoured, or at least, very reluctantly, with a fight.
I'm taking it in to Battery World tomorrow to get independently tested before I take it back to Auto One, who I assume won't be overly interested in hearing about it especially when they know it was installed in such an old car. New Bosch alternator about 1500km ago! What a PITA. And dumb of me to be impulsive, should have read more about that brand first. Doh.
Thanks for reading.
CCA = Cold Cranking Amps
RC = Reserve Capacity