Where else to buy a Delco battery

[Skylarking]

Buying a $500 that lasts 10 years works out to $50/year which is the same as a $150 battery that lasts 3 years.

These are just made up numbers simply to drive home the point that a really good battery may not be needed as long as a cheap one can provide the needed capacity and also cope with the smart charging system in your VE (since issues of battery life can be a how long is a bit of string scemario)...

So the question you should be asking is which battery is compatible with the VE charging system?

I'd say just buy any modern sealed enhansed lead acid battery that meets the CCA and RC needs of your V8 at the best possible price you can get and you should be good to go.

 

[lmoengnr]

The Bosch in my Redline is almost 6 years old and still passes all the battery tests. And it doesn't get started and charged very often.

 

[losh1971]

Who sells Bosch?

 

[lmoengnr]

Who sells Bosch?

Calder Auto Electrics!

 

[chrisp]

I can get Century cheap in Adelaide but I've had two fail under warranty and then an Exide than lasted less than two years. SC I have in the shed is 10 years old or close to it. I have heard the standards have dropped on SC though.

Plenty of mark up on batteries. Issue with Delco they have limited resellers so don't get discounted like other brands do, providing you know where to go.

Did those three failed batteries live in the same car? If so, maybe it’s the car and not the battery brand?

In the end, batteries are mostly made by a few global manufacturers and branded to a particular retail market. They will also offer batteries at different price points - with different warranties. As @Skylarking pointed out, the actual value mightn’t be all that different between a ‘good’ and a ‘cheap’ battery.

My suggestion... if you want maximum value, see if you can survive with the existing battery through winter. If you can get through the cooler months, it’ll probably get through summer without too much trouble. You can then buy a new battery next year (ahead of the following winter).

 

[losh1971]

Calder Auto Electrics!

Bit far away for me. I was hoping there was a local franchise I could call.

 

[losh1971]

Did those three failed batteries live in the same car? If so, maybe it’s the car and not the battery brand?

All three that failed prematurely were in the same vehicle. But so was the one I now have in the shed and it's still going strong.

 

[Lex]

Bit far away for me. I was hoping there was a local franchise I could call.

Find a place in Geelong or Adelaide, for when you hit the mainland.
If not much price difference, just get one in Tas. for if you need the warranty.

 

[Lex]

All three that failed prematurely were in the same vehicle. But so was the one I now have in the shed and it's still going strong.

That sounds like the vehicle was killing the batteries? If the battery in the shed had stayed in the vehicle, it too may have died early?

 

[losh1971]

Yeah, the warranty thing is why I'd prefer local. We only have auto accessory shops, Supercharge or R & J to buy a battery locally. So it really comes down to the last two as I won't pay the same price for something from Repco, Autobarn or SCA as I can for a Delco at R & J.