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Drizt
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Copied and pasted from another forum (my post).
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Went to 'Everybattery' Heidelburg today and the guy there was extremely helpful. Definitely recommend them.
Had a good discussion before trying to install the batteries about which ones he would recommend and his favourite is the Yellow D34. Out of the 3 batteries I was contemplating he recommended (without considering which car they go in) them in the following order:
1). Optima Yellow D34
2). Varta E44
3). Optima Yellow D35
He said basically he has the most experience with the Optimas and rates them very highly. He did say the Varta's are extremely high quality he just hasn't had as much experience with them.
He was very accommodating in that he came out and helped us try the different batteries in the car to see which was the best fit. After some dicking around all of the batteries would fit but the D34 was the most difficult and required a bit of manipulation / bending of leads etc. In the end the guy wasn't happy with how it sat in the car. Once you turn the battery around to get the terminals the right way round the terminals are pretty far back and in awkward spots. The black box that looks like a fuse box sits right above the negative terminal and generally it just isn't a great fit. Can be done... but.. decided not to.
We then discussed the D35 vs the Varta E44 and he said he would go the Varta. The varta has higher specs for everything and fits in perfectly. The only thing the Optima D35 has over it is the fact it is deep cycle. Deep cycle meaning you can run electronics without the car on, drain the battery down to very low levels and then be able to cycle it back up (trickle charge) without doing damage (shortening the life) to the battery. In the end I dont 'think' I really need that capability. Time will tell.
Fits in perfect.
Tip for installing.... The black side wall / plate needs to slot in to the battery holders bottom plate before you get the battery into position. You sort of have to slot it in as you are pushing the battery into place. If you put the battery in (fully fitted) first you wont be able to get the side wall back in properly. You could try lifting the edge of the battery up to slide the side plate in, but it is a bit tight in there. You will see what I mean when you try it.
The vent tube was easy to hook up, and the terminals were in the right spots
He installed a red plug in the second vent hole just in case. He said you really don't need to, but no harm in doing it.
All up with an Australia Day discount it was $230. Pretty happy with that really.
_____________
Went to 'Everybattery' Heidelburg today and the guy there was extremely helpful. Definitely recommend them.
Had a good discussion before trying to install the batteries about which ones he would recommend and his favourite is the Yellow D34. Out of the 3 batteries I was contemplating he recommended (without considering which car they go in) them in the following order:
1). Optima Yellow D34
2). Varta E44
3). Optima Yellow D35
He said basically he has the most experience with the Optimas and rates them very highly. He did say the Varta's are extremely high quality he just hasn't had as much experience with them.
He was very accommodating in that he came out and helped us try the different batteries in the car to see which was the best fit. After some dicking around all of the batteries would fit but the D34 was the most difficult and required a bit of manipulation / bending of leads etc. In the end the guy wasn't happy with how it sat in the car. Once you turn the battery around to get the terminals the right way round the terminals are pretty far back and in awkward spots. The black box that looks like a fuse box sits right above the negative terminal and generally it just isn't a great fit. Can be done... but.. decided not to.
We then discussed the D35 vs the Varta E44 and he said he would go the Varta. The varta has higher specs for everything and fits in perfectly. The only thing the Optima D35 has over it is the fact it is deep cycle. Deep cycle meaning you can run electronics without the car on, drain the battery down to very low levels and then be able to cycle it back up (trickle charge) without doing damage (shortening the life) to the battery. In the end I dont 'think' I really need that capability. Time will tell.
Fits in perfect.
Tip for installing.... The black side wall / plate needs to slot in to the battery holders bottom plate before you get the battery into position. You sort of have to slot it in as you are pushing the battery into place. If you put the battery in (fully fitted) first you wont be able to get the side wall back in properly. You could try lifting the edge of the battery up to slide the side plate in, but it is a bit tight in there. You will see what I mean when you try it.
The vent tube was easy to hook up, and the terminals were in the right spots
He installed a red plug in the second vent hole just in case. He said you really don't need to, but no harm in doing it.
All up with an Australia Day discount it was $230. Pretty happy with that really.
stick3
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calcium or optima thats about it there a quit a few threads about batteys for ve/vf on here
TANK 2.0
Active Member
Thank you very much
Lensman
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I bought an expensive Optima for my Patrol. Must have got a dud one because it didn't last. It was the backup battery in a dual battery system so I didn't work out it was cactus until I needed it. It was probably still in warranty but because I bought on eBay returning it was too expensive. Current backup battery is working fine so it's not the charging system.
Anyway, getting back to Commodore. My Exide died due to some parasitic leach issue. I really wanted to buy a Century as I have one in my HQ and it's awesome, goes months without being used and cranks it long and hard dragging the fuel back up from the tank. Century though only have a 24 month warranty where with Exide Extreme you can get 42 months.
Anyway, getting back to Commodore. My Exide died due to some parasitic leach issue. I really wanted to buy a Century as I have one in my HQ and it's awesome, goes months without being used and cranks it long and hard dragging the fuel back up from the tank. Century though only have a 24 month warranty where with Exide Extreme you can get 42 months.
TANK 2.0
Active Member
Just a couple more questions....
* what type of battery should I look for to suit my modded SS? (Not too worried about brand but the power of the battery)
* I have had the car for about 4 weeks now and I noticed the headlights/interior lights dim in time with timing of the cam at idle/lights.
It takes 3-4 seconds on a normal day to start and sometimes doesn't start or takes longer to start when engine is hot (like stopping for fuel)
PS sorry for the noob talk, nowhere near being an expert.
Blackout
Member
Bringing this thread back to life in 2023.
Sounds like the Varta E44 is the goer for replacement. The people that used these, what has your experience with them been like?
Mine is just the standard VE SIDI SV6, nothing aftermarket in sound systems etc other than an in car air purification filter system.
Sounds like the Varta E44 is the goer for replacement. The people that used these, what has your experience with them been like?
Mine is just the standard VE SIDI SV6, nothing aftermarket in sound systems etc other than an in car air purification filter system.
