Sponge Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) I'm at work and my car is stuck at home, I'm researching the purchase of a new battery. I wondered if anyone happened to know the dimensions of the oem battery, or indeed the tray it sits in? I've been using various sites to get recommendations and they're often different sizes. Varta themselves recommend: Article number 585 200 080 3162 Product line SILVER dynamic Voltage [V] 12 Battery Capacity [Ah] 85 Cold-test Current, EN [A] 800 Length [mm] 315 Width [mm] 175 Height [mm] 175 Hold-down Type B13 Zoom Pole Positions 0 Zoom Terminal Type 1 SC F18 Which is slightly different to Tayna: Type 096 Varta Silver Dynamic Car Battery 12V 74Ah(Short Code: E38) (Varta DIN: 575 121 072 or 574 402 075) Specifications Voltage - 12V Capacity - 74Ah CCA(EN) - 750A Dimensions(mm) 278 x 175 x 175 I'm awaiting a price on the first, but I prefer it to the second because of the higher spec. But as you can see from above, the length is different. Thanks in advance. Edited January 6, 2009 by Sponge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Nelson has provided me with the dimensions of the Audi replacement app. 280x178x191. Thanks So it seems the Tayna recommendation is within these dimensions, but the Varta recommendation isn't. I've now learnt the Varta F18 is £104 plus delivery of £7.98. So about £15 more than the E38. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Have you thought about a Bosch one? GSF Car Parts sell them and they've got a long warranty on them as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no_idea Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Have you tried Audi parts dept. Got a price from them yesterday (about £93 ish can't remember exactly) for my A4 3.0 quattro. That was before any discount you may be able to negotiate. Not much to go by but it is cheaper than Halfords. Might be worth a try. Does anybody know how long the warranty is with a genuine battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) I've had a quote from my local dealer of £124. But the spec they gave me was nonsense. Something like 40Ah/300A. Another dealer told me it was £99 and the spec provided was believable. However, I can get better spec'd batteries for similar money elsewhere. Does anyone happen to know if the battery compartment has much scope for adjustment? I can get a battery locally with a 10% discount if I order online (for some reason they won't apply the discount instore). However, the site gives me two options. One 278mm (close to oem) one 315mm. Will it take a battery 35mm longer than oem? Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking - just look for yourself ffs! But I'm at work and the car is at home. It'll be pitch black when I get home and I'm curious to know now, if at all possible. I have no idea what the clamping mechanism is, I assume there is one, or if there's any space for fitting the larger battery. I'm hoping someone here already knows. Edited January 6, 2009 by Sponge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 The bolt to hold down the clamp is on the front of the battery, not the sides, but it's a very neat fit. I would doubt there's 35mm to spare, but I guess you'll have to look and double check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thanks Mook. I did actually have a mental picture of the clamp being on the (short) side and hoped that would mean I could fit a slightly longer battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) The battery is indeed clamped on the front, long edge. I can't work out how to get to the nut/screw and clamping plate. It looks like it requires the removal of some polystyrene. The right side is held under a lip and the left side is free, butted against a stopper. You can see that this stopper looks moveable, to accomodate larger batteries. However, there are hoses in close proximity. It looks tight, but the stopper should do it's job of keeping the battery away from those hoses. Edited January 6, 2009 by Sponge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) Sorted. New battery fitted. I wanted to update the thread as I find it annoying when threads just fizzle out with no closure. I ended up with the Varta Silver Dynamic, Short Code (SC): F18 Article number 585 200 080 3162 Product line SILVER dynamic Voltage [V] 12 Battery Capacity [Ah] 85 Cold-test Current, EN [A] 800 Length [mm] 315 Width [mm] 175 Height [mm] 175 Hold-down Type B13 Zoom Pole Positions 0 Zoom Terminal Type 1 SC F18 (This is one of the batteries recommended by Varta's battery search.) There was, however, an issue with the dimensions. This battery is 315mm long, longer than the oem battery and batteries recommended by other retailers, e.g. Tayna, which are ~280mm. But it has a higher capacity and I was keen to buy it, if it fitted. So the price hunt commenced. I checked all the online battery specialists and they all seemed much of a muchness. They also had the added expence of delivery in the region of £8. I was also concerned about possible future warranty claims. The batteries had 3, 4, or 5 year warranties and returning such a heavy item to the retailer, or manufacturer, could be problematic and expensive. So my search continued... Out of curiosity I checked the place that supplied my tyres a few months ago, National Tyres. Rather surprisingly their battery prices were less than the others, plus it included fitting and obviously no delivery charge. It also means any claims under the warranty should be a lot simpler. However, their selector offered 2 choices of (silver) battery, the larger, higher capacity F18 and a smaller, lower capacity one, E44. The icing on the cake was when I discovered you could order the battery and book the fitting online and receive a 10% discount. Or, simply print off the quote and take it to your local garage and they would honour it. I called my local garage and they had both possible batteries in stock. So asked me to bring it down to see which one fitted. To cut an already long story, short - the larger battery fitted fine. The stopper was simply moved to the next hole and the new battery slotted straight in. (After unclipping and pulling back the rubber seal, polystyrene strip and connected wires. Audi don't make it easy to do this sort of thing, do they? ) After adding £1 to dispose of my old battery, the total cost was £85.60. Over £30 cheaper than the best online price I found. The battery has a 5 year warranty too! :D Edited January 8, 2009 by Sponge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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