MX5 batteries

[chrislevingston]

I have just rang SuperCharge in Perth.
$95

My Battery World one has died after a little over 2 years, and Supercharge Adelaide just quoted me $198 (said it was trade price), plus another $6 for clips.

Ouch

Open to suggestions.....

[GP]

Was that for the new GT12-35HR AGM battery?

[chrislevingston]

Yep.

Worth it?

Chris

[GP]

Well I paid $130 Trade, $198 sounds like a huge markup. I would say it's still worth it as it's perfectly safe for your boot and mines working fine. BTW the Terminals came with it for free

[chrislevingston]

Thanks, Graham.

When did you buy yours?

I would rather pay what you did

Chris

[GP]

I've only had it in for a few weeks. The battery is slightly smaller so it fits fine with a bit of packing. The terminals however are on the opposite sides so the battery has to be reversed and your cables have to reach an extra 60mm or so. Mine had enough slack in the cables for this but something for you to check

[chrislevingston]

Thanks for that - Chris

[MavMX5]

My Battery World one has died after a little over 2 years

I've purchased 2 batteries from Battery World (Collingwood) and they have both failed. I seriously question the "newness" of some of the items they sell. Their after sales service is also poor. Some places understand that when they sell a defective product it presents an opportunity to strengthen relations with a client. These guys, however, seem to be intent on fobbing and coming up with any excuse to avoid their obligations.

Anyway, after extensive research I decided to get the Fullriver SPV35 (AGM).

Very happy with it thus far (5 months). Feels exactly like the MX5 original. If anyone wants the name of the place (in Melb) that had the best price and did a very good job of installing it, PM me.

[two40]

which battery is recommended for the mx5? according to supercharge site the MF40B20DF is suitable for the mx5, but people in this thread are using the MF43? any reason for this.

Do what I do; ignore part numbers initially, measure the dimensions of your current battery, visit your local stockist of the battery you want, measure it for fitment.

But that would be too logical.

Just to add my 2c. Had to replace my battery (2004 SE) and I wanted to use the tray. Measurements suggested a Supercharge MF40B20DF which is what I picked up for $129. The battery comes with 3 years warranty and weighs a touch over 10kg. I didn't shop around as I couldn't be stuffed wasting my weekend. The battery fit the tray well except it was a big high but this wasn't a surprise. Using the stock battery, the clamp was positioned on the middle of 3 holes. With the replacement I am using the top hole and had to purchase a longer bolt to secure it. For reference, the bolt required is an M8 x 1.25 x 60. The wooden tray still fits on top of the battery but there is a noticeable slope and you loose a small amount of space as a result. Nothing of concern.

[GP]

Measurements suggested a Supercharge MF40B20DF which is what I picked up for $129.

Hope your boot doesn't rust out

[xmx106]

Here is one to curl your hair.
Massy ignition plus LM20C, $68.95 from Big W.
Its a sealed led acid battery, just a little bit bigger in size, terminals in the right place though.
I fitted one of these into my 1990 NA, it needed a mod to the battery clamp because its higher and the little side retainer bracket had to come out. I sat the battery on a rubber mat, to give it some traction. Its all hidden by the standard trim cover anyway.
The battery is sealed but has a small spring loaded valve vent on the top at one side to relieve pressure if it builds up, I cut down a garden reticulation fitting and siliconed it on to the battery over the vent, then piped it out to the standard vent connection. So far this battery has been in this car for 16 months without any trouble and its not my daily drive, I also fitted a battery terminal isolator, you know the one with the green screw knob. I have never needed to put the charger on it and it sits for a month sometimes without moving, battery isolated, then starts with gusto as required.
I have had the very same battery in my 1988 mazda 929 and it went for 5 years, before it gave up and it was cranking a 3 liter V6.
Nothing wrong with cheap batteries, sometimes they are exactly the same as some of the more expensive batteries, never pay more for a 3 year warrantly, a bad battery will show up in the first few months, the warrantly is hard to recover and it is on a sliding scale, so its always going to take more money out of your pocket.
Thats my experience with batteries.

[kula]

My car now lives in the garage and only comes out to play when I've been a good boy.
My original battery died a couple of years ago, and I replaced it with another original from Mazda. Yeah it works fine, but isn't cheap and is quite heavy.

Now that the focus for my car is more of a racecar, I went with pretty much the lightest battery I could find.

2.9kg DEKA.
http://batterymart.com.au/dispdet.php?i ... 2239038944

Starts my car fine, I disconnect it when I'm leaving the car alone for more than a day or two.

Oh,
http://batterymart.com.au/
is a great store, super quick delivery and excellent prices.

[deviant]

My car has got a Mazda battery in it which the last owner bought just before selling the car to me so the battery is less than a year old.

The car is pretty much only being used to go to track events now so I want to keep the battery in top condition so it will still start when I want it to.

I'm looking at picking up a trickle charger / conditioner thing. They run the battery through discharge and charge cycles and automatically turn on and off, the idea being you can just hook it up and switch it on and leave it for weeks and weeks on end and the battery will still be in top condition when you next go to the car.

Are there any recommendations on brands and places to buy one? The few I have looked at were around the $300 mark.

They also seem to come in different variations for different types and sepcifications of batteries...what should I be looking for?

[Hammer]

Three months ago I replaced the battery from my NA (w/c I believe is the original - Panasonic) with a Federal one, while the battery is a straight fit including the exhaust hoses, it doesn't seem to last as long between use as the OEM battery.

For example I've noticed with the Federal, it will hardly start the car if you leave it at least two weeks between use. The charge of the OEM battery lasted a little longer between use. Nothing has changed on the car (ie. I have not installed a new alarm etc.) I tend to only drive my NA for track days and on odd occassion on weekends - just to keep all mechanical parts & liquids in the car loose and flowing.

But if you plan to use your car more frequently than I do, then it shouldn't be a problem.

I also vote for trickle chargers. Unfortunately, my garage (shared basement) do not have any powerpoints. Otherwise I too will plug my trickle charge unit to it.

[toimr2]

Hi
I have many cars (mainly Toyota MR2's) as well as a 1989 MX5.
So that my batteries are never flat, I use a charging unit called Charge N Maintain made by Projecta. It is a great unit and can be left on. I have been using this equipment for about 6 years. Cost is about $50 to $60 for the units.

On the matter of venting the battery, the Toyota SW20 (MR2 built between 1990 and 1999) which has a mid mounted engine, has the battery located in the front trunk and no venting. Unlike the MX5 though a normal battery can be used.

I wonder why the Mazda MX5 requires a vented battery.

Any thoughts?