MX5 NC (2011) replacement battery

[jassi]

Hi All - have searched around a bit on here and no firm recommendations on an MX5 NC2 battery. My battery has given up twice now, once while parked taking a 20 min call over bluetooth and another time yesterday when getting the ohlins installed as the boot light was on for a few hours.
1) Is this normal or is my battery on its last legs. The car is dríven everyday for 2 hours and I am going to be away for a trip for 2 weeks and parking at airport, so don't want to risk any dramas on return
2) Any recommendations on replacement battery models (oem vs odyssey 680 vs federal vs deka etx) and places that will stock them and fix them asap before my trip (battery world, etc)? Any specific battery types I need to ask for?

Thanks for guidance

[lizard]

If you can find a Optima YellowTop to fit don't hesitate

[JBT]

I bought a Century from Supercheap.

[jassi]

If you can find a Optima YellowTop to fit don't hesitate

Do you mean this one - http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/optima-yellow-top/ it says its 27 kgs is this heavier than stock, 75ah capacity should last a fair few days i guess though? Or any of these specific models? http://www.centurybatteries.com.au/prod ... p%E2%84%A2

I bought a Century from Supercheap.

is it this one? http://www.centurybatteries.com.au/reso ... uct/ns60ls

[jassi]

Found some advice from http://mx5-sa.com.au/technical/
Not sure if its valid for all NCs
"Looking for a new battery for an NC? The size you need is 236cm long x 200 deep x 128 wide. The terminals must be correctly orientated with the (‘+’) positive (or live) post a the ‘back’ left, or the leads will not reach. An ‘L’ or ‘R’ in the battery identifier is the key to the orientation of its terminals. The SuperCharge MF55B 24LS is ideal. This is available locally for about $140 and has a Cold Crank Amperage (CCA) of 490. The OEM is only 320CCA. An AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery is not required for the NC as it was for the previous models where the battery was in the boot. Here is an example of an AGM that seems to be suitable for the previous models and is considerably cheaper than an OEM, which has the same CCA. (Contributed by Des Long) More here."

[JBT]

I bought a Century from Supercheap.

is it this one? http://www.centurybatteries.com.au/reso ... uct/ns60ls

Yes.

[Red Dragon]

Just had one replaced by RACV three months ago, 36 month warranty, no problems so far cost was $159 fitted and the old one taken away

[Mr Morlock]

Batteries are all much the same price for the same spec and the same warranty. Many batteries today just lat the warranty and then die. If your car is killing batteries quickly then something maybe draining it. A few hours of the boot open should not kill a good battery. You might get it checked by an autol elect and many of them supply batteries at reasonable cost anyway.

[jassi]

So I got my battery tested at autobarn. I was told my battery should start fine for some more time from the looks of it, but they were not able to tell me if it would hold a charge if parked for say 10-15 days. Maybe someone here can tell me from test results below if my battery is fine, and will hold charge for 10-15 days if not started
It says good & recharge on top - so it's not fully charged, even though I drive it 2 hrs daily?
Battery Volts 12.12V
Battery CCA - 278 (oem is 320?)
Starter test volts - 9.62
Charging test volts - 13.55

[JBT]

Just replace it if in doubt - It's not much $$$.

[lizard]

So I got my battery tested at autobarn. I was told my battery should start fine for some more time from the looks of it, but they were not able to tell me if it would hold a charge if parked for say 10-15 days. Maybe someone here can tell me from test results below if my battery is fine, and will hold charge for 10-15 days if not started
It says good & recharge on top - so it's not fully charged, even though I drive it 2 hrs daily?
Battery Volts 12.12V
Battery CCA - 278 (oem is 320?)
Starter test volts - 9.62
Charging test volts - 13.55

Should be at least 12.6v static that is it should hold 12.6v your battery at 12.12v is on its way out get a new one before you get stuck

[jassi]

Thanks for advice everyone. After much research went in for a supercharge MF55b24LS which has a 40 month warranty.
http://www.supercharge.com.au/superchar ... -mf55b24ls
Wanted to stay away from autobarn as they quoted 159$ plus 20$ for install
So I drove all the way to a supercharge listed dealer centre road batteries ( http://www.centreroadbatteries.com.au/ ) in Springvale and wasn't disappointed. Danny did an old school test with one of those huge battery testers and confirmed my battery was a dead duck, in fact it didn't start the car after the test! He showed me some newton power options and then supercharge silver and the top end gold. Compared to autobarn, he quoted 130$ for supercharge gold, with the install included and I went ahead with the same! Good business to deal with if you looking for an nc replacement battery.

Edit - quick tip, when you disconnect or replace battery, the dsc light stays on the mx5 nc. Simply turn your steering wheel full lock to full lock once and then turn ignition off n back on n the dsc light will be gone

[Magpie]

An alternative is a kill switch, no parasitic battery drain.

[jassi]

agree - i thought of the kill switch, but if my battery was on my way out, figured might as well get a replacement. Besides its daily dríven, just once every 3-4 months left parked for a week or two