Hi all,

I just spent several days looking for a reasonable price for a new battery for my old Boxster. I was seeing prices in the 400 chf range for the battery I wanted (Varta AGM). I finally thought to use en.toppreise.ch and found Swissbatt24 who had the Varta for 190 chf delivered to my home the next day. Great service as well.

Just noticed Digitec sells car batteries now. Great prices. https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product...tterie-3457402

I sure hope I remember to go there next time I need a battery. I wound up at a local shop last time, and really let him charm me into a battery I knew was too expensive, because he spent a lot of time diagnosing my maybe/maybe not defective one. I don't know why I let them do that. Maybe I'm becoming a little too Swiss.

Sites like https://www.auto-doc.ch or https://www.pkwteile.de/ send to Switzerland (35chf shipping) with same pricing as German retailers.

Saves time and hassle compared to driving yourself to Germany/France.

Popping down to Landi saves most hassle, and the battery comes with a 3 year warranty that won't cost 35chf to take back, only to have the claim rejected. Prices at Landi are comparable to no name batteries on those sites. A friend called the RAC to her car with a dead battery, they get the car running but claim the battery is toast and will expire soon. She remember the AA supplied the last battery with 3 year warranty. The AA reject the claim saying the battery is still serviceable.

I have had a Landi battery on for 4 years, their regular battery, on a stop start car that should have had some super expensive battery. I have left lights on a few times totally draining it, left the car for several months at one point, etc. The battery is getting tired now. I normally by Varta batteries, they are better, but only worth the extra if you get a deep discount.

Yes prices are great at Landi, with good guarantee. Only issue is they have a limited selection of batteries and don't have a type that would fit our cars, same at Bau Haus.

This is true. They never have the exact one you need! You end up with one a bit bigger, a bit smaller, depending on your wallet that day, battery tray size, etc. I needed a special stop start version, but just got the biggest ordinary one that would fit. I also bought a suspiciously skinny looking one, stuffed it in an Audi S6, and it cranked away happily for 3 years+. I really didn't expect that one to make the 3 years. Edit: Take a photo of the receipt, it won't last as long as the battery over summer as it is on thermal paper!

Yes, I was wondering about that as well. I would also need a Start/Stop battery with roughly 70Ah, but none of them at Landi are marked as being "designed" for Start/Stop systems.

when i needed one and could not go abroad to buy one (i had no battery ), i used swissbatt24 which was a good deal (compared to normal swiss retailers, not a german or french one)

Proper stop start ones are usually much more expensive by a factor of 2 or 3. They are better quality, deep cycle, so they are designed to recover better after going almost flat. However they should never get to that state. The mark up on stop start is much more significant due to lower volumes. My stop start car is nearly 20 years old now, and the system won't stop the car if the battery voltage is not high enough. I realised the old battery (which was not stop start) was going south because of that. The main thing is that the battery terminals are in the same place, + and - can be at different ends, and that the battery physically fits. My Landi battery is over 4 years old now.

The electrical starting system is designed, to some extent, around the battery ampage.
You should get the same amps as the existing battery (if OEM) or check the manual/specs.
Putting an 84A battery in a car designed for 60A is not wise, and visa versa.

Rubbish.

They are rated at Ah, not A.

More Ah just means that you can run longer with a dead alternator (or at idle when it's not charging much), it CANNOT harm anything.

Tom

Argh, you are correct, and I do not know what I’m talking about.

They are good, I often use them (I need to get a battery or two every year).

Tom

Not true for the battery CCA rating. (Cold Cranking Amps). But correct for the battery capacity.

Amps are a measure of current draw. You can't overload the starting system simply by using a battery with a higher rated battery, AH, CCA or any other rating. As long as a 12v battery is used in a 12v system, and everything it protected through the fuse panel, you can't damage anything with a larger battery.

Yes, but 60A was mentioned.

If it was 60CCA, it might just manage to start a 125cc bike, but that's about it.

Thus, it would make sense that he was talking about 60Ah.

Tom

I was just joining you in a bit of light hearted hair splitting fun. Of course it was obvious to both of us what the OP meant.

My Ford factory-installed lead-acid battery lasted for 10 years, 200k km, many short commutes (car engine started often).
I wonder what supplier they use.

Swisspaket.ch have been advertising on Tuti that you can send batteries bought in Germany (for example) to their address. I have been looking at bike batteries, as I wake up some toys.

An outfit on ebay in the UK is selling Bosch batteries (YB14L-A2 equiv) for £27 delivered to the UK.

This makes me think they may be Chinese fakes! Honest Chinese Hahn batteries are that price in Germany. Has anyone tried those? Realistically I will probably only start the bike a few times and in good weather.

EDIT: The price difference between UK and Germany is accounted for by a 7.5 euro recycling surcharge included on the German mail order prices. France has this too. You need to send/take your old battery back to avoid this.