I use Electrolube electrical contact grease. It does exactly what the name suggests!

It only needs the thinnest of smears of the stuff (not a great dollop of ordinary grease like many "experts" use) so the small tube that I've had for years will continue to last for years - which is just as well when you see how much it costs these days on Amazon!

Success!

Having lost the battery in their Manchester "Sortation" depot, it finally arrived and I've fitted it today.

Dead simple if you follow the steps in post #40, especially removing the front half of the rigid box (if you have one) to gain access.

 

The Varta 096 has a sturdy handle on top, so it is so much easier to manoevre it into place. It is certainly the biggest battery that will fit in the rigid plastic battery box shown in post #35.

The soft jacket will not now completely surround the larger battery, but by carefully unfastening the tabs that hold together, it is still possible to gently fit it inside the battery box albeit with a slight gap. I still don't know what the jacket is for, but I turned it inside out so that the gap is at the RH rear corner of the box, adjacent to the earthing bolt on the car body. I reckon it's the place that's least likely to be subject to extremes of heat - if that's what the jacket is supposed to insulate against.

 

If you fit an 096 in place of an 027 (or whatever your standard battery was previously), just make sure that you tuck the main live cable tight against the foot of the battery once you have attached it to the battery terminal as unless you do, you won't be able to get the front half of the rigid box to clip back in place securely.

 

So, Graham & Yeti_Man, yes, you can!

 

I thoroughly recommend Battery Megastore, either via Amazon or direct. Their customer service has been excellent when they learned that parcel delivery people "lost" the battery.

 

 

Incidentally, I'm not sure of the connection between Varta & Bosch, unless Varta make batteries for Bosch. Varta is part of the Johnson Controls Group, an long established American company that is quoted on the NY Stock Exchange.

I do agree however that their batteries do look very similar and seem to have the same specification.

Varta make batteries for Bosch. The only difference between the S5 and the E44 are the stickers.

Varta make batteries for Bosch. The only difference between the S5 and the E44 are the stickers.

 

Ah, that explains it! Thanks for that.

So the moral is buy a Varta battery because if you buy Bosch, you are literally paying extra for the name!

 Saw this ad on Silsden .net website        West Yorkshire

good quality 12v varta E11 (096) blue dynamic car/van battery less than 1 year old,fully charged,74ah/680cca in very good condition, cheap at £20 NO OFFERS,ring 07890651387,,,265mm w x 190mmh x 170mm deep

 Saw this ad on Silsden .net website        West Yorkshire

good quality 12v varta E11 (096) blue dynamic car/van battery less than 1 year old,fully charged,74ah/680cca in very good condition, cheap at £20 NO OFFERS,ring 07890651387,,,265mm w x 190mmh x 170mm deep

Wouldn't touch it personally - how do you know it's any better than what you've got ?

 

IMHO if you need to change your battery, you might as well get a new one that you know hasn't been abused and will last a few years.

New battery ordered on Wednesday evening from ECP, and delivered on Friday morning.

Just been out in the freezing cold and had to clear a layer of ice and snow off the front of the car.

Removed the 2 leads, the cover and then (eventually) found the mounting bolt and clip.

What a beggar it is to get the battery out!!

New 096 battery in (***!!!***) and of course the cover doesn't fit, so that's in the shed.

Volt meter now shows a nice 12.6v!!

Bloody cold feet and fingers!!

I think I need a glass of Sloe Calvados!! (yes really, don't ask!!)

^  name dropper you!!

....I think I need a glass of Sloe Calvados!! (yes really, don't ask!!)

We could do with a bottle or two of that down in Bob's Corner!  Just to be ready, of course.  It would be chilly down there just now! 

When we were over in Vannes last year we were given a bottle of home made Calvados by our friend.

Looked lovely but boy was it rough!!

We'd used a bit in the Christmas cake and pudding and then a friend brought some sloes around and we thought that instead of making sloe gin we'd try them in the Calva. 2 Kilner jars filled with sloes plus 750ml of Calva plus about half a pound of sugar, shaken every day since the sloes were out, and we opened the first bottle just before Christmas. Have to say it is very palatable and that little bit "different".

 

 

And warming!

Removed the 2 leads, the cover and then (eventually) found the mounting bolt and clip.

What a beggar it is to get the battery out!!

New 096 battery in (***!!!***) and of course the cover doesn't fit, so that's in the shed.

Volt meter now shows a nice 12.6v!!

Bloody cold feet and fingers!!

 

Told you so!

Swinging the air filter housing head out of the way reveals the bolt and makes access easy.

But then you need to temporarily put the housing back in order to lift out the battery.

 

Did yours have the complete plastic box around it Graham (as in my post #36)?

If so, removing the front half of the battery box before trying to lift the battery out makes a world of difference though, without any handles, at about 16Kg the original battery is still a pig to move out of the car.

 

Which bit is now in the shed? If it's just the padded jacket, just open it out, turn it inside-out and it'll slip back around the battery inside the box with a small gap at the back RH corner (see post #52). (Easier with warm fingers though - so wait for weather to improve!

If you've left the plastic box lid off, it'd be a good idea to cover the positive terminal with something to ensure it can't short on the bonnet in the event of an accident.

 

I'm so glad I swapped mine a week ago. It was cold, but not as cold as yesterday/today!

Afternoon John.

 

Mine only had the soft cover around it, so it's gone into the shed.

Good idea about the cover over the positive post.

Will sort something out. (when it's warmer!!)

Just fitted a Varta E44 Silver from Performance Batteries in Gloucestshire. Ordered 15.30 on Monday delivered 09.45 this morning ( Tues ) unbelieveable service, and it only cost £68.00. It is 77Ah. 780 cold crank. 5 years warranty. Had the old one out and new in 20mins. As someone else mentioned power steering and traction control lights were on, but went out after moving about 20 yards down the road. Only had to reset the time, everything else fine. Oh, there is a half inch gap in the blanket at the neg end, due to a few mm longer length.

Very Informative Thank You.