car battery : Stick with Bosch vs go with Exide or Yuasa?

[cooa99]

Hi all, my Bosch 019 AGM (I think its S5 A13 850amp CCA 95ah) battery barely lasted 2 yrs while the previous one managed 4yrs. Not sure how reliable the Bosch's are so may be considering something else.

Yuasa HSB019 Silver 12V Car SMF Battery (900amps CCA , 100ah ) from Halfords at £143
Exide AGM 019 Car AGM Battery (850amps CCA , 95ah ) from ECP at £282.

Should I go for the Yuasa? and does AGM vs SMF make a difference or stick with the Bosch?

I have come across 3 online websites selling batteries ( i.e. the Battery shop, Battery Megastore and tanya). Are they any good?

Thanks

[marti]

I've always used Bosch which have lasted many yrs, the one on my old e53 is still going strong after 7 years....I do remember a few years ago that BMW used Exide for their batteries and just had their livery stuck on them, the one on my old e38 lasted 11yrs.....not sure if they still use Exide

[X5Sport]

I switched from Bosch after reading about the high failure rate of their batteries a few years back and now use Yuasa. Exide also come out well, and it was price that made the decision for me last time - along with a 5-year warranty.

Tayna Batteries are very good and their prices are keen too. Customer support is excellent.

I’ve always used AGM type as that is what my cars have been equipped with from the factory. I know some E53s had conventional batteries with others having AGM. You’ll need to just check if an SMF type needs a different charging setup. It may not matter, but worth asking the question in case you inadvertently under/over charge the replacement.

AGM batteries don’t handle going flat very well as it shortens their lifespan. If kept topped up you should get 5+ years though. In these ‘challenging’ times I charge the X6 monthly as the car has done less than 700 miles in the last 12 months.

[cooa99]

I’ve always used AGM type as that is what my cars have been equipped with from the factory. I know some E53s had conventional batteries with others having AGM. You’ll need to just check if an SMF type needs a different charging setup. It may not matter, but worth asking the question in case you inadvertently under/over charge the replacement.

How do I check about the charging setup? I am tempted at £113 (from tanya) to stick this in. I am not sure what my 3.0 d came with from the factory till I started using Bosch

[X5Sport]

Just checked and SMF just means it’s sealed, maintenance free so not relevant. All of our BMWs use AGM type SMF batteries - typically ‘gel’. The other type are VRLA (vented, Lead Acid) - typically ‘wet’. In the old days if you knocked a wet battery over, it leaked. Gel batteries don’t leak if you tip them accidentally.

Chances are the OEM fitting was AGM. It’s more relevant to the later models than the E53 fitted with the Intelligent Battery System. The E53 us plug and play, no blasted coding!

[cooa99]

Great thanks all.

Yuasa YBX5019 ordered from Tayna for £114.

I have a CTEK MX7 which I normally connect to the the positive and negative posts in the engine bay using the alligator clips. Which of the these 2 cables should I attach for permanent connection.

[sapphireblack]

The lead with eyelet rings can be attached directly to the battery, or the under bonnet jump points but could need bigger rings or even another connection type.

[cooa99]

I thought you are not meant to charge the x5 directly from the battery itself?

Here is the +ve post under the hood. Only way it will work with the eyelet is to unscrew and put behind the large nut

[sapphireblack]

CTEK are self regulating so take care of everything.

Main dealer fitted my 'traffic light' CTEK Indicator lead when they replaced the battery,

Depending where you make the connection, the eyelet rings on the CTEK leads are either 8 or 10mm for direct battery connection, you may need larger diameters for a different attachment.

[X5Sport]

I have the 8mm (fused) eyelet version connected to the under bonnet of both the X6 and 3 series. It’s the upper one in your piccie. I just undid the two nuts (+ve & -ve) jumper points and put the eyelets below and did everything up tightly. Been like that for years and work just fine.

Edited - I use this version: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B ... UTF8&psc=1

[Leslie]

Fit the one with the fuse in it would seem more sensible although neither eyelets look big enough , I'm sure they do a correct lead Id buy the battery with the longest warranty but 2 years seems a very poor life for a battery unless its went flat quite a bit ?

[cooa99]

Thanks,

I'll use the one with the fuse.