Where to buy batteries?

[dave21478]

Cold mornings have become a serious hassle now. Both vans batteries are weak, requiring a jump-start each morning (or be parked at the top of the drive the night before for a bump-start), my brother in laws old merc needs a new battery too. I dragged my vectra out of the bushes at the bottom of the garden, but its battery isnt a good fit in any of the other cars. I have been using it for jump-start duties but as it never gets driven anywhere, its now flat too.

I went for a browse round a few car parts places today and found that the first van will cost 70€ - high, but not too excessive, the second van have to be ordered in especially and will cost 210€ - Thats obviously some kind of sick joke? and the merc will cost 110€ - about 50 too high imo. The grumpy asshole in my local scrayard wants 50€ per battery - sold as seen, untested and non refundable. If its dud I can swap it for another. which might be ok.

So, short of constantly bump-starting till I next go back to UK, where I can buy them for sensible prices, does anyone have any suggestions on where to get cheaper batteries here? Has anyone seen any chains with promos on batteries?

 

[Bob T]

Just about every supermarket around here sells different sizes of car batteries. IMHO 100 euros or so for a battery that will last 5 to 7 years is penauts.

[dave21478]

400€ for three batteries is not peanuts to me. I checked my supplier in uk and he would sell me all three for £120.

 

[Chancer]

I commiserate with you Dave, batteries are something (amongst many other things automotive) that I have never found in France at anywhere near the price I am used to paying from factors or Maccess.

If they did indeed last 5 -7 years it would be some consolation but it seems that only the ones fitted to new vehicles ever acheive that (mine is 7 years old and still soldiering on), I tend to buy them from scrapyards whenever possible especially if they have come from a recent written off car although I do take my own battery tester. The last one cost me 10 euros because it failed on the tester but I could see that it was partially discharged yet looked quite new so I took a chance and it was a goodun!

I think occasionally the likes of LeClerc sell them cheap but they look very moody.

[AnOther]

[quote user="dave21478"]400€ for three batteries is not peanuts to me. I checked my supplier in uk and he would sell me all three for £120.[/quote]which, at todays exchange rate,  leaves you around £213. Almost enough to get to UK and back if you drive carefully (and can get one of the cars started of course) [6]

In a similar vein, I was casually browsing the motor accessories in Mr Bricolage the other day and my eyes alighted on a throw away canister type oil filter which looked to be the right size for my MGB. I nearly feinted when I saw the price of €28, in UK I can get 5 for under £20 [:'(]

[Chancer]

I would get all 5 for a tenner during on of my forays to Maccess, its a trade only cash n carry centre that most of the accessory shops buy their stock from, sadly it is not a patch on what it used to be.

Gioven that the UK is a small group of islands, not (physically) part of continental Europe, that it no longer manufactures anything of consequence and hence everrything has to travel either over or under the sea I could understand if the price differential was the other way round [:(]

[dave21478]

Well, I got a surprise today. Finaly fed up with parking the van on a hill for bump-starting I wandered around till I found another parts factors and got the smaller van battery for 55€ - a price im fairly happy with.

Surprisingly, the factors is a different branch of exactly the same chain that quoted me the original silly prices!