My car battery is dead. I have RACV road side assist, and some one suggested it is cheaper to get a battery from Super Cheap auto and get RACV to fix rather than getting the RACV batteries which is expensive. Any thoughts or suggestions ? I don't know how much RACV charge for the batteries ?
Car Battery Replacement Is RACV Cheaper or Other Places
chrismatt on 15/02/2020 - 16:18
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Surprisingly the cheaper car battery i got was not from a auto store, it was from Bunnings.
$154
https://www.beaurepaires.com.au/batteries/exide-55d23cmf-car…$140
https://www.bunnings.com.au/exide-endurance-55d23cmf-vehicle…Check COSTCO. I saw few of them were below 100 AUD
Costco Excide Batteries are ok. They come with 24 month or 30 months warranty and normally cost $80-100 (depending on the battery model). Mine is 3 years old, so far ok.
Buy most suitable battery on special at either repco, autobarn or supercheap.
Watch a YouTube video titled "how to swap battery in a (insert car model here)"
Replace said battery as per video.
Buy yourself a beer with money saved and be proud of your efforts.
It's not rocket science and in most cases only requires very basic tools.
Ok. Sounds like a good idea. I will watch the video
If you don't mind, which model car?
Toyota Camry Altise
I found Autobarn cheapest for getting a new car battery recently without any specials (there were no good specials). Checked Repco, Autobarn and Supercheap.
I prefer the RACV guys install the battery and charge me for it. Costs about $50-$75 than a reputable branded one but from memory they have a good warranty and lasts longer than the branded one the mister bought for his car (but he saved quite a bit on sale over $100) so depends on if you want to deal with the hassle.
It shouldn't be cheaper to get someone else to do it when you can DIY.
I have had my battery replaced by RACV before and to be honest I thought the price was quite reasonable.
First they gave me a quote on two different batteries (different sizes), then based on what I had in my car I did some Googling of all the usual suspects and found that whilst I could get it marginally cheaper myself (might have been $30 or something) it meant I had to go get it, then install it (which is easy) in the dark without a torch (a small challenge) and then be left with a battery which will probably sit in my garage until I work out what I am meant to do with it.
So went with RACV, told them where I would be, guy rocked up, tested the battery to 100% confirm, swapped it over, tested new battery/car, took old battery away - 15 to 20 minutes.
It was the first time I have done that, every other time I have sourced the battery myself and changed it over, wouldn't hesitate to use RACV again, very convenient.
One thing to bear in mind is that RACV bring the battery to you. Unless you can get public transport to a battery retailer or have access to a second car, take the cost (including opportunity cost) of delivery into account.
I suggest you have a look at ac delco batteries. This is the brand major car companies use for batteries and other parts (owned by general motors). They have a 3 yr warranty and my family have always got a very good run using these batteries.
victorianbatterycompany also I think have a 24 hr fitting & delivery service if that helps.
I tried RAA (SA version of RACV) and SCA and Battery World (surprise!) was considerably cheaper.
This was for 1990 MX5 and 2015 Hyundai Sonata
if your car can still start up with the help of other car or RACV, then you can drive to supercheap and ask them to install, I remember it is $15 on top of the battery.
Call the store making sure they have the battery you need in stock first.
I think SC or Battery world install the battery for you.
I got my battery from Costco (cost me around 120$) and installed it myself by watching a video on YouTube. It was fairly easy.
Just replaced my battery at Autobarn. No extra charge for installation. It was during Feb so 20% off too. They sold Century Yuasa batteries which have 24 months warranty and Supercharge batteries which are slightly cheaper and has a longer 40 months warranty.
Went with the Century because my Lexus labelled battery is actually supplied by Century Yuasa in the label and has the model number for exact fit despite the lower warranty time compared to Supercharge brand. I reckon it would last > 4 yrs anyway.
If you can jump start your car just drive it to Autobarn, though call them first to make sure they have the battery for your car and that they are not too busy to fit the battery when you are there.
I had my Century replaced at Supercheap within warranty (3 months left in 36 month period - lucky). The battery wouldn't hold charge even after full deep cycle charge.
Wife's car has Supercharge battery, never missed a beat despite being older. If I couldn't get the century replaced, I would have bought Supercharge.
If you can swap battery Costco has cheapest prices,
One advantage of having NRMA etc do it is they take the old one away.
Do supacheap etc dispose of the old battery?
Or is there money to be had from holding onto it and recycling it somewhere?
Have seen old car batteries left on the side of the road presumably by people who have replaced it on the spot and dumped the old.
Scrap merchants buy batteries and would get around 4-5 dollars. Just most people are too lazy to recycle and therefore see these dumped instead.
I was in a similar situation and got the RAA to do it in the end. SCA wouldn't change the battery because there was an intake duct over the battery and they weren't game to disassemble it. The RAA guy took it off in seconds.
Changed one recently. RACV quoted my dad $440.
Small detour to autobarn and swapped it out for $220. Tools - pliers only but spanner would help. Time - 5 minutes.
The advantage of using the auto club (RACQ for me) is that they will test the old battery, and test the car’s charging system. This at least gives you confidence that you are fixing the actual problem (it could be a poor connection, a blown main fuse, a faulty alternator, etc). RACQ provided a high spec battery (660 CCA from memory) for $230 tested & installed.
FYI Repco has 30% off this weekend!
and I was told by Repco that they are re-badged Century batteries
I had this dilemma recently. I got RAC to come out and confirm it was the battery that was dead. The mechanic then told me where to go in town to get the best battery so he wouldn't put a mark up on it. So i used my other car to go buy it then came home and called RAC again to say i needed a jumpstart again. As i am in a country town the same mechanic came out fitted it, took the old one away and tested the new one.
Good first experience for using roadside assistance after having it for 9 years.
Probably just a nice mechanic. Years ago I tried this being a damsel in distress with the hubby having purchased a spare battery already but hadn't come home yet, the mechanic did it but told me he wasn't supposed to and that he couldn't log it as a job. After knowing this I decided I wouldn't game this in the future.
Mechanic gets paid for two service calls, so he’s happy. Maybe he didn’t have a suitable (or any) battery and used you as a courier to get one, maybe he just saw a chance for an easy extra call-out payment. And maybe we all pay higher roadside assistance fees because of this type of behaviour.
I am offended by your comment that my behaviour causes increased fees. As I said in my comment I have paid for RAC for the first time in 9 years. I have always had my family/friends/partner there to help. But in this circumstance I had just returned from 10 days working away on night shift and it was over 40 degrees.
Definitely saw it as a chance to get an extra call out fee. However I'm happy to keep the mechanic employeed as in a country town he said he doesn't get many calls out.
Yes, Bosch makes car batteries that last quite a long time, and powerful ones too. This battery in particular is rated to 710 cold cranking amps, making it a great battery for extremely cold and extremely hot environments. … If this battery fails on you within 4 years of ownership, Bosch will replace it absolutely free.May 22, 2019
Bosch batteries are 100% new made. Not made from recycled batteries.
I replaced mine after 10years of use. No kidding
Little unknown fact I found out was if you have your battery installed by Supercheap Auto it only costs $15 and extends the warranty of the battery by 6 months https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/services/in-store-services…
I got someone to jumpstart my car then headed over to supercheap auto. The battery replacement was pretty painless and they even have some tool to keep all your radio settings and do the battery test as well.
Exide is a good brand. Sold at Bunnings.
Makes sense Bunnings starts selling them, they are open more often than not.
RACV is a rip off if you can change it yourself.
RACV wouldn't jump start my wife's car due to an issue with a cell after school. I picked up the car myself that night and then changed the battery myself. Saved about $140.
The best batteries have the longest warranty.
Always buy the battery with the longest warranty you can afford.
I like Exide and AC Delco, however, a battery retailer I buy from has stopped selling AC Delco due to the warranty claim issues.
We've used Exides before from Kmart, very affordable and no issues under the warranty period.
Ask RACV how much they will charge, then check the price in supercheap, or, vice-versa
Last time I needed a new battery I just went to Battery World, they had a 20% off sale on at the time and for them fit it was $15.
Saved me having to retune the radio, put the security code in and dispose of the old battery.
I had to use my NRMA roadside membership to replace the battery in my car a year ago. I would've done it myself but it was late Sunday night, so all of the regular car shops were closed and it was my only car. I had to work the next day so couldn't wait. Convenience does come at a price.
Cost will depend on the battery type.
From memory, Camry uses a 55D23L battery.
Recommendation is to get a maintenance free battery, and one with a decent warranty. Anything above 24 months would generally be a safe bet.
I've recently used SuperCharge batteries in my cars and found them to be very reliable. I get them from onlinebatteries.com.au as they supply, deliver and fit in Sydney. They also dispose of your old battery without any cost.
Here's one with 30 months warranty - https://www.onlinebatteries.com.au/product_info.php?products…
Other place
last time I needed a new battery I found www.marshallbatteries.com.au good value.
They come to you and dispose old battery for free.Just an update to everyone.. I checked at Super Cheap and they said, the battery cost is 200$ and 20$ installation if I bring my car. I called RACV and checked the price, they said, it is 230$ and they would visit your place and replace the battery, including taking away the old one. I found RACV to be cost effective in my case. I called RACV, they did a great job, including the gentleman cleaned the battery compartment, tested it thoroughly, gave me the reports, etc.
Good work, at $10 difference that's not a tough choice. Glad it worked out!
If anyone is wondering the same question today, Racv battery for us was $300 replaced at home. We had been told it was on the way out and Ford quoted $240 so $60 difference, we just thought it would last a little longer.
They will probably tell you need a more expensive battery if you can do it yourself it will be cheaper