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Seeking 1) Decent Car/Pickup Battery Retailers in Khon Kaen City. 2) Battery advice


gdhm

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Hi everybody :smile:,

 

I have bought my only two replacement batteries for my Toyota Hilux Vigo Diesel 4 door cab from the same dealer.  However, looking at prices quoted online I am now wondering if I paid too much previously for a Basic Conventional Water FB NS110L battery (with exchange of old battery) ฿2,500 in Aug 2012 and ฿2,400 in Aug 2014.

 

1) Please can anybody recommend/suggest retailers in Khon Kaen City that they consider charge reasonable prices. My battery is already showing signs of decline and speedy replies (if possible) will be much appreciated.

 

2) Please can anyone advise the merits of semi dry or dry over Water.  I admit I rarely check my battery which seems to last 2 years (topped up or not). I do not drive my DIESEL Vigo very often these days (as i tend to use my M'bike) and more often than not, I take it for a drive every 18-25 days for around 15kms purely to recharge the battery. For such driving habits and low mileage habits please can those who understand batteries advise best type for me.

 

Mistakenly or not I am under the impression batteries with higher Ah and CCA are likely to last longer purely due to what I believe I understand is that as a battery gets older those figures go Down therefore higher figures will take longer to go below the minimum required to firs up my DIESEL Vigo.

 

Are FB, GS, Yuasa, Boliden etc all very much the same quality and durability or are one or two brands better/Worse than the others?


 

Many thanks all :smile:

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I have a similar ride where Toyota batteries last 2 years.....In my opinion Boliden is the best, I had one, lasted 50% longer...The one I have now is a 3K L/Acid, now 2 years and 2 months, still cranks great, but with this battery I have lifted the hood every time when I get home so the heat is taken away...

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The Toyota dealer just quoted me $3,200 for a battery, and B-Quick quoted me $3,600 for a battery.  (Also Toyota Vigo diesel here).   Sorry, did not inquire as to the brand for either.  

Makes your online prices look pretty good!  I'm also in the market for a new battery, general Khon Kaen area as well.  Appreciate any further feedback from members.

Another troubling development:   
B-Quick told me my battery should read 16V but said mine had only a 9V reading.  Needed a new battery immediately.

One week later, Toyota tested my battery and said that it should read at least 12V, but mine was at a 13.5V reading, and the battery was fine.  

What do you make of that?  In the last 2 months, the motor cranks over slower than normal.  Still starts up, but I'm starting to have concerns. 

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The 16V and 9V thing is crap....A sales pitch..

 

But it doesn't matter what the Volt reading is, it's the stored Amps that turn the engine, and a high compression diesel needs lots of Amps...

 

BUT, if you go out for a drive and test the battery it will show 13+ Amps, test the battery with the engine running it will show 13+ Amps....First thing in the morning do a volt test, it will show if things look good or not for a rough idea......

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2 minutes ago, johng said:

A fully charged 12V battery should read   12.6v - 12.8v  you should not take a reading with the engine running or you will get a  false reading  from the battery charging circuit of  13v - 14.8 volts.

 

Yep, but a new battery will show 12.6, as it ages it will not...

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Just before my last battery died ( Jan 2016 ) it was still able to reach 12.5-12.6 volts  but within minutes or removing the charger the reading was down again to about 12.4v ( about 70 % charge )   the starter motor solenoid  just made the dreaded clickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk  noise with no attempt to turn the engine over.

 

New  3K NS60 (46B24R) 45 AH  battery 1800 Baht no  trade in on old battery.

 

Batteries don't last long in Thailand.

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1 minute ago, johng said:

Just before my last battery died ( Jan 2016 ) it was still able to reach 12.5-12.6 volts  but within minutes or removing the charger the reading was down again to about 12.4v ( about 70 % charge )   the starter motor solenoid  just made the dreaded clickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk  noise with no attempt to turn the engine over.

 

New  3K NS60 (46B24R) 45 AH  battery 1800 Baht no  trade in on old battery.

 

Batteries don't last long in Thailand.

My battery "cold" reads 12.3 Volts.......The engine wizzes over.....It's the stored Amps that count..

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26 minutes ago, transam said:

It's the stored Amps that count

 

Yes thats true  but its not so easy to measure how many Amps your battery will deliver

( some people try arc welding but not advisable )

where as if the battery quickly losses voltage after being charged with nothing drawing current its more than likely on its last legs.

 

according to Mr Google

You can also measure the voltage drop when trying to start/crank the engine

if the cranking voltage is 9.5 to 11.0 volts, the battery is good. Below that it is going bad or is already bad

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Look here for a ball park figure ... http://www.batterybbdelivery.com/   I would have got one of these  105D31L-MF I always buy Panasonic MF

 

Buy yourself a CTEC Battery Charger and it will extend your battery life... ah only if you use it regularly ... it's foolproof ...    http://smartercharger.com/

 

As Trans says ..open you bonnet whenever you can after stopping ... don't get it 'nicked' though. 

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On 22/10/2016 at 3:24 PM, johng said:

Batteries don't last long in Thailand.

 

My factory fitted GS battery lasted 4 years, almost to the day. I replaced it with another GS battery bought locally that cost 3500B (less 500B for the old one). The new one isnt exactly the same type though so I will be interested to see how long it lasts.

 

The vehicle manufacturer quoted me 3800B for a new battery but apparently the factory now fits Panasonic instead of GS.

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1 hour ago, MYKTHEMIN said:

All my batteries here last 5 to 6 years , use vehicles every day, top up water as required and clean terminals, never leave bonnet open, total waste of time. All have been GS and my latest one is a hybrid GS.

Yes, there's always one...

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On 22/10/2016 at 7:27 PM, JAS21 said:

Look here for a ball park figure ... http://www.batterybbdelivery.com/   I would have got one of these  105D31L-MF I always buy Panasonic MF

 

How does that place work? Do you order by phone and they deliver by post? COD?

 

It would be nice to hear of a national chain that sells batteries at a reasonable price and installs them. The fact that on Sukumvit in Pattaya there seem to be a hundred battery shops or more, all selling the same types and all apparently doing little business, leads me to suspect that there is massive cartel-like over-pricing for batteries here.

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On 10/22/2016 at 1:37 PM, transam said:

I have a similar ride where Toyota batteries last 2 years.....In my opinion Boliden is the best, I had one, lasted 50% longer...The one I have now is a 3K L/Acid, now 2 years and 2 months, still cranks great, but with this battery I have lifted the hood every time when I get home so the heat is taken away...

I agree with the choice of Boliden. My last Ranger was plagued by Ford's duff batteries (made under licence by GS Siam) and dumb 'smart charge' electronics and was replaced by a Boliden. Never looked back... until I sold it. Regardless of brand, batteries are made under license locally so don't fall for anyone with any 'imported' hype and higher prices. Boliden seems to hold their local manufacturers to a higher QC standard.

 

If you detect that extra slow crank on a cold start up in the morning, check the battery terminals first. Metering the battery at rest or under load won't give any sure-fire indication when one of the cells is clagged up or broken; it's not the volts that get it moving, it's the sustained current or CCA. However, most battery shops have the basic, standalone load tester so do it properly, disconnect and remove the battery from the truck before load testing. While it's out, give the battery tray a good hosing down (mild detergent and water or a de-greaser if it's totally manky) as all that grime and deposits all contribute to an electrical leakage path and if your battery does have a defect or your charging circuit is flaky, a flat battery is a higher possibility.

 

Oh yes, and B-Quick isn't a battery shop. They are a shop that sells batteries.

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3 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

How does that place work? Do you order by phone and they deliver by post? COD?

 

It would be nice to hear of a national chain that sells batteries at a reasonable price and installs them. The fact that on Sukumvit in Pattaya there seem to be a hundred battery shops or more, all selling the same types and all apparently doing little business, leads me to suspect that there is massive cartel-like over-pricing for batteries here.

Well I live a couple of hundred metres outside the border of BK actually in Nonthaburi.

 

Just phoned up, later a guy turns up on a motorbike with the battery.  He fits it and then I paid ...if you want to keep the old battery the price is +300thb

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22 hours ago, JAS21 said:

Well I live a couple of hundred metres outside the border of BK actually in Nonthaburi.

 

Just phoned up, later a guy turns up on a motorbike with the battery.  He fits it and then I paid ...if you want to keep the old battery the price is +300thb

 

Sounds good for those who live nearby. Cant see the bloke riding his motorbike to Jomtien though!

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