# 95ah AGM or 100ah standard?



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

I need a new battery!

Purchased brand new motorhome in August as some of you may know.

Dealer is refusing to replace duff battery and it is not covered by AA Gold warranty or Mercedes.

So, going to get a new one and take mater up with dealer.

I have been offered a...

95ah AGM or
100ah Standard sealed.

Both same price!

Which would be best (I don't think GEL Suits starer/chassis).

TM


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

If it's for the engine starting then go for a wet / sealed Varta or similar.

Their Silver range looks good, although I went for a couple of inexpensive 100AH wet/sealed for our own Mercedes. Both have four year warranties but Varta was £50 dearer.

Peter


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Had this same problem 6 yrs ago with a new m/h.

Hymer uk replaced with no quibble . they knew that the m/h s were not hooked up and that some were not battery disabled

My battery joined a huge pile in the corner of the workshop 8O 

tony


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Something wrong here. Batteries have a warranty... the Battery maker should replace it as the dealer refuses (which is crazy allowing for the mark-up they make), there will be a date somewhere showing the age of the battery if you have no other proof.
Gel batteries are usually double the price of a wet battery.

Alan


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Our Hymer came with AGM and I was not sure which charge setting the Electrtoblock needed to be on.
There are two settings, one for Wet batteries and one for Gel.
I contacted both Hymer in Germany and Banner Batteries and both told me that AGM have very similar charge characteristics as Gel.
Our Banner AGM has performed very similar to the past Gel we have owned.


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## organplayer (Jan 1, 2012)

*Organplayer*

There have been good reports on here for the Bosch S5 and I understand battery technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. It seems that what battery may have been "the best" a while back may not be so today. I find "battery talk" a bit confusing to say the least.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

*Re: Organplayer*



organplayer said:


> There have been good reports on here for the Bosch S5 and I understand battery technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. It seems that what battery may have been "the best" a while back may not be so today. I find "battery talk" a bit confusing to say the least.


Don't worry, a Lead-Acid battery is still just that, and the operating parameters would be recognised by the people who used to have a battery set in their home for lighting in the 30's and 40's of the last Century.

What has changed is the advent of sealed VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) and the various types under that heading.

Calcium is being added to improve performance in some wet batteries as well, but at the end it is still a Lead-Acid battery with the same weaknesses and strengths as before.

Peter


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

rosalan said:


> Something wrong here. Batteries have a warranty... the Battery maker should replace it as the dealer refuses (which is crazy allowing for the mark-up they make), there will be a date somewhere showing the age of the battery if you have no other proof.
> Gel batteries are usually double the price of a wet battery.
> 
> Alan


It is the Starter/Chassis battery.

The Complications....

The Chassis was built in December 2008 by Mercedes
This is classed as a 2009 Model year
It was an import / Export order that failed to go through
Dealer stored it for 4 years before
It was Registered by the said dealer in 2013
We bought it August 2014 as the first real owner with 30 miles on the clock. So I guess it is classed as a Demo.

Mercedes will not accept any warranty due to age
AA Gold Warranty covered provided by dealer does not cover batteries
Dealer so far has refused to accept any liability sating "you have had it more than a few weeks" (Mrs. TM had said to the lady in Customer services "we have only had it a few weeks").

To be fair, I had suspected it was playing up as the starter seemed to be, well lazy or a first time click fail.

I am now wondering how long the Lucas LSLC150 leisure battery is standing up!.

Do Varta Make the Bosch Batteries?

Trev


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

teemyob said:


> Do Varta Make the Bosch Batteries?
> Trev


As far as I know, Trev, the two brands are separate, both have OEM customers but Varta is probably more active in the retail/consumer market.

Peter


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## Imbiber (May 11, 2007)

Hi Trev,

I had three Varta batteries installed by Allan at A and N Caravan's (as leisure batteries), and he advised me they were Bosch batteries in all but name!

Not sure who Steve Kemp is but they quote him on their website: A and N Caravan's

_"..Steve Kemp has done some research and found that the Varta Silver Dynamic range is identical to the Bosch S5 but can sometimes be found at a £10 saving. What you read for the Bosch S5 also applies to the Varta Silver Dynamic batteries." _


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## TheNomad (Aug 12, 2013)

Imbiber said:


> Hi Trev,
> 
> I had three Varta batteries installed by Allan at A and N Caravan's (as leisure batteries), and he advised me they were Bosch batteries in all but name!
> 
> ...


The two companies are not linked in any way so far as I'm aware, so I don't think the batteries are "the same in all but label"

Of course they'll be similar as both have product ranges designed to do the same job; but I don't think either makes batteries for the other, as they are competitors.

Varta is owned by Johnson Controls, whereas Bosch is still an independent Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VARTA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bosch_GmbH


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## Imbiber (May 11, 2007)

Hi Nomad,

Just to clarify, I think in the case of battery technology (and production) it is Johnson Controls, which own the Varta Brand, that actually makes the Bosch battery.

That's why companies like Tayna don't stock the Bosch range of batteries as it conflicts with their Varta stock range.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

This is one of many similar references to Varta / bosch that I found:-

"After Malcolms's recent battery incident I was trawling the various manufacturer sites and happened to come across a few facts. It would appear that Bosch battery division and VARTA have had a joint venture in battery manufacture since the early 90's and that the old Bosch Silver range and the VARTA blue dynamic were essentially the same battery. The share holding was 80/20 VARTA/BOSCH and this was maintained after the 2002 Varta takeover by the American company JOHNSTON CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL. http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition...s/m2939_en.pdf They had earlier dipped a toe in European waters with their acquisition of Hoppecke batteries (another Mercedes OEM) and the Swedish Gylling OPTIMA Batteries AB. So it looks as if Bosch and VARTA technologically produce essentially the same range of batteries. Don't really know if this monopoly is a good thing or not for the European consumer in the long run but certainly casts a new light on the old bosch v varta arguments."

From the MBClub Forum.


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