2007 XC70: think I need a new battery. How do you test/where do you buy replacements?

[Rattnalle]

Well as I said I missed the part about the car barely being driven. But still you've had the batteries for a long while anyway.

I still don't think you'll benefit from a more expensive AGM battery though. Better spend the money on a charger or another battery when the new one dies.

It's not only the battery that doesn't like short trips though

[abscate]

I’ve got three trickle chargers on my fleet of five as they sit for a week sometimes. I bought the kind that wire onto the terminals and just have a plug up on the windshield cowl that I connect to.

[Durenol]

So the takeaway here is that a battery dying after ~10 years is pretty much par for the course? How do you test the voltage regulator? Would the alternator be screwed up too now?

I'm still confused/uninformed wrt trickle chargers- this is not something you clamp onto the battery each night, but something that's installed permanently?

[Rattnalle]

An old school constant current charger left plugged in will eventually kill the battery from overcharging.

A modern smart charger will when the battery is full continue to charge so slowly that it just keeps the battery full nothing more, a trickle charge. Such a charger can be left plugged in indefinitely ensuring that you always have a full battery without having to keep track of it. You could of course just charge the battery every now and then. Whichever works best for you. Many smart chargers are supplied with a cable and socket that can be installed into the car for easy and convenient connection of the charger.

[Durenol]

The unit in question is an ancient Sears "4 amp" battery charger I inherited from my father, so old it has a 6v/12v switch. I have no idea if it's a fast charger or a trickle charger or what. It has a VU meter thing on the front labeled "DC amperes" with numbers 0,2,4,6 (the numbers aren't evenly spaced). I've had to take the battery out and connect it to this charger a couple times now, but IIRC only the first time did I leave it overnight because I wasn't sure how long it would take. The other times I only left it plugged in for an hour or two. It usually starts with the needle slightly above 2 and drops to 1 after around an hour, and 0.5 hours later. The needle needs to be at least at 1 before the battery can start the car (and even at that it's a very hard start).

All things considered, should I install a proper trickle charger first and try to eek more life out of the current battery before replacing it? The only time this car is parked overnight or longer is when it's back home.

[Durenol]

OK, so dealers in the area want $175-250 for a new battery (after tax). Is that a normal price? It seems rather high to me.

[93SCMax]

I'd also recommend a Volvo battery...the only thing I've used in 16 years of owning my V70.

The original battery lasted 8+ years and the Volvo OEM replacement was $120 in 9/2008. I noticed the original was made in Germany and the replacement, made in Mexico. The 2nd battery lasted until 10/2015 (7 years) and the replacement was $153, new at the dealer. Again, another made in Mexico battery.

I don't know if Interstate makes these (as someone suggested earlier), but I've also had good luck with Interstate batteries in my other cars. Costco sells them, pretty reasonably priced, if they have your group #.

A dealer battery over $190 is probably too high, but make sure you get a price with the core (old battery) returned. That usually saves an additional $15 or so.

Good luck, but I'd recommend staying with the OEM if you can find a reasonable price.

[93SCMax]

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[93SCMax]

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[93SCMax]

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