BATTERY

[WiM]

Guys,
Looks like I need a new battery in the 5.
The car came with a conventional lead acid type battery when I bought it 2 weeks ago BUT I want to get the original Gelcel Panasonic battery. Or if I cannot get that one another Gelcel the likes of WestCo.

I don't have the serial number to order the Paansonic, so is someone willing to have a look what the number is on the Panasonic unit?

If not a Panasonic, what type of Gelcel batteries are you guys driving around with adn more importantly, where did you sort it?

Cheers,
WiM

[Ian]

I have the Panasonic but it has been in the car since I bought it. Did you phone Canterbury Mazda to enquire? (you won't need a part number...)
It is my understanding that it is only the dealers who have access to the Panasonic, and that the Westco (unfortunately) is not available here.
An Odessy is a favoured option for competition, but expensive, and I weighed my Panasonic only to find that the weight saving would be a mere 5lbs.....

Ian

[jif]

I recently replaced the original battery with another factory one from the dealer - it was only slightly more than the gel-cell I was looking at on trademe, but without the hassles of having to mess around with mounting a different size battery.

$150 from John Andrew Ford. The original lasted 11 yrs! It would've been longer but it flattened it a few times (hardly drove it for a year or 2) and that killed it off.

-j

[WiM]

Well I did call Mazda in the end and I got a Panasonic battery of them. HAd been advised by different garages that it "won't be possible anywhere in NZ to get the Panasonic, but this EXIDE here would do just the job at $180.00..."
Even went down the track of getting the price of posting a PAnasonic from Germany, but posting alone is $116.00! So went to Mazda here and got to hear that they had 3 Panasonics in stock and that the price was $151.25 incl GST! Snatched one from the counter and put it in the car, great!!! Big smiles

[Ian]

WiM...glad I saved you some money...you owe me a beer!
Now, anything else you need to know...(this could be quite lucrative, me thinks)