[K.L.Richards]

Anyone had trouble trying to find an equivalent battery to the factory fitted one....


My battery went flat last sunday, our fault left tail gate open for hours whilst loading to go to the tip... anyway, I know for that to run it flat, chances are the battery was not holding a charge in the first place.



I jumped started the Captiva and took it for a nice run to charge the battery. The following day, it failed again. Jumped started it, even longer run. Started every time during that day, over night, and it failed the following morning. Decided with winter on us, must be time to replace. Failed to get a battery at Halfords, Kwik Fit, plus other local car spare outlets. As the tests in both Halfords and Kwik Fit reported the battery as good and that the alternator was charging it, decided to get it off the car and charge over night on a trickle charger.... Great, stated first time the following day, as you'd expect as it just came off a charger, but the day after failed again.



So I've been trying to get a new battery now for over a week. Last resort, visit the Chevy dealer. They didn't have one in stock, but would order one, eta over a week, and it would cost £169 + VAT.... what the f***...



After trying the web, I got a Bosch S4. Great, nearly the right spec (ie. CCAs and Ahs) but have had to return that as it wouldn't fit the bay. Length and width spot on, but TOO B!OODY HIGH. The cables would not reach and if they had, it would have been mms from the bonnet when closed. Returning this battery to Euro Car Parts (who I should say, service was brilliant). They spent ages trying to find a suitable replacement. Tried Captiva and Antarra, but there is no battery in the UK with the same dimensions and power rating as the original factory fitted unit.



Factory fitted battery being : 90Ah with 912 CCA (dimensions 173x306x200(h))



In the end I've had to get a Excel Excide Battery which has the spec of 74Ah and 680 CCA (dimensions slightly smaller than the factory fit, but height is the same, so does fit the bay.), but at £77 I decided I had to risk it after over a week without a reliable starting car.





Anyone else been having this problem....if not and you need a new battery be warned. If you have managed to get a battery same as factory fit, be interested in where you got it, the battery details and price?



Another interesting thing, is I was told several times, that the battery (factory fit) is classed as a commercial vehicle battery, which being a 2 Ton, 2 ltr diesel is possible. My Captiva is one of the first, so be interested to know the battery spec on the later models if anyone can enlighten me. It could be that the battery spec has been reduced on newer cars, which is why I had trouble trying to find a replacement on the original spec.



Your feedback is welcome....



Also, I understand what a CCA is, but have no idea on the scale. Without sounding like Rhod Gilberts jokes on Togs and Candles, can anyone give a realistic (easy to comprehend) answer on the risks of going from a 912 CCA battery down to a 680 CCA. I know it doesn't affect the power output, but the number of times the battery can sustain that power output before being flat. But in real life terms, does it mean that if I don't start 1st time in the snow, I'm going to be stumped dropping what is effectively a third of the CCAs from the factory fit unit....

 

[bel]

Got the "Bosch S4" In mine altered the clamping bar that goes across the top slightly to accommodate the extra height but then it fitted fine and has been an excellent battery and operated excellently last winter. Cost me £110 fitted with a three year guarantee.

Edited by: bel

 

[K.L.Richards]

The problem I had wasn't so much the retaining bar, as I could have loosened the lock nuts and may have got the bar to lock, but the cable length of the terminal connectors wasn't long enough to allow me to connect the terminals. I did consider stripping the cable ties to see if they would stretch, but there was so much PVC tape strapping the cables as well I though better of it. Also putting a straight edge from the inner wing across, to give an indication on how close the top of the battery would be to the bonnet made me think twice.

What Mk Captiva do you have, as there may be a change in the position of the battery seating plate, hence difference in the max height battery.

 

[Aussie Ed]

KLR, Unipart list three options for the MK 1 Captiva.Have look at this link :-http://www.unipartautomotive.co.uk/electrical/Batteries/Chevrolet/Captiva/all/2.0/2009/Parts.aspx

 

[Aussie Ed]

A PS to that; Unipart do not list a battery for the Series 2 so there must be a difference between the series 1 & 2.

 

[Aussie Ed]

Advance offer a Varta - looks to be size you need. 4 year G'tee delivered £88 !!

 

[bel]

The problem I had wasn't so much the retaining bar, as I could have loosened the lock nuts and may have got the bar to lock, but the cable length of the terminal connectors wasn't long enough to allow me to connect the terminals. I did consider stripping the cable ties to see if they would stretch, but there was so much PVC tape strapping the cables as well I thought better of it. Also putting a straight edge from the inner wing across, to give an indication on how close the top of the battery would be to the bonnet made me think twice.

What Mk Captiva do you have, as there may be a change in the position of the battery seating plate, hence difference in the max height battery.

I have an 08 ltx auto, the batterycables were not even tight just bobbed straight on, we did check for clearance, andas I say it was the length of the retaining rods that were a bit short just had to bend the ends of the top bar a little to make it fit. As in your other post with the broken spade terminal because of the tight wiring loom I think somebody in the manufacture has been using a measuring tape with an inch or two cut off the end on your car? !!!

 

[K.L.Richards]

Ed, interestingly.

Unipart battery 1. Looks to be exactly the spec I bought from Euro Car Parts, apart from the Unipart has the terminals the wrong way round, but size, capacity and looks are the same.

Unipart battery 2 looks exactly the same as the Bosch S4. Which I found to tall. Again same size, and capacity sizes.

Unipart battery 3 had nothing specified to check against, yet the price is up there with the Chevy dealership price.


As for the Varta one, I saw that elsewhere myself, but wasn't sure about its dimensions at the time, so checked elsewhere.

I can't believe its so difficult to get a battery.... Well, as I said, I took one in the end, but not sure what I got is really the right spec...

 

[K.L.Richards]

The problem I had wasn't so much the retaining bar, as I could have loosened the lock nuts and may have got the bar to lock, but the cable length of the terminal connectors wasn't long enough to allow me to connect the terminals. I did consider stripping the cable ties to see if they would stretch, but there was so much PVC tape strapping the cables as well I thought better of it. Also putting a straight edge from the inner wing across, to give an indication on how close the top of the battery would be to the bonnet made me think twice.

What Mk Captiva do you have, as there may be a change in the position of the battery seating plate, hence difference in the max height battery.

 
   I have an 08 ltx auto, the battery cables were not even tight just bobbed straight on, we did check for clearance, and as I say it was the length of the retaining rods that were a bit short just had to bend the ends of the top bar a little to make it fit.  As in your other post with the broken spade terminal because of the tight wiring loom I think somebody in the manufacture has been using a measuring tape with an inch or two cut off the end on your car ? !!! 

Mines a 08 LTX (Man)... As I said I was wondering if I striped the cable ties back it may stretch, but i would have had to unravel the PVC insulating tape that bound the cable and loose the cable ties that attached the cables to the body mounting points. Also it would have been very close to the bonnet when closed. Just didn't think the risk of possibly screwing it up and it didn't work, worth it....

All I can say is the Korean measurement scale must be very dubious.

 

[sawingrove]

I have the same issue now and found your post. How have you gotten on. Has it been reliable. I need a battery for the Friday, as We are off for long weekend.
Where did you get it from.

Thanks.

 

[Aussie Ed]

Sawingrove, Welcome to forum and well done for using the search function to assist your post.There is a difference in battery size between MK1 & MK2 ad a lot of these 'flip over' books in Auto stores dont show that detail. The Unipart Automotive website is useful. You can enter your model/year and their battery info gives actual sizes. Link http://www.unipartautomotive.co.uk/default.aspx

 

[K.L.Richards]

I have the same issue now and found your post. How have you gotten on. Has it been reliable. I need a battery for the Friday, as We are off for long weekend.
Where did you get it from.

Thanks.

Nope... Well I did get a battery from Euro Car Parts (http://www.eurocarparts.com/?gclid=CO3rgZePgb4CFScGwwod630Axg). They failed to get one of the same power (ie CCA) but as I failed to get one anywhere else, I took a gamble and it did work ok. The main issue though is the way the terminals are set, as the Captiva seemed to be the opposite from most other makes, which meant it difficult to source a battery.

I cant say how good the battery was, as I got rid of the Captiva a few weeks after, so only had the new battery for a short time.

If you do buy on line, be sure to get the right terminal setup or you could have an expensive return.. Sendingcar batteries has to be done by courier and it gets expensive...



Edited by: K.L.Richards

 

[Aussie Ed]

The Unipart page lists three batteries for the MK1 Captiva and interestingly (if the illustrations are to be believed) the terminal positions are different!? The 3334 shows terminal on the left, whereas the other two the terminal is on the right. This will impact on the cable positions in your vehicle and whether they reach or not! The top two illustrations give size detail (click the 'Notes' tab) and this might be critical as the 3334 model is considerably 'taller' at 222mm and may come perilously near the bonnet when closed. The 3110 is only 175mm tall. The third option model 66115 is a 'bruiser' (at least on the wallet!) but no size data is listed. Nothing listed for the MK2 but I think it is the taller battery for this re-modelled bonnet.Have a look at this link:- http://www.unipartautomotive.co.uk/electrical/batteries/Chevrolet/Captiva/all/2.0/2009/Parts.aspx

Hope this helps.

 

[T5NEL]

I think some of the mk2 batteries are a different type to support the added drain of the start / stop system.

If you google 'absorbent glass mat' AGM car battery you can do the research. This is the type my 2013 Captiva has

Tim

 

[RL100]

I was lucky on my MK1 the battery was replaced by the garage when I bought the car ..

Unfortunately I have not got any better images of what they had installed but I'm sure they would advise with a quick phone call, they are a good helpful garage but no longer a chevrolet dealer .. 'KT Green' Leeds ...

Edited by: RL100

 

[Aussie Ed]

RL, You have simply confirmed my comments in my April 27th post (above) where I did say there were no battery items listed for the MK2.Interestingly your photo appears to show the positive terminal (going by the + sign on the metal terminal nearest) as being back right, where as on mine the '+' is back left (when viewed from front of engine looking in).
The evidence of these variations between models goes to show that when looking for a battery for the MK2 Captiva - dont rely on the flip over books in-store and double check the terminal orientation and size (height in particular) to suit your model variant.

 

[yzfrichie]

I needed to source a new battery for my MK1 57 plate Captiva LT Diesel (manual). Thinking it was an easy thing to just order one from the net, I was about to buy a Bosch S4 but then decided to check the forum first. I was glad I did as I then discovered all the posts about how difficult it can be to find the correct size. Turns out the Bosch was going to be a few cms too high. A visit to Euro Car Parts proved fruitful as the guy there sourced a Lion battery which was 19cm high - the same as the old battery. The length too was just about the same. The depth however turned out to be about 2cm more than the original but thankfully I managed to squeeze it in ok and still fit the retaining clamps. The new battery is rated 80AH and 750 CCA - not as good as the original but beggars can't be choosers! Cost: £91.

 

[Aussie Ed]

Johnboy, Top marks for using the search tab and reading up on the differences between Mk1 & Mk2 both in size - ie if too tall the bonnet closes on to the battery; secondly the orientation of the terminals because if opposite way round the cable will not reach.A timely and useful reminder for anyone about to be faced with battery replacement soon.
Not a bad price you got yours for. Normally well over £120

 

[Dave]

Our 2007 battery has stopped holding enough charge to start the engine. It is the original GM battery with the following details:-

EC0720099 - 12v 95AH 720CCA

Took a taxi trip to our local Chevy/Vauxhall dealers to pick up a new one, their system said for a 2007 Captiva the following battery should be used:-

V0093182214 - 12v 95AH 790 CCA

They had one in stock to our surprise so we took it home. Unfortunately it was too long to even get into the battery tray and the + and - terminals were on the wrong side.

So, it's back to the dealers we go during the week to iron things out. Seems like their database is wrong.

Strangely enough when we picked up the battery they said they could still order in the EC07 battery from the system but it's nearly £200 including vat!!

 

[Aussie Ed]

Dave , Use this web link to check. It's a useful site as it shows terminal layout also sizes.Link:http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/4x4-batteries/335-249-bosch-car-battery/

note: the model shown may not be what you need but you can use the search function to narrow down.