HOW much for a Mk 2 MX-5 battery??

[Blackpuddin]

The battery just died on our '04 Mk 2 1.8 Arctic. It's a very neat little Panasonic thing, wondering if it might even be the original one.
Unfortunately it seems to be a special sort of battery. The local(ish) ATS guy had never seen one like it before.
I've put a regular 063 in there for now which has got us mobile but it doesn't fit into the tray and I can't get the securing strap over the top of it so I'm on the lookout for a correct replacement.
Does anyone know where I might get one, ideally a bit less expensive than this £186 item from GSF?
https://www.gsfcarparts.com/za042602

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Blackpuddin]

Found this one at MX-5 Parts for £139, thinking it might be the answer, has anyone tried it?
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/battery-westco-mk1-25?_...

[Blackpuddin]

The reviews on that WestCo thing are appalling so the search continues.

[Blackpuddin]

And the answer is: get a straight replacement.
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/battery-genuine-mazda-p...

So that's what I'm doing.
Well done me for sorting this one out.

[zedx19]

I can see why your post count is so high

[Blackpuddin]

yes and thank you for giving me the chance to increase it by another one

[VladD]

I've got the Westco one myself. It's great if you use your car regularly, but it doesn't like being left unattended. I'm not sure how the Panasonic one compares in that respect.

Update: I've just read some of the reviews myself and it seems that the newer Westco battery isn't as reliable as the old ones were.

Second update: Even the reviews on the Panasonic say not to leave it unused or not on charge for more than a few weeks. Maybe it's just the way that these gel batteries are.

Edited by VladD on Thursday 31st October 14:16

[MX-5 Lazza]

I had a couple of the older Wesco batteries. They have never been reliable.
The best bet is the original Panasonic. I have the Bosch S5 063 in mine.

[Blackpuddin]

Yeah, the Westco reviews are horrid so the replacement Panasonic has arrived. Seems to be more secondhand than the one I'm replacing hmm but I will put it in tomorrow in place of the 063 stand-in which doesn't sit in the plastic tray or fit under the retaining strap.
I've ordered a gel battery charger off ebay which I will use to try and revive the old batt. Apparently this is possible but it can take 5-7 days.
Looks like I will also need to find the trickle charger I've got somewhere in the garage.

[pete]

A little late to reply, but there’s an official Mazda kit to fit an 063 in the mk1 at least, and I suspect the mk2 as well. It’s aimed at cold climates where a larger capacity battery is needed, and consists of a new battery tray and hold down hardware. The boot carpet and battery trims already had cut marks to modify them to suit the larger battery. That transformed how long we could leave ours off charge in the winter, plus replacement batteries are now a simple commodity not £200 a pop!

[Blackpuddin]

Thanks Pete that’s good info.

[Blackpuddin]

Checked that out, seems to be only available for the Mk 1 sadly, the space is quite tight in the Mk 2.

[Belle427]

You would be better off buying one of the odyssey extreme batteries which are quite small and popular in the TVR world as they happily turn a V8 over.

[Blackpuddin]

Belle427 said:

You would be better off buying one of the odyssey extreme batteries which are quite small and popular in the TVR world as they happily turn a V8 over.

Aye maybe but overall I'm happy to have the 'correct' Panasonic unit as that lets me use the factory tray and retaining strap.