All batteries are definitely not the same - for example if I had a 230CCA unit in the cold here in canberra it would struggle to turn the car over if I had starting problems. However I have an Exide 580CCA and it will spin all day(figuratively speaking of course...lol)

DO NOT get the NRMA batteries except to get you home as they are cheap and nasty and the caps do not stop the acid sloshing all over your battery box.

Hooroo

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Rob Forsyth
Miniot!!

I was advised to get the bosch..... the battery cost around 100 and jsut fit in the battery well. Best battery I have ever had although only had it for a week as I only put it in last week.

i had a bosch which im sure is a good battery but i over charged it for months didnt look after its water levels too well now im draining it with my cold starts cos i dont have a choke hooked up so i was running the starter for too long each cold start i changed that now also i have a small 8 inch sub in the boot running a 250 watt amp that im pretty sure it doesnt like i changed the battery to the e550h seems great had to change it in the car park as i forgot to park at the highest point and didnt roll far enough to jump her only slight worry now is that my dodge light switch that has always heated up slowly when the lights are turned on is now heating very quickly i thinki ill get onto changing that i tried fixing it but the little fiddle springs inside and tabs everywhere still generate hot spots. i guess better to spend the all of 10 bucks tops then loose the car in a fire. already had the crap scred outta me with one small fire thats enough for me ciao guys thanks for all ur comments

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Enjoy Chris

I got a century 325cca from supercheap yesterday....the car turned over but I hadn't started it for months. So I reckon I tried starting it about 20 times and then it finally kicked in. Ran it for 3 mins then turned off. Went to start it this morning and the battery is dead. Is this normal behaviour considering the cca battery I bought?

If it was dead, I'd be looking for a current drain. If the battery started it the night before and now its dead there must be something draining it. Do you have access to multi meter with amps section to test current draw when off?
Check your audio system is wired up correctly and not sucking power other than the memory back up. (About a gnats hair of an amp)
Does it have an alternator or generator? Alternators sometime crap diodes and draw current. Also I doubt a generator could run a big stereo.
Try charging the battery and running a few tests, sounds like the fault is in the car, not the battery.

Thanks Peter. I don't have a stereo so I don't know what it could be

If you want to check it an easy test is to Make sure everything is switched off, take battery lead off and put a light between lead and terminal. Use a reasonable size globe, brake light or similar, it Shouldn't light up. If it does, start unplugging things till it goes off. That'll point you in direction of faulty part/short.
If you have a clock, stereo with memory, or similar, you need to unplug them first as they can draw power when car is off.

I don't have any affiliation with Optima, but the best thing I ever did for my 1966 Cooper S was to fit a "Red Top" R34 battery from Optima. - It can sit idle for months yet crank the engine enough to get oil pressure up to the top end before using the choke for the "real" start, & start it does, every time!
Just get one is my advice...

I've got the lighter Yellow Top in my van - Optima D51R 500 cca 11.8 kg, you can put it where you like, even on its side. I put a 80 cca Red Top R34 in my Land Rover and it failed after 6 weeks, completely stuffed. The dealer replaced it with the bigger Yellow Top D34 and that lasted around seven years.

Red Tops are supposed to be for starting, Yellow are deepcycle but can be used for starting too. However, the web is replete with people experiencing problems with Optimas during the last few years. It's claimed the quality has gone down since they moved production from the US to Mexico. Maybe Trump will bring it back again!

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Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

Yeah could have cooked a cell with all the turning over. Still under warranty tho. Get it checked

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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=93352

If I'm carrying on like a pork-chop, I'm having a great time.

If I go very quiet there's a very good chance I broke something.

Also 325 is way too small. Go 500 minimum

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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=93352

If I'm carrying on like a pork-chop, I'm having a great time.

If I go very quiet there's a very good chance I broke something.