[timjosmith]

Been quoted £220 for new a genuine battery for a Kia Rio registered 2013 (to fit myself) and advised by main dealer only to use a genuine battery as they have noticed a few cars, not loads, but a few they said not fitted with genuine batteries and experience electrical problems such stop start not working and electrical fault warning light staying on etc.

Considering you can get a non-genuine Kia battery anywhere between £50 to £150 is a genuine battery worth it? Anyone experienced any problems with a non genuine battery? Thanks.

 

[kenp1]

I never bought a battery from a dealer and never had an issue. As long as you buy a battery that is the correct specification and from a well know brand you will be OK.

 

[Indalo]

Welcome to the forum, 'timjosmlth'.

Main dealers charge over-the-top money for most car-related bits and pieces such as batteries, wiper blades, cabin filters and the like. I wouldn't pay KIA prices for these components and would recommend that you source an equivalent battery with exactly the same or even a few more amp hours from any reputable retailer.

Make sure the dimensions of any replacement are identical to the existing OE battery and look for a 4 or 5-year warranty from a well-known maker. I shall presume that you are confident in your ability to swap the batteries but if not, there are probably videos on 'Youtube' that will lead you through the process.

 

[54066]

I've replaced all my batteries on my current and previous cars with Bosch S5. No issues with any of them, in fact, they made stop/start work again.

You'd be mad to pay a premium for a Kia battery. They are nothing special.

 

[Zebster]

Try shopping around a few Kia dealers to get a better price. Admittedly I've not needed to do this with the Kia but both Honda and Volvo have supplied me with batteries for previous cars at highly competitive prices.

 

[Faltwen]

I've replaced all my batteries on my current and previous cars with Bosch S5. No issues with any of them, in fact, they made stop/start work again.

You'd be mad to pay a premium for a Kia battery. They are nothing special.

Same here
it won't be a Kia battery anyway as they don't make them.

 

[Radiorail]

....... not fitted with genuine batteries and experience electrical problems such stop start not working ................

No loss there then 😂😎

 

[2012vengaman]

Make sure the dimensions of any replacement are identical to the existing OE battery and look for a 4 or 5-year warranty from a well-known maker.

I'd add that the physical size is very important to be mindful of as as engine bays are normally crowded and do watch out for bigger physical batteries encroaching on excess heat areas like CATS / Turbos etc.

I'm guessing your original is badged Solite? which is a Hyundai Group (as you might expect ) sub division also known as Hyundai Enercell from what Google reckons
I've always found that OEM batteries are normally "just enough" with regard to CCA and AmpHours
I've always tried to go higher (physical dimensions allowing).
As an example the Solite on my Venga was 410AH and in winter was noticeably slower at turning the car over.
When the Solite died (annoyingly when I'd just done a freezer shop at Costco, thank heavens for retired in laws), I replaced it with an Exide from Eurocarparts at 550AH with 3 year warranty. Spins the car much faster in Winter and no adverse affects or warning lights (and mine does have a charge sensor so isn't just passive positive and negative connections).

Do remember that your radio may need resetting (so note any channels you like to listen to), you may also get an EPS light which often just needs you to turn the steering fully left and then fully right and then back to centre to reset the steering motor range and switch off and back on again to clear the light.

There is some discussion over whether stop / start enabled cars need an AGM battery (which might be what the dealer is qutoing for) but many on here have used a "normal" lead acid wet cell battery and had no issues.

 

[timjosmith]

Thank you very much to everybody for your helpful responses, I will review all the information again in detail before proceeding with my purchase but looks like I will not pay extra for the 'Kia' battery and will go with a mid-range quality alternative that meets all the required specifications. Thank you again to all.

 

[Riosteve]

 

[iooi]

Maybe badly worded by the staff at dealer. As it is more likely to be wrong type of battery fitted than just being non standard.

 

[timjosmith]

Thank you for the further useful responses, communication by staff at the dealer could definitely be an issue. I found out I am lucky in Stroud to have a very well regarded battery specialist called JE Clarke who have identified the correct battery for me so although I could of course get cheaper online I think I will use these guys who fit it as well all included in the price. I don't have the risk of an incorrect batter by mail order although JE Clarke told me which battery I need but is unfair to do that.

 

[noublue]

By getting it local it is easy to get warranty issues sorted.