Panasonic may offer a guarantee.
I’ve an idea the Yuasa in my 320d is guaranteed for 5 years
I have gone for the Panasonic battery.
MX5parts are out of stock but I found one at my local Mazda main dealer, which is only 2 miles away. It was £22 more, but I saved on the £10 delivery fee so I’m happy with that. The guy at the dealership (who I know quite well as they look after my Mazda6 Sport) told me that Mazda use Panasonics in almost all the cars they sell. That’s good enough for me, and I’m not going to quibble over a few quid.
I’m currently waiting for a vent tube and battery tray, both of which were missing. In the meantime I’ve treated the surface rust in the battery well and it’s all hunky dory in there now.
Thanks again to all for the advice. 
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It comes in Mazda box, not Panasonic, and through MX5parts, with no paperwork as to where they get it from. I think its a grey import from the EU.
I don’tthink you d oneed a vented battery,
a) the Mk2 MX 5 has an extractor vent in the boot on the left hand side, that vent will remove any possibility of fumes from charging a closed cell battery as the vehicle drives along. If you are charging the vehicle when stationary, the it would always be better to leave the boot lid open. MX-5 parts offer an alternative to the Panasonic battery which is gas-free (although the reviews suggest it is not worth the money):
Battery, Westco, MX5 Mk1 2 2.5
b) at some stage in the past Mazda service switched to supplying an 063 type battery as the replacement, apparently due to problems with sourcing the original compact Panasonic battery.
I have a standard Yuasa 063 glass mat type 45Ah battery and this replaced a similar Bosch Battery (as recommended by Halfords for fitting to an MX5 Mk 2.5). The Panasonic worked 2003-2011 ( 8 years) , the Bosch 2011-2021 ( 10 years), trickle charging on both when not regularly used . Because these batteries were a bit larger than the Panasonic I had to saw off the L-shaped clamp bar off the clamp hook and use a bit of rubber mat to retain the battery. I also fitted a piece of rubber mat instead of the battery tray, which is only there to facilitate factory installation. I did not attempt to fit the vent pipe and have seen no signs of corrosion in the boot in 10+ years. As the 063 batteries are half the price of the Panasonic, and have higher cranking current, it was worth the effort. Just make sure that the terminals are the same way round Pana. There is a thread on this topic:
Battery change MK1.
Well, I can only go on the evidence of my own eyes: the battery in my car had been replaced by an unvented Yuasa. On removal I saw surface rust in the battery well was starting to form.
Equally, I’ve not seen any evidence of corrosion in the battery well or in the boot of my car which is now 19 years old- is your car a Mk2 with a boot extractor vent on the left side, perhaps it is blocked ?
However, just to add, I’ve checked the Yuasa 3000 battery in the car and there are two vent holes, one of which is blocked with a red plug. Just to be on the safe side I’ll connect up the vent pipe that is there to the open hole ( I may do both per the original Panasonic battery). This is fairly easy as it just needs some 6mm od pipe connectors like these - I still have the t-connector from the original vents
and some suitable 6mm id pipe - PVC or PE is reckoned to be resistant to diluted sulphuric (battery) acid and is also available on e-bay.
Based on that I still think a 063 battery is the way to go - half the price of the Panasonic, more cranking power and is the recommended service replacement! The only issue is modifying the clamp rod.
I used pipe from a local fish aquarium supplies shop. to connect to the T-piece on my Mk1.
The Panasonic is far more tolerant of discharge than any 063 lead acid/calcium battery.
You only have to let a traditional battery go flat once or twice, and it will be ruined.
The Panasonic, though more expensive, is easily the best all round choice. Going cheap is not the way to go.
Mazda build good cars. I was a Mondeo driver for many years. Big fan. I heard about the tie-in Mazda had with Ford in the early 2000s and thought I’d give a Mazda 6 a try. What a revelation. How to build a Mondeo better. We now have three Mazdas in the family. If they fit Panasonic batteries in just about all the cars they make, that’s good enough for me.
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The Bosch S4 and S5 are a major alternative to the Panasonic, as you know I have been around these a long time and you get to test many items, the Panasonic is a great battery for these roadsters but are not maintenance free , the do require a bit of care and attention to last the many years, some as long as 20, but they are not great on amps and cranking amps, were as the Bosch as a great holding charge, ace cranking amps and last a long time without the care that is needed for the OE battery, the ones we tasted were the S5 silver, it came with vent connections already in place, we fitted the later battery tray and made up a new J bolt to clamp it down fast and tight, it is a great battery, and its cheaper the value for money is great, if i thought they were rubbish i would have no bones about saying so, just like the horrid waste of time hellfrauds and other cheap nasty wet cell batteries that will cause more harm than good, the westco gel battery is totally rubbish, a major rip off of money,it was one of the worst batteries we tested after cheap wet cells , Yuasa batteries are good , but we also fit battery negative cut off switches to the battery terminal on all our roadsters, so if any are sat around for a while we switch off the earth so no massive drain until we need to move again, a simple turn of the switch wheel and power back on ,engine back into life, they are cheap and easy to install , that as worked for our needs wonderfully for many many years, highly recommend fitting one, and the vent tubes are a must regardless of what ever battery is fitted, those that say they they are not needed have not been around these long enough and dealt with with the many roadsters and the aftermath of not having them fitted and cheap cheap batteries.
M-m
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Yes you do.
M-m
I trust your Mazda 6 isn’t a diesel. Some years ago, looking around for a replacement daily, I checked out the 6. Looked good, till I went to eBay. An extraordinary number of Mazda 6 diesels for spares or repair, with blown engines. As my main criterion was something, not a town car, that did 50mpg easily, I went for a Peugeot 406 HDI ( no DPF, and basically bulletproof ).
When Ford took a large shareholding in Mazda in the late 90’s, their bean counters moved in, cost cutting here, there, and everywhere. The MX5 Mk2 was the victim of this. I’d never buy any Ford ( or Vauxhall ) with more than 80 or 90,000 miles on it. They’re not quality built cars, and the old name for Fords as Dagenham Dustbins is well earned.
If I was after a Mazda 6, I’d go for the 1.8 petrol. Decently quick, and reasonably economical.
And, on cue, High Peak Autos has this to say
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Mine’s a 2.0 petrol Sport. Not a big fan of diesel cars.
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That video just about sums up my hurried fortnight of market research in 2016 when I bought our Mazda3!
It also illustrates why previously I decided not to trade up our two 1990s Vauxhalls to later models when the opportunities arose, but instead kept with the proven, more reliable, more economical older ones; 1 shopping/holiday trolley and 1 commuter bubble.
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When I bought my 6 every review I read said the diesel was the better buy. I was still driving (petrol) Mondeos then. I remember parking next to an identical Mondeo in a supermarket carpark and saying ‘SNAP!’ to the driver. His was a diesel though and he said he’d had no end of trouble with it. Something to do with the particulate filter. Fine if you’re a rep blasting up and down motorways all day clearing them out (not so fine for the environment though!), no good for someone doing short trips. Anyway, that conversation put paid to any consideration of a diesel engine.
The Panasonic battery should have stub pipes that connect to two vent tubes which lead to a single outlet connector on the outer wall of battery compartment.
Thanks. This was covered earlier in the thread.
The tray and vent pipe arrived today. The Panasonic battery is fitted, vent pipe connected, and the car started on the first turn. Starting sounds a lot less sluggish now. Result!
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