Looking at eurocarparts for batteries, a search for my car brings up the usual 063 types from the usual brands…plus this one ‘Lion’ brand, that says that it’s ‘specially created for the mx5’.
Has anyone got any experience of this battery or this brand? I’ve never heard of them, but they might be the mutts nuts for all I know.
Sorry I don’t know that brand but at that price why not get the one from MX5Parts, £99.60 + £9.95 = £109.55. Yes a little more but known to be good or even try your local Mazda dealer, remember to ask for best price as you’re a member of the Owners Club. I got mine for about £70.00 from a dealer.
I hope that helps.
Just bought and fitted a Westco battery to my wife’s Eunos, purchased it from MX-5 Parts.
It is the Gel type, so no acid leaks likely to rot the boot floor.
It uses the ventilation tubes, which hopefully are still in your car, to vent through the boot floor.
Well worth it in my opinion.
Steve
I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Westco one’s quality.
An OEM panasonic is the best by all accounts, but at £150 or so, that’s a lot of cash.
I just thought this might be better than the Westco, but at a similar price. It’s a Calcium battery rather than Lead-acid, but not being a battery guru I’m not sure whether that removes the rust risk or not?
As a matter of interest where did you get that price from?
As I said I got an OEM Panasonic one from a Mazda dealer for 70 something pounds.
What about Varta 063 Jon, low maintenance so they don’t gas in normal use but do have vent nipples which should hook up to your vent pipes, good quality and g’tee for the price.
The last time I was half thinking about a new battery (probably last winter!) and I called my local dealer and they wanted £130ish plus VAT. I’d love to think I could pick one up for £70 (normal battery money) - which dealer gave you that price?
Rich - Yeah, I know of that and other 063s with vents (eurocarparts has a Bosch for similar price too) but really wanted to avoid lead-acid altogether. It just piqued my interest as they claim it to be mx5-specific whether that meant it was a) a gel-type and b) would fit right with the standard bracket and tray (unlike 063s). Really I was hoping someone has a 5 year old one still going strong!
Is it a Lion brand or a Lithium Ion type battery? I’ve only seen Li-On batteries on smaller applications.
That’s actually what made me do a double take, but no it’s the brand name.
It’s a ‘Calcium-Calcium’ battery apparently. 
This is the sum total of the ‘detailed information’ section from the webpage:
They have a website with lots of info.
Just fitted a halfords 053 £69.99, lead acid, takes the vent tubes and a three yr warranty, fits the tray on a mk1 just a bit taller but at the price it suits me!
I’ve learned about calcium/calcium batteries today!
Basically, they’re pricier than lead-acid (but basically are lead-acid, with a calcium-alloy impregnated grid), but they have a much lower self-discharge rate (apparently you can leave it a year and still have enough power to turn an engine), they have relatively high CCA rates, are completely sealed and maintenance free (with a recombination chamber at the top to sort out the gasses), but are hard/slow to recharge after a deep discharge. Oh, and they are really really hard to make. And they’re not really sure yet, but should have a longer service life.
It does sound like a good choice for the boot of a 5…
It was Romford Mazda in Essex, come to think of it I think they had some sort of offer on to push sales before winter.
Sounds like the Lion brand may be your answer though.
I will keep trying the dealers…I would prefer a Panasonic, but not at the standard price. At £70 I’d take their arm off though!
This is the second winter I’ve been umming and ahhing over a new battery. When I bought the car its existing battery was totally shot and the garage scraped around in a back room for an almost-as-bad standard ‘AA brand’ 063 lead-acid that came off another car and doesn’t really fit, so I also want to correct that problem. Once the weather warms up I’ll probably leave it another year though… 
Hi Jon, did you see the link to the 4 year gtee Varta 063 for £40 delivered?
A local factor will probably have one too, mine was £50 for the Mk3 last winter.
So if you already have an 063 with the original vent pipes just get a new one of those, make it secure, and the job’s done 
I did Rich, thanks. That’s a pretty good price for an 063, and I might still just plump for one anyway. Just got my interest because a) this one is apparently the right size (063s don’t quite fit right), b) doesn’t vent at all, so is a bit better in that respect (and means no need for an extra tray) and c) doesn’t mind being left a while as much as a standard battery, and has better CCA, so better suited to the way 5’s are generally used.
I’m just trying to weigh up whether it’s worth just over double the cost of an 063…but still a third less than the OEM.
(if I think about it long enough, summer will be here and my old duffer will limp on for another year!)
If you can till warmer weather, not so many batteries are sold then so Mazda may have another push on.
I know a Mazda parts guy, I will see if he has any idea when an offer may be back on again but they often don’t know before us.
Well…fingers crossed it will hang on in there. It’s just on its last legs…a bit reluctant on cold mornings and too easily drained, but with a regular drive it’s holding up.
Sod’s law says it’ll be flat when I go try it now. 