[Vwdiesel] Batterys

[William J Toensing]

Having grown up in Minnesota, moving to California at age 36 (I am now 76), I learned to put the best battery in a car that room will allow. I got almost 10 years out  of a battery I installed in my 1930 Model A Ford after converting it to 12 volts. I bought my  Rockwood diesel motorhome (which is for sale) 10 years ago & I still have the engine batteries it had when I bought it, & have had these batteries on a battery tender for 8 or more years. What I have learned is if you want to have maximum battery life you should use a battery tender that maintains a battery at full charge but prevents the battery from being overcharged. I have them now hooked up to all my collector cars & I recommend it for any battery that sits a long time between use such as collector cars, tractors, etc. I bought one Optima battery that didn't hold up but it was bought from a battery distributor who buys up batteries that are removed from retail sale when they are over 90 days old. I think the cheapest battery tenders are about $10 from Harbor Freight but I think they are only for 12 volt batteries. My Quantum, Dasher, & Jetta are all hooked up to battery tenders.
Bill Toensing, Nevada City, CA