TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:29 pm

I went to order a 19L battery from Wolfsburg West, but it's NLA. They have a 17L, but I have no idea what the difference between them is.

None of the BCI charts I found on google had these two batteries.

Is there an alternate source for the correct 19L battery?

For the record, my split was built 9/11/1952

Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:34 pm

You can get 19Ls just about anywhere, call around to battery dealers, make sure you specify 6 volt. My local Interstate Battery dealer carries them, they are used in electric forklift arrays.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:06 am

Thanks - I'll try that.

Here's the WW battery I bought for my ghia. Fits the battery cover perfectly.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:12 am

The 19Ls fit the covers nicely, but don't have the exposed bus bars over the individual cells. I paid $90 once, and last time I went it was $60. Have bought 3-4 of them for my VWs, shouldn't be hard to find.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:42 am

One thing i was told, by a Battery shop. is to order the battery "Dry". That is without the acid in it, and to have them "Wet" it when you pick it up.

Charge it at home. If you can or have the co. charge it before you get it. This will take about a day.

That is because, 19L batteries don't sell that often and you don't know how long it has been "Wet" and sitting on the shelf.

Most good shops will comply with your request.

I used to do the 19L thing for years, I have since switched to the Optima Battery. I will never go back.

Spanish Flea

Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:33 am

I worked for Carquest last year. I bought my 19L from them. Carquest owns a company called Worlpac that deals solely in foreign car parts. They carry quite a few parts for airlcooled vw. I bough my brake drums, shoes, spring kits, car rebuild kit, etc from them.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:20 am

Spanish Flea wrote: I used to do the 19L thing for years, I have since switched to the Optima Battery. I will never go back.

I have Optimas in my 12V buses, but I don't like the bizarre shape of the 6v Optima.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:34 am

I bought a few from this place:
http://www.northernbattery.com

They have stores here in WI. About $80 then another $12 for the acid to fill it.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:37 am

jim@zarwerks.com wrote: I bought a few from this place:
http://www.northernbattery.com

They have stores here in WI. About $80 then another $12 for the acid to fill it.

I can hear the guy behind the counter "You want acid with that?"

"Is that for here or to go?"

"you can upsize it to 12 volts for only 99 cents?"

<sorry>

:wink:

Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:55 am

johnshenry wrote: jim@zarwerks.com wrote: I bought a few from this place:
http://www.northernbattery.com

They have stores here in WI. About $80 then another $12 for the acid to fill it.

I can hear the guy behind the counter "You want acid with that?"

"Is that for here or to go?"

"you can upsize it to 12 volts for only 99 cents?"

<sorry>

:wink:

That's funny. That's what the guy told me at the Grateful Dead show when I went to buy a tye-dye shirt!

Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:27 pm

Thom, I called NAPA and they had one in stock. Pretty popular out here in San Diego I would imagine but returned the old and got the new in minutes.

I have also been thinking about Optima batteries as the 6volt does not start up great all the time or if I am gone for a week or 2 with inactivity it dies out quickly after cranking on it. I thought a"stronger" batter was what I needed...

So, I bought a 6volt trickle charger and literally it has changed the way I can start my car now. I no longer have to worry about the last time I started it. It has an inline quick connect so you can leave the attachments on the posts and the plug in the wall. I can forward you the info if you want it, but a general search will turn them up somewhere.

Hope this helps.
Rich

Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:21 pm

Well, as luck would have it, the battery I already had fit perfectly under the stock cover. FWIW, I got this one @ Kragen