Following an issue I required a new battery sound simple really with no time to spare my local dealer checked it out 600cca motorcraft battery £98.73 fitted so booked it in and left it whilst we went food shopping 2 mins away picked it up half you later and thought IDE check it...........found a tiny 390cca battery under the lid no manufacturer of batteries recommends 390cca with a heated windscreen even the parts guy said you need bigger so took it back and told them that's not what I paid for and you took the money for the bigger battery the master tech said you can't fit anything else in there's no space......never heard such rubbish I told him all batteries are around 242mm long x175x175 for a 500 cca upwards and the focus can take up to 273mm so rubbish he huffed and puffed and argued i was wrong i told him its kind of pointless companies making batteries that wont fit ive checked what will fit already bosch yausa and exide all state the same cca all the same size ill try to fit it in he moaned

2hours later that's it done but the lid on the battery box wont close the battery Is too big he stated a 500cca motorcraft silver battery well it would if they hadn't bent the removable front 2 thumps in the right place it popped into position turns out they have no idea that if you remove the airbox and take the front off the tray you've got all the room you need they tried squeezing the battery in the gap between the scuttle panel oh and they broke my flip key as well not a happy bunny first bad experience with my local dealer ever......how the hell can a master tech not know what battery to fit and how to fit it so always check wonder how many cars are running around with the wrong battery

Following an issue I required a new battery sound simple really with no time to spare my local dealer checked it out 600cca motorcraft battery £98.73 fitted so booked it in and left it whilst we went food shopping 2 mins away picked it up half you later and thought IDE check it...........found a tiny 390cca battery under the lid no manufacturer of batteries recommends 390cca with a heated windscreen even the parts guy said you need bigger so took it back and told them that's not what I paid for and you took the money for the bigger battery the master tech said you can't fit anything else in there's no space......never heard such rubbish I told him all batteries are around 242mm long x175x175 for a 500 cca upwards and the focus can take up to 273mm so rubbish he huffed and puffed and argued i was wrong i told him its kind of pointless companies making batteries that wont fit ive checked what will fit already bosch yausa and exide all state the same cca all the same size ill try to fit it in he moaned

2hours later that's it done but the lid on the battery box wont close the battery Is too big he stated a 500cca motorcraft silver battery well it would if they hadn't bent the removable front 2 thumps in the right place it popped into position turns out they have no idea that if you remove the airbox and take the front off the tray you've got all the room you need they tried squeezing the battery in the gap between the scuttle panel oh and they broke my flip key as well not a happy bunny first bad experience with my local dealer ever......how the hell can a master tech not know what battery to fit and how to fit it so always check wonder how many cars are running around with the wrong battery

sorry to hear that fella

if I was yourself I would go to the main manager and kick up a fuss. That kind of service is not acceptable from a main dealer. especially the fact they broke the flip key, I would take all back and show to the main guy and if required take it further because when you leave your car in to be fixed and you pay for it you expect a well done job not a half matched job with extra broken parts.

absolutely, I had never replaced a ford battery before and im a complete novice but I did it the other week, didn't even bother with the Haynes book, its was clear as day that you remove the front off the battery box, it really doesn't take a genius to work it out.

hell a 30 second google on the internet would have told him that, firstly, his doing it wrong and secondly, the battery is way to underrated!

as a retail manager though id not recommend going in guns blazing but id defo suggest a private chat, if you don't get anywhere you can "suggest" that you will destroy their reputation on all the various garage compare sites, obviously not in those words ;)

I'm in the process of arguing with them the workshop manager is arguing with the service manager the workshop manager arranged it all he knows his stuff... he had a training day when the car was in he agrees with me and knows the bigger batteries fit... the service manager is taking the word of the so called master tech so the workshop manager will have one of his mechanics fit the biggest battery 640cca to prove the point in front of the master tech as for the key the master tech tried to argue it was working as he just used it he couldn't have as there was no tension on the spring to flip the key so the cover had been opened upon inspection they have snapped the internal clips holding it together I know a car locksmith so ill get a new case etc and they're getting the bill l. I know some dealers are rubbish but you'de think a battery would be simple dare I say it even kwik fit can do that lol it was the fact I paid for a 640cca battery they fit a 390 don't tell me but charge me the price of the bigger battery....i can tell you though as they left the shipping sticker on motorcraft batteries are in fact varta rebranded so a varta silver calcium battery is what you're get yet varta charge a lot less http://www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/search-batteries?ids=5614000603162,5604090543132,5534010503122&application=pc&year=2006&manufacturerNo=36&modellineNo=5210&modeltype=18303

least they aren't flat out telling you to shove it, I think youll find it will actually take the 800 battery, I got the 680 and it was fine, didn't need to pop out the airbox, just removed the front off the battery box, there is still a good couple of inches behind it though so I reckon the 800 would fit, I think the air box would need to pop off though

I think it takes 273mm long or a bit more but yes as you say it will take bigger ones no problems they're all 175mm wide by 175mm high its just the length there's a plastic stopper at the rear of the box that can be moved to grab the battery base.....its got the 500cca heavy duty silver calcium one in it now still took them 2 hours to fit it mind you

..cue the pg tips monkeys in ford overalls that's the image I get of them trying to do the job

Batteries are classed with various standard physical sizes, i.e. H6, H7 etc so there's no good excuse for getting the wrong sized one in there as a replacement.

Sounds like the chimp they had on the job wouldn't be capable of rolling out good excuses anyhow and has simply moved on to pathetic ones instead.

Hope you get it sorted out ok - maybe a little mention that you went to a main dealer to avoid this kind of sub-standard service might help guide them towards a suitable resolution for you.

Time to change your dealer Arthur, a particular dealer in kirkcaldy have genuine batteries for a mk2 focus for £25 plus vat!

It goes to show that everyone paying extra to go to the dealer for 'experience' are wrong, personally I wouldn't trust them to change a tyre on my wheelbarrow! Ford dealers in my experience are the worst.

Talk about incompetence....

I must admit on my Mondy, I strip the box off altogether to change the battery but I remember on my focus I didnt need to....

They are taking the mick though, charging you that and then fitting something else. I would be reporting the individuals to Ford Head Office for that!