I bought a volvo s40 2.4 (2007) automatic and had a high performance radio with subwofer factory fitted. I recently had to replace the battery and noticed that the volvo dealer had replaced it with a smaller battery.

My question is will this have any negative effects as the manufaturer so it fit to put in a larger battery.

Smaller= width and length.

 

Physical size doesn't matter. How many CCAs?

 

I would squalk. The bigger battery means it has more capacity. Lead = capacity.

S40's come with two sizes of battery. The smaller one is intended for cars with fewer electrical accessories. There's even a separate positive terminal clamp for the smaller battery.

 

And what was replaced? I've seen people try to cram a huge 800 CCA battery in there, to the point they bend the hell out of the bracket or leave it off. If someone did that before and the dealer installed the correct 600CCA or 700CCA battery, then it would make you think it was incorrect just based on the wrong one that was in there before.

 

You are right. I actually picked it up when I saw the new positive terminal clamp. The original was factory fitted. The big question is what are the negative effects that I can experience with the smaller battery? will it effect the vehicle's performance in any way? Or not.

 

The two sizes are a BCE 91 and the BCE 94. The cars with the high performance radio show coming with the 94. With that said, both physical sizes are available with a range of CCAs - more is better if you live in a cold climate (like here in Connecticut) - You'd probably want something in the 700 range. I just put a battery in my 2000 S40 and used napaonline.com (with a coupon!) and got a 700cca /7 yr warranty (OEM is five) for $120 where Sears wanted 180. I didn't even shop the dealer. Do a quick check and you'll see both the 91 and 94s listed. The nice thing about using napaonline.com is you can order and have the battery ready at your local store for pick up - no shipping or finding its out of stock.

 

With auto batteries more is always better. I bought the AGM type with 850 CCA at almost $200 before tax. Stupid expensive but it has worked without fail for years. It has a 3 year free replacement and 4 year prorated after that.

I wonder if anyone has done the math to see if a cheap 2 year battery is more cost effective? Assuming it lasts the entire 2 years.

 

If the engine isn't running, these cars suck electrons big time. Before I replaced my eight year old battery, I could WATCH the voltage drop while the car was hooked up to VIDA with the ignition on but engine not running.

At the same time, Volvo's baby their batteries. While I'd be surprised if my old Suzuki let its battery live over three years, eight years is common in S40's. If the engine is running, even the small battery is enough. If you do ANY sitting, listening to the radio or something, the bigger battery would make a difference.

As I said before, I would squalk if the DEALER charged you for a new battery and didn't replace it with the factory-supplied size.

 

Well of course. When the key is on and the car is communicating with VIDA, it is going to use the battery for power. This is nothing new, for any car.

 

Ok ... All clear now ..obviously one would on occasion play the radio or cd whilst the engine is not running and with the extra amplifiers the bigger battery makes a lot of sense.... I told the dealer that I could not believe that the manufacturer will put in a larger battery if a smaller one would do. (ES6T note battery + accessories Factory Fitted).