Decision time, I'm in need of another replacement battery,
My previous two have both been Varta F19 85ah
now would an AGM equivalent be compatable with my 2008 TD4 or
is the alternator liable to shorten it's life by constant over charging?
my reason is, I'm only doing short drives now and F19 is not getting a regular
enough charge, DAVE.

AGM are considerably more expensive.

When mine was being stood for two weeks at a time as it was my shooting bus , I just wired a female connector for a smart battery charger to the battery , it had a weather cap and I ran it out through the grille .
I left it plugged to the smart charger when not in use .I used an Optimate as I had 3 from my bikes at the time , but other brands are available . It would be cheaper to buy an ordinary battery and smart charger than an AGM battery which is really only necessary for stop-start duty . 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

This was my solution to an unreliable battery.

The Lithium Battery Booster is exceptionally handy (it sits in it's bag in the rear door pocket) and impressive as it easily give enough charge for several emergency starts.

The Battery Charger is quite versatile and intelligent and will cover charging most Lead Acid and Lithium Vehicle Batteries (includes override to start off dead batteries)

Click image to enlarge

So, neither type of battery likes to sit discharging. I use an AGM, they are stronger and generally more reliable, also, more expensive.

Given all that and the fact that you only drive short distances, get a low amp battery charger and put it on a nightly 12-14 hours charge controlled by a separate timer plugged into the wall. Cheaper and a happy battery.

NOTE, don't forget to disconnect it before driving off

My last Varta didnt seem to last as long as the original Varta, so I now have a Yuasa YBX5110 Silver 85Ah 800CCA

And I top it up if I see the voltage dropping via my bluetooth voltmeter because sometimes it doesnt move for several weeks. Jules

Yes, I've been using Varta for a number of years and this last one has certainly
not lasted, but that could well be to many short drives!
I did do a longish drive tuesday on duel carriageways, with 14.3/4 volts on the run
finishing with the battery showing 12.4 volts holding.
I'm not sure if this is adequate though.
Sadle I'm not in a position to use a charger of any sort as I live in a second
floor apartment with no access to power at ground level.
the Yuasa battery was my first response, but wondered if AGM would be benificial.Dave DAVE.

As you can see by the image below it took 12 hours for my CTek to decide that the battery was charged enough to go to it’s maintenance charge level and that it was at over 14v for much of the 12 hours so the long drive would have to be really long to have an effect. AGM batteries are for stop/start systems that have many quite rapid duty cycles rather than standing for long periods.
Ctek have a device that sits in the car permanently attached which charges using the excess from the alternator and then maintains the battery when the car isn’t running and acts as a booster for a discharged battery.

There is a mass of information on Batteries and their Testing and Care starting Page 1813 in the Repair Manual.

All your questions should be answered by reading what the LR Manual says. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

Dave47 wrote:

Yes, I've been using Varta for a number of years and this last one has certainly
not lasted, but that could well be to many short drives!
I did do a longish drive tuesday on duel carriageways, with 14.3/4 volts on the run
finishing with the battery showing 12.4 volts holding.
I'm not sure if this is adequate though.
Sadle I'm not in a position to use a charger of any sort as I live in a second
floor apartment with no access to power at ground level.
the Yuasa battery was my first response, but wondered if AGM would be benificial.Dave